St. Benedict School will begin its second year of a gift card fundraiser

Following the lead of other area Catholic schools, St. Benedict School in Decorah has begun a gift card fundraiser as a way to help school families offset some of the cost of tuition at the school, as well as develop a new mode of fundraising for the school that would not be a cost to school families unlike fundraisers that sell items or require the purchase of raffle tickets.

Gift cards, or "scrip," are treated just like money and can be used for everyday essentials like groceries and gas, dining, entertainment, home improvement, and more.  The St. Benedict Scrip Committee orders Scrip gift cards from participating retailers based on a person's personalized scrip order or purchasers can buy gift cards that the school keeps on hand. As a non-profit organization, St. Benedict School receives a 2 percent to 15 percent discount on the scrip cards that are purchased.  The difference between the discount and the face value price people pay is the profit split between school families and the school itself.  The family portion is credited to the family's tuition account.

During the program's first year, St. Benedict school families earned tuition credits totaling $7,034.11.  St. Benedict School earned $9,801.62 before expenses, such as shipping costs, and other expenses associated with running the program. Total income for the Scrip program during the 2012-2013 school year was $16,835.73.

More information about the St. Benedict gift card program can be obtained by contacting the Scrip Committee at scrip@st-ben.pvt.k12.ia.us or by calling the school office at 382-4668.