Free Elementary School Fundraising Samples & Info...

In your travels you'll run across many fundraisers.  The thing is, how do you know which fundraiser is right for your school or group?

The decision process you go through should go further than just feeling right.  Your decision should be based on what is right for your school at the time you will be running it.

Things like 'I need the highest amount of money that can be raised' or 'This is a secondary fundraiser' are important to know.

If you decide you need to raise top-dollar, there are only a few companies that can do that effectively for you, without adding work to your already busy schedules (or interrupting class time).

Go ahead and follow the instructions on the video to get elementary school fundraising information from Believe Kids BEFORE you make your next fundraising decision.

Thanks much!!!



http://believekids.com/ is direct link - click on Free Info Kit on the top of the page.

Keep Calm and Believe

Keep Calm and Believe

__________________________________________________________

Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising helps schools nationwide become believers!  Schools can raise more while fundraising less!  It's a simple two-week traditional fundraiser with a twist - it's REMARKABLE!  High dollars, unreal products and promotion on facebook and twitter just to name a few.  

Find out if it's right for your school: Elementary school fundraising at www.BelieveKids.com

Ok, until next time!

Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising

Believe Kids is a nationwide school fundraising company.

The disclosure here is that if you read my blog, you'll know that I don't self-promote.  At least I generally resist the temptation to talk about myself since we're all in this together.  The things is, today I want you to know that my company hosts very successful fundraisers - high-profit school fundraisers that are easy to run.

The company mostly teams up with PTA and PTO's for school-wide fundraisers.  Two main catalogs a year allow groups to successfully exceed fundraising goals.

No games, just amazing catalogs.  So, after 10,000 plus fundraisers, we are certainly experts.  Ask me anything and take a look when you get a chance.

Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising

P.S. Referrals in every state including AK, HI, Guam & Puerto Rico :)

Elementary School Fundraising Freebie... Believe Trivia Challenge

Hey, I thought you'd want to see this.  It's a promotion for the Believe Trivia Challenge.  It's cool in that the questions are fun and relatively easy and you can enter once per week until you win a gift card!  Try it out!  

From the Believe Kids Fundraising homepage, click on the link that says 'Trivia Challenge'

Ok, until next time!

One Page Guide to Fundraising Participation! Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising

The One Page Guide to Fundraising Participation - Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising

Hope you like it!

Ok, until next time!

_______________

elementary school fundraising

Why School Fundraising Companies Are Awesome!

Fundraising awesome!

Fundraising companies are awesome!

Hey, you either think that fundraising companies are selfishly making money hand-over-foot or you know the truth.  Fundraising companies benefit only when schools raise money.


These days, anything that is not good or helpful or in demand, is going away. 



Think about the things that you love to do and support.  Well, if you didn't support them and the other folks that love them were to stop supporting them, what would happen?

Fundraising companies operate in margins that no brick and mortar or online retailer would bear. To provide a 40-50% cash payment to groups followed by paying for product, shipping expenses, prize programs, incentives, catalogs and order forms, websites, customer service and so much more would seem ludicrous.

So, if you have a good fundraising company, you will be earning significant funds.  Many times, this is above and beyond previous fundraisers dollars raised and in some cases, new fundraising records are achieved!

On top of the dollars raised being very substantial, kids should be satisfied - parents should receive quality goods at fair prices.  Customer support should be free and included and good.

If you find such a company, support them back because they're awesome!

Ok, until next time!

________________

school fundraisers

3d animated social media trailer...

Pretty proud of this little trailer highlighting the social media website stuff surrounding Believe Kids & School Fundraising.  Definitely self-indulgent but I think it's pretty cool.



Ok, Until Next Time!

Self-Promotion Day! Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising

Hey! It's self-promotion day on my blog!

Believe Kids Fundraising - Elementary School Fundraisers

The thing is, elementary school fundraising can be tough.  It's hard for schools to get a handle on what fundraisers are results driven and which are a waste of time.  It's even tougher for groups to find easy fundraisers that make parents happy.

I'm not telling you that Believe Kids is right for your group.  I will suggest though, that you find out more about Believe Kids.  You may just discover that it's right for you!

