Believe Kids Fundraising - What Makes a School Fundraiser Successful?

Believe Kids Fundraising

I don't do a lot of self-promotion.  In fact, I can't remember the last time I came right out and said something in a promotional way surrounding my company.  The thing is, the story of the company is pretty remarkable. 


The difference between Believe Kids and other fundraising companies is that when all is said and done, we concern ourselves with the profit earned.  Not being satisfied just to sell something changes the game.  By increasing profitability for schools and groups nationwide, every child benefits!


Successful School Fundraisers

It's amazing to me that many times school don't even realize we were responsible for increasing their profit from previous fundraisers and previous years.  Looking critically at it tells the story, and still it can be lost on matriculating parent groups and school principals that are not involved.


I mention this only in the hopes that a group somewhere will run across this post and graph out their fundraising revenues over time, looking critically at the reasons the fundraiser succeeded or under performed.  Gaining this insight makes it easier to commit to the next fundraiser with confidence.

Here's just a few things that may have been responsible for good fundraising outcomes:


• Teamwork between principal, administration, teachers, students and parents.
• Contests or promotions that made fundraising exciting.
• Extending the fundraiser nationwide.
• Making the fundraiser important by sending notices, making signs, talking it up, etc.
• Productive fundraisers that generate more money per participating seller.


Here are just a few things that may have caused unsuccessful fundraising:


• No incentive for people to participate.
• Limiting involvement to just parents.
• Fundraiser just sent home without any importance or expectations placed on it.
• Choosing a fundraiser with items difficult to sell or low averages.
• Parent group did not want the fundraiser to intrude or be promoted.

Sit for a moment and just evaluate if past fundraisers selected were good, bad or indifferent.  Knowing what stopped a fundraiser from succeeding is a great way to ensure future fundraising success!


Ok, until next time!


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school fundraisers

Hey hey, it's unpopular opinion day! A post for cash-strapped schools.

So, here you go. 

Schools that are financially in trouble, should not be raising money for charity outside their schools.  Phew, I said it - out loud even! 

Now, I understand that there are people that could be outraged by my comment and I do freely risk criticism there.  I probably deserve it too but hold on...

The thing is, I'm not against raising money for charity.  In fact, my professional career relies on it.  I also know that part of why schools raise money for disaster relief, foreign charity or health related issues is because it allows children to understand the importance of causes.  It can also connect our children with the world - both compelling reasons.

It allows people to come together in support of something bigger than you and I alone.

My point is only that sometimes, the school itself needs to be that cause and we shouldn't hide from it or make it any less important than it actually is.  Sure, it's not curing cancer or ending hunger.  But what it does is encourage our children to find their passions.  In the right situation, their classroom is a platform for discovering an interest that may just change the path they take in life. 

We just need to be clear that it's not that a worldly cause is bad, it's just that sometimes, you need to take care of your home base before you can head out to help the world.  It's alright if your school is the cause from time-to-time if it needs to be.

Ok, until next time!

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www.BelieveKids.com
www.Twitter.com/BelieveKids
www.Facebook.com/BelieveKids
www.BelieveKids.com/Blog/
www.BelieveFundraising.Wordpress.com

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 

The wrong approach to elementary school fundraising...

I think I can prove once and for all with just one quote, that fundraising in schools is too frequent and hurts school revenue. 

Frequent fundraising undermines all the work fundraising companies have worked so hard to achieve.  It also undermines the relationship between parents and teachers by confusing what's important.

I believe schools need to focus on less fundraising throughout the year and ensure that people participate in those few fundraisers.  I hope schools begin to realize that 'free money' from these smaller fundraisers may actually be costing schools a lot of money.

Here ya go, a Mom's comment from a parenting website: 

"Since we already support the school with Market Day and box tops,  I don't worry too much about the Sally Foster / Innisbrook stuff."

This means that by supporting Market Day (10% commission to the school) and box tops (maybe $3 per participating family per year) that the parent's charitable contribution has been taken care of in it's entirety.

These fundraisers take the place of school gift wrap and catalog fundraisers with significantly higher sales like Sally Foster or Innisbrook.  I don't think her opinion is uncharacteristic.  I believe most parents that contribute something, believe they should feel good about their contribution and they should!  If you volunteer in your child's classroom once a month, you still do a good thing despite the fact that you're not there every single day.

