3 Ways to Organize Valentine’s Gifts for Teachers

Fast, Free and Easy Ideas from SignUp
 
If you’re looking to go beyond the adorable mug and teddy bear combo as a Valentine’s gift for your child’s teacher, here are three easy ways to use SignUp.com to organize your greatest resource – other parents! At SignUp, free & easy online SignUps quickly bring parents together for activities, events and gatherings that create a truly meaningful present.

The Gift of Time. Give your beloved teacher a well-deserved break by inviting parent volunteers to do a short stint providing staff support on playground or lunchroom duty (or, if it's a virtual learning classroom, offer to step in for an hour via Zoom or whatever video conferencing platform is being used). Schedule parent volunteers to read or play games with the classroom, implement an ongoing guest speaker series, or schedule volunteers to stuff folders or make copies. With SignUp’s Repeating Spots feature, it’s easy to set up a calendar of recurring volunteer needs. Parents can sign up from their smartphones or computers 24/7 (without a password), and with real-time eCalendar syncing and automated reminders mean parents remember when it’s their turn to pitch in.

The Gift of Supplies. Every teacher can tell horror stories of putting out a call for supplies and getting 24 packs of markers and zero boxes of Kleenex. This Valentine’s, consult with your teacher about what supplies are needed in the classroom for the rest of the school year. Create a Wishlist SignUp and have parents commit to sending in their items by a certain date. Get creative and package the supplies in a large basket or storage bin with pink and red tissue paper and chocolate treats tucked in.

The Gift of Resources. We’re all a little squeamish about collecting cash for our teachers, but the truth is that almost all teachers subsidize their classrooms out of their own pockets. This year, why not acknowledge this and help offset the extra costs by using SignUp to collect cash contributions from class parents? To create a SignUp for collecting money, go to your Dashboard and click the Create New SignUp button then follow this easy 5-step process:

1. Provide Details: Choose SignUp Kind "Fees or Contributions Only" and complete the requested details.

2. Set Up Contributions: In this step you will select the payments partner that works best for you (PayPal or Stripe).

3. Choose a Theme: Upload your school logo or choose one of our Valentine’s badge images, then add a heart-themed background from our templates.

4. Invite People: Invite parents to your SignUp via a direct email invitation, or via a shareable link posted on your website or social media pages. Payment screens are completely smartphone optimized so parents can contribute on-the-go.

5. Track your payments: In the Collect Money tab of your SignUp, login to PayPal or Stripe to withdraw funds at any time.

This year, take advantage of the convenience of SignUp to show your teacher a little Valentine’s Day love!

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