Then at least all the other stuff I write about will be much more helpful :)

Ok, until next time!

School Fundraiser Episode We TV Downsized - BelieveKids.com onscreen debut

I haven't seen it personally, but apparently the BelieveKids.com website is seen onscreen as the family researches upcoming fundraisers.  I am looking forward to watching the episode (episode 7: Too Much Pressure) on the We channel when I can. 

From what I understand, they contract with a hypnotist show for a fundraiser.  I feel bad for anyone who commits to a high guarantee to book talent and then has to sell tickets so I know there's gotta be some stress there.  I hope it turned out!

Ok, until next time, here's the preview of the episode.




http://www.wetv.com/downsized/videos/downsized-too-much-pressure-sneak-peek

Weirded out - Elementary School Fundraising Ideas for PTA PTO and Principals

Every time I think of this time of year I get a bit weirded out.

Let me explain.

In the next two months, thousands of elementary schools set out to find the fall fundraiser of their choice.  Unfortunately, every year schools choose fundraisers that fall flat.  What's more, many will fail.

They fail in terms of low revenue, significant time demands or fall flat by making the PTA PTO or Principal look bad in one way or another.  So, why does that weird me out?

I want elementary schools to make their decisions on the following considerations:

1) Ease
2) Profit
3) Happiness

Instead, I know schools will choose fundraisers over and over again that fall short in one of these basic 3.  They may shoot for ease but spend 100's of hours preparing for their fundraiser or sell an easy program that believe will make them happy but not make any profit.

So, I'm not saying that there are endless amounts of fundraisers that achieve all of these 3 basic premises but there are enough to allow every single elementary school to have a very successful fall fundraiser - one that is easy to handle, very profitable and leaves schools, PTA's, PTO's and Principals happy and looking good!

If you are involved in your school and you're getting ready to choose a fundraiser, shoot for all three of the items above not just one or two.  You can do it!

___________________________

Share your ideas below or on twitter - twitter.com/believekids

Please consider subscribing to my blog via email or rss to your google, yahoo or other homepages and feel free to share my website address with anyone you wish believejay.blogspot.com

More information on elementary school fundraising ideas is available at the BelieveKids.com website and of course, other quality companies can be found on sources online.

Why some school fundraisers are not fundraisers...

I just read a post from greatschools.org that I want to explore with you for a moment:

Five fundraising tactics for savvy schools We look beyond scrip and bake sales in search of the big dollars available to schools.

I think fundraising 'noise' is to prevalent these days.  

I believe that a scattered approach to fundraising is cutting into fundraising profits and the following is my argument away from affiliate programs, contests, online donation drives and the other ideas in the article and towards focused efforts that encourage participation across the board. I believe that when folks consider fundraisers, they need to be consistent, proven ways to raise money.  The following, in my opinion, are not fundraisers:

Facebook ritual - Online contests that spread via social media are just that, contests.  Although some schools benefit from winning, a school can't count on income coming in.  It's not only a long-shot that schools would win in the first place, but it's unlikely that a school can win repeatedly creating any sense of security.  Contests should not be considered fundraisers.

Going for grants -  Grants are nice.  Grants are fundraisers in the purest sense of the word  but because they are not guaranteed, they should not be considered fundraisers. A school that decides to go after grants can end up with nothing.  Therefore, going for grants is not a fundraiser.

Donation matching - Donation matching is awesome.  But here's the thing... In order for it to work, there has to be initial donations.  Donation matching on it's own merit is not a fundraiser. 

Online donations - Well, donation drives are certainly a type of fundraiser.  I can't really argue that point.  When I think of donation drives, I think of something that anyone can do at anytime and for any reason. It does not work the same as traditional fundraising.  

I believe online donations are only as good as the organization hosting them is willing to make them.  I guess what I mean is that although there have been some monumental successes with online donations, the majority of fundraising efforts of this type do not produce large returns.

Sensible shopping - Affilate program's have been around for a while now.  The premise being that for an item you purchase, a small 'commission' is paid out to an organization.  There are fundraising malls comprised entirely of offers that pay these small commissions when purchases are made.  

