Event Organizing - 4 Ways to Fundraising Event Success!

Event Organizing - 4 Ways to Fundraising Event Success!

Throwing school fundraising events has it's challenges.  Because a fundraising company is most likely not involved, you'll have to be conscious of planning, execution and spending. 

Regardless of your budget, you'll want to find ways to offer the highest value possible to guests at the lowest price possible.  Here are some suggestions on how to minimize expenses while hosting a successful school fundraising event:

1) The planning stage of your event should include wish lists, timelines and a budget.  If you have a timeline of the event, you'll know what has to be done in what order.

Event planning software is available, but, there are tons of free resources online including google docs, which allows spreadsheets to be shared with a pre-determined group of people.

2) The budget is important because you will have expenses up-front.  Things like prizes, decorations, food and beverages, space rental, inflatable rental, etc. will very likely need to be not only reserved well in advance, but many times paid in advance.

The reason the budget is so important is in cases where your plan is too extravagant for the allowed budget.  Scaling back is better to do ahead of time, as opposed to after some potentially less important things have been paid for.

3) Volunteers are a crucial element of any school fundraising event.  You'll want to make sure upfront that you can and will be able to get the amount of volunteers needed without having to resort to begging or advertising that you don't have enough help.

4) Save time for marketing!  The worse thing imaginable is hosting a party where nobody shows up.  Hey, if they weren't invited, how would they know they were supposed to be there in the first place.  What happens frequently is that people become so wrapped up with the planning stages, that marketing the event becomes an afterthought.

The problem there is that success requires momentum.  If you can't make the event important to the people you want to attract, they won't want to come.  So, throwing great events also requires attendance.  A school carnival with just a few folks at it doesn't seem very exciting.  So, do your best to insure that everyone knows about the event, when and where it is, how much it costs, why it's important and get them there! 

Hope this helps!

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraising events

Summer - The perfect time to plan ahead!

Do you think it's hard to plan ahead for a school fundraiser?  

When you're poolside with the little ones, it's probably pretty darn difficult to imagine the responsibilities of the Fall fundraiser.  What's more is, it's even harder to imagine that time is right around the corner.

So, here's the thing.  Just a bit of planning before Fall will go a long way to providing you and your school a sense of accomplishment and success!

Start early.

You don't have to have it all figured out but starting early ensures your ability to focus on the important tasks at the right time!

Build a team.

You'll want help navigating everything.  A team of other PTA or PTO members will help you!

Plan.

Have a plan for the fundraising goal and for how big or small your fundraising effort will be. 

Participate.

You'll need to think about how to get the most people you can involved.  This means making the fundraiser important in the eyes of everyone involved.  Consider everything from marketing the fundraiser to rewarding sellers.  The more encouragement, the better the fundraiser!

Succeed!

If you start early and recognize the major ways you can impact your fundraiser, you will hit your goals!

I'm here if you need me so feel free to continue the conversation in comments below or at twitter.com/believekids

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraiser

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

Getting Motivated for Your School Fundraiser!

Are you the only one who is motivated when it is time to start a school fundraiser?

There are a few things you can do before you start your school fundraiser to impact it's success.

First, consider your group when you choose but be careful who you decide with.  Often times decisions by committee can be difficult and the questions that need to be asked are pushed aside.  Decide based on what will work for you and give you the best chance at success.  You may want to consider success as earning a high dollar average per participating student while leaving parents happy.

Choose the right time to fundraise.  Be careful not to launch a fundraiser during busy times where groups are testing or traveling or there are major sporting events, holidays, etc. at the school that may hinder it's success.  Generally speaking, the earlier on in the school year, the better.

Have some help. Consider getting a few folks in on the fundraiser with you.  Although today's fundraisers are easy to oversee, some help will allow you to market more effectively.

Kick it off!  Have a fundraising kick-off to get everyone excited and let them know about the turn-in dates and any applicable information.  The easier it is for everyone to understand what they are selling and to whom, the better!

Make it important!  Make sure everyone knows why your group is raising money and what the selling expectations are.

Ok, until next time!


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What do you Consider a Successful Fundraiser?

There are oodles of groups big and small and they all have stuff.  They have stuff that works and stuff that doesn't.  And somewhere in all that, there are truths and consistencies.

