Volunteer & Fundraising Information and FAQ

The fundraising obligation is $1,800 PER student. This is in addition to class fees and ONLY applies to CORE students (1st-8th grade CORE students).

Yes, every year there is a 3% increase in class fees. This was noted in this year’s Sign & Submit Agreements. The $1,800 fundraising obligation per student will remain the same each year.

No, the Monday and Friday programs are priced so that they completely pay for the entirety of expenses for that program. They are separate from our SOCHH Core Programs and are priced at a higher dollar per hour rate so that they can be sustainable on their own. Our CORE programs are priced at a significantly less dollar per hour rather, about 50% less.

Yes! You absolutely can do any combination of volunteering or fundraising in order to fulfill your fundraising obligation. There will be a running account of any volunteer hours or money raised that families will have access to view at any time on their student statements. If you get mid-way through your volunteer hours and decide you would prefer to just pay for the remainder of your balance you may absolutely do that as well.

In the year’s past, SOCHH has in some shape or form been able to raise these additional funds that have allowed us to continue doing the additional things on campus that every student benefits from. Without parent involvement, it has been a lot of work for our office team and it is no longer sustainable. We put out requests for volunteers, donation requests, and fundraising support often, but in no way is it a requirement for families. Linked HERE are just a few of the requests we have put out for volunteer help. For those families that currently volunteer on campus, they have been an invaluable piece of helping SOCHH run and would be a good resource to ask what it’s like to volunteer on campus.

While we are open to discussions, please note these must be things that SOCHH would be properly paying someone to do. As well, there are limitations within our bylaws as an organization. For example, parents who have students actively attending SOCHH can have no access to student files, finances, or SOCHH finances which leaves all of these services to be handled by outside third parties. In regards to other areas, such as teaching Art and PE, every year we have asked for a parent volunteer to commit to teaching those subjects for the entirety of the year and have yet to find one. A current area we are looking for a parent volunteer to fulfill would be as a part time preschool teacher Monday and Wednesday from 8am-2pm. It is a paid position and should a parent be hired, they have the option to choose if they want class fees and/or fundraising obligation to be deducted from their monthly pay. Please note, that while a parent might have these talents, it does not guarantee a position without proper vetting by staff. Applicants will be going through the same vetting process as any other candidate would be.

Once you complete enrollment for your student(s) for the 23/24 school year, you will receive a statement on your Parent Portal within 30 days of registration. It will look identical to this year’s statements, with two differences. The first being that the $300 registration fee no longer applies as a credit for May and is instead an administrative and curriculum fee. Payments on all 23/24 class fees begin Jul 1, 2023. The second difference will be that you will see a designated spot where you will be able to keep track of your current fundraising obligation (for CORE students only) for each of your students. In it will be listed the two due dates ($900 due 12/1/2023, $900 due 5/1/2024) and all your credited volunteer hours, payments made, or money raised via fundraising.

SOCHH is not in the business of trying to shake our families down for their class payments. We want to make sure that people register and enroll with a clear understanding of their financial obligations and a plan of being able to commit to it. That being said, life circumstances happen and we completely understand and want to work with you on that. If you need to delay or waive a payment, please reach out! We can only help if we know about so please please DO NOT IGNORE OUR EMAILS OR COMMUNICATION. We need to know immediately if you will have a delay in payment. In nearly all instances we can help find a fair solution. The reason we retain students from entering class for non-payment is because we have had parents in the past who simply do not pay and ignore our communications and they continue to come to school with no payment in place. We want to help if we can and when we know but we can not have families deliberately ignore their obligations.

Please make an appointment with our Director ASAP to discuss your families personal needs. This is the best way we know how to help you. Email us at enrollment@sochh.org to schedule a time to come in.

Hours worked volunteering will only be credited towards a family’s fundraising obligation, not the class fess. Class fees remain unchanged from the 22/23 school year. The addition of the fundraising obligation is what we are allowing families to either pay, volunteer, or fundraise to cover the expense. Families who choose to volunteer may volunteer up to $1,800 per student.

Parents are welcomed to volunteer in their child’s classroom, however, those hours would NOT be credited toward their fundraising obligation. The idea of offering volunteer positions would be that we are replacing a position which we would normally hire on campus. All volunteer positions eligible to be credited toward the fundraising obligation have essential tasks and duties scheduled out which allow for the campus and programs to run smoothly.

Volunteer options are offered to families during the following times: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8am-1pm or 12pm-4pm and/or Monday and Friday 8am-2pm. We do offer block volunteer hours that families can sign up for during the below periods that will FULFILL ONE student’s fundraising obligations. Below are the options:

1. June Summer Camp: This is a 3 week commitment in June, Monday through Thursday from 8am-2pm. Volunteers who choose this position are welcome to enroll one child, aged 2-6 years old, in the summer camp at no charge to them. Any additional children will need to be paid for and registered in order to attend the camp.
2. July Summer Camp: This is a 3 week commitment in July, Monday through Thursday from 8am-2pm. Volunteers who choose this position are welcome to enroll one child, Kinder-8th grade, in the summer camp at no charge to them. Any additional children will need to be paid for and registered in order to attend the camp.

