SERVICE TOOLKIT

CHANGE STUDENTS

SPARK 4

Smiling teens spill out of a yellow bus into a manicured schoolyard. A school bell rings, leading the laughing students through the gleaming hallways. Colorful posters advertising extracurricular activities line the walls as the students make their way to bright, modern classrooms.

TV commercial scenes like this one have become the prevailing images most of us conjure when we think of school. But for many students across the U.S. this is far from reality.

Today, more than 16 million students in the U.S. are living in poverty. The large majority of these

students face overcrowded schools with sparse resources and overburdened teachers.

Many families are struggling. Over 30 million students are enrolled in free and reduced meal

programs, and with high unemployment, many parents are unable to provide the basic school

supplies their children need to be successful students. In addition, schools across the country

are facing severe budget cuts and lack the funding to purchase necessary supplies.

BUT YOU CAN HELP!

Help Students in Your Community by Organizing a School Supply Drive

A school supply drive is an easy way to have a profound impact on students and their learning experience. Make school a better place for both students and teachers through the simple act of providing school supplies. At your next Rodan+Fields (R+F) event, organize a school supply drive for a local under-resourced school.

STEP 1: CHOOSE A SCHOOL AND DETERMINE THEIR SUPPLY NEEDSDeadline: 4 weeks before service projectResources: See Appendix A for suggestions on selecting the correct school. See Appendix B for principal talking points.

If you know a teacher, principal or school administrator, you can talk to him or her about your idea and identify the school’s supply needs. If you need help, contact pfcfoundation@rodanandfields. Consider getting your team involved and forming a committee.

List of suggested supplies: • Paper: lined paper, copy paper, construction paper, spiral notebooks, composition books,

index cards• Pencils and pens: blue or black pens, #2 pencils, colored pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener,

pencil case, colored markers, crayons, highlighters, dry-erase markers• General supplies: dry-erase boards, paper clips, 3-ring 2” binders, pocket folders,

report covers• Classroom staples: stapler, staples, rulers, protractors, glue sticks, scissors, tape, calculators• Things you can never have too much of: tissue, sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer

STEP 2: CREATE COLLECTION BOXES & FLYERSDeadline: 3 weeks before service project

You can host an event and encourage others to attend and bring the desired supplies. In addition you could create collection boxes to gather supplies, which could be a great conversation starter with others in the community. Make sure to create a flyer to accompany each box you create.

STEP 3: DECIDE HOW TO COLLECT SUPPLIES Deadline: 2 weeks before service project

At your next R+F event: Use the next R+F event with your community or team to invite individuals to bring supplies.

A collection box in the community: Gather support from your Consultant peers, Preferred Customers, prospects, or other family and friends, identify high traffic areas where you can set up collection boxes. Good locations include office buildings, banks, grocery stores, coffee shops. Don’t forget to post flyers around each of these collection sites.

Remember to take pictures of all your collections boxes before they are empty. You can then use these pictures to thank the local collection locations on social media by tagging them.

STEP 4: KICK OFF & PROMOTE YOUR SERVICE PROJECT Deadline: Service project kick offResources: See Appendix C for an announcement email template.

Send an e-mail to all your collection site hosts kicking off the campaign and thanking them. Also engage the rest of your network by posting on social media to announce the kick off of the campaign.

STEP 5: MID-PROJECT FOLLOW-UP - YOUR COLLECTION SITE HOSTS Deadline: 2 weeks after service project launchResources: See Appendix D for a reminder email template.

Whether your team has collection boxes in the community, or they are bringing their supplies to your next event, you should communicate regularly to participants to make sure they are promoting the campaign. Offer them support, encouragement and gratitude. You can also ask that they promote the campaign to their customers or staff using e-mail, social networks or company intranet.

STEP 6: COLLECT THE DONATED SUPPLIES Deadline: 4 weeks after service project launch Resources: See Appendix E for campaign conclusion email templates, and a thank you note template.

On an agreed upon date, conclude the drive by collecting all supplies. You can enlist volunteers or other Consultants to help collect all the boxes.

STEP 7: DROP OFF THE SUPPLIES Deadline: 5 weeks after service project launchResources: See Appendix F for school drop off talking points.

Work with the school principal and/or administrator to determine the best date and time to drop off the supplies. Consider asking the principal to present the school with collected supplies during an assembly time. Make sure to create thank you notes to provide to your contact when picking up the collection of goods.

STEP 8: SHARE YOUR TEAM’S SUCCESS WITH THE R+F COMMUNITY Deadline: 6 weeks after service project launch Take photos along the way and share on social media using #Spark4Change with #RodanandFields and @buildOn.

And remember to thank everyone who helped you — it will make them feel appreciated.

THANK YOUfor helping students in need by giving them the tools they need to succeed!

For questions about hosting an event contact pfcfoundation@rodanandfields.com.

Service Toolkit ResourcesTable of Contents

Appendix AHow to Choose a School

Appendix BPrincipal Talking Points - Introduction

Appendix CAnnouncement Email Template

Appendix DReminder Email Template

Appendix ECampaign Conclusion Email TemplateThank You Note Template

Appendix FSchool Dropoff Talking Points

Appendix AHow to Choose a School

Be sure to find a high-need school or a school eligible for Title 1 funding. Title 1 funding data is available from most school administrators and principals, or sometimes can be found on the school’s website.

Also, visit greatschools.org to research schools in your community or the surrounding area. To make the most impact with your donation, try to choose a school with a rating of five (5) or below. Lower-performing schools face many challenges and budgets are often at the top of that list.

The needs even among public schools can be varied, so consider contacting more than one school to gauge their needs.

Appendix BPrincipal Talking Points - Introduction

Your school supplies drive will have the largest impact if you are donating items that a school has identified as a need. The best way to assess a school’s need is to speak to the principal or administrator. Below is a simple script that you can use to begin this conversation.

