Memorandum

 

To:                          Board Chairmen and Superintendents

From:                    Tammy Grissom, Executive Director

Subject:               December 9, 2009

Date:                     New Revenue Stream to Tennessee’s Schools

In November of 2009, The TSBA Board of Directors entered into a partnership with our State PTA and a company called FURTAL, which is a web-based company designed to assist school systems in raising money without costing you or your schools any money.  FURTAL provides an additional platform for you and your schools to communicate with parents; engages the local business community to support your school’s initiatives; and gives your schools 24/7/365 funding opportunities.

The Furtal Program is a web-based funding portal with the added value of increasing school connections with parents and families.  This program creates individual school unit websites, referred to simply as furtals, where online shoppers can easily access their favorite online Retailers, and where purchases made through any of these furtals will generate revenue for the shoppers’ favorite school . 

From any school furtal, anyone can book travel, find home services, and buy the same clothes, electronics, computers, books, music, school supplies, sporting goods, etc., from the same top online retailers they use today.....with one MAJOR difference! The difference is, when anyone starts their online shopping thru a school furtal, that school unit earns revenue for every purchase made!!  

Even more amazing is the fact the program is free to the school units, and there is no additional cost to anyone that shops online when using your furtal. You just 1) make everyone aware of your furtal on your website, 2) your supporters simply start their online shopping at your site and 3) you earn cash back. Then, the FURTAL company sends you a check each month for the cash back rewards you earn.
 
  
This is a truly outstanding opportunity to generate much needed revenue by having school communities (school staff, faculty, students, parents, grandparents, other family members, friends, and other school supporters) simply do what they already do----shop online....with only one small change, START THEIR SHOPPING AT YOUR PTA (or PTO, Booster Club, etc.) FURTAL.  

The Furtals on your websites include an integrated content section where local school leaders can easily post documents, images and other information to help parents and members support the core mission of the schools.

VERY IMPORTANT: The Furtal websites are part of the World Wide Web (WWW), NOT school networks, avoiding any Local Area Network (LAN) conflicts. Furtal websites are in no way associated with any school LAN, and therefore NOT subject to school LAN policies.

If you are interested in participating in the FURTAL program, please contact your local PTA.  If you do not have a PTA, but have a PTO or booster club, etc. that would be interested in participating in the program, please contact FURTAL representative Lynn Carter at 865/271-8602 or lynn@furtal.com  or click here.