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!

Being generous is a tough thing... The magic of donating to a school fundraiser.

"All lasting wealth comes from enriching others in some way." -Brian Tracy

This time of year, people nationwide are put to the test. Causes and donation requests are sure to come knocking and yet, the economy is having an effect on everyone. Not only are household budgets tighter but people seem to be buying what they need and not what they want.

I spend a fair amount of time reading posts and articles online. Over time, I have noticed that when an article about school fundraising comes up, regardless of if it is good or bad, it is likely there are a number of comments below the school fundraising article explaining the many rationalizations of not giving.

We get it. As a fundraising company owner and a parent, I really do get it and so does my company. I even have similar thoughts myself from time-to-time and I don't donate to every cause - I don't know that anyone is able to. But the point of this post - being generous takes a lot of effort. It is not something that comes naturally in many cases and it's not easy to stay in a generous mind-frame.

There is something in the act of giving to a local school that is magical. It is especially to realize just how young minds will accept and cope with very little but excel when the proper tools to learn are applied to their classrooms.

The last thing I want to do with this post is preach or pretend that the many causes that come calling should all be helped. I would suggest that everyone pick some area of interest to contribute to and just do it. It feels darn good. Give time or money to support the cause you feel best represents you. Get as involved as your time or interest will allow and have fun with charitable giving. It has it's rewards!

It's ok to tell someone you appreciate what they are doing but you support another cause. If you are not supporting another cause, a local school could really use your donation, time and support this year. You would be truly amazed if you could see your school donations put to work where it directly impacts a child's growth and understanding of the world around them. There's magic in giving.

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((If you have any feedback about my thoughts here, I would truly appreciate hearing from you. I am not an expert in charitable giving nor do I give the most either. I just see how important school funding is first-hand so I hope that gets across in my writing. Thanks so much for taking a look at my post.))

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