Schools Aim to Boost Fundraising by $1M by Partnering with Free Parent Engagement App ClassTag

As school funding declines nationwide, ClassTag’s Rewards helps schools increase fundraising by tapping into parents’ online shopping

JANUARY 25, 2017 – ORLANDO, FL: At the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC), ClassTag, a free parent engagement app for teachers and schools, is announcing the pilot launch of its Rewards feature to boost schools’ fundraising.

As state and local funding for schools continue to decline, ClassTag is expanding on its mission to help schools turn parents into partners by helping them raise funds needed for the children to get a high-quality education. According to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 31 states provide less support per student now than in 2008.

The ClassTag rewards generate “cashback” funds for their school or classroom every time parents do their regular shopping online. Funds can be used at school discretion for supplies, field trips, technology and other school and classroom needs. One hundred pilot schools received access to the ClassTag rewards.

“Affiliate programs have been around for decades. Even before the internet, schools raised funds through scrip and other programs to help support their mission”, says Jason Olim, ClassTag’s co-founder, and CTO. “What is different with ClassTag’s program is that affiliate shopping is integrated into school communications, making it easier and more likely for parents to use it.”

The idea of ClassTag’s rewards comes from teachers who have been the driving force behind ClassTag’s rapid user growth. As a 1^st grade teacher who participated in the ideation of the rewards puts it: “teachers spend hundreds of dollars out of pocket to make their classrooms well-equipped with supplies and beautiful environments for the students to learn. Parents, on the other hand, are always asked to donate to schools and spend a lot of effort and money on auctions and various fundraisers. This idea of schools getting money back from what parents already buy online without any extra effort or extra dollars from everyone involved is brilliant and needed today more than ever. ”

ClassTag’srewards pilots with Amazon program that has reported on average $1500 per year spent by its Prime members and $625 per year by non-members. “The opportunity ClassTag’srewards represents for a school is enormous. Amazon alone represents a potential of $10,000 for an average elementary school based on its program. We have created the opportunity for $1M funds by the end of 2017 for the schools currently in the program”, says Vlada Lotkina, ClassTag’s CEO. “The key to achieving this goal is changing parents’ behavior to actually utilize this opportunity and that is why we are so excited about this partnership that builds on ClassTag’s parent communication and engagement platform that the schools rely on to improve parent involvement.

About ClassTag:

ClassTag is a web and mobile platform helping schools turn parents into partners by simplifying all communications and scheduling, motivating parents to get involved and guiding them to success. It was founded by Vlada Lotkina, a fortune 500 executive, and Jason Olim, serial entrepreneur and technologist, to help parents like themselves make their children more successful and better prepared for life. For more information, visit: ClassTag.com or email team@classtag.com to inquire about your school participation.

FETC:

You can also meet company representatives at FETC in Orlando, Florida at ClassTag’s booth #2153.

Press Contact:

Ewa Lewandowska

ewa@classtag.com