True or False: Most of the Fundraising Proceeds Go to the Fundraising Companies and Not Schools

School fundraising companies provide real benefits.

A very common belief found on messageboards and blogs in the Fall is that most of the proceeds from the sale of fundraising items goes to the fundraising companies and not the schools.

While it seems to be common understanding that companies get 40% - 50% of the profit from a fundraiser, what seems to be lost in translation is that schools get 40% - 50% of the gross sale - not profit.

Semantics.

Schools do not purchase wholesale products in a conventional sense.  They want to be able to offer hundreds of items at will and not be overstocked.  They want a way to sell products through catalogs and online without providing customer service.  They want to reward students as well and they want to do this all without paying money upfront.

This means that they do not simply buy a wholesale item then get a split of the profit if that makes sense.  Just to clarify, schools are keeping a percentage of the total collected. Out of the split that the fundraising company gets, the product needs to be paid for.

Doing the math.

So, excluding some of the fundraisers out there where a company gets 10% - 20% profits, an average profit margin is somewhere between 40% - 50% of the money collected.  So, the fundraising company gets 50% - 60% back.  At this point, the fundraising company is making more than the school but when the product price is taken out, it's no longer the case.  Not by a long shot.

Benefits.

Schools that rely on fundraising catalogs for their fundraising efforts know why they do.  It's because they get a true comprehensive service.  They get to offer a large number of products that appeal to a wide audience without dealing with inventory.  They get to run the fundraiser free of expenses, free of product ordering and warehousing and free of customer service.

In just a few weeks, schools earn tens of thousands of dollars without risk or the need for lots of planning or volunteer hours.

Think about all the services provided:  custom parent letters, catalogs, order forms, student prize programs, catalog shipping, online shopping, teacher incentives, student participation programs, top-seller prizes and other drawing prizes, packing orders by student, product shipping and many times, special challenges like fundraising limo rides or special lunches are paid for.

There's expert advice, inspiration and marketing materials thrown in there as well!


Misconception.

When you take into consideration that 50% of the sale of each item supplies all these benefits listed above and also pays for the product, things begin to look differently.

Instead of fundraising companies riding high while kids do all the work, it seems more like schools teaming up so they can avoid the work involved in trying to replicate the long list of benefits a good fundraising company brings to the table.

Ok, until next time!

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twitter.com/believekids
school fundraisers 

Ideas for Elementary School Fundraisers and Fundraising Success! Pt. 1

Setting the stage

It's can be scary realizing you have to find a fundraiser for your school or group but there's some good news.  Although I am not going to make the claim that you will succeed at every fundraiser, if you follow the ideas here, you have the very best possible chances.

When I was 10 I had a school fundraiser.  It was horrible.  I had to sell raffle tickets.  They were the worst photocopies ever and I was quite sure that everyone I approached thought I made them myself.  I gathered my confidence best I could and headed off to sell.  As the doorbell rang, I could barely get out my sales pitch.  The only reason that I was able to sell my "quota" of tickets was because my school had a secret weapon.

They told me how much I needed to personally sell and I sold it.  They told me what the money was for and I told everyone I pitched.  It was in these sentiments that the importance of the fundraiser transferred from them, through me and on to my customers - even with a fake looking product.


So, as I was selling these in my neighborhood alone after dark I realized that it's not in what you sell, but in how you sell it.  Although I was scarred by the situation, I did become a successful sales professional many years later.

Your elementary school deserves to spend time doing effective stuff - things that work!  An elementary school fundraiser is only effective if it's important and that the reason it's important is communicated.  Secondarily, there has to be an achievable goal that can be broken down to a per-seller goal.  That is how true success is achieved.

If we're in agreement on that, we can move on to part 2. The Goods

Schools and Technology... Changing Perceptions in the Mind of the Community.

Ask a random member of your community if they think the local elementary school is on the cutting edge of technology and most likely, they'll be thinking overhead projectors and VHS tapes.

I applaud educators today for pushing to improve the reputation of teachers when it comes to technology.  I no longer picture a teacher as purely a red pen, loose paper, dusty book person.  I picture educators as Macbook toting, Smartboard using folks planning their classes on an iPad.

So, here's the trouble.  When your average person pictures a school, they do not imagine a well-designed modern layout with comfortable furniture and quiet voices. They do not see subdued indirect lighting.  They do not envision students on the newest technology available.  They do not imagine students truly engaged.

They hear the clicks and squeaks of shoes in long echo filled hallways, the grinding of pencils being sharpened and outdated textbooks hitting the desks.  In the mind, the school is exactly as it has always been.  Loud, sterile and behind-the-times. They picture a lot of horseplay and talking back.

Change takes time and that's why I have so much respect for the educators in my PLN (my Personal Learning Network).  I see first-hand what technology and communication can do to improve learning.  The development of the educators that have embraced sites like twitter and express themselves with blogs such as this one is mind-boggling.  The desire to integrate apps and devices and create an environment where collaborative learning replaces memorization.