I think that for the promotion it takes to involve parents, the money raised does not make it worth it.  The argument is that people are already buying these items.  The fact is, it's very likely the participants in an affiliate program fundraiser will not be participating in something else - something that raises significant funds.

__________________________

Wow, that's pretty harsh.  It would appear that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.  I am passionate about schools respecting their own ability to raise significant funds through traditional fundraising.  Schools need to be able to host at least one heavy-hitting fundraiser without competition that would belittle their efforts.  

In the end, times change and it's fair to say that there will be a day where funding in schools looks quite different than it does today.  Until then, I believe fundraisers should be categorized as such ONLY when the results are guaranteed to raise money when they participate.  Further, I believe that schools need to continually educate themselves as to what works and why.  

Taking chances on risky fundraisers needs to go.  All it really does is make the proven fundraisers less effective.

__________________________

Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising and blogs here regularly.  If you enjoyed this post, you can share it or comment on it below.  Comments both good and bad are humbly accepted. 

Oh, and a note to greatschools.org - I think you are awesome and there's no love lost here.  I am concerned about fundraising becoming an discussion area where nobody knows what to do or why when it comes to school fundraising.  I think fewer fundraisers that are proven is the way to go. 

Thanks so much everyone - until next time!

Elementary School Fundraising Ideas

Elementary schools all across the nation are being affected by budget cuts.  School programs are being cut, there are less teachers and less money to purchase much needed supplies and technology for learning.

Having said that, there have also been a number of changes in the fundraising industry.  The economy has taken a toll on several industries and some school fundraising companies have not been able to adapt. 

Today, parent groups such as PTA, PTO, PTSA and PTSO groups want to do their own thing.  They want exciting, new and unique school fundraisers.  The thing about new and unique is that sometimes it doesn't perform.

So, if you are a parent group such as a PTA, PTO, PTSA or PTSO and you have not chosen your fundraiser, keep the following in mind:

The numbers won't lie.

Any fundraising company you consider needs to be able to offer you a sales history so you know what to expect.  You take what you know about your past sales and determine if a fundraiser will perform for you or not.  If something seems out of place when you speak to a fundraising company you will know they just want to earn your business and not keep it.

Elementary school fundraising companies should want to offer you their REAL sales figures.  This protects the school from estimating their income too high and being disappointed and it but the fundraising company will look great when it sells in excess of what it estimated.

In the end, when you choose an elementary school fundraiser, get the numbers and compare them against what you know about your past sales.  If you are going through the trouble of fundraising, make it count! 

If you want new and unique elementary school fundraising ideas and you don't get the estimated sales figures, don't be surprised at the results!

_________________________

Thanks so much for looking.  I encourage comments (both good and bad) below :)
You can always take a look at the Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising Ideas.  Thanks!

Less is More - Get Rid of School Fundraisers that Don't Perform...

So, If you had a chance to read my last post entitled  Your school should keep records on fundraising trends You may be a bit more aware of the importance of your past fundraising data. 

Your past successes and failures in the school fundraising department can help you immesurably in how you structure your future school fundraising.  You can use past data to understand what works and what doesn't for your particular school.

When you take a look at the past school fundraising results or remember back to what didn't work so well, can you point to any of the following examples as being true for you?  Go  ahead and ask yourself the following questions:

-Did you have a spirit night or other event that generated little income?


-Was there a fundraiser that you marketed well that made under a thousand dollars?


-Have any of your fundraisers required an unreasonable amount of man-hours to pull off?

-Have you incurred rental fees on any fundraisers that barely broke even?

-Have you tried a type of fundraiser that is so new and unique that parents and the community didn't support it?


-Have you received a much larger number of complaints from any one fundraiser?


-Did you use your printed and email newsletters to promote a box tops, soup label or recycling program instead of your main fundraiser?

-Have you ever fallen short of your fundraising goal?


-Have you hosted safety nights or other educational or community service events and called them fundraisers?

-Have you added fundraisers to make up for lost fundraising income?

-Have you sold a single product that wasn't as popular as anticipated?


-Do you require approval for all fundraisers at the school?


-Are fundraisers allowed to operate one after another?

