Box Tops Collection for School Fundraiser

send home ONE blank piece of paper with only this on the top - "How many can you fit? See how many box tops you can squeeze onto this paper. Which class will fit the most? Which student can get the most on there? All box tops must be visible, both sides of paper may be used. Collection deadline is _____. To be entered in contest name must be on sheet."

We collect them here and there's no such thing as a collection sheet...we just turn them in in baggies!

We don't have collection sheets at our school. They say to either turn them in, in an envelope, or attach them to the back of the flyer they used to promote the program. I'm just attaching mine to a blank sheet of white paper, I hope this is ok, since I lost the flyer. We've gotten 2 flyers since school started. That seems reasonable. I'd also look into sending out email reminders too. That's a free way to get the word out.

My son's school just has the collection box by the office and I send some in with my son in a little plastic bag and he puts them in. I've never seen these collection sheets.

Why not stick them to a regular piece of paper...Or could a master copy of the form be emailed to parents? I know we are constantly having a contests at our kid's school as to how many we can collect.

We don't use collection sheets, they were determined to be a waste of money. We just put them in envelopes and turn them in.

I was a coordinator for my kids' schools for several years. How many boxtops are on the sheets you are using? Some have only10. Some have as many as 25. Would the number of "spaces" you have on each sheet fit onto a sheet reduced in size by half, so that you have 2 'sheets' out of one piece of paper?

I never cared much for the paper sheets anyway. It was a hassle to package them for shipping. What I preferred was using ziplock snack sized bags. They each hold 50 nicely. :)
Maybe if you bought a few boxes of those and wrote on each one "my boxtops" or something and sent them home with the kids? I don't have a real good solution for you.. because I'm sure that you will reduce your participation if you don't send SOMETHING out to them. I had parents send them in in regular envelopes sometimes. Would that work?

ETA: To get the "word out" without using printing/paper sheets, what works best, imo, is to put out signs along the pickup/drop-off route. Like yard sale signs or sandwich board signs. Once a week or something stick a big sign, or a string of signs out that says "Remember to turn in your Boxtop$ this Friday" or something. Put it out on Thursday. You could even enlist parent volunteers to stand by the door with a sign and wave (like all the tax preparers wearing Statue of Liberty costumes do in March and April).

I understand the copy limitation in order to save paper. Here are a few suggestions:

Get this activity exempted from the copy limit because the school is getting back more than it is putting out.

Could the PTA by a ream of paper to keep it from going against your copy limit?

Have someone run the copies at their workplace

Our PTA tries to only send copies to the youngest child in the school so rather than send home 300+ copies they can send home closer to 200. In the copy room each classroom is listed with the number of students but then someone went through and accounted for the siblings so maybe a classroom has 25 kids but only 19 need the copies sent home because a younge sibling will bring the paper home. Hope that makes sense!

We did the collection sheets last year when my son was in K but it was a pain. We had grandparents, neighbors, etc collecting them also so we always have a bunch to turn in. This year I recycle the sheets and just send the box tops in a baggy with name, room number and number of box tops-- so much easier!!

I've never heard of collection sheets for box tops. For my son's school, we just put the box tops in ziploc bags. This way, I can keep my box tops, Campbells Labels for Education, and soda can tops separate.

What's a "collection sheet"? I've never been a coordinator for box tops, but all throughout elementary and middle school we particpated in the box top program.

Our always go in a ziplock sandwich bag. I have a magnet that I keep it stuck to the fridge with so it is always easily accessible and when the bag gets full I zip it up and send it to school. Our school collects a lot of trash for cash from various companIes (ie campbells, coke points, milk caps) and I stick it all in there. The juice box pouches get their own bags though. The more convenient it is for parents the more you will get turned in and the more money you will make. Our pto does class prizes - ie popcorn/Popsicle party when a class gets a certain amount. Plus there is a traveling trophy. We don't have individual prizes for kids. I don't
think that it is fair to do because families with multiple children have to split the total number of box tops between the kids and families who can't afford name brand items with box tops their kids would never have a chance. If I were to give away individual prizes I would just keep a checklist in each classroom and if a child brought even one cash for trash item in, they could be eligible for a school wide drawing for x number of prizes. That would encourage participation but not discourage those kids who just can't bring in handfuls and handfuls of box tops.

My son's school posts a weekly online portfolio of all the documents that parents need--we print them off at home--they send VERY little paperwork home with the students.

ETA: I suggest not asking someone to run them off at their jobs--that could get them into some serious trouble, unless they have permission from their company to use the photocopier for a large project for non-work purposes.

See if you have a parent that has a copier you all can use at no charge.. That is what we did for our class reunion..

We had a class member who owned her own business (Insurance Co)and allowed us to make as many copies as we needed.. did not have to pay for any copies.

You can print 2 collection sheets on one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper. Just look online for the collections sheets that are designed that way. I understand being limited on the number of copies, can your PTO purchase the paper? Our school has over 500 students, and a ream of colored paper is not that much. We also provide a link on the school website to print off more copies at home if needed. We have 3 contests per year, although we always collect. Our contests end just before the deadline to mail them in. We also collect over the summer, and kids that get 100 can earn a t-shirt. One year it was a Box Tops shirt, but since then we do our school spirit shirts as it was cheaper. If they bring in 100, we were getting the shirts for $5, and the rest went to Box Tops. We have plenty of kids bring them in baggies or envelopes, as they have neighbors, or relatives that collect for them. Several years ago we provided the kids with small containers with Box Tops logos all over them, and they each got a container to take home. Getting the word out there is the thing, I am a coordinator and quite honestly, the sheets are convenient but add to postage cost. I have a 50 squared sheet of paper for all my coordinators (someone at another school gave me a template) and you can set a BT in each square, and there is your 50 to slide in a snack size baggie. So easy, it has cut down on the hours we count, and allows even the little kids to help count. I just make sure my kids really have the sheet full and bag them. Hope this helps!