Hello, [Name],

My name is [Name] and I am a volunteer in our community [Add R+F information, if desired]. I personally place a high value on education and want the students in our community to have the opportunity to pursue their educations to the fullest.

I was wondering if there are any school supply needs that you and your staff have identified over the past year. I would like to hold a supply drive to collect some of the items you need most.

Please let me know if this is something you would be receptive toward. If yes, please let me know if you are free to connect in-person or by phone on [Date].

Thank you, [Name]

[Contact Info]

Conversation Tips:

• Emphasize that you are interested in supporting your local community!

• Be understanding of the school’s needs, they might not match with your perceptions. Try and cater your drive to the needs listed by the principal.

• Visit in person if possible.

Appendix CAnnouncement Email Template

Getting the word out about your school drive is critical to the success of the service project. One of the suggestions within the toolkit is to have local businesses join in. Below is sample language for e-mails and social media posts for reaching out to those businesses. Feel free to edit and add your own personal message!

SAMPLE EMAIL/LETTER FOR A LOCAL BUSINESS:

Hello, [Business Name],

This week is the start of our school supply drive [Add R+F information, if desired] and I want to thank you for offering space near the check out lane for supply donations.

By allowing us to host an in-store display, shoppers are able to pick out a few extra items to purchase and donate to the collection box. Each small purchase adds up to a HUGE impact for the students of [School Name], who will be benefiting from the donations!

Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need additional support. We can have one of our volunteers coming by on a regular basis to answer questions and/or empty the boxes. This is truly a community undertaking; we thank you greatly for helping support the students in our community by supplying the necessities needed to continue their education!

Thank you, [Name]

[Contact Info]

SAMPLE EMAIL/LETTER FOR YOUR OFFICE:

Dear [Senior Management, HR Director, or Philanthropic Director],

This week is the start of our school supply drive [Add R+F information, if desired] and we wanted to thank you for allowing us to post donation boxes in the office!

By allowing us to post flyers in the hallways, staff are reminded each day to bring in something. Each small purchase adds up to a HUGE impact for the students of [School Name], who will be benefiting from the donations! Please have your managers remind employees of the drive this week. We want to have as many people participate as possible.

Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need additional support. This is truly a community undertaking; and we thank you greatly for helping support students in our community by supplying the necessities needed to continue their education!

Thank you, [Name]

[Contact Info]

Appendix DReminder Email Template

SAMPLE EMAIL:

Hello again!

We are two weeks into our school supplies drive and we are floored by the generosity and effort you have contributed to make this drive a success. We are making a difference in our community that would have not been impossible without your support!

Please help promote the campaign by sending out an e-mail [to your staff, family, etc.] asking for donations. Also, please encourage participants to share their contributions on social media using the hashtag #Spark4Change. More people talking about this cause will create even more impact!

Thank you again, and please reach out to me with any needs before the campaign concludes next week!

Thank you, [Name]

[Contact Info]

Appendix EConclusion Email Template and Thank You Note

SAMPLE CONCLUSION EMAIL FOR COLLECTION SITES:

Hello,

Our drive is ending [Insert Date], and we wanted to touch base about picking up any supplies that have been collected. Can you estimate how many boxes you have filled? What is the best day and time to collect the donations? Will you be available that day, or will there be another point of contact?

I am looking forward to seeing you and all the amazing effort you and your colleagues have put into making this drive a reality!

Thank you, [Name]

[Contact Info]

SAMPLE CONCLUSION EMAIL FOR VOLUNTEERS:

Hello,

Our school supply drive is ending [Insert Date]. We are so excited to gather the final supply donations [from the collection sites].

We are looking for volunteers to pick-up supplies on [Insert Day]. Attached is a list of sites and their locations, as well as pick up times. Please reply to me with what site you would like to pick up from and if you are able to drop the supplies off at [Primary Drop Off Location]. At [Primary Drop Off Location] we will count and organize all of the donations before presenting them to the students and staff at [School Name].

REMEMBER, when picking up the supplies, please take a picture of the full donation box, as well as a photo of the collection organizer and/or other staff with the box.

Thank you, [Name]

[Contact Info]

THANK YOU NOTE TEMPLATE:

Dear [Name],

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you, to you and your employees, for participating in our school supply drive for [School Name].

Over 16 million students in the U.S. are living in poverty, and many of them do not have the necessary school supplies to help them succeed. We know that the work of change is nearly impossible with only one person having an idea, or when acting alone. We recognize we need all the hands in this community to help it become the best that it can be, offering our students the greatest resources we have available to succeed.

Your part in the school supply donation drive is an integral part of that success.

By partnering with your business, as well as several others in [Your Community], we have collected [List Items and Quantities]! That is enough to help [Insert School] with their needs for the rest of this year!

We sincerely thank you for being a part of this change!

[Name][Contact Info]

By partnering with your business, as well as several others in [Your Community], we have collected [List Items and Quantities]!! That is enough to help [Insert School] with their needs for the rest of this year!!!

We sincerely thank you for being a part of this change!

Appendix FSchool Supply Drop Off Talking Points

Hello again Principal [Name]!

We are excited to inform you of the success of our school supply drive!! We have collected [List Supplies].

Our staff is thrilled about the chance to drop these supplies off and get them into the hands of your students and staff. We would like to know when would be best to deliver them. Are there any upcoming assemblies during at which a small number of our volunteers could come and present the supplies?

If not, when works best for you?

Thank you again for allowing us to collect supplies for your school! Our volunters have gained new appreciation for our community’s ability to come together over a common cause while working on this campaign.

We are so thankful for the work you and your staff are doing every day to help give our students the best education possible.

We sincerely thank you for being a part of this change!