Kiosk Allows Students To Donate To School Clubs

MILTON, GA — Milton High School is now home to an innovative fundraising solution that combines raising money for school specific causes and student clubs while providing businesses with product exposure, sales and market research.

Cause Local, an Alpharetta firm specializing in fundraising technologies and programs recently unveiled an initiative which allows students and patrons to buy products at the school while committing half the proceeds back to the school. A social enterprise that brings local giving to a new level.

Purchases, including school supplies, snacks, electronics, clothes, restaurant vouchers, among other items can be made on a device which resembles a cross between a large display case and a high-tech vending machine with a massive touch-screen.

Mark Baule, founder of Cause Local, said the system allows the company to sell their products while helping to give back to the school, its organizations and its clubs.

“We are a partner versus a vendor with the real benefit of how much money we can bring to schools and students from local and national brands. Knowing Brands can see real sales, Insights and metrics associated with the money they spend. Students, an important demographic to brands can sample real products at the same time they are giving back,” Baule said.

Many clubs and organizations rely on discount cards or other fundraising efforts, but Baule a former data science and marketing product manager with Pepsi, Kodak, Bristol Myers and IRI is confident the new venture at Milton will be the future of monetary support for those groups.

“We consider this a fishing pole for schools,” Baule said. “If we can give schools a fishing pole (system) and the right bait (programs), companies can get on board because it is good business to do good and reach this generation of students.”

The machine, which was developed over two years in collaboration with Georgia Tech’s ATDC incubator, Alpharetta Tech, Atlanta Tech Village, interns, entrepreneurs and local high school students, allows patrons to sample products, which Baule said includes tech devices and accessories. Those sampling products are given digital questionnaires about their opinion of the product, providing valuable and real-world market research for companies.

Baule said another innovative factor in the system is that it provides people with a way to directly support specific cause efforts with total transparency.

“You always want to know what happened when you buy or do something to support others ,” he said. “A person might choose a certain thing to fund at a specific dollar amount. They can say, ‘It’s dedicated to this.’”

In addition to supporting school clubs and initiatives, the effort can also provide students with valuable work experience with 12 interns from Milton, Roswell, Chattahoochee high schools, Georgia State University, and Georgia Tech. “They are gaining invaluable development, IOT, marketing, sales, project management and data science experience. Recent interns (picture) are now attending MIT, Georgia State and Emory.

Other students can benefit beyond funding their clubs, Baule said.

“The art department can place some items in our system and students can get an idea of what sells for how much,” he said. “Then you could have a company like Dick Blick or Michael’s could come by, see that idea and decide to put some money toward that student’s project.”

Though Milton is the first school in the nation to feature this innovative fundraising effort, Baule said 12 other schools and a county in Maryland have expressed interest. For now, Baule and Cause Local will look to grow their influence over the thousands that have a shared interest in Milton High’s efforts.

“The goal is to get some more visibility and brands,” Baule said. “We look forward to having brands come and sell here, sample here and research here, knowing it’s going to help the students and schools we serve.”