School Fundraiser Risk...

School Fundraising Risk Graph

There are a number of risks involved in school fundraising.  Yeah, sounds pretty dramatic doesn't it! 

Well, OK.The reality is, if you take pride in your school and your involvement matters, there's risk there.

The last thing you want to do is host a fundraiser that is going to fall short.  What motivates many decisions on the PTA or PTO is the fear of embarrassment when a fundraiser fails to provide a good customer experience or sufficient profit.

In a nutshell, risk is two-fold.

If you hire a band to play your event, but they have a guarantee of payment, you have risk.  If you pay upfront for a product without knowing if it will sell, you have risk. This type of risk I call 'Real' risk because losing all or part of your money is a 'Real' possibility.

And then there is 'Emotional' risk.  The damage done by parents feeling they've been taken, the feeling that the flaws in the event were unforgivable, the feeling that it's all just too much.  This risk is damaging to the group because the students, parents or the community will not want to support future activities of the school, group or parent group. Take for instance the bad customer service or bad food you experienced at a restaurant.  Did the disapointment leave you saying to yourself, 'I won't be back.'?

The feeling parents have after a dismal event or too many fundraisers feels very similar. 

The point of this post is to remind schools and groups that fundraising can be risky.  There are companies that absorb most, if not all of that risk and you should seek them out.  By avoiding payment up-front and helping with customer service and such, many parents avoid the bad restaurant experience I mentioned above.

At the very least, as long as you're aware that you should try to minimize risk, the fundraiser will be better off for it.

Ok, until next time!

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elementary school fundraiser