There are many things that fundraising coordinators need to consider when planning a fundraiser. Find out what should go into preparing for a sale
Over the years of working with various fundraising groups we have a pretty good idea of what makes fundraisers successful. What follows are 3 basic misconceptions that people often think will help make their sale a success when selecting a fundraiser but in the end don’t make much of a difference.
1. The Higher the Fundraising Profit Percentage the More Money We Raise
When you think about school fundraising several questions may come to mind like:
Selecting the right sales brochure is important because people will need to like what you are offering if you expect them to buy. Potential customers become buyers for the following reasons:
Younger students who sell for elementary school fundraisers don’t need to have their fundraising expectations raised. Among other things, they are usually highly motivated by the prize program and are already determining what they can win even before they receive their fundraising packet.
Because our company name is ‘Big Event Fundraising’ we occasionally receive a call from a school that wants to bring in one of our big events, like our Big Event Magic Show or Big Event Reptile Adventures Show, and use them as the actual school fundraiser.
2 primary considerations for any school fundraising group is making sure to pick a strong sales brochure that will work well for their area as well as selecting an effective prize program that will motivate their students to sell.
There is ongoing debate over whether it’s the school fundraising brochure or the school prize program that has the greatest influence in determining the success of a school fundraiser. One thing is for sure however, and that is if you have a bad prize program, your sales will probably suffer. Even more, what people don’t often think about is, even if they have a good prize program, how do they plan to promote it?
Most groups that use our Super Party Prize Program to motivate their students to sell for their school fundraiser know that they need to sell 8 items or more from their sales brochure in order to gain admission to the party.
Fundraiser groups that are united towards reaching their goals will find greater fundraising success than those who aren’t. The question then becomes how do we achieve unity if we haven’t already? In order to ensure that your group is unified it will be important to ask the following questions.
How committed are your members?
Before you consider a fundraiser project make sure that you know how committed the members of your group are. In other words, how strongly do your members:
If you’ve had any experience at all as the fundraising coordinator for your elementary school fundraiser you have probably formed your own opinions on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to ensuring a smooth running fundraiser.
The take-home message is this. If you want your school fundraiser to run smoothly your will need to have informed parents and students about what you are attempting to accomplish.