So, I get it. 

The challenge is two fold.  Give parents a way to feel as if they've contributed but allow the contribution to make a big impact!  In doing so, market day and box tops would come after a school fundraising catalog (full disclosure - this is my company) fundraiser for instance.  At least, that's the logic.  The rational is that a parent is raising $100 for their school in just two weeks by participating in a catalog fundraiser for instance, while they raise just a small portion of that over the entire year with a combination of other fundraisers.

Hey, I'm not making this stuff up.  Look at the quote above again.  Then consider the financial difference that could be happening with just this one parent.  Multiply the difference contributed by the number of kids at your school. 

Then ask yourself, shouldn't be be promoting the fundraiser that brings in the most money?

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twitter.com/believekids

What's with door-door fundraisers anyway? PT. 2

Yesterday's post 'What's with door-door fundraisers anyway?' shared how we went from friendly to fearful as a nation.  We went from dropping kids off in a neighborhood to fundraise alone (sometimes at night) to being fearful when we visited people's homes we didn't know. 

Today, the purpose of this post is simple.  To explain that there may still be door-to-door fundraisers out there. Let's take a quick look.

Many schools still host their own fundraisers.  This is completely fine, but they are generally not aware that their fundraising efforts can encourage door-to-door fundraising.

A walk-a-thon or read-a-thon that encourages donations from many individuals is a door-to-door fundraiser if you head out into the neighborhood to collect sponsorships.  Generally, this is what's expected from these fundraisers so here's a suggestion.

As a school sponsor, principal or parent group member, make sure to have a 'DO NOT GO DOOR-TO-DOOR' disclaimer on your documents and collection envelopes if you believe it's a safer recommendation.

That way, people will be reminded to take the document to work, call relatives and collect sponsorships from people they know.

In an ironic twist, if you do not have that disclaimer, you're probably taking part in something you wouldn't allow your fundraising company to get away with.

Hope you enjoyed this one!  Probably took you by surprise a bit huh?

Ok, until next time!

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elementary school fundraisers

Have Schools Become Top-Heavy and Wasteful?

Top-heavy and wasteful schools, huh?

I have never seen a wasteful school in person, but I have seen plenty of folks that believe schools waste funds. Being an expert in other areas, I can't prove my belief that schools are fiscally responsible, but I am not willing to believe anyone who asserts they are.

I have seen schools trying to hold on to slide projectors even though the technology had long-since passed.  Like 10 years past.  Oh, here's another one.  Wanna bet that most schools are still using VHS in some capacity?

I bet they are.  But you're probably not at home.

So, this post is just a bit of a rant.  I would love to see schools at the point where they could be the early adopters of new technology instead of lagging far behind using hand-me-downs.  That's what they would do if they had the money.  Here's my point...

I don't believe it when I hear that schools are wasteful. Not sure about the top-heavy part.

What do you believe?

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Keep the conversation going at twitter.com/believekids
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Elementary school fundraising

The 'Real' Reason the Economy Effected School Fundraisers...

There's an economic reality and it's not been pretty.  Foreclosures up, jobs lost, no money in the bank, no borrowing power.  These are real issues.

But for schools and educators who are accustomed to fairness, promoting a fundraiser knowing that people out there are hurting is often difficult.

It's human nature not to want to ask things of people who are already in a bad position - completely understandable, right?

Well, certainly understandable, but only if you know who is in a bad position and who isn't.  Schools have hundreds of kids.  It's just too hard to know who's financially strapped at any given time.

It's impossible to know who has the willingness and ability to give at any time.  It's even harder to know how much the students suffer at the hands of a fundraiser that doesn't succeed.

So, if you're the fundraising chair, are you making the judgement for people ahead of time, or are you letting the results of the fundraiser determine who had the ability to help out?

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

5 Practical Ways to Stop Bullying and Intolerance

5 Practical Ways to Stop Bullying & Intolerance

One thing I'm passionate about is fully preventable - stopping bullying in our schools. This infographic outlines 5 practical ways to stop bullying and intolerance.  View the source content: Five Ways to Stop Bullying and Move into Action

Keep the conversation going with comments below or on twitter.com/believekids

Thanks for looking and sharing!

Ok, until next time.

