We hear this alot because we run hundreds of school fundraisers every year. One thing I can tell you is my take on "WHY" most of these groups didn't meet their fundraising goals. The only problem with me saying it is that most people seem to simply choose not to believe it and then go on their way forgetting the piece of gold they are hearing simply because it sounds to simple or basic to fix or it goes against their own idea of what really happened.
I can tell you this, that as long as a school does atop line and quality product for their school fundraiser, they can and will have above average sales IF they do one thing. One simple thing, that's it. You can sum up the way to go about having the best fundraiser ever can be summarized in three simple words... Do Awesome Prizes!
That's all there is to it! If you do ordinary prizes you are probably going to have an ordinary fundraiser. If you skimp on prizes, you will have a poor sale. If you partner up with your fundraising company and dive into giving premium prizes you will make more money than you thought possible. Period. The facts, figures and track records do not lie.
This is not my opinion. This is based on the results that even you could take a look at on our website. If you "Wow" the students and families with the prizes and incentives you offer with your fundraiser, they will "Wow" you with results that you did not expect. The main idea I want to get across to you here is, if you make it worth their while to participate in your school fundraising drive by giving them better prizes for simply participating, they more than likely will do just that... participate! It is participation in your sale that makes your school more profit.
The method of going about putting the "Wow" in your incentive program is a little more involved than adding a drawing for a 40 gig IPod, but it is pretty simple. In fact, if all you do is add a $200 IPod or Xbox game as your top seller prize, the only thing that will happen is you'll waste $200.
However, you can structure your "Wow" factor in such a way that it will increase your participation in your sale. Most of the time when you set up your prize program in a "Wow" way, you'll more than likely see anywhere from a 40% - 200% increase in your previous sales.
Like I mentioned earlier, this is too simple and the claim just a little too far fetched for many people to actually believe it. It's simplicity and outlandish nature however, does not change the fact that it works for school fundraisers almost every time it is tried. Period.
Copyright (c) 2008 AIM Fundraising
Because there are so many students in a typical elementary or middle school, the potential for huge sales and profit is great. However, because there are so many students at a school, it can be hard to motivate, organize and control the results of such a large school fundraiser. There are three key elements to a school fundraiser that if kept in mind while planning for it, will almost guarantee that your fundraiser will be a huge success. Communication! Long before your school fundraiser gets started, you should be getting things in place and ready to go for the big fundraiser kick off day. One of the best things that a PTA or PTO can do before their fundraiser ever gets started is make sure that all the parents of your school children know what is about to happen BEFORE it happens. At least once or twice send a letter home with the students that tells the parents a little about the upcoming school fundraiser and give the reasons why the school needs the money. In any communications you do in this manner never forget to ask explicitly for their help and participation. Create Excitement! Have an assembly or rally to kick the fundraiser off so the fundraising chairperson can create excitement about the fundraiser. It is also great to discuss with the students what money is going to be used for - where will the money they earn go? What are the positive results of their efforts? Of course you really don't have to cover all that in great detail with the students as doing that in any great detail would put them to sleep. We want them excited about the sale, not bored to tears about it. So unless you have a production equivalent to High School Musical 2 or the real Sponge Bob and Patrick to cover those details in song or antics, I would say, "Just mention it." The bottom line is that the kids generally don't have the interest or the memory tell their parents and potential customers about what the money is going to be used for. That is what the parent letter is there to do for them. Motivation! The part that gets the students attention and raises their excitement is not the product being sold or the purpose of the fundraiser It's The Prizes! In fact, if your prizes are really good, you could actually forget about the communication stuff mentioned above. The students will make sure your parents know all about it. If the only thing you can remember to do for a school fundraiser kickoff is show the prizes and hold up the sales brochure that the prize program "goes with," you will have a successful fundraising kickoff. It is really that simple as long as the prizes are really good. By organizing, building excitement and rewarding the students - your fundraiser can be successful no matter what fundraising product you choose. Now, in this article, I have over simplified the whole 3 step process: but not by much. There are a few things about each of these 3 elements of a school fundraiser that will require particular attention to some important details, but by and large, this is pretty simple. It is a good idea to seek the advice of an experienced fundraising consultant who understands the whole prize concept and accept their advice. A Word to the Wise! Most fundraising companies are more interested these days in "getting your business" than in actually coaching you in how to run a school fundraiser to get maximum profits. Most will sell you on their product or their service or their profit percentage as the key point in a successful fundraiser. This is far from the truth, and if you spend a few minutes thinking about it, you know this is true. It is the prizes that are what drive school fundraisers. If you do the average, everyday, run of the mill prizes, you will end up with average run of the mill results. That is the reason that schools that change up how they do their prizes have huge increases over their earlier sale. It is not the product or services offered or the profit percentage given that makes for a successful school fundraiser. You can blame that on the prizes offered.
Both Juan Franco & Dan Hatcher are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Juan Franco has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fundraiser, Fundraising and Fundraiser. Set-up your incentive program for your in a way that will get your school making more profit with happier students. If you have been having le. Juan Franco's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Dan Hatcher has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fundraiser, Internet Marketing and Financial Planning. Learn more about how you can structure your incentive program for your in a way that will get your school more profit with happier students a. Dan Hatcher's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.