Shrinking Christmas tree fundraiser...

Hey, take a look.  How is the economy effecting your school or group fundraiser?

http://www.gazette.net/article/20111215/NEWS/712159912/1010/laurel-lions-clawing-to-keep-up-fundraising-efforts&template=gazette

I think it's getting harder and harder to keep up the large dollar fundraisers with everything that's going on.  Still, the opportunity to raise more than ever before is available to everyone!  What is your school or group doing to ensure your fundraising success?

Ok, until next time.

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Believe Twitter
Large Group Fundraiser

Cookie dough fundraising in a bad economy.

There are a few things that still sell well in a bad economy.  Food is at the top of that list.  So, if you are a school or large group considering a school fundraiser, a frozen cookie dough fundraiser may just be for you.

Food sells.

There are certainly some folks out there that would tell you that product fundraisers are not working.  Don't believe them.  Event fundraising is suffering along with any other fundraiser out there.  There is no magic and there is a formula.  In my opinion it looks like this:

• Pick a reputable thing to sell or a quality event to host
• Have an average sale or donation amount high as you can (or reach a lot more people)
• Extend the sale beyond just the school's parents
• Offer a product or service the public understands and will get behind

Selling something such as frozen cookie dough fits these criteria because the average sale is high, people are accustomed to the product and the community will purchase it without reservation.


Sick of hearing about the economy?

Me too.  Anyone can put the fears of the economy behind them when they realize others are succeeding and taking their fundraising revenue over the top!  Gone are the days where you just receive a fundraising packet and it is what it is.  If you really want to succeed, you need a plan and will have to put time and effort into it in some way. 

Pick a reputable fundraising company, put promotions into place, market effectively and reward students and sellers and you will reverse the effects of the economy with your next frozen cookie dough fundraiser.

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Thanks for looking!  I hope you find the information on my blog valuable!  The best thing you can do is reward me with a comment below.  Thanks :)

There are some frozen cookie dough fundraiser ideas posted here.

Catalog Fundraisers Schools Best Bet for Big Dollar Fundraising

Schools and groups have long relied on a gift catalog for their fundraising needs. Over the years, increasing fundraising budgets and budget shortfalls have forced fundraising companies to develop high-profit, easy to operate fundraisers.

These catalog fundraisers have a wide reach, offer a variety of popular items in several categories and often add an internet component to the traditional catalog sale to further enhance sales.

With the closing of Giftco, inc. (the largest product supplier to the fundraising industry) there will be some schools wondering if they should fundraise with an event fundraiser or another option this year.

Here’s proof that catalog fundraisers are still the best bet:

According to AFRDS (the association of fundraising distributors and suppliers) over 80% of schools report a fall fundraising catalog as their top annual fundraiser. At the same time, respondents to their polls report that running a catalog sale does not require the amount of volunteer help that other fundraisers require:

School Carnival - 59 volunteers
Auction - 28 volunteers
‘Thons’ (e.g., Walk-a-thon) - 22 volunteers
Breakfasts / Dinners - 17 volunteers
Raffles - 17 volunteers
Product sales - 7 volunteers
Direct Donations - 7 volunteers

((Believe catalog fundraisers do not even need 7 volunteers))

How Believe Kids is prepared to help you this year:

Since 2007 we have anticipated further consolidation in the industry and took steps to strengthen our relationships, increase our US products and suppliers and reduce fundraising retail prices. Here are a few areas of concentration:

• Believe lowered catalog prices on average $2.00 per item
• We offered more items under $20 than our competition
• Believe kept our average item price at $10 last year
• Offer better catalog organization with our ‘Table of Contents’
• We now have 12 years of product creation and 6 years of importing experience
• We have been the fastest growing fundraising company in America for 4 years
• We love our technology! Believe Fundraisers are the easiest to operate
• Believe owns our own warehouse – we do not rely on middlemen
• Believe will not be affected by the Giftco closing!

Why not just sell books, batteries or a green fundraiser this year?

There is a very good reason that schools rely on top-selling catalogs such as the Believe Kids ‘Magical Holidays’ gift catalog.

Catalogs that offer many popular items in many categories sell more – a lot more! Even though everyone uses batteries, not everyone will want to buy them. By offering many items, customers are more likely to find something they need (or at least really want to have)!

Maybe this is the year to try an event like an auction?

While we are advocates of switching up fundraising campaigns, there are a few things you will want to think about before trying an event fundraiser this year. The fall is traditionally the time for a large product fundraiser. It’s tried and true. You will earn more than you can any other way.

Taking a chance during the time of heavy-hitting fall fundraisers may leave you significantly short of your budget. In other words, take a risk during an off-peak time and test the waters! There are many successful fundraising events out there but they do take a lot of hard work to orchestrate.

