About the Scrip program
If we told you that we found a guaranteed way to have national and local businesses donate $75,000 or maybe $150,000 to Sacred Heart Academy, would you recommend SHA pursue that? Would you help?
There is a way. It's called "scrip" and there are many ways parents use it to support the school.
What if every time you bought groceries, 6% of your bill were donated to Sacred Heart Academy...from the store's funds, not yours...would you be willing to make that happen?
What if you're standing in a store contemplating a big purchase, such as a new appliance, and you could buy and use scrip while in the store, making the most out of the situation? On a $1,000 purchase, the business will donate $20, $30 or even more.
What if your business bought its supplies or paid for travel expenses like gas, hotel and airfare using scrip? These recurring and large expenditures can bring hundreds of dollars into the school to support our students.
Over the years, the Scrip program is the single biggest fundraiser for Sacred Heart Academy. Last year, profits from the scrip program saved every SHA family hundreds of dollars in tuition.
When you use scrip, instead of cash, debit card or credit card, your household shopping dollars and big ticket purchases trigger donations from those businesses to SHA, reducing fees and tuition charges to... you.
How it works
When you use scrip to buy your groceries, gas, and other things from national and local retailers, those companies contribute anywhere from 1% to 20% of the face value of the scrip cards to Sacred Heart Academy.
For example, if you use $100 of Stater Bros scrip, you get $100 of groceries, the store gets $94 and the store donates $6 of its money to Sacred Heart Academy. If you spend $500 a month on groceries using scrip, Stater Bros. sends $30 a month to the school.
That's $360 per year. If all 250 SHA families did that, the benefit to SHA from groceries alone would be $90,000. (We're currently at about half that amount, for reference.)
Most people buy scrip gift cards for everyday things they need: groceries, gasoline, clothes, things for the house, gifts, movie tickets, and restaurants.
Some people plan ahead for big gifts, parties, vacations and use scrip to pay. A trip for four on an airline may cost $2400 round trip, earning 4% for the school, or $96.
Planning a your Christmas budget? Buy gift cards, and also buy gifts using scrip.
Going on a trip? Check this list of companies for a hotel, restaurants and entertainment where you are headed. Many offer upwards of 10% return on every dollar spent.
The gift cards are the same as those you may see in stores, but when purchased through Sacred Heart Academy, a donation is made by the retailer to Sacred Heart Academy.
Many popular retailers participate in our scrip program including Stater Bros, Arco, Kohls, JCPenney, The Gap, Shell, Pizza Hut, Red Lobster and many, many others (including many local restaurants, retailers and friends of SHA). Ask the office for the latest list, and see this list of national and local retailers you can purchase online at home.
Every vendor has a different percentage, so it adds up quickly. With scrip, everybody wins:
- You get a powerful fundraising option that involves no selling.
- The school gets revenue from an outside source (the retailers) to help the school minimize tuition increases.
Attention Business Owners & Managers
Do you or your business buy a lot of things from Amazon? You can order an Amazon gift card and copy/paste the gift card number into your Amazon account for immediate use. Watch this video for details on how to buy and use Amazon scrip.
While some parents choose to buy scrip as part of their fundraising obligation, many others also buy scrip simply because they know it brings money into the school from local and national businesses. Many parishioners, family members and friends of SHA families also buy scrip in direct support of the school. We thank them for their support!
How can you help?
You can buy scrip at school, from the comfort of your home, and even while standing in a store or other location.
Buy Scrip at School
We've made it easy to buy scrip regularly at the school site:
- Headed to SHA? Purchase scrip cards from available inventory at the school.
- Not in a hurry? Use the order form and drop off your order in the school office with a check. The cards will be sent home with your child.
Buy, or Reload, Your Scrip at Home
There are additional scrip options available through our ShopWithScrip.com web site, for those times when you need scrip now:- Think beyond groceries and gas. Additional vendors are available online, for example Groupon, American Airlines, and Visa universal prepaid cards. Use the Family Ordering Guide to see how.
- Ordering Online or heading to a store soon? Some "ScripNow!" retailers let you order online and print the gift certificate from your own printer. Ordering from or heading to Target? Print out a ScripNow! gift certificate first. Watch the video - it's so simple.
- Card low on funds? Reload your existing card online. You can reload an existing card online with additional funds, thus allowing you to keep using the same physical card. Great for when you need it now. Watch this short video to see how easy it is to reload an existing card.
- Curious what's new? The web site constantly has new promotions and announcements here.
To get started with online and mobile ordering, watch this video and then set up your account.
Buy, or Reload, Scrip while in the store from your phone using MyScripWallet.com
That $400 barbecue pit is calling your name, but you don't have a Lowe's card on you? No problem. MyScripWallet is an ordering tool for ScripNow® eCards and Reloads, and it includes a wallet function to display your previously purchased eCards and Reload cards. See this short video to see how the app works.
- Open a browser on your phone and go to https://myscripwallet.com
- Log in with your ShopWithScrip.com login credentials.
- Buy a new scrip card or reload an existing one.
- Show the digital scrip card to the cashier.
- Total time to do all the above: less than 2 minutes.
Can my business buy Scrip?
Yes, it can. Several businesses run by SHA parents and friends of SHA make regular purchases of scrip to pay for fuel, office supplies, hotel stays, and other business expense needs.
Can my relatives and friends buy Scrip?
Yes, they can, just be sure to tell them to write your student's name on the check so that proper credit is given to your family. Or help them set up their own scrip account online, just as you did.
Is Scrip tax-deductible?
No. Donations to the school are not tax-deductible, because you are donating your own money. With scrip, your $100 check gets you $100 of purchasing power, and the retailer donates $6 (for example) to the school. Scrip brings in money from retailers and other vendors to the school. That said, you can purchase scrip and donate it to the school.
Absolutely. Donations are always appreciated, and are always the most tax-efficient for most people.
Make the check out to "Sacred Heart Academy" and indicate "Donation" in the memo line, and mail it to Sacred Heart Academy, 215 S. Eureka St. Redlands, CA 92373, or drop it by the office any time.