FAQ

There is no cost to the school or parents for the PromiseThon Program. PromiseThon includes an online crowd funding platform, so instead of charging a fee for service, our program includes a fundraising component with no minimums to get started. As a cooperative fundraiser, Vehicle For Change and YOUR school share in the proceeds collected.

Each school determines their fundraising goal and mission. These funds can help with the purchase of additional classroom supplies and to pay for extracurricular activities, as well as essential tools such as computers, printers, science equipment, art and music programs, and much more.

Vehicle for Change is a non-profit organization that has been providing Character Education, STEM Workshops and Outdoor Education opportunities to young people since 1999. Our sole purpose is to provide outstanding experiential education opportunities to young people. We provide scholarship funds to families who are experiencing financial hardship, so no child is left out of the exciting programs we bring to the school. PromiseThon is not only a fundraiser, but also includes a comprehensive character education and leadership program that is provided for each student regardless of their fundraising partication.

Funds will also be used to provide incentives and prizes throughout the fundraising event. Many of the incentives are interactive games and activities that encourage teamwork (instead of prize catelogs).

Donors have the option of paying the credit card processing fee (2.2% + $0.30) when they checkout to reduce the amount of fees deducted from the donation. The school receives 100% of the recouped processing fees.

In order for your child to be eligible to participate fully in the Promisethon Character Fundraiser and follow-up activities, parents will need to activate their child's fundraising page. If you received a fundraising packet from your child's school, you should see your child's "promise code" and password.

Click on the login link at the top of the page If you did not receive the fundraising packet, please email: info@promisethon.com

Each school determines the total fundraising goal. This dollar amount is then divided by the number of students in the school.

You can make a donation on behalf of a School, Classroom or specific Student.

If a donation is made on behalf of the school without designating a student, that amount is divided by all students. For example, if the school receives a donation for $500 and there are 500 students, each student's "Funds Raised" value will have $1 added.

Similarly, if a classroom or teacher receives a donation directly, this total will be divided amount all students in that classroom.

Yes donations are tax deductible. Vehicle For Change, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. When you make a donation, you will receive a receipt with the Tax Identification number for Vehicle For Change.

You can email info@promisethon.com to and request a duplicate receipt. Please include as much information as you can about your donation, including the email used to make the donation, the date of the transaction, the school, recipients and the total amount.

Vehicle For Change does not share or sell your personal information with Third-Party entities. You can learn more about our Privacy Policy here.

The donation platform uses Stripe to process credit card transactions. The developers at Vehicle For Change follow the integration procedures and system tests required by Stripe to ensure the integrity of the site.

Stripe has been audited by a PCI-certified auditor and is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1. This is the most stringent level of certification available in the payments industry. To accomplish this, we use the best-in-class security tools and practices to maintain a high level of security at Stripe.

You can learn more about security at Stripe by visiting their site. Stripe Security

PromiseThon only displays the student's first name and avatar on the public fundraising page. A parent can choose to make an alias first name if they have concerns about displaying their first name. We do not collect a student's email or ask for any personal information of any kind.

Unfortunately one of the most obvious reasons school fundraising is important is right in the name. Researchers estimate that public schools in the U.S. are underfunded by about $150 billion dollars. Underfunding, in turn, correlates with poorer student achievement, while students attending schools that receive more funding tend to have higher test scores and better academic performance.

School fundraising does a lot of heavy lifting to close those funding gaps (and, therefore, learning gaps). Funds raised in school fundraisers support education both directly and indirectly. For example, fundraisers enable schools to adopt crucial educational programs in science, technology, math, and the arts and to purchase necessary educational technology, like computers. They also support indirect factors that improve educational outcomes, such as improving campus facilities or funding the extracurricular activities that help students grow socially and psychologically.

Student involvement in fundraising benefits their social development. PromiseThon provides a character education program which helps students develop important skills they'll use in school and work as they grow up. PromiseThon is a great opportunity for students to bond, contribute to accomplishing a collective goal, and create positive memories associated with their schools and communities.

Research on family involvement shows overwhelmingly positive impacts on the education and lives of young people across the board. Students whose families are involved in their education have better academic outcomes, especially at lower income levels. Schools with high family engagement also tend to have fewer disciplinary issues and more positive environments.

PromiseThon provides excellent opportunities for parents and family members to get involved in students' school lives.

Schools don't operate in a vacuum. They are central parts of the communities around them, providing the foundational learning and social experiences that students can then use to give back. In other words, when schools are sufficiently funded to provide safe environments and quality education to students, they are more likely to grow into healthy, happy, helpful members of their community.

And when schools and communities have positive relationships, school is a safer and more welcoming place for students.