There are ways to determine a successful fundraiser:

Start with the obvious - the fundraiser itself.

Did the fundraiser provide a product or service that was easy for the community to understand and take part in?  Did the fundraiser offer a good value and a sense of quality?  Was everything simple, understandable and provided to your group ahead of time?

Next... The most common guide.  Did the school fundraiser succeed financially?  Setting goals and then hitting them feels great while falling short doesn't.  How did you and the group feel about the financial aspects of the fundraiser?

Then the nitty gritty.

Did the school get the expected numbers of students participating?  How did the participation differ from years prior?  This is a good gauge.  It provides a clue into the way parents think and how important the school made the fundraiser.  After all, a fundraiser that is mandatory receives almost unanimous support.  A fundraiser that is not marketed will earn hardly any support. 

Now here's the tough part. 

Would you do the fundraiser again?  If not, why?  Is there something that the fundraising company could have done to improve things?  Is there something the school could have done to make the sale more effective? Was there too much work involved?

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A good school or group fundraiser...

A good fundraiser answers the questions above like this...

Yes, it was easy to get started and host. We offered something of value to the community and earned a substantial profit.  The school got behind it and we had record participation and record sales as a result.  It was actually easy. I would do this fundraiser again.

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This fundraiser is out there too!

So, if you feel like you're not experiencing quality fundraising, just know that your group can succeed at fundraising by offering a quality product or service at a good value, keeping it simple and getting behind the fundraiser!

Teamwork and School Fundraising - Creating Successful Fundraisers

I'm passionate about promotion and really, it's only because it galvanizes a group of people.  A group has a common awareness and common purpose as a result.  It creates a team with a clear goal.

Today I visited a school that was going to succeed at their fundraiser.  I know they will and there's no guesswork involved when I say that. 

The evidence was in the hallways with the posters and banners and display case.  The teachers were spunky and supportive, the students want to help their school.  The principal is throwing a contest to make sure students stay excited.  But this school has a lot of challenges and has no business succeeding at their efforts - but they will.

I know they will succeed without question and I am happy for them.  But why would I be so optimistic?  I am fully aware that people will say that this title 1 school can't do it.  That they won't get community support.  I know that there's another group out there that thinks product fundraisers just create door-to-door monsters selling 'junk' people don't need. 

But this school is not interested in what they have to say.  

After all, the school knows something that their critics don't.  It's that by working together to make something important, in fact, makes it important. Match that with a few other key elements like quality products and - success!

I am proud to say that I had a chance to see that teamwork first-hand today and I'm touched by it.

Putting the Brakes on School Fundraisers

This article sounds bad and I know why.  It's the title.  Putting the brakes on... It sounds like fundraising is bad.  But what this school realized is that it's not fundraising that's bad, it's too much fundraising that is.

In actuality, they are limiting fundraisers which is a good thing! We need more schools to stop hitting up parents non-stop for money and this is a good example of how to do it - by taking a stand!

Carrollton puts brakes on school fundraisers

Fundraisers your school considers should be scrutinized more.  Make sure they are critical and have a high chance of success.  Then they should be made as impactful as possible.   Schools can have one main fundraiser a semester with a sprinkling of the stuff schools have become accustomed to such as yearbooks, photos or perhaps spirit gear sales.

Take a stand and limit your fundraisers! 

The choice to do so automatically puts more importance on the fundraisers you decide to support.  Make a good push on the remaining few and you'll wonder why you had so many fundraisers to begin with.

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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising - a nationwide elementary school fundraising company that offers large high-profit elementary school fundraisers.  I enjoy comments and suggestions both here and on twitter.com/believekids - Thanks for sharing and looking!

School Fundraisers that SELL - 3 Helpful Hints!

I am a computer geek and as such, I scour the web for interesting information.

I know that every fundraising company has an agenda and for that matter I do too. As the Vice President of a national fundraising company, I naturally want people to use my elementary school fundraisers wherever possible.

The thing is, I have a mission... I want to share any information I can that will allow schools and groups to have fundraising success!

I hope this post increases your sale regardless of what types of fundraisers you host and what fundraising companies you work with.

