We are delighted that you have decided to organize a Roots of Peace Penny Campaign.  We hope this guide will provide you with everything you need to run a fun and successful campaign!   Here’s what to do:

#1 GET PERMISSION

First, you will need permission to run a Penny Campaign from your principal, teacher or club leader. Our PROGRAM DESCRIPTION can help explain how the Penny Campaign works.    Once you have permission. a school-wide assembly is a great way to kick-off the campaign.  Ask permission to plan a short presentation at an assembly and set a date.  It is fun to run a campaign with a team of friends or members of your school’s Student Council or Leadership Team, so this would be a good time to also request permission to present the Penny Campaign project at the next Student Council meeting, if you choose.

#2 CREATE A BINDER

Once you have permission to run a Penny Campaign, print out this STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE.   Keep the guide along with extra pages for note-taking in a binder so you can keep everything together and organized.   Many of the links in this guide will be to pages that you can reproduce and keep in the binder as well.  

#3 ORGANIZE PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

1. COIN COLLECTION CANISTERS -  Collect enough coffee cans for every classroom plus the school office.  You can use these labels to decorate the cans. Teachers will need to lock the cans away each night until the money is collected and taken to the office for safe-keeping.

2.NEWSLETTER ARTICLE OR FLYER – You can help inform the community about this project by placing an article in your school  newsletter or sending a flyer home to the parents.  Let people know what you are doing and encourage their support and participation.

3.PHOTO GALLERY  - Download pictures from our Photo Gallery to create posters for display around the school. This is a great way to promote the campaign and show the faces of the kids you will be helping.  It’s also fun to make your own original posters promoting the campaign.

4.Promote our MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM to see if any businesses, foundations or individuals would like to match the money raised by an individual student, a classroom of students, or a whole school of students.  These forms can be made available in the school and District offices.

#4 LAUNCH A KICK-OFF ASSEMBLY

A school-wide assembly is a great way to kick-off the Penny Campaign. IDEAS FOR AN ASSEMBLY will offer you ideas - including a short video, presentation ideas, photos and more - that can help you to  get the Penny Campaign kicked off!   It is completely up to you how you choose to do it – simple or involved.

#5 LESSONS AND CURRICULUM

CURRICULUM FOR TEACHERS offers lessons and activities to make this project as educational as it is worthwhile!

#6 CONCLUDING YOUR PENNY CAMPAIGN

1.COLLECTION TIME   - Collect all the donated coins, “paper coins” and checks donated and take them to your local bank or Coinstar (www.coinstar.com ) location to convert the coins to dollars or one single check.

2. MAIL THE DONATION made out to "Roots of Peace Penny Campaign" to:

Roots of Peace Penny Campaign

990 A Street, Ste. 402

San Rafael, CA   94901

Remember, 100% of the donations will go directly to our projects, so every penny counts!

3. PLAN AN ANNOUNCEMENT or assembly to share the final campaign results with all the students, and be sure to inform the supportive parents via the school newsletter or special flyer. 

4. NOTIFY YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPERS of the final results also, because they may be willing to publish an article  about your efforts and accomplishments. 

5. SHARE YOUR STORIES, LESSONS, PHOTOS AND IDEAS with us at pennies@rootsofpeace.org.    You can also view the stories written by others, which are posted on our “A Penny For Your Thoughts” blog. 

THANK YOU!