-Do you believe parents will only be satisfied with new and unique fundraisers?

Perhaps one or more of the above situations are true for you and your school.  We know there are a lot of considerations and that's why there are professional out there to help.  You can call my company or any other reputable elementary school fundraising company  and get honest advice free of charge.  Good fundraising companies should allow you to choose them and not try to take your desire for straight-up information the wrong way and pester you.

Regardless of your interest in calling around for advice, may I suggest you check my blog out again since I am planning a follow up to this post with some answers to the questions raised here.

In the end, you may be able to get rid of at least one fundraiser by using the questions above. Not every fundraiser or fundraising type will be right for your school so looking closely at the effort and results will certainly help you put things into perspective.

As usual, thanks so much for looking and I appreciate your comments more than anything else.  If you can, please just write me a little ditty below - good or bad.  Thanks!

New Video PSA - Support Children

A video about supporting school fundraisers. Created by Believe Kids. I think you'll appreciate it.  Please share if you can.  This year is really important for a lot of schools out there so we hope this will help someone out there.

I'm proud of our new fundraising video...

Take a look see. This is a quick video on what we do and why we are the leader in top-dollar elementary school fundraising. Enjoy!



Credit where credit is due:
Videographer/Editor - Hunter Thomson - Great Work!

New & Unique School Fundraising Ideas

New and Unique School Fundraising Ideas are dangerous ground. But before anyone gets worked up, let me explain:

There have been traditional fundraisers for many years. They are tried and tested. They are largely successful. Over 80% of elementary schools will host a traditional fundraiser this year and that's a lot of schools. I know from our end that nearly every school that switches to Believe Kids will have increased profits over their previous fundraiser.

Subsequently, along come some new fundraisers such as cookie dough voucher programs, online only fundraisers, gift card fundraising, custom printed products, Coke Rewards Fundraising, Tupperware fundraisers, Avon fundraisers, online malls, affiliate programs, recycling programs, gold party fundraisers and others.

So, what's the big deal?

The big deal is that if you ask a PTA or PTO president what they are looking for in a fundraiser, they will respond that they want something new and unique. Many of these new fundraisers fit the bill.

But do they really?

Probably not. In reality it's not in our nature to really want the newest thing. We don't necessarily want the dentist just out of college or to hire a 7 year old baby-sitter.

I get it though, there's something truthful in there. Maybe the desire to have confidence in offering something different to the community. To prove to parents that there is something unique out there that will make them want to support education more.

Usually though, the wish for the unique backfires.

Many of the newer fundraisers out there are either ahead of their time or fall short because they are marketed as something they are not. Some online only programs have not found their market yet and others may work for small groups only but they market as if they solve the needs of larger groups alike.

I believe every fundraiser is inherently good. Meaning that, if the right group hosts the right fundraiser at the right time, they should be successful. Of course, the definition of a successful fundraiser is not the same across the board.

Herein lies the truth.

If a school wants to take on something new and unique it only needs to be aware that that newness will likely translate in a loss of income. Schools should pay close attention to picking an appropriate fundraiser. A gold party fundraiser is very likely not going to be the main school-wide elementary fundraiser one would expect.

One final consideration is that some fundraisers generate so little income that they can interfere with the main fundraisers at the school. Consider putting a bit more leg work and marketing into a main fundraiser and you can skip out on some of the little ones. Less is more when it comes to school fundraising.

In closing, traditional is good, new and unique adds risk and the wrong fit equals potential disaster. Make sure to pick an appropriate fundraiser for your group size and make sure the community you represent will understand how to participate in the fundraiser.

________________________________

I'm a fan of any fundraiser that does what it says it will do so I am not picking on any fundraiser in particular. Yes, I like traditional fundraisers but new and unique fundraisers are good as long as everyone is aware of the risks associated with them.

I encourage agreement as well as disagreement in comments placed below. If you have a thought, please share it and thanks for looking!

5 Tips for Choosing an Elementary School Fundraising Company

There are a number of fundraising options available this fall. Anything from single item fundraisers to large events. Of course, it is our contention that fall gift & wrap catalogs, frozen cookie dough fundraisers or well-promoted events will generate the best results.

