Why School Fundraising Prize Programs Fall Short
Anyone who’s ever been to a school fundraising kickoff assembly can tell you how excited students get once they initially see the prizes that they have a chance to win. Their first reaction is usually one of optimism and expectation. They can’t wait to start selling once they get home. The discouragement often doesn’t start kicking in until they realize how many items they actually have to sell in order to win the bigger and more worthwhile prizes. Students really become distraught when they get a ‘thumbs down’ from their parents about not wanting to have to approach 100 of their work friends about buying items out of their child’s sales brochure. Most school fundraising companies don’t offer very good prizes at the lowest prize levels so instead they focus most of their efforts on the bigger and better prizes. The reason is obvious. They’re attempting to create the initial excitement which hopefully will lead to some action on the students’ part. Here is a summary of the inherent problems that these types of prize programs are creating for schools:
The Better Prizes are Difficult to Obtain
Students learn quickly that in order to win the bigger and more worthwhile prizes they have to sell a lot of items. Once they realize that, they often become discouraged and ultimately decide not to take part in the fundraiser at all and can even negatively affect next year’s sale. This is one reason most schools are experiencing a low participation rate which has a profound affect on overall sales.
Parents Are Tired of the Same Old Prize Programs
Parents often ‘roll their eyes’ when they see the student fundraising packet come out of their child’s backpack. They dread it even more once they see how excited their children are about the prize program and end up having to explain how difficult it will be to sell all of those items out of their sales brochure to their family and friends in order to win the better prize that they have their heart set on. The alternative is to sell a few items and win a cheap, junky prize which the parents know full well they can get at the dollar store. Parents often justify it by saying they are helping their child’s school while giving them a chance to at least get something so they won’t feel left out.
The Older Students Already Know What to Expect
Seller apathy is the main reason that most school fundraisers end up experiencing low student participation and it’s usually the older students who end with the lowest fundraising participation rates. Why is that? It’s because these students have already learned what to expect. They are the ones who are drowned out by the excitement and loud noises of the younger students at the kickoff assembly. These students don’t need to be told by their parents that the better prizes will be too hard to work for because they already know that from past experience.
Students are Let Down by the Quality
Most of the students who end up selling will qualify for the first one or two prize levels. Once the students get their hands on these prizes they become easily discouraged by how they don’t work like they’re supposed to and even break after even a short time period. Students end up disappointed and parents end up bailing them out by getting them something at the dollar store anyway. Even some of the better prizes that require a lot more selling to obtain can be disappointing. Students who win items like stereos, for example, find that the sound quality is usually not very good. As a result students and parents usually end up not selling as much or even not selling at all the following year.
The real question then is if schools are already experiencing these sorts of issues, why do they continue to select these types of prize programs for their school fundraiser? Are there other types of prize programs that are available as viable alternatives? What has your experience been with your school’s fundraising prize program?