With the economy in flux this year, the only way we would recommend you risk your fundraising income is if you had a successful event fundraiser last year. If that is the case, evidence suggests that this year’s events have a lower attendance due to the economy. Take the time to truly promote the event if you plan to succeed!

Believe, The Economy and Fundraising in 2009

Believe in particular has taken several steps to ensure a profitable fundraiser in the face of the worst economy many of us have ever seen. Our complimentary tools will reverse the effects of the economy. Other fundraisers are not equipped to make such claims.

This year, promotion of the fundraiser will play a bigger part than ever before. Fundraising with an under-promoted event, single product or a catalog that does not have tools in place to increase sales will likely fall short.

We are keeping close tabs on the effects of the economy on fundraising – regardless of it you use Believe or another fundraiser, we encourage you to write or call with questions and we will help you improve your sale. We will do whatever we can to protect schools this year and understanding the economic effects on our fundraisers this year will allow you to promote specifically to reverse them.

In closing

Despite anything you will hear from other companies, websites or any other source, product catalog fundraising is by far the largest and most profitable method of fundraising and is responsible for raising 2 billion for education every year!

There simply is no substitute for a high-gross fall catalog fundraiser!

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Giftco, Inc. - Fundraising Product Supplier Out of Business.

On March 18, 2009, Giftco Inc. did not receive their bank financing as was forced to close their doors at 12:00 p.m. Since 1975, Giftco Inc. has been the leading supplier and importer of goods to the fundraising industry.

As of our correspondence on March 18, there are no employees working at the company and their offices were closed abruptly. What is clear is that without the bank financing in place the company cannot remain in operation.

While Giftco was not a household name, the impact on the fundraising industry will be felt nationwide. Giftco created, manufactured and warehoused many items sold to the fundraising industry. Over 95% of fundraising companies will be affected in one way or another.

The consolidation of the fundraising industry has been happening for years and we have witnessed a dramatic consolidation in just the last few years. 10 years ago, there were approximately 1200 fundraising companies - today less than 250. With the news of Giftco closing, we will likely loose an additional 150 or more.

As I write, I realize how fortunate Believe Kids is. We have been very concerned about this consolidation and insulated ourselves approximately 2 years ago. We increased our products with US manufacturing, imported our own products and diversified our catalog to source from numerous vendors. We will not miss a beat.

Our hearts go out to the many employees, vendors and companies affected by the news. This is a difficult time as many find themselves out of work. We anticipate some strong partnerships forming soon and we hope everyone finds a way to make finding new employment as smooth a transition as possible.

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What does this mean for other fundraising companies?
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Right now, it is hard to say how exactly fundraising companies will take this news. Nearly all fundraising companies sell products from Giftco that may not be available for sale. Really, it is too early to tell what will happen but we predict that many companies will no longer be able to offer their product fundraisers this year. Unfortunately, others will close altogether. We predict that a few companies; Like Believe Kids; will favorably respond and help shape the future of fundraising.

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How does this news affect schools and parent groups?
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It will be important to check with your fundraising company to see how they will be dealing with the situation. Again, it's too early to say what the right way to look at this is but what is certain is that these times are ripe for mis-information and schools will be told half-truths in order to get business.

Regretfully, some companies will use this as a marketing tool which we feel is negative selling. Basically, selling on fear. (side note - we would be interested in knowing who is willing to do this type of sale so please report back if you notice anything). We believe that companies will work expecially hard to make the best of the situation so that schools, groups and end customers do not notice any changes.

For companies that sell a lot of items from Giftco will have a difficult time. Find out how your fundraising company plans to handle things and go from there. We will certainly introduce new information when it comes available but any pto, pta or ptsa parent group with questions can contact us anytime. We will let you know what we know without pretense.

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How does this news change the fundraising industry?
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We know that 10 years ago, anyone who wanted to could get into the fundraising world. Right now, the economy has taken it's toll on quite a few fundraising companies and offerings. To make a long story short, it looks like the industry now has a very high barrier to entry. Anyone wanting to be involved will need a lot of resources and because the industry gives so much profit away, anyone considering fund raising may choose to enter a different industry. There may be more consolidation as the economy takes it's toll.

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Summary
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Giftco has helped the fundraising industry grow over the years so this news is very sad to all of us involved. Our industry is rather close and so our thoughts are with the numerous employees we have counted on to make us look good over the years that are now without a place to call home.

We know that we can move on making the best of it and yet, it feels like the entire fundraising industry has lost a great mentor.

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What Now
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We will update this as any new information becomes available. In the meantime, if any PTO, PTA, or a fundraising company affected by this news and would like to discuss opportunities or have questions answered, we are here to help.

Label - NEW GOODY'S GIFTCO, LLC