Successful Fall Fundraiser...

Here's to a Successful Fall Fundraiser!

Here's to a successful Fall fundraiser!

In the fast-paced school environment, one things for certain.  School is back in session and it's going nuts!


So, how is it you're going to succeed on your Fall fundraiser?  How are you shattering records and hit your goals?


A CEO of a successful company was asked how he managed to find such great people to work with, he said, ‘Doers leave a trail’.

School fundraising companies rely on that 'doer' as well!  So, if you make the fundraiser important and pull out all the stops to let everyone know what their expected to do to make the fundraiser a success, they'll do it.

Think inform.
Think ask.
Think reward.

The secrets to successful fundraising are at your fingertips and I have confidence in you to hit or exceed your fundraising goals. After all...

‘Doers leave a trail’!

 Ok, until next time!

___________________

successful fundraisers

Profitable Elementary School Fundraising: Student Participation...

What makes an elementary school fundraiser a success?

Successful School Fundraising

I think a successful fundraiser has a few key components.  First off, parents need to believe the fundraiser is important.  Second, they need to believe they will receive a fair value exchange for their money and lastly, they need to be willing to say 'yes' to participating.

Some reasons for resisting the school fundraiser are:

1) Resistance to generous giving. 

Put bluntly, parents don't want to make a charitable contribution.  When confronted with the fundraiser, there is an almost automatic 'If only' response.  If only we had money, if only there were things I needed, if only they asked for a check.  There is one response or another, but the reality is, they don't want to make a donation.  If schools let parents know ahead of time what will be asked of them, they are more receptive to the giving when it happens.

2) Parents are busy.

I have to admit I've fallen victim to this as well.  Thinking that parents can keep up with all the materials sent home is dangerous ground.  A concerted effort today involves more than just a paper being sent home, it requires communication from the principal and teachers as well to have impact. Well, or schools could send home less stuff so when something important appears, action is taken.

3) Too much fundraising.

In schools where fundraising is a constant, revenues fall.  Schools promoting many 'passive fundraisers' such as box tops and recycling programs while doing events, product fundraisers and spirit nights may just find that parents experience 'fundraising fatigue'.  The end result is a withdrawal of interest from the school.  With this separation also comes the separation of wallet from school as well.

Successful School Fundraising

In conclusion, asking early, limiting or restructuring the notices sent home and limiting fundraisers greatly impacts the success of school fundraisers!

Ok, until next time!
_______________

Keep the conversation going on twitter or facebook or below in the form of comments left on this blog.  If you like what you see, please share with others!  The direct link to this website is fundraising-advice.com or believejay.blogspot.com

Elementary School Fundraiser
School Fundraising Blog
Twitter.com/BelieveKids
Facebook.com/BelieveKids
Believe Wordpress Blog

Why Anyone, Even Busy People, Can Host a Successful School Fundraiser.

There are many types of people in the world and most of them are busy. Today, it's not just normal busy but crazy busy.  Being busy doesn't mean that hosting a profitable fundraiser is impossible.  Quite the opposite.  It is possible today to host a high-dollar fundraiser and succeed.  But, there are caveats.

The first thing is that in order for busy people to host successful fundraisers, they have to remember one thing. Simplicity rules the day. Any product or event that is complicated, is not going to be the best use of ones time.

There are two reasons for this.  The first is that time should be reserved for marketing.  If something is complicated, the marketing time is usually what get's pushed to the side.  Secondly, there are products and services right now that are not complicated already in existence.  Choosing complicated just doesn't make sense.

Event fundraising can be demanding.  You may very likely need volunteers and planning time.  Consider this before jumping into an auction or other event when putting in a lot of time is a major consideration.  I recommend schools keep with what works, so if your school already throws a particular event every year, you may find that it's better to keep that event even if it does take work.  It really depends, but sometimes complicated is worth it.  If you have an idea for a brand new event, the one thing you don't want to do is fall short.  For that reason, you may want to take a look at some other options.

Product fundraisers may just be for you.  They are easy to run and proven time and time again to be successful.  If you utilize a fundraising company to help with your fundraising efforts, you may just find that some of the work typically associated with fundraisers is handled for you.  Because I am in the business of providing catalog product fundraisers I want to temper this so it's not about me or my fundraising companies service but it's a fact, the fundraisers are simpler.  Because everything is provided, all you need to do is send information home and make sure everyone is doing their part. If you choose a good product fundraising company you will find that everything is provided from catalogs to product distribution. 

Donation drives are a possibility for your school as well.  Although a donation drive may not solve your problems in the long run, a well-orchestrated donation drive can bring in a lot of money in a short period of time with just a few letters home.

