How to Prepare for a Smaller Group Kickoff

The school fundraising kickoff is a vital part of your fundraiser because it gives you the opportunity to set the tone for a successful sale. The primary purpose of the kickoff is to generate as much enthusiasm as possible for your fundraiser and the more passionate you are, the more likely your students will want to get involved. Here's what you'll need to do to convince your sellers why they should participate:

1. Plan to communicate your purpose:
Start your kickoff by communicating your purpose. How do you plan to convince your sellers that your purpose is important to them?

2. Pass out the following and explain the process:

• Order Forms (Have your students fill in the information at the top and review how to use. Make sure they only talk to people they know and encourage them to have their family members take their brochure and order form to work)
• Brochures (Review page by page. You should familiarize yourself with the brochure ahead of time)
• Prize Brochure (Explain what they can win and that they only have to sell a few items each day to reach their goal)
• Parent Letter (If you are using a parent letter, make copies prior to your kickoff)
• Money Collection Envelopes (Explain that money must be collected up front, checks are made payable to your group and money and order forms are do back by the turn-in day)

3. Communicate your fundraising goal:

• Let everyone know how much money the group needs to raise
• Inform the group how many items each seller will need to raise to reach the money goal. For a quick reference see our Group Goal Setting Guide

4. Maintain the high level of enthusiasm:

• Meet with your sellers and track their progress as often as possible
• Create competition between your sellers by offering fun yet rewarding incentives or special privileges throughout your sale