School Fundraising Representatives in the Field - a Quick Thought.

Believe it or not there are successful school fundraising companies out there that did not build their business on having local fundraising reps in the field. Believe is one of them. We do a lot of nationwide school fundraisers but it's a common discussion about how we could operate without reps in every area of the country. It does seem rather ingrained that we should be local and available in that way in every area we have contact.

Although we do have some reps and they are absolutely awesome, we also designed our programs to work with consultation from our home office. In many ways it's faster and more efficient. Schools communicating directly with headquarters is something that schools find to be a great benefit - they don't have to wait for their rep to contact headquarters and get back with them.

There are many more reasons why we have been able to build a fundraising company with a different than expected business model, but the reason I am writing is just to express one main thought:

A fundraising representative's job is to implement.

In doing so, they can make a fundraiser just that much better. Not to single-handedly run it or sell everything themselves, but just to encourage participation in the fundraiser which will lead to sales - a fundraising representative is there to make the fundraiser they offer smoother and more productive, nothing more.

Having said that, what they are selling is perhaps the most important question. If the fundraiser in itself is average, even the best fundraising rep can only make it average plus just a little bit.

Regardless of if your fundraising rep is in the field or in our headquarters, make sure you have an amazing fundraiser FIRST! Then an amazing school fundraising rep second.

This means that your rep is making an amazing fundraising even better!

The expression 'That's like putting lipstick on a pig' comes to mind. Because it's a futile effort to try to improve something that starts out just average. It'll end up average plus a little bit given the needs of schools today, that's just not good enough.

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Note: This is in no way a dis of any fundraising rep, in fact, I believe they add a valuable service to the industry - especially when the fundraising programs and services they offer are exceptional!

Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising and blogs here at fundraising-advice.com (believejay.blogspot.com). I can be found on twitter - twitter.com/BelieveKids and encourage comments, feedback or suggestions! If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe, link to it or let someone know about it! 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

With this or any of my posts, if you find the information valuable, please subscribe to the blog, link to this post, leave comments or reach me directly. I appreciate feedback, comments and suggestions of all types.

Providing fundraising reps a true 'Home'

Providing fundraising reps a true 'Home'

Anyone in the fundraising world knows that there have been a large number of changes in the industry lately. Reports in from schools running fall 2009 fundraisers with our competitors are less than stellar. It seems there were several problems including lower profit than expected, numerous backorders and vouchers and promises that were not delivered.

As a fundraising rep, you need to know that your schools will resign with you and that they feel the fundraiser was a success free from any major issues. Fall 2009 proved for many of our competitors to be a tough year where supplying a rep.

If you are a fundraising rep at another company and experienced problems in fall 2009, we can provide you a true 'home'. Last fall, we rose to the occassion lowering prices, improving product quality and providing exceptional customer service. Here is an excerpt from a former fundraising representative that is proud to call Believe home!

"Believe really does provide a full-service fundraiser! Everything was provided from collating to providing marketing materials so the amount of work I would normally have done was gone! On top of that, the entire Believe team helped communicate with my schools, empowering them with all the information I would normally have to worry about."

Another rep furthers the point:

"I love being a Believe Kids representative. It’s a wonderful company. They make it so easy and fun that it’s hard to imagine this is my job. When I meet with the decision makers at different schools, I am completely confident that everything I have promised to them will be delivered.

Providing the quality products and the best customer service in the industry is so important to Believe Kids, and it shows. We offer so much more than we need to because we know all the little extras mean so much.

Every single person in the Colorado office is upbeat, helpful, and friendly every time I call. The management is fabulous and they make me feel “part of the team” even though logistically I am far away.

Believe Kids Rocks! We are going to blow the industry away in a short period of time. You can’t be this great without everyone finding out about us!"

and finally, these inspiring words from a Believe rep after their first season working with us:

"I am thrilled to be representing BELIEVE Kids! I first heard about BELIEVE in 2004 when I stopped in to see a previous customer of mine. They had just finished their first BELIEVE fundraiser and could not stop saying enough great things about the company.

Since then, I have heard similar things about BELIEVE from other schools I've been in. The comments have ALWAYS been "over the top" positive. I would always wonder as I left the schools, "How can one company do such a great job in customer relations EVERY TIME?" It's obvious to me that BELIEVE makes customer service their Number One Priority.

On another note, This has also been the FIRST Fall season that I saw sales productivity INCREASE on a "dollars per student" basis, since 2001! It's been a long time coming. BELIEVE has a guaranteed system of success that they train the sponsors at the school to follow. When they do, sales go UP! Not bad, to see a sales increase, during a recession! This has been a delightful first semester!

We can point out how easy and effective we make school fundraising but it's not until you truly experience Believe for yourself that the full picture comes into focus. If you currently work as a school fundraising rep for Innisbrook, QSP, Cherrydale, Sally Foster or another fundraising company and have a proven track record, please find out more here.

Please accept our cordial invitation to find our more - we won't let you down!