So, here's the deal.  If you are busy and want to succeed at fundraising, you can host an easy long-standing event, a donation drive or host a catalog fundraiser.  Regardless, if you realize you've got a support system in place, you'll be better off so any fundraising company you use can help you keep things simple.  If you have a long-standing event, previous volunteers may be able to help you better understand what needs to be done to succeed.  If you host a donation drive, all you have to do is write a few letters and you'll see some results.

Regardless of your fundraising technique, make sure your fundraising is important to you and necessary.  Then, spend your time wisely!  Here's to successful and easy fundraising!

__________________________

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

Quick Reminders - Successful School Fundraising Techniques

Regardless of the school fundraiser you and your group decides on, one thing is certain: There are some overall conditions that create fundraising success that goes beyond the product or event.

Here are a few factors that will help anyone run a more successful elementary school fundraiser despite the product or service being offered:

1) Decide to market - Go ahead and commit to your school fundraiser full-force.  If the fundraiser is not worth your time and effort, don't fundraise.  Wait until you run across something worth putting your full attention into then take it over the top!  It's always better to fundraise once well as opposed to several times innefectively.

2) Plan ahead -  Using a simple calendar is probably enough to ensure a flawless fundraiser. Just remember to put important deadlines on there including dates that insure proper planning, distribution dates, reminder dates... really anything you have to do, put the required action in a calendar.

2) Get in front of people in different ways - Use every opportunity you have to get the word out on your school fundraiser.  Use blogs and social media, email, newsletters, school signage, display cases, reminder notices, banners and posters, telephone systems, video, yard signs, costumes -- Anything you can to build excitement and stay in front of parents and the community that will support you!

3) Scheduling matters!  Choosing a time to host the fundraiser is more important than it would seem. If there are competing activities or events, you'll have trouble gaining support.  Avoid major holidays, competitive tournaments, sporting events, finals, etc. wherever possible.  The more people available to get behind your fundraising effort the better.

4) Reminders - In your promotion planning, remember to remind folks before during and towards the end of your sales cycle.  If you mention the fundraiser once, you will have folks forget to turn in their orders.  Do what you can to remind people that they have only a few days left to sell.  This helps parents that would be forgetful participate.

5) Have fun with it!  Reward your sellers or participants with fun and the fundraiser will succeed!  The thing about fun is that it makes people happy.  Being happy while supporting a school fundraiser means that the fundraiser is repeatable.  Repeatable fundraisers are the best and final goal!  If you can have a successful fundraiser, you can repeat it over again with similar results. 

Better School Fundraising: Motivation is the Key to Success

Motivation is the key to a successful fundraiser. If you want to get the most from your school fundraiser, you have to motivate parents as well as children. Getting parents motivated and excited about participating is the fastest way to having a better school fundraiser.

Follow these tips and you will more success and have to do less fundraising.

Inform
In order for parents to participate, they have to know why the fundraiser is a necessity for the school. Before anyone can help solve a problem they must know what the problem is. Let parents know why the fundraiser is important to their school. Hold a meeting and address the budgetary needs of the school for the year and clearly explain how the money raised from the fundraiser will go towards helping meet those needs. Send out informative emails detailing the areas in school that the official budget won't cover. Show videos explaining the need for the school fundraiser. Whatever you do, make sure to emphasize the necessity for the fundraiser. Parents need to know that their money is being used for essential educational needs.

Encourage
For the fundraiser to be as successful as possible, you need to encourage everyone to participate. Teachers, parents and administrators need to all lend a hand in making the fundraiser a success. Encourage teachers to do daily announcements to keep their students informed about the fundraiser. Ask principals to send emails to parents asking for support. A principal's email list can generate thousands of dollars in a matter of minutes. Reach out to parents and encourage them to register online with the fundraiser and send emails to family and friends asking for support. Teaming up will take your fundraiser over the top!

Incentivize
Everyone loves prizes. No matter how big or small, kids love walking away from something with a concrete item. Offer one big grand prize that every child will want to get. Then, make all the prizes great. If there is more than just one prize that interests them, they will try to keep selling to reach the desired items. Use a variety of long and short term incentives. Offer a pizza party, limo ride, or ice cream social to the class or grade level that sells the most. Hold daily raffle drawings. Use principal incentives. If the school meets their fundraising goal, the principal can get a pie in the face, have to spend the day on the roof or as a student. Incentives don't have to just be for the kids either. You can have teacher and administrator incentives as well. Offer gift certificates to teachers whose classrooms meet their goals, or limo rides to the administrators if their school meets its goal. Just remember, great incentives will always keep everyone motivated!