P.S. Blogger is hard to post tall images to.  For a better graphic, visit the original post 5 Practical Ways to Stop Bullying & Intolerance - Infographic

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school fundraisers

Wasteful Schools - 12 ways schools can earn money without fundraising...

I'm pleased to release my new Slideshare presentation:

Wasteful Schools - 12 ways schools can earn money without fundraising...

12 Ways Schools Can Earn Money Without Fundraising...

View more presentations from Believe Kids

Here, I list 12 ways to make one-time investments into schools for savings over the long term and other ways for schools to save money including school recycling and using technology to reduce expenses.

Hope you enjoy it and please share!

Ok, until next time!

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twitter.com/believekids
facebook.com/believekids
school fundraising

Wasteful Schools - 12 Ways Schools Can Earn Money Without Fundraising...

I don't believe schools are wasteful, but I do think every school has room for improvement when it comes to lowering expenses, gaining efficiencies via technology and getting greener.  Here are a few ideas that schools can use to earn cash back over time.  These are just a few ideas to be greener, less wasteful and earn back more money over time:

1) Electric Hand dryers - get some that won't burn kids and you will reduce your paper cost by a ton.

2) Automatic sinks and soap dispensers - if you've not got them yet, you are surely wasting money.

3) Heating/cooling Timer - putting an intelligent thermostat in will allow temperatures to creep up after-school and overnight but return to perfect the next morning saving money.

4) Go paperless - Based on what I've seen, this is a biggie but every school can reduce the paper they use and rely more on computers.  Keep records from a district level down digital!  Many businesses today have made the switch to paperless quite successfully and you can too!

5) Lighting - Improving lighting is a big deal in schools in my opinion.  Schools can put intelligent switches on lights that turn on when someone enters a room and off when everyone's gone.  Not only that new energy efficient lights and paying attention to lighting design are a few other ways to improve the quality of lighting and save money as well.

6) Recycle - while not a money saver in a conventional sense as far as I know, recycling does encourage schools to use what they need.  It's a reminder not to be wasteful and that creates savings. 

7) Unplug - remind faculty to unplug things that are not used regularly.  If there are printers, calculators, etc on all the time that are rarely used, they are storing and using energy.  Although not a major consideration perhaps, it's still money in the bank.

8) Solar - solar power is a bit expensive in the short-term, but long-term gains are outstanding.  Outdoor lighting and signage can be solar powered and school roofs allow ample direct sunlight for even bigger efforts. 

9) Invest in Technology - Smart Boards, iPads and computers limit the need for paper and conventional printing.  Use an email broadcast instead of a printed newsletter and you save thousands of sheets of paper a year!  Paper can be reduced by encouraging homework and papers to be submitted electronically for even more savings!  Other than that, when schools embrace technology, the business world takes notice producing even better, more applicable technology.  You have to support technology in schools if you want technology to support you!

10) Ebooks instead of Textbooks - there is a change coming.  A transition from paper textbooks to electronic versions is here.  There's no need today to have a printed book except perhaps in cases of early childhood education and even that can go digital!

11) Be a Community Hub - consider offering areas of the school to the business and public sector for the sake of the community.  Rent your baseball fields out, host seminars and other events, provide your parking lot to the annual clothing sale for a donation.  As long as it passes the legal test and is a benefit to the school and the community, you should consider it.

12) Offer summer school, study and play groups - science camps, band camps, art camps, educational and fun group such as a reading club can be a boom to the finances of a school while offering a community benefit.  If these are third-party providers, they will rent the location.  If they are your own program, the school benefits from all the income.  Hosting events when the school is not in session may just be a way to earn more while providing a service.  As your school gets more embedded into the community, it holds more power and prestige.  This adds credibility, comfort and people become used to going there for various events and activities.  As people think of your school as a benefit to the community, it becomes more important in the eyes of the community.


Hopefully that rounds out a few quality ways to invest in the school as a community hub that saves money by being green, investing in technology and reusable energy.  In setting up your own plan, look to the building inefficiencies first, then look inside the classroom and finally look to the community.  There's certainly a lot of ways to make an impact.  I hope this article helps.

Ok, until next time!
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Check out this success story!
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-falls/article183132.ece

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believe twitter
green fundraiser

Cash-Strapped Schools - Advertising in schools...