This post relates to how fundraising companies market to you in order for you to pick them. Naturally, every fundraiser has sales bullet points but some fundraisers fall flat while others are wildly successful. How can you recognize one from another?

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1) New and unique is not always better.

There is a difference among fundraisers. Since I am a computer geek at heart, I do see just about every offer online. They are marketed largely the same and every one claims to be profitable. But can they ALL really be equally profitable?

First off, You have new fundraising ideas and you have traditional proven favorites. Any new fundraiser may come with new ways of fundraising. The consideration here is that new is not always better. It's likely revenue will drop until students, parents and the community know how to effectively participate in the fundraiser. If you're trying a new fundraiser that has not been tested, make sure your goal reflects that.

Online malls, affiliate programs and coupon programs are examples of new fundraisers.

On the flip side, Traditional fundraising still leads the way in top-dollar fundraising. It tends to work better simply because the community knows what to expect and they know how to do their part.

Frozen cookie dough, gift and wrap catalogs and magazine sales are examples of traditional fundraisers.

2) Choosing the right program for your school.

Let's face it. There are different types of fundraisers and there are different types of schools. Finding the right match for your group can be difficult. Make sure to look back on the history of fundraisers at your school. If you don't have good records, make sure to keep track from here on out so you have good numbers. Some schools can sell chocolate bars, some catalog and some succeed at large fundraising events. So, your insight from the school perspective is critical.

We offer basically 2 fundraisers at Believe Kids, a fall fundraising gift catalog and a frozen cookie dough fundraiser.

These fundraisers have consistently been proven to increase sales over similar fundraisers. So, yeah! We have an amazing catalog but is it right for everyone? No. '
There are times where keeping it fresh or offering a product-in-hand fundraiser is a better option.

Your insight on what is right for your group can really make a difference. The last thing you want to do is have to try every single fundraiser out there in order to figure this out.

Just be careful in allowing fundraising company marketing to decide for you what is right for your group.

3) Putting down others

If a company markets by way of belittling the traditional heavy-hitting fundraisers, they may not be the right company for you.

Traditional fundraiser i.e. magazine sales, frozen cookie dough, large events such as auctions and walk-a-thons and fall gift catalogs have a proven track record for raising significant dollars. If a fundraising company has an ad that says that these things don't work, they are misinformed.

80% of elementary schools rely on these traditional fundraisers every year as do countless middle schools, high schools and other groups. There is no basis in fact to advertising claims that 'nobody wants wrapping paper or cookie dough anymore'.

The truth is, nobody wants what the companies that market this way offer and that's the best they can come up with. If a company is using a marketing tactic that suggests that traditional fundraising is not working, proceed with caution.

There you have it!

3 down and dirty hints to increasing your fundraising success with us or any other company. Remember to get professional advice online but also via phone. Reach out with a phone call to companies you believe offer value and significant profits. Talk over your situation with honesty. You'd be surprised at how helpful fundraising companies can be!

In your phone calls to school fundraising representatives, you can ask them specifically what participation they expect out of your group and what average sale per student you should receive. If they are up-front with you, you will have good numbers on what should be most profitable for your school. Use these tips and whatever else you can find online and over the phone. Use whomever is the best fit for your group and remember...

We just want you to succeed!
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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids, a nationwide elementary school fundraising company. If you find the information here valuable, please share the link to my blog - believejay.blogspot.com with friends.

Please comment here below the post and thanks for looking!

Elementary School Fundraising Success Story - A testament to the people of North Dakota

Don't you love to hear good news on the school fundraising front! This post is definitely a school fundraising success story but it's really a tale of a community pulling together to support children and education.

Sometimes there are stories that come across my desk that I feel are worthy of sharing. Anyone remember that there was some severe flooding in the Fargo, ND area in the Spring of 2009? I was aware about it but didn't realize the extent to which volunteers pulled together to sandbag which saved the town while thousands were evacuated.

In the middle of the chaos, in a city that was literally shut down, a small school raised $25,000 to support their school!

This isn't a story about how easy Believe fundraisers are. This is an example of how amazing the people of North Dakota are. I am touched to think that in the face of a disaster, the community thought enough about the children to support them in such a time of need. An inspiration no doubt.

Hats off to a community that pulls together!