Can a spring carnival be damaging to your school?

Quote from an email I was forwarded proving spring carnivals can be hard to organize.

This is an interesting one isn't it!  Basically, some drama surrounding a school fundraiser and a threat thrown in just to top it off.

So, when I hear that there's no risk in an event fundraiser, I know it's not true.  Here is the risk of an event being cancelled due to lack of volunteers.  But moreover, the people seeing this message now know that the event has very little support.  Further extrapolation tells you the event is not very important to the majority of the parents at the school.

So, I know it's complicated thinking in terms of the ramifications of hosting difficult fundraisers, but here is an example of a fundraisers that is damaging to this particular school.  Hey, things will certainly go on and summer will be here and it'll be forgotten but there's something there.

Something that proves to parents that they are part of the majority (proof that not helping is perfectly ok) vs. the minority (these one or two must be over-achievers).

Ok, until next time!

___________

twitter.com/believekids
School Fundraisers

Should schools accept early sign-on bonuses for school fundraisers?

This time a year, a lot of fundraising representatives start calling on schools.  School fundraising companies will bring their newest offers.  Are the offers any good?  How will you decide if you should take one?  Which one will you take?

Let's just cover the facts... In Fall, there is no incentive for schools to give extra product, prizes or incentives.  Groups that register late, will not be getting more.  This is because fundraising companies are running fundraisers, not selling them.  So, the fact is, earlier is better.

So, should you get suckered and mesmerized by the offers?  The answer is absolutely not!  As a parent group member, your goal is to systematically determine what's best for your group - Not what is the flashiest. There are flashy offers out there without the substance behind the scenes.  In this way, an offer should just be icing on the cake, not the cake itself. 

As you consider the various fundraisers and offers available to you, are you prepared to take into consideration some of the following differences between fundraisers?

• Profit Margins
• Included Participation Programs
• Incentives for Teachers / Principals
• Included Prize Programs
• Product Differentiation / Diversity
• Product Prices
• Product Quality
• Overall Value to Customer
• Marketing Package Included
• Online Features
• Sales Averages Per Student
• Dollar Averages Per Sale

• Order Processing
• Volunteers Needed
• Delivery Specifics
• Report Generation
• Customer Service
• Delivery Efficiencies

Really, who's got the overall package capable of delivering the profits you need without letting you or your customers (neighbors, friends' parents, community members) down?

All I can leave you with today is that an early sign-on-bonus, although it may seem outrageous or awesome, is only great in combination with other greatness.

Ok, Until Next Time!

_________________

Twitter.com/BelieveKids
School Fundraisers

Event Fundraisers, Volunteer Hours and Cutting Out Your School Fundraising Company

I want you to see this.  I read between the lines here and realized that we are indeed living in strange times.  Just so you know, I have no problem at all with schools wanting to host their own fundraisers.  I just want to quickly point out is that in an effort to do the fundraiser themselves and cut out the fundraising company, they had to devote thousands of volunteer hours in exchange. 

Ok, that's about all I had to get off my chest today.  There are school fundraisers out there that raise this amount of money for schools and groups in just two weeks with little or no volunteers.  A structured fundraiser from a reputable school fundraising company leaves nothing to chance.

So, before you cut the fundraising company loose, make sure you have the volunteer base to make it work for you, your school and your fundraising goal.

$31,000 Raised for New School Playground So Far

http://georgiaslate.com/duluth/2011/10/17/31000-raised-for-new-school-playground-so-far/

I welcome your comments here or at twitter/believekids - Thanks a bunch!

The R.S.V.P. - how to get your volunteers to a volunteer appreciation event

I ran across this post -Disappointed with turnout and had some thoughts...

First off, I realize this post is a few months old so I am not directly responding to this post but rather, the sentiment.  You'll see what I mean.

In the post, the discussion surrounds getting volunteers to a volunteer appreciation event and the diffulty there. Here is an exploration of that idea.

About the R.S.V.P.


The R.S.V.P. has changed in recent years IMO.  I don't believe people want to respond and I know they don't respond in a timely manner.  There is an intrensic resisitance to anything that adds a decision/work to our lives.

R.S.V.P. and the volunteer

When a volunteer gets the R.S.V.P., unless they are completely obligated or super-excited, it's best to keep their options open and wait until the last minute to R.S.V.P.  If something better comes up, they don't want to be double booked.

But this causes problems.  Not only do event organizers feel strange not knowing how to plan for an event that may have 5 to 500 people at it, but the invited folk keep the invite in their inbox looking at it over and over without committing.  This back and forth decision process creates some subconscious tension.