Here's one for ya!  Enter the debate of advertising in schools. Chime in if you'd like.

Cash-Strapped Schools Turn to Businesses for Help, Sparking Concerns

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/04/09/cash-strapped-schools-turn-to-businesses-for-help-sparking-conc/

Ok, until next time!

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twitter.com/believekids
school wide fundraiser

Over 50% of teachers say funding a huge problem in schools...

A opinion poll indicates that over half of teachers believe funding to be a huge problem in schools. 

I doubt anyone doesn't already realize it but there ya go!  If education were a gift, it would have a disclaimer on the box:   Some fundraising required.

Ok, until next time!

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Keep the conversation going at twitter.com/believekids
Elementary school fundraising companies
The Fundraising PLN

Parents Need to Support Schools... Fundraising Companies Should Improve... Schools Need To Promote!

In the last few days, I've heard from some fundraising reps that the number of incentives required to effectively promote a fundraiser has gone up - way up over the years.

Incentives are intended to be a subtle encouragement during a school fundraiser, not a bribe.  I have been reminded that marketing and incentives can easily become overbearing.

There is also a fine line between encouraging sales and interruption and bribery.  The fundraising industry by and large, can effect change so parents will once again support fundraisers in large numbers.

The solution...


1) Parents need to participate in fundraisers.  It is really that simple.  They have to do so as part of a team. To work with the school, family and fundraising company to host one successful fundraiser.  This is how we achieve supremely effective fundraising that does not interfere with schooling or coerce students to participate.

Then, after one condensed successful fundraiser, don't spend the rest of the year fundraising, but rather having some fun, entertaining or educational activities and events.  Celebrate your successes by not fundraising multiple times throughout the year!

2) Fundraising companies need to improve to offer heavy-hitting fundraisers that can be school-wide successes so that schools do not need multiple fundraisers.  Fundraising companies also need to offer the type of quality products and services that leave parents happy.

3) Schools need to effectively portray the main fundraiser as the main fundraiser... put focus on it... make it important!  If 'save those box tops' is on the scrolling marquis before you launch your fundraiser, your main fundraiser of the year will not perform as well.

As you can see, the solution is not to offer more and more incentives.  The answer is to work together to make one fundraiser important.  By encouraging all parties involved to participate and asking them all firmly, amazing successes follow!

Ok, until next time!

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Keep the conversation going on twitter or facebook and please share what you see here with others!  The direct link to this website is fundraising-advice.com


Elementary School Fundriaser
School Fundraising Blog
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Believe Wordpress Blog

Selling Products & Services to the School Fundraising Industry

In the course of product or service development, it's very likely you and your company has determined that the school fundraising industry is a good way to sell products.  It certainly is one way to distribute your product or get word out on your service, but is it a viable route to take? 

Let's explore for a moment.

The first thing to understand is that you are supporting education.  Having said that, products that don't fit the growth of schools and children, just don't fit.  On the flip side, if you have a product or service that directly supports children, families or education, you owe it to yourself to find out more. Having a product that is congruent with the message of education will go a far way to making sure the product is well-received.

Secondly, you and your company can promote via fundraisers in lieu of profit.  If you would like exposure for your brand, category or service, you can utilize school fundraising companies in the capacity of an advertiser so to speak. 

Lastly, fundraising is a tough business.  Margins are tight and herein lies the challenge for most manufacturers.  In order to serve the fundraising industry, you very well may be asked to accept less for your goods or service than you would like in order to get the product out there and selling.

So, If you have a product that works well within the message of schools and education and you benefit from the exposure you get, you may just be able to price your item so it works for fundraising companies.  We're quite happy to offer the right items as long as the conditions exist to do so.

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Keep the conversation going on twitter - twitter.com/believekids
school fundraising companies
school fundraising blog

How the iPad 2 Will Revolutionize Education

I spend my days creating effective fundraising programs so that schools can fund items not affordable without assistance.  Of particular interest to me has been learning devices that create collaborative learning environments and I believe the iPad2 does just that.

First off, apps can and will be made to fill any particular niche that exists.  What that means is if, as an educator, you want an app to test children's math skills in first grade, someone will make it and sell it to you or even give it away.  As soon as folks realize there is a market, the apps will come flooding in.


