Top 3 Reasons a Donation Drive Doesn't Raise as Much as a Traditional Fundraiser?

So the question is, can a donation drive raise as much as a traditional fundraiser? Anything is possible. Having said that, the majority of the time the answer will be 'Heck no! A donation drive can't raise as much. Not even close.'

There are 3 main reasons for this:

1) There are no options - you can give $20, $50 or $100 or none - that's about it.

2) There is no reach - monetary donations are really requested just from parents.

3) There is no direct trade - customers get nothing tangible in exchange.

In essence there is a smaller buyer pool, less choices and less incentive to purchase over traditional fundraisers.

So, without getting into too much detail, whatever amount is raised is going to be half as much as would be raised with a traditional fundraiser if that. For reasons I won't go into detail about this translates into a lower participation which is the enemy of a successful fundraiser. The fewer people participating means the less successful the campaign is.

Regardless of the type of fundraisers held, judging success based solely on dollars raised may not be the best way to go. It's about galvanizing a community and organizing fundraisers that more and more people will take part in - repeatedly.

A donation drive may be good for instance once at the very beginning of the school year perhaps but not several times over the course of a school year. Repeating a donation fundraiser would likely lead to fewer and fewer participants. The implications are far reaching because burned out parents will likely not attend other school activities and events.

Remember, when choosing a fundraiser, choose something remarkable, make it memorable, don't do it too often! Design fundraisers so that parents will want to take part in it and it will be a success!

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If you would like to hear more about this topic, please leave a comment for me. I wrote quite a bit more on the subject that I decided was getting a bit too intense for my blog today so I cut it. My hope is that over time, schools will host fewer, more heavy-hitting fundraisers and participation will increase. If a school is going to host a donation drive, my advice would be to make it impactful and special so that it includes as many people as possible. Thanks for looking!

Spring 2010 Elementary School Fundraising - What Works?

The big topic of conversation with PTA, PTO's and other parent groups this spring? Well, probably not what is the best fundraiser for spring, but a fundraising guy can dream right?

Traditional fundraisers continue to represent the largest segment of fundraising income. And as much as we'd like to see unique and new fundraisers come along and provide top dollars, we have not seen one that competes.

This spring, look for frozen cookie dough, spring gift catalog and well-organized events such as an auction or a carnival to be the big winners!

• Frozen cookie dough is probably the most effective spring fundraiser because people have come to know the product over time. Most folks know that the dough is tasty and will drop some funds on it. As a matter of financial truth, frozen cookie dough is an edible product and because everyone eats regularly, there is a big market for it :)

• Spring catalog is popular in spring because it includes a number of items in several popular categories. The catalogs that work best include a selection of flowers which are a top spring seller.

• Spring Event Fundraising - Anytime a well-organized fundraiser can be put together it usually is a winner. Although it takes a lot more volunteerism and organization, putting on an event can raise big bucks. It also galvanizes the community and has a chance to be a repeatable yearly event.

So, there you have it. My predictions of what will work for 2010 Spring elementary school fundraising!

Sneak Peek - Fall 2010 Fundraising Catalog Preview

We just posted a preview version of our 2010 Fall Fundraising Catalog! This is the one that everyone is after: Preview the 2010 Fall Fundraising Catalog

Keep it as our little secret though :)

Elementary School Fundraising Success Story - A testament to the people of North Dakota

Don't you love to hear good news on the school fundraising front! This post is definitely a school fundraising success story but it's really a tale of a community pulling together to support children and education.

Sometimes there are stories that come across my desk that I feel are worthy of sharing. Anyone remember that there was some severe flooding in the Fargo, ND area in the Spring of 2009? I was aware about it but didn't realize the extent to which volunteers pulled together to sandbag which saved the town while thousands were evacuated.

In the middle of the chaos, in a city that was literally shut down, a small school raised $25,000 to support their school!

This isn't a story about how easy Believe fundraisers are. This is an example of how amazing the people of North Dakota are. I am touched to think that in the face of a disaster, the community thought enough about the children to support them in such a time of need. An inspiration no doubt.

Hats off to a community that pulls together!

Invitation to visit Believe Kids Denver Headquarters

Invitation to visit Believe Kids Fundraising Open House - Englewood, CO

We would like to invite you to the Believe Kids office & warehouse open house!

Come on over and grab a gift bag, see our 2010 product line, take home some product samples and see for yourself how we provide amazing service to each and every group fundraising with us nationwide!

This is an amazing opportunity to meet our staff, see our warehouse and checkout the 20 passenger Escalade limo! The kids love it!

Thursday February 18, 2010 11 A.M. - 2 P.M.

