If you asked me five years ago how I planned to get back into the work world after my two children were born, the idea of creating a small company focused on school fundraising would never have made the list.
That changed once my son, Chance, entered William “Bill” Roberts E-8, a Denver Public School in the Stapleton area. It became clear that the extra funding our public schools need to run efficiently, attract talented teachers and Para-professionals, and provide the most basic of supplies and resources had become the responsibility of each school’s parent community, the PTA, generous non-profits and local businesses that care. The push by PTAs to raise school funds can sometimes feel aggressive, but I soon realized it was the passion of parent volunteers wanting a well-supported education for their kids.
My company Mom’s Night Out Productions started as a simple fundraising idea. The film, ‘Bad Moms’ was coming out and I thought it would be a fun way to freshen up the list of fundraising activities. After receiving the PTA’s approval, I quickly coordinated a Mom’s night out event that would financially benefit the school, create more community and provide moms with a fun night out. With the event being hugely successful, I decided to setup a business to help other schools raise much needed funds while also using my background in marketing to help local companies promote their products to a sought after market.
I truly enjoyed working with Bill Roberts’ PTA and proud that the money we raised at the event will help make Bill Roberts a better school.
Mom’s Night Out Productions also includes the local business community by coordinating swag bags for the attendees with samples and offers from local businesses. Who doesn’t love a swag bag? For moms that work so hard all the time it’s nice to receive a gift – it’s even better when it has a cool offer or sample.
While this falls into the category of a social event, I love that the ladies can attend without feeling the need to be “on” after a long day. Personally speaking, what often kept me from attending some fundraisers was my awkward need to be excessively social. I often found myself repeating the same 5-minute conversation I just had – but to 10 more people.
But at the end of the day, every mom wants to help out their kid’s school, escape for a couple hours to enjoy some well-deserved “me” time, get a bag of goodies, and be entertained. I can’t think of a better place to do that than at the movies.
Tricia Campbell is the founder of Mom’s Night Out Productions. For school PTAs interested in participating, visit momsnightout.buzz to learn more or contact Tricia at [email protected] to get started.
Author: Mile High Mamas