The device has officially crossed the threshold.  What I mean is that with any other technology that has been introduced, there's always a 'well, if it only did X'.  With the iPad2, that has been removed.  It can do X and there just needs to be an app for that.

In the last week, I've been very encouraged with so many teachers introducing iPads into their classrooms and noting the ability for the device to be used for collaborative learning!

For more information, check out this introductory article:

How the iPad 2 Will Revolutionize Education

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Conversation via twitter (twitter.com/believekids) using hash tag #edtech --- Please comment below, follow this blog, share with friends :) 

Information on how to raise money for technology in the classroom - elementary school fundraising ideas

Thanks!!

Fundraising Companies are NOT the Enemy When it Comes to Educational Innovation

In my last post, I provided my take on the various companies in support of education.  In the end, there are companies and foundations that will be responsible for improving education and contributing in a positive way to the educational reform on the horizon.

Now, it's time to take things a bit further.  I take on the question, how will fundraising be a catalyst for innovation and change in schools in the future.

In order to explain this, we have to look at where schools are today.

Schools are by and large still using old technology to connect with children and at the same time, the digital front is already embraced at home.  Without going into much detail I think we can all agree that schools are still lagging behind the technology curve.

On a slightly different front, schools are still using paper in a large way.  Paper is used in the classroom and textbooks are in paper form.  This will eventually be replaced by all things digital.

But who will fund this technological revolution?  This switch from paper to devices?  How will schools afford to keep up with technology?

Yesterday I ran across this article: Obama Boston-bound; education, fundraising on tap

It's very interesting to me for a few reasons.  A group of corporations working together to consider educational innovation fills a huge and desperate need.  Unfortunately, one main point in the article is that schools need to do more with less.

So, how do companies create devices, textbooks and digital learning tools without schools being able to pay for this technology when it's relevant.  I think we all realize that if schools adopt new technology too late, there is a challenge relating to students who have a different technological reality at home.

I believe fundraising will be around for a very long time and will be a logical partner with foundations and corporations to complete the funding cycle.

I can envision corporations stepping up to do their part to get the newest technology into production. I believe schools will take a chance and go paperless.  I see schools making up a shortfall in technology spending with fundraising dollars and support from foundations. 

Once the need to save our schools is great enough, the community will support what is best for children.

I leave you with this...

Students will never express the need for better schools, new technology or collaborative learning.  They won't ask to go paperless, or for new playground equipment.  They will step over cracked concrete steps that need to be replaced.  They won't ask for unprocessed lunches.

Students don't know about the educational reform on the horizon nor is improving schools even something they are aware of.  They don't have a voice and won't be heard on their own.

We have to step up and represent the children if improving schools is to be a reality.

School Hints: Create a System of "Checks and Balances" for PTO / PTA

Schools need systems and in particular, systems of "checks and balances".  A system of "checks and balances" means that no one person is in charge to the exclusion of others.

If you run a school PTO or PTA or other parent group, you need to have systems in place.  Systems will protect the reputation of the group and the school and prevent problems and issues in their tracks.  I'll explain exactly how in just a minute.

If you are a principal or school administrator, taking the time to ensure that groups within your school have systems in place will help you and your reputation, not to mention keeping the school safer.  I'll explain...

By way of ridiculous example, let's say you have a cookie.  That cookie is supposed to be eaten by you and you are looking forward to it.  You leave it unattended and when you return, it's gone. You are sad.

Now, let's say you have a cookie.  You tell everyone that you will be eating that cookie after your lunch.  You return to find the cookie is still eaten.  Apparently, someone walked in afterwards that did not know and yeah... they ate it.

Finally, let's say you have a cookie.  You ask another person to hold on to your cookie for you instructing them not to let anyone else eat your cookie.  You confirm that they are not going anywhere or leaving it unattended.

Happily, when you return, the cookie has not been eaten.  Yum!

Now, I've just told the lamest story ever. And, if I were you reading this, I'd be just about to get really mad at the crazy author.  But, alas!  I've run into perhaps a lamer story and this one is real. 

Police: Teacher stole money from dances, school fundraiser

According to this article and, of course, this is alledged, this teacher had control of product, pricing, inventory, cash, cash drawers and making payments - all without any accounting or double-checks.  It most likely seems rediculous looking back at it now but the school was not operating responsibly.  There just was no system, no 'checks and balances', no accountability.  In the end, there was theft.


