Why Staff Morale Matters
When deciding if this is important to prioritize in your school, I encourage you to consider the alternative. If you don't plan any staff morale-boosting events or activities, consider how the climate might shift in your building. I would bet that you'd end up with a group of unmotivated staff members who feel undervalued and disconnected. This is not what we're going for! So, instead, commit to building in some staff morale activities and events in your school to keep spirits high and help your staff stay connected and motivated. I promise, with a plan in place, it's affordable, doable, and fun!
Getting Started with a Sunshine Committee
My number one tip for planning and budgeting for staff morale activities and events is to get a Sunshine Committee in place. I actually have a whole blog post about what this is and why you need it, but I'll share a quick rundown here as well.
A Sunshine Committee is a group of people who are in charge of spreading a little sunshine to teachers and other school staff members. They plan events, parties, and seasonal activities with the idea of bringing staff together and building camaraderie. Aside from this though, they also work towards finding the pain points of school employees and help come up with creative ways for everyone to feel more supported and happy at work. For years, I was the leader of the Sunshine Committee and it was one of my favorite things I ever undertook!
If you're hoping to add some more fun staff morale activities and events to your school, I highly recommend reading that whole post after this one. Trust me, it will be a key part of how you will budget for staff morale activities!
Sunshine Committee Funding
Speaking of budget, the Sunshine Committee also typically helps manage funds for staff morale activities. In my school, every staff member contributed $25 per year to Sunshine Funds. This money was pooled into our budget for a variety of things to support staff such as:
- bridal showers
- first baby showers
- staff illness
- retirements and other common life events
We had a set schedule that was used to determine how much money could be used for each event. The money could be used for different things depending on the scenario. It might be used for party decorations and cake, or to purchase meals for a family in need. Having a set schedule with how much you plan to allocate is very helpful from a planning standpoint. It takes the guesswork out of it and allows you to plan fairly for each staff member.
In my school, any extra money was set aside to be used for extra staff boosters. These might be holiday parties, special games, or activities to keep everyone motivated and happy to be at work. Every school will vary with how much "mad money" you end up with, so I also like to have some additional fundraising opportunities planned to help bulk up our staff morale budget.
More Fundraising Ideas
There are many other ways to raise funds for your staff morale activities that are easy to implement. Here are a few of my favorites from over the years.
Principal's Discretionary Funds
As the leader of the Sunshine Committee, I always maintained a very close relationship with our principal. We worked hand-in-hand to run many of the staff meetings and plan staff morale activities. I was always so grateful to have a good relationship with my principal because this helped her understand the need for staff morale boosters throughout the year. She wanted to help make sure our work environment was enjoyable and supportive.
Because of this, she always contributed some of her discretionary funds to the Sunshine Committee each year. The amount will vary from school to school depending on the policies in place. But, no matter the amount, every little bit helps! Keep in mind that in order to make this work best, it's always good to keep clear records of spending and plans for your principal to see. They're entrusted with these funds to use them in a way that best supports the school, so if you can show them where the money goes and how it helps create a healthier school climate, you'll likely have much better results!
PTO Fundraisers
The PTO is another great place to look for some funding for your staff morale activities. Often, this organization already understands the importance of a healthy school environment for both staff and children. They know that happy staff members mean a happier school! They are often more than willing to help fundraise throughout the year and send a portion of their funds to the Sunshine Committee.
As the leader of the Sunshine Committee, I always checked in with the head of the PTO at the beginning of the year to discuss this. It's up to them how they decide to fundraise and how much to contribute, but making these connections and building relationships is key to making the process go more smoothly, so be sure to reach out and connect!
Another thing to consider is that many of the members are also willing to donate their time, which is just as valuable. Having volunteers available to help with staff luncheons, parties, and events is so nice! Sometimes they will even do the shopping runs, or help prepare food items. I've also utilized volunteers to make copies, grade papers, and assist teachers as a "prize" for staff events. These things add up and are so appreciated in a busy school environment.
Parent Donations
Another option is to make Amazon wish lists for prizes that you intend to use for Scratch-Offs or games in your staff morale activities. These could be things like pens, notebooks, gift cards, hand soap or lotions, lanyards, and more. Many parents are super busy but want to contribute in some way. In this instance, they like being able to simply order online and contribute to their child's school despite their busy schedule.
Local Businesses
Local businesses, restaurants, and stores are another great place to check for donations to help add to your budget for staff morale activities. At the beginning of the year, I drafted a letter asking businesses if they would like to donate gift cards or products to our school for teacher and staff morale. Sometimes restaurants will offer catering discounts as well, which is great for special events and parties. You can offer to advertise their services in the yearbook in return or place them on a "wall of fame" in your school lobby.
In my experience, local businesses are often happy to contribute and these donations go a long way. Even just a couple of gift cards from a handful of businesses make great gifts for lucky staff members throughout the year. Not to mention, it helps strengthen the bond in the community between local business owners and your school!
Staff Fundraisers
Last on this list, consider ways you can have staff pitch in to raise money as well! These don't need to be extravagant, just a few dollars here and there helps. One of the ways I did this in my school was with jeans/dress-down passes available for purchase.
Once a quarter or so, I'd have them for sale in the staff lounge. Staff could purchase them and use them whenever they like. The funds went directly into the budget for staff morale activities. In my school, staff loved having this opportunity and were also happy to contribute to something that would benefit everyone. Consider using a staff fundraiser like this in your school to build up that budget!
Plan Your Staff Morale Activities for the Whole Year
Another very important part of maintaining a budget for your staff morale activities is planning. Just like a meal plan can save you money at home, a staff morale activities plan will save you money at school! I like to map out all of my plans for the whole year at once to get a high-level overview of the funds we would need. Don't worry, these plans don't have to be exact. Just jotting down some details about holiday parties, staff morale games, and things you know will happen is helpful.
If you're not sure where to start, or simply need some inspiration, you're in luck! I have a FREE Staff Morale Catalog for you that will make planning your entire year a breeze. Inside you'll find inspiration for every holiday and season you can think of to help simplify your planning.
Download the catalog and then sit down with a blank calendar to help plot out when you plan to have some staff morale activities on the schedule. Then, estimate the costs for each project and make note of that too. This will come in so handy as you build your budget for staff morale activities!
Last my friend, have fun with this process! Spreading sunshine and boosting staff morale is a fun gig! Get creative with your fundraising, be selective with your budget, and you'll be well on your way to creating some amazing staff morale activities that everyone will love!
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I hope this post was helpful for you as you begin to sit down and plan your budget for your staff morale activities. Be sure to pin it on Pinterest so you can keep track of these ideas!
