Elementary School Fundraisers that Start Late

When I was a child I was always a bit curious.  When I went into a store that had Christmas stuff in it, I wondered to myself when they must have ordered all the stuff that was in the store.  Then I wondered if they had to order it early then when was it actually manufactured?   The other kids in the store we're picking their noses or something and didn't think about any of that.

I finally found out when we were producing holiday compilation CD's back in the day, that we actually listened to holiday music year-round and worked on holiday-related goods all the time.  I have to say looking back that it was a bit strange but worked for us somehow.

Now, we produce one main fall catalog a year at Believe Kids.  I still think about Christmas items often but not all the time as before.  But here's the point.  In order to get your store ready for the Christmas shopping season, you have to order early.

Your manufacturer has to order even earlier!

There's only one thing you can do if you miss the boat and order too late... Sell at 50-90% off following Christmas just like the retailers do.

If you are hosting an elementary school fundraiser you have a window of opportunity as well.  Your main fundraiser (for instance a fall fundraising catalog or a cookie dough fundraiser) should happen with plenty of time to get your items delivered before school is out for the holidays!

In general, the point is... START EARLY!

Ok, until next time!

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Varsity Gold Discount Cards and Cookie Dough School Fundraisers

I posted previously about the Bankruptcy of Varsity Gold.  In our little fundraising community it was pretty big news.  In reality, Varsity Gold was probably the nations number one fundraising company and they have a number of past customers that now have to look elsewhere for their school and group fundraisers.

It's been over a year since my previous post and schools are still searching for Varsity Gold Fundraisers online. They are looking for the Varsity Gold fundraising discount cards as well as frozen cookie dough fundraisers they were known for.

Alas, they cannot be found.  

The bankruptcy of the company did not provide an opportunity to re-establish or otherwise save the brand.  Former employees dispersed into different lines of work or began to represent other fundraisers.

Of course, I am a bit torn.  Varsity Gold was a very successful competitor in a way.  We did offer some of the same fundraisers but the majority of their business was discount cards which we don't offer.  They were a considerably larger company than us. 

The thing is, they sold a lot of frozen cookie dough which we continue to offer - see frozen cookie dough fundraisers for more info.  Point is, they were very successful and it was a shame to see something that worked fail for reasons not related to the actual fundraisers they offered.

Also, they had a number of fundraising representatives that were out of work as a result.  These hard-working folks were left holding the bag in many instances for fundraisers that were underway and I am sure many left the business as a result.  This resonates with me because I run a company here and find that fundraising representatives are a hard-working group of people that put the needs of the schools they work for first.

There are alternatives

So, what are schools doing searching for them more than a year later?  Chances are, they are looking to do a fundraiser with Varsity Gold and now need alternatives.

With respect to the discount cards, it's not clear if there is an obvious runner up.  There are no names in the industry that are close to as dialed in as them as far as I know.  I will post any fundraising discount card company with a solid reputation here if you comment me.  What I do know is that most fundraising companies are offering groups the option of creating their own card and acting as more of a printing company to create cards that look legitimate. This can be done obviously without a fundraising company if you are doing all the work yourself by finding a printer who will make short-run cards available to you. 

Regarding cookie dough, you can do your due diligence as far as who to use.  There are good companies out there.  I would recommend you use a company that offers a cumulative prize program.  Companies that offer free product or nothing at all often lose sales and participation as a result.

My company, Believe Kids offers frozen cookie dough fundraisers along with a slew of tools, incentives and freebies which create high participation but there are others.  Regardless of who you use, compare apples to apples.  Things like how many prizes students get at different prize levels, if billing happens to the case or to the piece, if there is free shipping and what extras are offered are all important.

If you compare apples-to-apples you win! 

If you can find out how one company performs vs. another company, you have all the proof you need and they should tell you their sales averages and what they would expect you will raise or they are hiding something.

Thanks for taking a look at my article here and if you offer services that Varsity Gold previously offered or you have a need that Varsity Gold Fundraising used to offer you and want to air it out, please leave a comment for me below!

Thanks!!!

When to Hold an Elementary School Fundraiser - 3 helpful hints

Yes, schools are taking longer to decide on their fundraisers and yes, they are tempted to move the start dates back as well. Hopefully, this article will shed some light on why it's a good idea to start your elementary school fundraiser early in the year.

Let's quickly get on the same page here :) If your elementary school holds a main fundraiser each semester and smaller secondary fundraisers mixed throughout the year, this article is for you.

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When to Hold an Elementary School Fundraiser - 3 helpful hints

It's very tempting these days to feel like school should get well underway before hitting parents up with school fundraising efforts. It's also quite understandable to want to work your way into fundraising over time as well. Easing into it does seem like a pleasant way to approach the school year.

The reality is, starting earlier will allow you to host fewer fundraisers throughout the year and will lead to fundraising success! It's really amazing what just a bit of tweaking can do when it comes to your school fundraiser timing!

Here's the real deal.

If you have a heavy hitting fundraiser that you know works for you (meaning that it has a high per student average sale and high participation) such as a fall catalog or a cookie dough fundraiser, you will want to move that fundraiser to the start of the semester and market it more than your other fundraisers.

We suggest you run your main fundraiser on the second or third week of school.

By moving this main fundraiser up you gain 3 specific benefits:

1) By presenting your biggest grossing fundraiser first, you make it a priority with parents. You can also market it more effectively and earlier! If you make it a priority, parents will too!

2) There is less competition early in the year. Individual groups in the school are not hosting fundraisers and there is less fundraising going on by charitable organizations or groups such as the boy or girl scout. This means there are less fundraising efforts vying for parents attention.

3) Parents do experience 'fundraising fatigue' these days. If you present your highest performing fundraiser first, you let the programs and systems surrounding that fundraiser to work for you to maximize revenue! Schools that host a number of fundraisers create a situation where parents can skip one or two. If that one is the high-grossing heavy hitter such as the frozen cookie dough sale or a fall catalog sale, the school will have less overall fundraising success.

Yes, these days are a bit challenging. Successful fundraising takes some thought in order to raise the maximum dollars without burning out parents. Hopefully this post will help you remember to start your main fall fundraiser as early as you can to avoid less revenue!

Thanks for looking and please share if you like what you see here.

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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising, the leader in top-dollar elementary school fundraising.

If you don't already host one big fundraiser per semester, you'll want to consider a top-dollar raising fundraising effort and put all your efforts behind it. For more information on how to go about that, feel free to contact one of our experts anytime. Our consultation is always free. Check this fall fundraising catalog or cookie dough fundraiser out. Regardless of who you work with, these fundraisers, along with school-wide events are the school-wide winners!

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