Here are a few helpful hints:


If you are throwing an event, two main organizers would be helpful.  They can control issuing cash drawers and tallying drawers.  Other jobs could be spread amongst other teams with systems in place to insure proper product ordering, inventories and accounting. If multiple people are funneling information into one place, risk is minimized.

• Make payments to vendors via check after invoice
• Count out cash drawers ahead of time
• Use multiple-person teams to create accountability
• Inventories checked before and after every event
• Have a policy on money handling and holding
• No students responsible for cash
• Deposit funds immediately into bank

I'm sure there are a number of improvements that can be made to just about any event to improve safety and security.  I'm not really getting into everything here, it's just a few things that I came up with after reading the article.  In the end, here is the simplest grading system you can place on your events:

No communication -FAIL

Tell everyone personally what is going on - FAIL

Have two-person teams following specific rules - PASS!


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Fundraiser Rationale - Why Giving Direct To Charity Doesn't Work

I think you've probably seen or heard someone say this 'if a school or group doesn't get all the profit, then why shouldn't people just give to directly'. 

In fact, I just ran across another comment that outlines just this sentiment from this article entitled Applebee’s seeks fundraising applications from schools, clubs

I've corrected a few typos for readability. Here ya go:

So if they get 10% of the proceeds and raised 31,000 that means the restaurants made $280,000 by selling dinners they would never have sold in the first place. How about people just give the directly to the organization of there choice and eat at home and they save money.

I just don't know how to put it without offending anyone but here it is:

People won't donate direct to the organization


They won't do it without the proper prompting, incentive, encouragement and reward.  There must be importance and excitement built around something in order to gain the type of momentum needed to successfully fundraise. 


Yes, there are always a few folks that say they donate and the key is a few.  The vast majority just doesn't do it.  So, there you have it.  If you are one of those people that thinks everyone should do this and that, consider the fact that although it's great in theory, it doesn't work in a practical sense.  There are a lot of things people 'should' do.

That's why organizations exist.  To create something exciting that gains momentum and donations.  It's a matter of encouraging and rewarding and it works.

So, Applebee's is quite obviously getting profitable business out of their efforts but that doesn't mean it's entirely bad.  The key is to realize that the money groups received was not just going to come from people giving straight to the organization - regardless of the percentage earned.

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Jay Moneta is the VP of Believe Kids a nationwide elementary school fundraising company.  The tone I took here is a bit harsh so feel free to leave positive or negative comments below.  I do appreciate everyone who is looking at, sharing or following me at thefundraisingpln.com facebook or twitter.  Thanks!

Are You Creating School Fundraising 'Noise'?

I'm in a very direct mood today.  Not for any particular reason other than I believe I can help one person today which in turn will create more fundraising success at one school...

Are you the one?

Here is the gist.  Fundraising 'noise' is anything involving fundraising that either gets in the way of a school or group's heavy-hitting fundraisers.  By creating distraction, it creates less participation in school events and activities.

So, here are 3 ways to recognize a fundraiser that creates fundraising 'noise' thus throwing fundraising efforts out of whack:

1) If you are using promotional emails or newsletters to promote a fundraiser that makes $2,000 or less per year you are creating fundraising 'noise'.

2) If you are sending printed reminder notices home regarding a fundraiser that does not perform - i.e. get's bad participation, low profits or high frequency, you are creating fundraising 'noise'.

3) If you are offering something as a school-wide fundraiser that has a limited appeal such as makeup or gold parties you are creating fundraising 'noise'.

That's not to say all these things are bad.  The thing is, there seems to be too many things going on in schools today that are a distraction from core values and missions.  What seems quite obvious is that it would be best to fundraise once instead of multiple times...

it's just that simple.  

Fundraising once, however, takes effort.  It takes removing the items that don't work and doing more of what does.

So, are you the one who can minimize the distraction and make your main fundraising efforts a success?

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Jay Moneta is the V.P. of Believe Kids - an elementary school fundraising company and blogs here at fundraising-advice.com as well as on the fundraising pln.  Please hit me up on twitter or leave a comment good or bad below. Thanks for looking!

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.

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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.

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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!