There is no doubt in my mind that our current educators can bring a new level of awareness and reform education.  Here's proof that our educators are on the cutting edge:

2010 Edublog Award Winners

If you take a look at some of the winners listed here, you'll get the idea that blogging, social media, technology and new strategies are being widely distributed TODAY.

And the kids are ready for it!  Right now, our toddlers are fully capable of operating computers and apps of all types.

My son just turned 4 years old and can surf YouTube, find age appropriate Netflix content to watch without help, take photos and videos and play them back and he can easily operate a number of educational apps without supervision. I know that sounds like he must be online all the time but it's not that he's always using technology.  He's a regular boy and plays and we do a lot of fun things together - He's just pretty darn good at it now that the devices are as intuitive as they are today.

This phenomenon is not just happening to just a few kids.  Take a look at this:

Learning to Play ‘Angry Birds’ Before You Can Tie Your Shoes

The technology gap between home and school could just as easily widen if school budgets don't allow for integrating technology into the classroom creating a dynamic where students don't relate to school as well. Although I'm no expert here, what I do know is that children like to be challenged.  Not being up-to-date is just not all that interesting.

This is why I respect schools that pay attention to design, lighting, comfort, computers & devices, video, sound reinforcement and simplicity.  I also applaud educators that push the boundaries discovering new and exciting ways to engage students and inspire others.

In the end, changing schools is going to be a long haul but I believe it can be done.

People will have to see for themselves this 'new school' is dedicated to the integration of technology and new principles of learning in order to believe it.  It will have to shatter the expectation that the school was created from the 'hand-me-downs' of the business sector and let it be known that the educators actually know how to use the technology.

We can get there and it will happen when thousands upon thousands of little actions improve the way schools work.  I see these improvements daily from the educators in my PLN and I am impressed.  It's perhaps not yet a movement, but it is something powerful.

I, for one, look forward to following these small innovations all along the way.  Things will soon look very different as a result.

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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising and blogs here at BelieveJay.Blogspot.com as well as TheFundraisingPln.com


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Here's the article that inspired this post: Tightrope Teaching

Easy Fundraising Ideas for your Elementary School

When it comes to the easiest of fundraisers, a fall gift catalog may just be your best option.

You need to know that I represent a nationwide fundraising company so I am certainly biased. There's no question about it. I believe that an exceptional fundraising gift & wrap catalog is the easiest heavy-hitter on the market!

Yes, I am aware of a few fundraisers that can possibly raise more than a gift catalog but perhaps not consistently and certainly none with no volunteer hours. Raising more than is possible with a gift catalog is rare.

I recently discovered a private school that raises $800,000 using a combination of donations, auctions, gambling nights and more all in a single weekend. This is spectacular! Unfortunately, what this private catholic school accomplished is not easy to orchestrate. There were countless hours of planning and complicated volunteer staffing issues. This sort of fundraising does not happen without a full-time team which is not what we are talking about here.

Within the scope of this article, an easy fundraising idea would be one that a public elementary school can run without significant volunteer involvement. In the case of a fall catalog, the only help needed is perhaps on distribution day but it's not like a huge team has to be recruited.

What's more is that the sales process is made easy because fundraising companies that offer a fall catalog, also package that with collated materials, complimentary catalogs, prize programs and a number of incentives.

For example, Believe Kids offers a charm necklace promotion.



This promotion encourages children to report their sales for a prize. They receive a free designer necklace when they sell 5, 10 and 20 items. We have seen a significant jump in participation when schools take part in this complimentary program. Check with your fundraising company to see what they offer. Perhaps they have a way to increase sales as well. This promotion is just one example of how a gift & wrap school fundraising company offers more than just a simple catalog.

Here are some things you can expect from a catalog sale:

• Fundraising packets for students are generally customized and include everything they need to inform parents about the sale and how to participate.
• Student prize programs also double as money collection envelopes.
• Packets are collated and shipped to you in most cases free.
• Order forms are easy to complete and return.
• Online sales duplicate efforts and allow for sales from out-of-town friends and family.
• Little or no volunteer help is needed.
• All product is guaranteed!
• Schools offer quality products at a great price.
• Student prize programs, daily incentives and drawing prizes, etc. are all included at no cost.
• Each student order is separately packed and clearly labeled!

I run a fall gift catalog company so call me crazy. It's easy! No, really. It's an easy fundraising idea in that the entire school can participate with no money upfront and no risk. Schools can offer true value and get a complete package from sales materials, promotions, online sales and a great delivery all in one simple and quick fundraiser!

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This isn't really supposed to be a self-serving post but rather a testament to quality gift & wrap catalogs. They really do raise a lot of money for schools so if we can talk to you about it, regardless of who you choose to fundraise with, we would appreciate the opportunity.