The Scrip Program
The Scrip program is a way to raise money for Gethsemane Lutheran School while you shop. The program allows non-profit organizations to purchase Scrip for everyday expenses like food, clothing, and entertainment, and have a percentage of each dollar return to Gethsemane Lutheran School. It's "no-selling" fundraising. Any family can participate, regardless of whether you have a student in school or are a member of the Gethsemane community. Call the school office for more information.
What are Scrips, and where do they come from?
1. Every week Gethsemane has available a list of retailers that participate in the Scrip Program along with the gift card dollar amounts. We also have some cards from often-used retailers on hand each Sunday morning for instant purchase, (e.g. Cub, Super America).
2. Gethsemane works with a company called Great Lakes Scrip Center. Great Lakes Scrip Center is able to purchase mass quantities of gift cards/gift certificates from hundreds of local and national retailers. Since they are purchasing these gift cards/certificates in mass quantities, they are able to get them at a discount.
3. Great Lakes Scrip Center works with non-profit organizations such as Gethsemane and passes the discount prices directly to them.
How Does the Scrip Program work for me and for Gethsemane?
1. Every week Gethsemane sends to the home of Gethsemane students a list of retailers that participate in the Scrip Program along with the gift card dollar amounts.
2. The form sent home gives the name of the retailer (Bath & Body, Super America, Cub etc) and the dollar amount you can purchase a gift card from them. Remember- the gift cards are the same as cash and the same gift cards you would purchase had you gone into a retail store and bought one.
3. You decide where you will shop. For example, you may know that you will need $50 in gas from Super America for the week, $100 at Cub Foods, a $25 Starbucks card for the quick coffee stop on the way into work, and a $25 Bath & Body Works gift card for a birthday present you need to purchase. You mark your form accordingly, and write out a check to Gethsemane for $200. Remember- you will be getting gift cards to use for the full value of the $200 you just wrote your check out for.
4. A Parent Teacher League (PTL) representative will order your gift cards from Great Lakes Scrip. Great Lakes Scrip sells us these gift cards at a discount. The $100 Cub card gives back a 2% return to the school. The $50 Super America card gives back a 3% return. The Bath & Body Works card gives back a 15% return and the Starbucks card gives back an 11% return to Gethsemane.
5. At the discount price, Gethsemane only has to pay Great Lakes Scrip $190.00 for your full face value gift cards. Gethsemane pockets the $10.00. Now, $10.00 may not seem like much, but that is just one person and one week. Think about it....If we had 50 people using Scrips every week, with four weeks in the month, that would add up to $2,000.00 of FREE money for Gethsemane in ONE MONTH.
Last Year the Scrip Program raised about $2,500 for Gethsemane Lutheran School. Please participate so we can increase our school support this year. Call the school office for more information.