For an event such as this, where volunteers are going to be recognized, you have to reach out more personally and have a conversation - a personal invitation over the phone or in person.  I think volunteers have a bit of a problem with appreciation coming their way and they don't want a generic attempt - they want an authentic personal invitation.

Most donors/volunteers seem to have the mentality that they have done what they have done for their own reasons and do not expect or want a reward that could be construed as selfish.  This translates into not wanting to be appreciated.  So, tread lightly and invite people personally.

Ok, until next time!

______________________

Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids www.BelieveKids.com and can be found here at http://believejay.blogspot.com and on twitter

Elementary school fundraising ideas blog
Elementary school fundraising ideas

Catalog Fundraisers Schools Best Bet for Big Dollar Fundraising

Schools and groups have long relied on a gift catalog for their fundraising needs. Over the years, increasing fundraising budgets and budget shortfalls have forced fundraising companies to develop high-profit, easy to operate fundraisers.

These catalog fundraisers have a wide reach, offer a variety of popular items in several categories and often add an internet component to the traditional catalog sale to further enhance sales.

With the closing of Giftco, inc. (the largest product supplier to the fundraising industry) there will be some schools wondering if they should fundraise with an event fundraiser or another option this year.

Here’s proof that catalog fundraisers are still the best bet:

According to AFRDS (the association of fundraising distributors and suppliers) over 80% of schools report a fall fundraising catalog as their top annual fundraiser. At the same time, respondents to their polls report that running a catalog sale does not require the amount of volunteer help that other fundraisers require:

School Carnival - 59 volunteers
Auction - 28 volunteers
‘Thons’ (e.g., Walk-a-thon) - 22 volunteers
Breakfasts / Dinners - 17 volunteers
Raffles - 17 volunteers
Product sales - 7 volunteers
Direct Donations - 7 volunteers

((Believe catalog fundraisers do not even need 7 volunteers))

How Believe Kids is prepared to help you this year:

Since 2007 we have anticipated further consolidation in the industry and took steps to strengthen our relationships, increase our US products and suppliers and reduce fundraising retail prices. Here are a few areas of concentration:

• Believe lowered catalog prices on average $2.00 per item
• We offered more items under $20 than our competition
• Believe kept our average item price at $10 last year
• Offer better catalog organization with our ‘Table of Contents’
• We now have 12 years of product creation and 6 years of importing experience
• We have been the fastest growing fundraising company in America for 4 years
• We love our technology! Believe Fundraisers are the easiest to operate
• Believe owns our own warehouse – we do not rely on middlemen
• Believe will not be affected by the Giftco closing!

Why not just sell books, batteries or a green fundraiser this year?

There is a very good reason that schools rely on top-selling catalogs such as the Believe Kids ‘Magical Holidays’ gift catalog.

Catalogs that offer many popular items in many categories sell more – a lot more! Even though everyone uses batteries, not everyone will want to buy them. By offering many items, customers are more likely to find something they need (or at least really want to have)!

Maybe this is the year to try an event like an auction?

While we are advocates of switching up fundraising campaigns, there are a few things you will want to think about before trying an event fundraiser this year. The fall is traditionally the time for a large product fundraiser. It’s tried and true. You will earn more than you can any other way.

Taking a chance during the time of heavy-hitting fall fundraisers may leave you significantly short of your budget. In other words, take a risk during an off-peak time and test the waters! There are many successful fundraising events out there but they do take a lot of hard work to orchestrate.

With the economy in flux this year, the only way we would recommend you risk your fundraising income is if you had a successful event fundraiser last year. If that is the case, evidence suggests that this year’s events have a lower attendance due to the economy. Take the time to truly promote the event if you plan to succeed!

Believe, The Economy and Fundraising in 2009

Believe in particular has taken several steps to ensure a profitable fundraiser in the face of the worst economy many of us have ever seen. Our complimentary tools will reverse the effects of the economy. Other fundraisers are not equipped to make such claims.

This year, promotion of the fundraiser will play a bigger part than ever before. Fundraising with an under-promoted event, single product or a catalog that does not have tools in place to increase sales will likely fall short.

We are keeping close tabs on the effects of the economy on fundraising – regardless of it you use Believe or another fundraiser, we encourage you to write or call with questions and we will help you improve your sale. We will do whatever we can to protect schools this year and understanding the economic effects on our fundraisers this year will allow you to promote specifically to reverse them.

In closing

Despite anything you will hear from other companies, websites or any other source, product catalog fundraising is by far the largest and most profitable method of fundraising and is responsible for raising 2 billion for education every year!

There simply is no substitute for a high-gross fall catalog fundraiser!

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