Edina Education Fund’s ‘Be a Hornet Day’ raises funds, reaches thousands on social media
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
Edina Education Fund described its inaugural 'Be a Hornet Day,' a fundraising and school-spirit event that generated social media reach and raised over $12,000, organizers told the school board.
Kathy Rendleman, executive director of the Edina Education Fund, told the Edina Public Schools Board on May 5 that the fund’s first-ever “Be a Hornet Day” reached thousands on social media and raised more than $12,000 for school programs.
The day — promoted with the tagline “Show your pride, support the hive” — included a mayoral proclamation dated May 2, 2025, photo campaigns, alumni outreach and school participation. Rendleman said the campaign reached 17,000 users over a three-week posting period, produced about 1,456 interactions on the fund’s posts, registered 88,000 viewers and recorded 327 click-throughs; the event raised “over $12,000.”
Rendleman said the event ties to the Edina Public Schools strategic plan and aims to build long-term alumni engagement from a district of roughly 42,000 alumni. She described the day as both a school-spirit effort and a fundraising moment timed near the end of the fiscal year for the Ed Fund.
Board members thanked Rendleman and asked how community members could get involved. Director Berry asked, “If somebody wanted to get more involved with the Ed Fund, how would they go about that?” Rendleman replied: “If you are interested, you can reach out directly to me or to one of our board chairs, and they'd be happy to lead you in the right direction.”
Rendleman and board members described the campaign as a pilot that the fund plans to build on in future years.