It may be surprising that there are a lot schools out there that simply do a school fundraiser just because it’s that time of the year and that’s just when they always do it. If you ask them why they are doing a fundraiser their answer is almost always the same. They are raising money for the ‘general fund’. They then go on to explain that their students, staff and parents are used to it that way and it almost runs on autopilot.
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A primary goal for your school fundraiser should be to reach your money goal in as short a period of time as feasible. The idea that the longer you give your students to sell the more money you will make is not necessarily true. In fact, this philosophy can also work against you. The longer your fundraiser lasts, the lower the sense of urgency that your sellers will have and the more they will tend to procrastinate.
It is approaching that time of the year when people are beginning to schedule their end of the school year celebrations and parties. A lot of schools like to bring in inflatables for their students to enjoy as a special treat. Most schools have a limited budget so they are interested in getting as many inflatables as possible for their money. They may already have an idea of what inflatable games they are interested in and if the price is right then the next step is to schedule the date. Is it really that simple? Well it shouldn’t be.
There are times when fundraising coordinators just don’t follow our recommendations. Either they think that their way is better or they just don’t see the need until it’s too late. We recently worked with a small group on a discount card fundraiser that was raising money to pay for equipment and travel expenses.
One of the most important items that come home in your student fundraising packets is the parent letter. The parent letter informs your parents about the following:
Even though fundraising groups want to be successful, many don’t realize that there are steps that can be taken to help them reach their goals. Here are 5 steps that we recommend that our customers incorporate into their sale:
There is only one thing that should be more important than raising a lot of money for your upcoming school fundraiser and that is ensuring the safety of your students. Brochure sales are probably used more than any other fundraising method and there is good reason for that. It is relatively easy to implement, with the fundraising company already providing a built in system, it’s been proven to be profitable and people are already familiar with it and know what to expect.
There are probably many reasons why students don’t end up participating in their school fundraiser. Some reasons are that families are just too busy with other activities, parents don’t want their students to sell or the prizes that were introduced at the fundraiser kickoff were the same as they are every year.
Everyone wants to raise a lot of money when it comes to their school fundraiser. The problem is that most people don’t really know how to effectively measure their success. Almost every fundraising coordinator only looks at the end result. In other words, if they raised $20,000 then they may or may not be pleased with that number. They may like it merely because it is a big number to them or because they were able to reach or beat last year’s mark.
School fundraising shouldn’t just be about the money. It’s also important to consider how you carry it out, especially if you want to have long term success. Even if you raise a lot of money with your first fundraiser, if you don’t abide by proper fundraising ethics, your initial success may end up being short-lived.