How to Really Improve School Fundraising Results
You have been searching for the perfect school fundraiser. Obviously you goal is to find something that will bring in the most money but you haven’t been completely pleased with your results. Many questions may come to mind like:
- Are you choosing the right fundraising brochure?
- Should you consider a different type of fundraiser?
- Does your prize program really motivate your sellers?
- Are your parents tired of the same fundraiser?
These are important questions to consider especially when you are probably only allowed to do a certain number of fundraisers in a given school year. Plus you don’t want to oversaturate your community or burn out your parents. So how do you pick the right fundraiser that will lead to improved results? Here are some things to ponder.
What are my socioeconomics?
The pricing in fundraiser brochures typically range from about $5 to $35. Although this may work well for many schools, some schools may need to sell less expensive items. Maybe your area will do better if you offer fundraising products that are more affordable for your area. For example, schools that have not had success selling out of a brochure experience great results with candy bar fundraisers. Candy bars are popular, affordable and are easy to sell. Other lower-priced programs to consider are:
What am I competing against?
You probably don’t want to be selling the same thing as another competing fundraising group at your school or even in your surrounding area. For example, if you are planning a high school fundraiser, what are other competing fundraising groups selling? It often helps to secure either the type of program that you’d like to sell by making sure that your school will protect your program by not letting anyone else sell something similar. Otherwise you would be wise to attempt to be one of the first fundraisers out there.
Do I need a change?
Sometimes you need to change things up a little. It’s nice when people expect to buy cookie dough or candles every year from the cheerleader fundraiser; however sometimes taking a break and selling something different can be good; especially if your sales are stagnant or in a decline. You can always go back to it again later.
How am I motivating my group?
Are parents complaining about the quality of the prize program that you’ve been providing? Are students satisfied with what they’re getting? Most prize programs that fundraising companies provide offer cheap prizes at the lower levels; however to win the more worthwhile prizes students have to sell significantly more. Most experienced sellers know that going in and usually don’t bother selling anything at all.
Your primary goal should be to find a fundraiser that will make you the most money possible and to do this you need to find a way to increase student participation. We’ve found that the best way to increase fundraising sales is to offer more exciting prizes and special privileges at levels that most everyone can obtain while still offering prizes at higher prize levels for your stronger sellers. Finding the right fundraiser and combining it with the best possible motivator will be vital in helping to bring in more sales.