Sally Foster School Fundraiser - Fundraising Program Test Subjects...

Speculation abounds. I am so curious I can hardly stand it. I already know that this post is making me nervous and uncomfortable because it shakes things up a bit. Fortunately for me, fundraising blogs are not in the same boat as say writing for the New York Times so here ya go.

Sally Foster is changing the way they do business and they will most likely ask every school to be a test subject. I posted recently about how the change from a famous catalog to a gift card would be a test of technology and... it certainly will.

In my previous post, I mention that taking a risk on switching from a traditional fundraiser to an online gift card sale has some issues. What's strange is it seems like schools who like their Sally Foster fundraising rep will be on board to test this new fundraiser out.

It's not a rational decision to work with Sally Foster this fall. It's actually pretty risky. The safety of being able to estimate your profits will be compromised. The predictability that the parents and community will be happy is gone. If a group relies on a certain amount of money this fall, it's an even bigger risk because the profits may not be there in the end.

A recent PTOToday.com message board post outlined some concerns. They expressed concern that there are still limitations to computer access in their rural area, but more importantly, the older folks won't know how to navigate the fundraiser. Basically, this means that the community needs to be educated on how to take part in a new fundraiser.

The post goes on to say that they will likely still do the fundraiser with Sally Foster but will lower their profit estimate in case it is a bust.

I just think that is strange and it points to the fact that Sally Foster must have some great fundraising reps in the field. They obviously have some big fans out there.

So, what can be done?

Ultimately, groups will arrive at their own decisions. I believe most will sign up to try the new fundaiser out. Today, schools are in the process of discovering the specifics of the program and deciding for themselves if it works for them.

I think my only real hope in writing this post is that ONE group that can't take a risk on even losing a few thousand dollars, finds a better fundraiser that can earn them an extra few thousand on top of what they earned last year.

Let the PTA's and PTO's that are willing to absorb the risk on their own accord, test out the new Sally Foster program this fall. On the other hand... If a school is counting on every single penny from their fall fundraiser and can't take a risk - they should look to a company with a consistent and more predictable earning history.

I'm still very excited to see how this all turns out for Sally Foster and the schools that work with them this fall. This is one of the most interesting developments in school fundraising in quite some time.
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Author Note - Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising. I do have a personal interest in earning schools fundraising business, but in this case, I feel an obligation to point out that any new fundraising program is a risky one.

I have confidence that Sally Foster will be testing technological fundraising out full-force this fall. I do think that there are some schools that may just find, it's a bit more than they should take on. For the sake of groups that are really hurting, I hope my feedback helps.

This is probably about as controversial as my blog has ever been but in many ways I am still a fledgeling blogger. If you enjoyed or didn't enjoy what I've said, please let me know by commenting on this blog. I can be reached at twitter.com/BelieveKids as well.

Thanks for looking!

Is Sally Foster Cost-Cutting or Revolutionizing Fundraising in Schools?

Sally Foster is a school fundraising company. As far as school fundraising goes, it's a big name owned by an even bigger name - Entertainment Publications, LLC who produces promotional products worldwide including the Entertainment Book.

For years, schools across the nation have received fall fundraising catalogs and students have sold the famous 'thick' wrapping paper. Without a clear history on the thickness of wrapping paper over time, it is clear that Sally Foster is credited with raising awareness of the benefits of the thicker premium wrap and holiday wrappers thank her for it to the tune of $7-$10 per roll. Anyone in the know considers it well spent cash.

Clearly as a company that reportedly touts $100 million in annual sales is very substantial in the fundraising world. What's more is that they are owned by a company that does over $6.5 billion in revenue annually - plenty of money to make things happen.

So, when news surfaces that Sally Foster is changing the way they do business this fall, ears perk up. There are lots of small fundraising reps and companies that naturally would like to expand into new schools and areas. On the flip side, they may just be onto something.

So, what are their motives? Is it a cost-cutting measure? A response to the economy? A change in business plan? A great new idea who's time has come? I can only speculate but what is clear is that this will be a different way of fundraising.

As the electronic age continues to expand, the need for paper products will lessen. Books will be replaced by electronic devices (Kindle, iPad) and so on. What is clear is the fundraising will evolve with technology in some way.

Sally's Plan (yes, Sally is real but is not involved in the company)

In fall 2010, Sally Foster will be putting an emphasis on gift cards for online shopping. I understand that the following things will happen based on a post on the PTO today site:

40% profit will be offered across the board for a gift card sale. Folks will purchase a $20 gift care and get it activated so it will be good for purchases on their shopping site. It would appear that all sales will be for home delivery which would be subject to shipping and tax where applicable. I did hear that there may be a very limited catalog that get's folks excited to shop online but I have not confirmed this.

So, if you are a big fan of Sally Foster, it's time to give your Sally Foster fundraising rep a call and ask about the changes. Without personal clarification on the matter, it would appear that the company is betting on internet shoppers as the future of the industry.

Red Flag #1 As with anything new comes the need for explanation. Students will have to be educated on the new game plan and then teach potential customers how the program works. Parents faculty and customers will have to re-learn the fundraiser.

Red Flag #2 There is no proven history. As with any new endeavor, there are some unknowns. Will the students explain the program correctly? will the parents buy? A lot of unknowns. A group that needs to hit a certain budget is taking a large risk being the first group to sign up.

There have been so many changes in the industry that it's not a surprise that Sally Foster will make changes to their programs. The current economy has nearly every company internalizing to look at the effectiveness of their operations. I sincerely hope that for the sake of the industry that consumer confidence is not affected. Because of this sentiment, I offer the following personal thought:

This may be cool. I really can't wait to find out more about the program and I hope it has possibility for reasons I will outline below. As a fan of progress and technology I have high hopes that fundraising can move further into the digital age successfully.

In closing, a move that smaller companies can't make but a bigger company can. For whatever there motives, they will be testing the boundaries of electronic fundraising in schools all across the nation and it will be telling. They either believe in the change or are cutting cost.

As much as Sally Foster is a direct competitor and a much larger one at that, I look forward to seeing if their efforts this year will prove that fundraising is ready to take a leap forward.

If their motives are to cut cost, they may find that they also cut success. If they motives are to prove that digital fundraising is a reality today and succeed, then just like the thickness of the wrap changing the industry, they may just change the industry again.

Only time will tell.

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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising and can be reached via twitter - twitter.com/BelieveKids

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