Scrip Fundraiser

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Scrip?

Scrip is a term that means “substitute money”. It is fundraising while you shop and does not involve selling.

How does it work?

OLOL PSA purchases gift certificates or gift cards (scrip) from stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. at a discount, mostly through Great Lakes Scrip Center (website: www.glscrip.com). You purchase the certificates from OLOL PSA at face value and use the certificates at the store for face value. You pay nothing additional and OLOL earns the difference between the discounted price and full price. The merchants who participate want to support non-profit organizations, and in return ask you to support them by shopping with scrip (gift certificates or gift cards) at their stores. It is a win-win situation.

How much is the discount?

Discounts vary by store. The percentage is shown on the order sheet. For example, Olive Garden/Red Lobster has a 9% discount which means for every $100 spent, $9 is earned.

How does it benefit you?

50% of the profit goes back to you. Using the example above, $4.50 would go back to you. You can use the money toward tuition, school lunches, or donate it to the church or school.

How does it benefit the school?

50% of the profit goes to PSA. The money is used by PSA to make purchases for the school.

Can the money be used toward any student’s account?

Yes! Friends and relatives can buy scrip and apply 50% of the profit to any student.

What are some examples of how to use scrip certificates?

If there are stores you frequent, you can carry the gift cards in your car or purse. An example would be if you go to Panera or Starbucks for coffee you can get cards for $10 and carry a few with you at all times. Or keep a card from the gas station in the car or give to a student driver.

Scrip can be applied towards store credit card balances at JCPenney and Kohls at customer service or any cash register.

You can purchase gas at Cubs and receive change back in cash.

At Kroger, you can reload your card at customer service. Kroger will pay the school 5% and you can reload the card using a credit card, cash or check.

Some people like to give gift certificates for presents. Let co-workers and friends know you can get gift certificates for them. Many are in stock and can be picked up at the parish office during office hours.

How can I purchase scrip?

There are many ways to purchase SCRIP.

- Send an order, including payment, with your student to school. The SCRIP will be sent home with the student you indicate on the order form.

- Stop by the parish office during the week. You can call ahead so it will be ready when you get there.

- SCRIP is sold in the Red Room after every weekend mass. You can fill out an order form then or save time and call ahead to the parish office during the week, indicating which mass you will be at and scrip will be ready after mass.

Please make checks out to OLOL PSA.

Currently, about 100 families benefit from the scrip program. This is a great fundraiser with minimal effort and no cost. Remember, you get to choose where ½ of the profit goes.

Please call the parish office with questions or comments.

Why don’t more people use scrip?

Some say they don’t shop at those places. There are currently more than 100 places OLOL can receive scrip from, with over 40 merchants in stock. If it needs to be ordered, it normally takes less than one week. Take a minute to check out the list.

Some say they pay for everything with a credit card. Currently a credit card can only be used when reloading a Kroger card at the store, which takes only a couple of minutes. You may want to reconsider for use at places like restaurants. Most restaurants offer a discount for scrip from 8 – 13%, which means 4 – 6 ½ % goes back to you. If you spend $100 at a restaurant, that means over $4 goes back to you when you use scrip.

Some say they don’t plan that far ahead. It doesn’t take that much planning. If there are places you go to every week or two, keep some scrip in your car. Every little bit does add up over time. For example, Starbucks gives a 10% discount for scrip. The gift cards are $10 each. Call the parish office to order some. You can pick them up while you are waiting in car line or after any mass on the weekend. If you know you’ll be going out on the weekend, send an order with your child to school with payment and the scrip will be sent home with them.