Regardless of who you choose to help you with your fundraising efforts, you will want to know the company has your best interests at heart and will help you achieve additional sales and participation over your previous efforts. Today, schools should not accept average in themselves or the school fundraising company they choose.

For the purposes of this post, I will be assuming that you are doing a fall gift & wrap catalog sale or frozen cookie dough fundraiser which for most groups is their main fall fundraising effort:

1) Stay positive - When choosing a fundraiser and fundraising company, being open to discussions about fundraising only serves to better inform you of what is out there and what is being offered.

All too often, schools blindly return to fall fundraising efforts that don't work well because of a general unwillingness to research what heavy-hitting fundraising programs and options presently exist.

By simply letting companies know that you will be making decisions on a certain date, you will not be 'sold' anything but you will have the opportunity to gather valuable data by each and every fundraising call or visit.

2) Define your parameters - It's best to start off by jotting down any specific needs your group has. If you do a dunk tank every year for example, make sure to mention this right up-front in your discussions with various fundraising companies and fundraising representatives.

If you know you have certain needs that are specific to your school, mentioning these right away allows fundraising companies and fundraising representatives the opportunity to put them into their written proposals which means in most cases, they pay for them. If you wait to mention them until after you are registered, you'll most likely be picking up the bill.

3) Get it in writing - It's best to have a few fundraising companies vying for your attention. If you choose 3 reputable companies that seem to fit the bill, let them know what you are trying to accomplish and get their offer in writing. It's all too easy for fundraising reps to say 'we can do that' or 'that's something we can do' and really not commit. Saying 'we can' is not the same as 'we will'.

4) Be honest - In the discovery period before you choose a fundraising company, if you have any historic numbers of your sales, feedback from parents or insight from the principal about what would help the sale, let it be known. There's really no reason to hold anything back.

Your fundraising company can help you increase your sale! They just need to know a bit about your fundraising history.

5) Negotiate - Rarely do schools take the time to negotiate a deal but there are times where it's in your best interest as an elementary school to do so. When you get to the point that you have an offer in writing, your last call to that fundraising company should include something like... 'If we sign today can you throw in a top-seller prize? We were thinking a new bike?' Then pause and wait for your answer.

At this point, your chances of getting that bike are pretty good! At least from my experience here over at Believe Kids Fundraising. I know that when we offer an elementary school fundraiser and we get to this point in the negotiations, it's very likely we will accept.

So, there you have it. 5 solid tips for choosing an elementary school fundraiser. I have some other free insight for you. Check out this post entitled Choosing a Fundraising Company - Why Comparing Apples to Apples is Tough...

We don't have to take our school fundraising so seriously all the time - so, make sure you have some fun with it! Having said that, we should take our negotiations seriously!

Good luck out there!

______________________

Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising and blogs here and at the School Fundraising PLN

I encourage comments and suggestions here or on the believe kids twitter.

If you enjoyed the insight here, please share this link www.believejay.blogspot.com with friends and aquantances.

Results are in - Introducing our Fundraising Top-Seller Angelea!

We are so excited to announce to you the Believe Kids 2009 Top-Seller

Angelea!
Angelea sold 160 items in support of her school fundraiser!

Congratulations to you Angelea!

For the next week, our homepage
main image will be in her honor.

Visit www.BelieveKids.com to see our
thank you to our top-seller!

Top 8 reasons to visit www.BelieveKids.com!

1) We have a really nice looking homepage.
2) We have a trivia contest that is easy to win.
3) Your last chance to see the spring flowers before we change them.
4) We link to this blog and also twitter which we think is pretty cool.
5) On the bottom of the page, there's one of those bookmark buttons.
7) We lead interested guests perfectly into our other website pages.
8) The color scheme is oh so pleasant.

www.BelieveKids.com

P.S. Yes, I actually spent time out of my busy day on this :)

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!

___________________________________________________________________________________
If you found this or any of our posts helpful, please subscribe, leave comments or contact us anytime. We are on twitter @BelieveKids – please follow us and retweet any posts you feel are helpful! We have a new discussion board posted for your fundraising programs and feedback.