Online

Parents or community members looking to support Cullman City Schools in the 2018 school year will soon be able to “order” their cause from what essentially equates to a “fundraising menu.”

The system has teamed up with an online fundraising service called LeanStream, described as a fundraising platform for education. LeanStream is a web-based platform that allows teachers, schools, clubs, PTAs, booster clubs or school support organizations to post “needs” to solicit donations. Parents and community members can choose what they want to support and donate online.

“It gives our community a new way — a 21st century way — of supporting our schools,” Dr. Susan Patterson, superintendent of Cullman City Schools, said in a statement. “We were looking for a quick and easy way to both tell the community about what we need and give them a chance to support programs or activities that are important to them. LeanStream does just that.”

Along with Cullman, Madison City Schools, Tuscaloosa City Schools and Wallace State are also set to introduce the service.

The school system has already installed a “Give” button on its website (cullmancats.net) for the community to access the service, which leads to a “Needs Gallery” of causes, ranging from the need for a Yamaha P45 Electric Piano Keyboard, to a need for additional ChromeBooks required for targeted intervention. In addition to individual donations, the service also includes a section for local businesses to match donations from individuals.

“We wanted a way to multiply the impact of donations from both individuals and our local businesses, but it had to be easy,” Russell Raney, chief school financial officer, said in a statement. Businesses can participate online, can upload a logo on the spot and each time their contribution is used to ‘match’ a donor’s contribution, the support will be acknowledged in a special place on the website and through social media.”

Patterson noted one interesting perk to donating could actually be a boon for those who want to participate: a 4G LTE hotspot with unlimited data, as part of a “WiFi on the Go” program to encourage consistent donations. Those who sign up for a recurring $50 donation to the district would be eligible for a T-Mobile hotspot with no contract, back-end fees or slow-down for peak usage. Patterson said she and some employees have been testing the service over the past few months.

“The device is small enough to fit in your pocket. It is perfect for a busy family on the go or, in my case, for my daughter who is in college and travels a good bit,” she said. “She has a fast, safe and secure network wherever she goes, and I don’t have to worry about her running out of data. It is great for the lake, the beach or family trips and is also a fantastic complement to the system’s online learning tools for our students.”