Which High School Fundraising Groups Are Successful?
When you think of high school organizations that typically raise a lot of money when they fundraise the following organizations would probably be at the top of most people’s lists:
So why are these groups usually so successful? A lot of it is because these groups have very obvious and well-defined financial needs. All of these groups are raising money for things such as equipment and trips that costs into the thousands of dollars. Because of these large expenses the sponsors of these groups are usually highly motivated and must be extremely organized and well thought out when it comes to raising money. Another fundraising advantage that these groups have is that their students are ordinarily a part of a strong support structure. In other words, by being a part of a close-nit group that is highly involved and requires a shared commitment, these students usually have a better understanding of their needs and goals. If someone doesn’t meet their own individual goal then they soon realize that they are hurting the team goal. In addition, there may be a pressing need to work hard on a fundraising project because a player wants to make a good impression on the coach, for example. A lot of times the sponsors of these groups even make it mandatory that their students fundraise. It also helps that these groups usually meet on a regular basis. This allows for the fundraising sponsor to check in on sales progress to make sure that the students are staying on track towards their fundraising goal. All of these factors are what makes these groups productive when it comes to raising money.
What if you happen to sponsor a high school group that is not one of the groups mentioned above? Chances are most people aren’t. Hopefully, you are asking what you can do to make your next high school fundraiser more successful. You may not have some of the luxuries that a sports or music group has, but there are some fundamental things that you can do that have been shown to bring in more dollars regardless of the group. Here is what you want to make sure that you incorporate into your fundraiser:
- Have a formal fundraiser kickoff with your group. Don’t just hand out your fundraising information as your students are walking out the door. You need to take the time to sell the program to them. Why are they selling? What school fundraising brochure will they be selling and what can they win if they sell? By meeting with your students in a kickoff meeting to launch your fundraiser you are instilling the importance of the fundraiser in their minds. There must be a definite starting point and there will be a pre-determined end point to your fundraiser
- Have a fundraising purpose and goal. Make sure that your students understand why they are selling and are able to communicate that to their potential customers. This will help them to believe in the fundraiser. Also, make sure that your students know what’s expected of them in order to reach your fundraising goal. Do you want them to sell 10 items? 25 items? $100.00? What will they get if they exceed the goal? Will the top seller win anything? Knowing this at the kickoff is usually a strong motivator
- Make sure that you students know when the sale will end. More time to sell doesn’t necessarily mean more sales. If you give your students a stop date they will treat the fundraiser more like a race. Otherwise your sale will seem to drag on for ever. Studies show that most high fundraising sales will be made within the first 3-4 days. A two week sale is usually optimal
- Promote your sale regularly to your students. Don’t automatically assume that your students will remain excited about your school fundraiser once the kickoff is over. You will need to remind them and hold them accountable to their fundraising goals. This is also a good time to revisit important things that you may want them to remember about the sale
- Meet on a regular basis. In order to promote your sale to your students you will need to meet with them on a consistent basis, ideally every day while your sale is going on. For some sponsors this is easier than for others. It is worth taking the time to make special arrangements in order to make this happen
- Offer additional incentives. Most fundraising companies offer prize programs to go along with the fundraising program that they offer. Most people feel that this is enough, unless you want to raise even more money! If you promote your additional incentives effectively you will help ensure that you get a good return on your investment. To top it off, you can incorporate your additional incentive ideas and increase sales without spending extra money. For example you can issue ‘no homework passes’ to 5 students who turn in a prize coupon the day after your kickoff that you draw out of a hat. In order to turn in the coupon they have to prove that they sold at least 5 items and have the money available to turn in
- Your enthusiasm will carry over to your students. If you are excited and motivated about your fundraiser, chances are your students will be also. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true