Schools are often raising money for equipment, supplies, and expansion projects. Creating fundraisers is not for the faint-hearted. These events need tons of volunteers, high-energy, and hours of time.

In stretching your dollars and using time wisely, consider helping schools by saving the labels on products you already purchase.

Labels for Education

Photograph Credit: Labels for Education

The Labels for Education program, offered through the Campbell’s family of brands, rewards schools based on the number of labels collected.

On participating products, you can find a label for education, printed with the UPC symbol. By clipping these labels, collecting them, and submitting them together through a coordinator, schools can redeem their points for equipment and supplies.

This program is ongoing and a great way to help your school without spending extra cash. Just check your empty boxes, cans, and containers for labels before disposing of them. When everyone participates, the label count increases, and the schools reap the rewards.

Box Tops for Education

Photograph Credit: Box Tops for Education

Another great program involving labels is Box Tops for Education. These labels on participating products are worth $.10 per label. Similar to Labels for Education, the labels need to be submitted through the school-appointed coordinator.

In addition to collecting labels, Box Tops offers more opportunities for fund raising through on-line shopping, bonus tops, eBox Tops, and sweepstakes.

If you live in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, or Tennessee, you can enter to win 100,000 Box Tops for your school. This is $10,000 for the winner’s chosen school.

Since Publix (a southern company) sponsored this sweepstakes (expiration date: February 28, 2012), entrants must meet the criteria: resident of a listed southern state.If you cannot take part in this sweepstakes, then keep watch. There are other opportunities throughout the year.

In using time wisely and stretching your dollars, keep a watchful eye on empty containers, jars, cans, boxes, and packages for Labels for Education and Box Tops for Education. If you do not have school-aged children or know of any school-aged children, any school will gladly accept your labels.

Raising money for education does not need time-consuming events. Cutting and collecting labels helps our schools without sacrificing money, energy, and time. Happy label hunting!

Question: What is your favorite fundraiser for education?