**Please Note about Summer Camps: Traditionally, our summer work on campus is the most arduous and HOT. In the past, it has been extremely hard to get families to volunteer during those months. With that in mind, we are allowing families who commit to volunteering during one of the two summer camps to be able to both earn credit towards 1 child’s fundraising obligation and ALSO bring and enroll one child at no cost to you during whichever camp you are scheduled for.**

3. School Year Volunteer Blocks:
   1. 1 day a week 8am-4pm for 12 weeks
   2. 3 days a week 8am-4pm for 4 weeks
   3. 1 half day a week 8am-1pm for 18 weeks
   4. 1 half day a week 12pm-4pm during for 23 weeks
   5.  3 half days a week 8am-1pm for 6 weeks. 

Families are welcome to do a combination of volunteering, fundraising, and/or paying their fundraising obligation. That being said, any amount of hours worked volunteering will be credited towards a family’s fundraising obligation statement and the remaining can be fundraised or paid for at the two due dates.

CLICK HERE to view a sample schedule of volunteer duties.

We will take into consideration all schedule preferences from registered volunteers on a first come first serve basis. There will be a set schedule that will be made and sent out beforehand so that SOCHH is able to plan accordingly and ensure that all months of the year are covered. If there are days that a volunteer already knows they are unable to come in, we ask that they inform us beforehand, if possible.

All volunteers must attend a volunteer training in order to be put on the volunteer schedule. After each volunteer training, a live link to the updated volunteer schedule will be sent out to attendees so they can plan accordingly. The first volunteer training is Saturday, March 4th and the volunteer schedule will be sent out shortly after that.

We will accept all families who choose to volunteer and have completed volunteer training. 

Volunteers will sign in and out of the main office each time they are on campus. Statements will be updated to reflect the worked volunteer hours on a weekly basis. All hours completed before Thanksgiving Break will be credited to the December 1st, 2023 due date. All hours worked after Thanksgiving Break and up until April 26th, 2024 will be credited to the May 1st, 2024 due date. All hours worked will be credited to the statement at a rate of $20 per hour.

While we are expecting you to show up fully and honor your commitments we understand that things unexpectedly come up. We ask that you give us as much notice as possible so we can troubleshoot coverage. Because it is a clock in/clock out system you are credited only for the hours you have fulfilled. Volunteers are expected to work earnestly and with diligence to complete the work needed. Keep in mind that this would be a job that normally requires a hired employee and we are asking for volunteers specifically to offset the cost of this work on campus.

 There are occasions when we need volunteers to set up and take down events and come on the weekends to clean, paint, fix things and move things around. If you would like these opportunities and they fit more readily into your schedule we recommend that you show up to attend one of the trainings.

Priority will go to families who are volunteering to fulfill their 23/24 fundraising obligation. However, if there is openings and you are committed to fulfilling the volunteer position, then yes you can! Please note that if you choose to not return to SOCHH for the 24/25 school year, there is no credit or refund that will be issued based on the amount of hours volunteered.

SOCHH will continue to spearhead three specific events as ongoing campus wide fundraising efforts (Family Fun Night, Read-a-thon, and Jog-a-thon). Families who are looking to offset the fundraising obligation can sign up to take on specific tasks that are geared towards fundraising. These include soliciting and promoting the silent auction or raffle components of the event and procuring donated items to reduce event expenses, and/or securing corporate and private sponsorship of the events.  To be clear, hours worked during those events do not count toward a family’s fundraising obligation, however, efforts to solicit donations before the event will be counted towards a family’s fundraising obligation.

Amazing! We have additional opportunities for parents who possess specific qualifications in marketing and corporate fundraising who would like to go after larger donors and sponsorships. 

This could result in large sums of donations. When donations are made under your family name, that money will continue to be credited to you and your students up to the $1800 per student obligation for as long as you remain at SOCHH. There are also opportunities for item solicitations for our silent auction as well as on campus needs.

Volunteering and fundraising credits can only be applied to the fundraising obligation. We are no longer allowing discounts on class fees. If a family raises more than the $1,800 per student, that money will be credited towards their student’s fundraising obligation for the following year, as long as they remain at SOCHH.

On each student’s statement in the family’s Parent Portal, there will be a link that families can use to pay their fundraising obligation in whichever increment suits them best. Payments made through that link will notify our Billing Team and they will update that family’s statement to reflect the payment accordingly.

You are welcome to divy up the payments any way you wish so long as it is mindful of the due dates. You can make early payments in increments of any size at any time.

You can change at any time so long as you have already attended one of the 3 offered volunteer trainings.