Are you a teacher loving Pinna in your classroom? And are you looking for ways to fund a subscription?
If you answered yes to both questions, keep reading!
Pinna has so many creative classroom applications, but we know it can be hard to figure out how to foot the bill.
Schools are underfunded, budgets are stretched thin, and every year generous teachers go above and beyond to pay out-of-pocket for supplies and resources for their students.
If you’d like a Pinna subscription for your classroom — and need some ideas for how to get the cost covered — we’ve got some ideas below.
Let’s get started.
10 Ways Teachers Can Fund a Pinna Subscription for the Classroom
1. Talk to your principal.
Start at the top. Your principal is the key decision-maker for the school. Have a conversation about the many benefits of a Pinna subscription and see if there’s room to add it to the school budget. If your principal would like info on bulk-purchasing discounts, have them reach out to us at contact@pinna.fm.
2. Talk to your librarian and/or your educational technology specialist.
If you haven’t already, consider speaking with your librarian and/or your educational technology specialist — facilitating technology use in the classroom is well within the job description of both. Talk to either of these staff members to find out if there’s room for Pinna as a line item in the budget. Same as above, have them reach out to us at contact@pinna.fm for information on bulk-purchasing discounts if they’d like to set Pinna up in multiple classrooms.
3. Reach out to your PTA.
The PTA often has funds separate from the school’s main budget. They also fundraise on a regular basis to ensure students have the educational resources they need. Attend a meeting and share the benefits of Pinna and see if they can help cover the cost.
4. Look into teacher grants.
There are certain websites — Grants for Teachers and Teach, among others — that aggregate classroom grants into one database. These sites are an excellent way to begin your research. You can narrow down your search by state, subject, or even grade level. If you can get a grant to fund a resource like Pinna, it doesn’t have to come out of an already stretched-thin school budget.
5. Approach your local school board.
Sometimes a direct approach is best. With permission from your principal, consider reaching out to your school board to request funding for Pinna subscriptions for your school classrooms. For greater impact, gather a group of like-minded teachers who are familiar with the benefits Pinna offers and make your presentation together.
6. Give crowdfunding a go.
A trend that has emerged in recent years — crowdfunding — might be your ticket to paying for a school subscription to Pinna. Sites like Go Fund Me or Donors Choose (actually created by a teacher for this exact purpose!) give educators the opportunity to ask friends and family to help fund classroom resources. Helpful hint: be as specific about what you need the money for as possible so people are confident in what they’re giving toward.
7. Try old-fashioned fundraising.
Fundraising is always a fantastic option for kids seeking to raise money for a worthy cause. Host a bake sale, auction off student art, or even hold a weekend car wash in the warmer months. Whatever you do, inviting kids to be part of the process offers the opportunity for a hands-on lesson in consumer economics.
8. Check out a social network gift exchange.
Each year, social media sites like Reddit host gift exchanges for teachers to help with needed classroom purchases. Sign up and request Pinna gift cards to use toward your subscription.
9. Round up a group of colleagues for a bulk-purchasing discount.
Even if your school can’t fit a Pinna subscription into the budget, you may decide you’d like to buy one for your classroom anyway. Take advantage of our special pricing options by gathering a group of colleagues who are interested in making a bulk purchase together. Email us at contact@pinna.fm for details.
10. Earn a yearly subscription by becoming a Pinnbassador!
We love to collaborate with listeners and those who are interested in taking on a more active role to help promote Pinna — by contributing to our Hear This! blog, sharing about Pinna on your favorite social media platform, joining our Teacher Advisory Board, and more — can potentially earn a FREE subscription! Email us at contact@pinna.fm if you’d like to chat with us about how to make it happen.
We’re all ears!
How do you plan to fund your classroom Pinna subscription? We’d love to hear from you! Find us on all our social platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest – or email us at contact@pinna.fm.