Invite as many people involved in your fundraising efforts as you would like! Please R.S.V.P. on twitter if you can come or email us www.Twitter.com/BelieveKids letting us know how many people in your group will attend.

We can't wait to see you!

P.S. Our office has a relaxed dress code so come as you are!

P.S.S. Don't forget to take a look at the pdf invitation :)

How to Hold a Coin Drive for Haiti

With the devastation that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, many people are asking themselves, “how can I help?” This biggest way to help right now is to give monetary donations to a trusted organization who will use the money to help those affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

Holding a coin fundraiser is one way that schools can help the people of Haiti get the medical attention and food that they need. The coins collected will add up quickly to big dollars that will make a big impact.

Follow these guidelines to holding a successful coin fundraiser:

1. Promote your fundraiser by sending a letter home to parents. To make the letter more compelling, have a student at the school write the letter. Put the details in a newsletter and on your website. Also, announce the fundraiser over the P.A. announcements so all of the students know it is happening.

2. Make the coin fundraiser a friendly competition by dividing the school up by classes. Each class will have there own box or jar. The object is to see what class can raise the most. Reward the class with the most money raised with a treat of some kind. Ice cream with the principal is always a great reward! Maybe the school could make a special donation on behalf of that class for their hard work?

3. One week is a good timeline for how long your coin fundraiser should last. This will give the kids plenty of time to collect coins, but won’t be too long so the kids will lose interest.

4. An idea to promote the last day of the coin fundraiser is to hold a bake sale for students (if allowed). This will encourage any final donations, and will also profit a few extra bucks to send to Haiti.

5. Make sure to send the money raised to a trusted organization where the money will go straight into the Haitian people. Without making any particular endorsement, www.redcross.org or www.convoyofhope.org would be an example of an organization that will use your money for food, medical supplies and clothing.

Providing fundraising reps a true 'Home'

Providing fundraising reps a true 'Home'

Anyone in the fundraising world knows that there have been a large number of changes in the industry lately. Reports in from schools running fall 2009 fundraisers with our competitors are less than stellar. It seems there were several problems including lower profit than expected, numerous backorders and vouchers and promises that were not delivered.

As a fundraising rep, you need to know that your schools will resign with you and that they feel the fundraiser was a success free from any major issues. Fall 2009 proved for many of our competitors to be a tough year where supplying a rep.

If you are a fundraising rep at another company and experienced problems in fall 2009, we can provide you a true 'home'. Last fall, we rose to the occassion lowering prices, improving product quality and providing exceptional customer service. Here is an excerpt from a former fundraising representative that is proud to call Believe home!

"Believe really does provide a full-service fundraiser! Everything was provided from collating to providing marketing materials so the amount of work I would normally have done was gone! On top of that, the entire Believe team helped communicate with my schools, empowering them with all the information I would normally have to worry about."

Another rep furthers the point:

"I love being a Believe Kids representative. It’s a wonderful company. They make it so easy and fun that it’s hard to imagine this is my job. When I meet with the decision makers at different schools, I am completely confident that everything I have promised to them will be delivered.

Providing the quality products and the best customer service in the industry is so important to Believe Kids, and it shows. We offer so much more than we need to because we know all the little extras mean so much.

Every single person in the Colorado office is upbeat, helpful, and friendly every time I call. The management is fabulous and they make me feel “part of the team” even though logistically I am far away.

Believe Kids Rocks! We are going to blow the industry away in a short period of time. You can’t be this great without everyone finding out about us!"

and finally, these inspiring words from a Believe rep after their first season working with us:

"I am thrilled to be representing BELIEVE Kids! I first heard about BELIEVE in 2004 when I stopped in to see a previous customer of mine. They had just finished their first BELIEVE fundraiser and could not stop saying enough great things about the company.

Since then, I have heard similar things about BELIEVE from other schools I've been in. The comments have ALWAYS been "over the top" positive. I would always wonder as I left the schools, "How can one company do such a great job in customer relations EVERY TIME?" It's obvious to me that BELIEVE makes customer service their Number One Priority.

On another note, This has also been the FIRST Fall season that I saw sales productivity INCREASE on a "dollars per student" basis, since 2001! It's been a long time coming. BELIEVE has a guaranteed system of success that they train the sponsors at the school to follow. When they do, sales go UP! Not bad, to see a sales increase, during a recession! This has been a delightful first semester!

We can point out how easy and effective we make school fundraising but it's not until you truly experience Believe for yourself that the full picture comes into focus. If you currently work as a school fundraising rep for Innisbrook, QSP, Cherrydale, Sally Foster or another fundraising company and have a proven track record, please find out more here.

Please accept our cordial invitation to find our more - we won't let you down!