Now that you have your master plan completed, it is time to find funding and support such as volunteers, monetary and in-kind donations, and grants to help you with the development, use and maintenance of your Habitat Learning Lab. Below are some tips to keep in mind as you begin this process.

Tips on how to “Spread the Word”
Continuously publicize your Habitat Learning Lab plans and efforts with your students, faculty, staff, parents, and community. The more you spread the word, the easier it will be to find funding and support.

> Habitat Learning Lab Brochure – Have students create a basic brochure that explains the goals of your Habitat Learning Lab including a few details about specific learning stations and/or activities.

> Press Releases – Ask students to write a standard press release about the purpose and status of your Habitat Learning Lab including how it is used for hands-on, outdoor activities. (You can use the example Press Release on AWF’s website in the HLL Planning Guide & Checklists section.)

> Local Newspapers – Submit a press release to local newspapers before each Habitat Learning Lab event and as you complete different phases of your Habitat Learning Lab development. Be sure to include photographs with captions explaining the photos and identifying the people in the photos.

> Local TV Stations – Contact your local television stations to invite them to attend events, especially if you are holding a special“work day” or ceremony. If they are unable to attend, send them a press release with photos from the event so they can post the story on their website.

> PTA/PTO Newsletter – Submit regular Habitat Learning Lab updates including photos of students participating in hands-on activities to the PTA/PTO newsletter. Advertise your Habitat Learning Lab wish list” so that parents will know what materials you need for Habitat Learning Lab construction or activities. Also, publicize your “work days” encouraging parent participation.

> School Newsletter – Work with students and planning committee members to maintain an Habitat Learning Lab column in the school’s newspaper including Habitat Learning Lab updates, conservation education activities, signs of wildlife found in the Habitat Learning Lab, photos of students using/maintaining the Habitat Learning Lab, photos of volunteers, and/or photos of wildlife using the schoolyard wildlife habitat.

> School Website – Maintain a webpage on your school’s website that includes Habitat Learning Lab photos and updates along with a thank-you to your local partners and supporters.

> Billboards/Marquees – Advertise your work days and your Habitat Learning Lab wish list on the school’s billboards or marquees to help publicize your Habitat Learning Lab needs to the local community.

> Bulletin Boards – Put a bulletin board near the entrance of the Habitat Learning Lab or by the school’s entrance to update visitors about the Habitat Learning Lab and related topics and activities.

> Faculty Meetings – Plan to give a two minute update at each faculty meeting to make sure that the faculty is kept “in the loop.”

> School System Meetings – Keep your school administrators and the school system’s Buildings and Maintenance Supervisor informed of your Habitat Learning Lab progress.

> School Open House – Include a tour of the Habitat Learning Lab during any school “Open House” event so that parents are aware of how your school provides hands-on, outdoor learning opportunities.

> Parent-Teacher Conferences & Meetings – Be sure to discuss the Habitat Learning Lab face-to-face with parents, including specific activities that you are using with the students in conjunction with the Habitat Learning Lab, to help explain how the Habitat Learning Lab is used as an educational tool and to garner parents’ support.

> Sponsor Sign – Post a sign in or near the Habitat Learning Lab site that recognizes your volunteers, donors, sponsors, and partners either by name or by using logos.

> Certification Signs – Post your official Habitat Learning Lab certification sign in or near the Habitat Learning Lab along with your National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat® sign once you are certified to remind your faculty, students and parents what your school has accomplished.

> Outdoor Festival – Hold an annual “Outdoor Festival” in your school’s Habitat Learning Lab area, and invite the classes to tour the Habitat Learning Lab area and participate in a structured Habitat Learning Lab activity. This will excite the students, and help fellow teachers understand how to use the Habitat Learning Lab for hands-on learning opportunities. (Contact your local HLL Consultant so s/he can help you organize the event.)

Potential Sources for Funding & Support
Continuously publicize your Habitat Learning Lab plans and efforts with your students, faculty, staff, parents, and community. The more you spread the word, the easier it will be to find funding and support.

> Visit the Habitat Learning Lab Grants, Funding and Support webpage on the Alabama Wildlife Federation’s (AWF) website for funding opportunities such as upcoming grants.

> Contact local businesses such as plant nurseries or lawn & garden centers about donations or discounts on their plants and products.

> Ask your local botanical gardens and/or Master Gardeners if they have extra plants that they could donate to your school.

> Ask the PTA/PTO to provide a line item in their budget for annual maintenance to increase the sustainability of the Habitat Learning Lab from year to year.

> Ask your local “Partner-in-Education,” a business who has adopted your school and promised to support your school’s projects, to provide volunteers and financial support for the Habitat Learning Lab.

> Contact your local Alabama Cooperative Extension System office to ask if any 4-H Agents or Master Gardeners would be able to provide hands-on, nature-based activities or expertise during on Habitat Learning Lab Day.

> Set up a DonorsChoose.org project for your Habitat Learning Lab or a specific learning station project so that people can donate funds directly to the Habitat Learning Lab projects.

Solicitation Tips

• Check with your school administrator to find out what the school’s solicitation policies are before you start contacting businesses and potential donors.
• Create a standard solicitation letter on school letterhead that can be used by anyone to easily explain your project(s) and ask for donations. (You can use the example Solicitation Letter on AWF’s website on the HLL Grants, Funding & Support webpage.)
• Start looking for funding and support at the local level as donors and volunteers are more likely to support projects in their own backyards than in other counties or states.
• Avoid asking one business or foundation for all of your needed materials or funds as businesses and foundations like to be involved with projects that are supported by the community.
• Personally visit each person or business that is a possible funding source, and invite a young person involved in the project to assist with your “ask.”
• Let a potential donor know up front what kind of publicity you can provide in return for their support such as listing their support in the school’s newsletter, on a sign in the Habitat Learning Lab, or as a message on the school’s marquee.
• Share your master plan and Habitat Learning Lab site map with potential donors so they can have a clear understanding of how the Habitat Learning Lab benefits the students and community.
• Provide a specific list of materials needed so that potential donors, including parents, will see exactly what their money is supporting.
• Be flexible with your “asks” as some businesses will donate materials, labor or equipment before they will provide funds.
• Send thank you notes promptly, and include photos if possible.
• Incorporate fundraising activities into each year’s short-term plans by holding annual fundraisers such as bake sales, plant sales, Earth Day tee shirt sales, a fish fry, run/walk race, silent auction, raffle, car wash, banquet, concert, carnival, or a birding festival.
• Be sure that your fundraising event complies with applicable state, federal and school regulations governing fund raising activities.
• Keep copies of your grant applications, so that you can copy and paste information from one grant application into another.
• Keep copies of fundraising letters and donors’ contact information for future reference.
• Review the grant writing tips on the HLL Grants, Funding & Support webpage on AWF’s website.

Questions? Contact April Waltz, Habitat Learning Lab Program Coordinator, at aprilwaltz@alabamawildlife.org.