My son is giving his “Be the Light” presentation in front of a church full of donors, friends, and family members.
How our Homeschool Co-op Thanks our Donors
Our homeschool co-op operates solely on membership fees and donations. We have many wonderful donors who support our mission and our values. Every year we host a donor appreciation meal. We want them to have a night dedicated just to them where we have a chance to thank them, entertain them, serve them a good meal, and spend time together.
So each year, we host a Donor Appreciation Meal. If you are wondering how you can thank your homeschool co-op donors, keep reading!
Our programs pretty much follow the same format each year: Our kids come dressed up in their Sunday best. We assign a few kids to be greeters. They hold the doors open for our guests when they arrive and welcome them. A couple kids hand out programs. To begin the program, one of our tutors welcomes everyone to the event. Then it’s the students’ time to shine. Last year we had our choir perform a few different songs. After that, the students presented their “Be the Light” presentations. We challenged each of our kids to think of what it means to “be a light.” Then they had to think of an idea of how they could showcase their interests and talents and share what “be a light” means to them. Some ideas they came up with were:
Reciting special Bible verses from memory
Researching a professional sports athlete who puts God first and presenting a report
Building a wood burned American flag, explaining how he constructed it and why America is important to him
Demonstrating how electricity works and explaining that light can be found in the most unusual places
Singing a song
Playing a piano piece
Telling a joke and sharing about the importance of humor
Reciting a poem
Creating and sharing a piece of artwork
Many, many other awesome ideas!
After their presentations we watch a slideshow that our older students create. The slideshow shows pictures and memories of the year so our donors can see all of the things we accomplished, fun things we did, new things we learned, and places we went. There are always lots of laughs and smiles as we watch and happy tears too!
Then we serve our donors a meal. We have done this a couple different ways. We’ve assigned different parts of the meal to our families and we have also had it catered. Catering definitely increases the cost of the evening so if that is a factor for your co-op then I recommend having each of your families contribute something for the meal.
We assign parents to work different shifts throughout the evening. Some are in charge of set-up. They make sure the meal is ready, the tables are set, and the decor looks fantastic. Some help serve the meal and then some help with clean-up. Last year we had a couple parents who took charge of the whole event. They planned the meal, ordered the food and decor, set everything up, and also ordered our donor gifts. They did such a great job and it was nice to have that part of it taken off our to-do list!
We pair the kids up and assign each pair to one or two tables. They are in charge of serving the people at that table, clearing their plates, refilling their drinks, and bringing them dessert. They also decorate placemats for their tables. The donors love being served by the kids and it’s a great experience for the kids!
Each year we give our donors a gift at the meal. One year we ordered mugs with a picture of our entire co-op on them along with the saying “Be a Light.” Last year, we gave them mini succulents in the cutest little pots.
Check out our program itinerary and our thank you sign we had at the table with the succulents:
