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Archive for the ‘Fundraising’ Category

Hopefully, you’ve already read Part One of these tips for organizing your school fundraiser. A smart plan can make your school fundraiser much easier. Here are some other considerations:

Using a consultant
Consider using a fundraising consultant to assist your organization with larger fundraisers, first-time events, or mission critical efforts. Among the benefits of using professional help are the following: increased market penetration, increased sales per client, higher average sales volume per participant, and smoother logistical flow.

Use a fundraising consultant to take the hassle out of organizing your event and put the “fun” back in fundraising again.

Protect your reputation
Offer only high quality products. Remember that no one feels good about overpaying for something or getting shoddy merchandise in return for a contribution. Take the high road and build loyalty within your customer base.

Profit percentage
Place less emphasis on the percentage profit offered by the supplier and focus more on the total net profit generated. Higher unit prices will mean higher total sales revenue and often, higher profits per customer.

That’s not to say that percentage isn’t important, but consider other factors as well. Look at whether sales incentives are included, hidden costs that may arise, sales brochures that cost extra, poor quality merchandise that can hurt future sales, and so on.

Incentives
Rewards will increase participation and that can positively effect the net proceeds from your efforts. The quality of the incentives is an important motivator. If appropriate, consider rewards from among the products you’re offering. Look to local merchants for supplemental prizes.

Insist on best value
People will be more inclined to buy if you’re offering quality goods at the right price. Higher-priced goods will actually generate more net from each sales transaction to your organization than the cheap stuff that offers a higher percentage profit to your group.

Price points
Many times, different organizations conduct similar fundraisers at coincidental times. Make sure that the prices asked are comparable to other fundraisers in your community. Check prices ranges via the Internet and with other nearby organizations. Look at other catalogs, retail merchant pricing for similar goods, and trust your gut instincts.

Beware of perfuming the pig
There’s an old saying about making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. It means that someone is trying to assign a higher value to an item than it is worth. Another phrase often used to reference the deceptive selling of overpriced goods is “perfuming the pig.”

If you overcharge your customers for common items, they’ll resent it, consciously or subconsciously. Compare results with records from past fundraisers to check what price points were offered before on similar items. Be certain to give fair market value for the items your group is offering. You want those customers back the next time, don’t you?

Setup calling trees
Once your fundraiser has begun, don’t forget to utilize your calling tree for immediate feedback. Ask if there are any problems, check on initial reaction from participants and their families, keep the enthusiasm level high, and don’t let your initial positive momentum slip away. Regular polling of team leaders and participants will keep you informed.

Doubling Up
Double check all order forms and check payments to be sure they’re correctly filled out. Double-team all money handling facets of the fundraising process. Have double dates (makeup days) planned in advance in case of inclement weather or other unforeseen delays on delivery day.

Use co-chairs for each mission critical function. Cross train on all tasks. Keep duplicate records of important details in a different location as part of your backup plan. In the world of technology, this is called disaster recovery or disaster prevention. Double count all deliveries coming in and going out.

Record Keeping
Accurate records are a lifesaver and a source of information for future fundraisers. Follow audit guidelines just as if you were a small business. As a non-profit organization, you have to be able to document the source of your funding as well as how those funds were spent.
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Talk about your hard workers! Band groups are awesome when it comes to putting forth the effort it takes for fundraising success. The key is making sure they have the right fundraiser that will leverage all that energy.

In this article, we’ll consider three band fundraisers that:

Take some effort
Are perfect for medium-sized groups
Produce excellent results

Citrus Fruit
One band fundraiser that fits the easy fundraiser formula is selling cases of citrus fruit shipped direct from the Florida groves.

Here, the band members use an order-taker brochure to explain the offering to prospective supporters.

You really need to go door-to-door or sell from a merchant table to achieve the kind of numbers where you’ll raise substantial funds. This is perfect for a band group with enough members to canvass entire neighborhoods by working in pairs.

Customers can choose from Navel Oranges, Tangelos, Tangerines, Red Grapefruits, and mixed cartons. Order sizes range from ten pounds all the way up to forty pounds.

A common size is 2/5 of a bushel or 20 pounds. Generally, you can expect to pay roughly $8 for this size and make a profit of $4 each. These are rough prices because citrus fruit can vary in price based on weather patterns and availability.

Citrus fruit is a wintertime offering with availability best between mid-November through mid-April. There are discounts for large orders and bonuses for ordering a whole truckload.

Christmas Wreaths
Another band fundraiser that’s a good fit is selling Christmas wreaths via an order-taker brochure.
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Last year during Christmas season I started to enter a store that I had shopped at regularly for years. I stopped at the store entrance because I felt that something was wrong. Then I realized that there was no bell ringing and no Salvation Army volunteer with his or her red kettle. I went into the store and asked the manager if he knew why the Salvation Army volunteer was not outside. He stated that the company had gotten complaints from people who were unhappy that a religious organization was soliciting donations in front of the company’s stores. He stated that the company had decided that they would no longer allow the Salvation Army to have a space outside the stores. This way the company would not offend people. I told the manager that they had just offended me. I walked out and have never again shopped at that store or at any of that company’s other stores.

Every year I know it’s the Christmas season when I see the Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells and standing next to their red donation kettles or buckets. Every time I see one of those red buckets I put $5, $10 or $20 in the bucket and thank the volunteer for being there and allowing me to make the donation. I thank them because I believe that they are doing me a favor by allowing me to help people through the Salvation Army. They are the ones that have to stand for hours ringing their bell while all I have to do is put money in the bucket. They don’t get paid for doing this they just do it out of love for their fellow humans. I not only donate at Christmas time, I also send in anonymous donations (For my own ideological reasons most of my donations to most entities are made anonymously.) at other times of the year and when there are various disasters.

I am not connected in any way with the Salvation Army nor have I ever recieved aid from them. The Salvation Army is a christian religious organization and although I am a Christian I am a Catholic. Some people ask me why I give to the Salvation Army instead of the Catholic Church. I tell them that I do give to the Church, but I also give to the Salvation Army. As far as I am concerned the Salvation Army is one of the finest charities around. They try to help any and every person regardless of race, nationality, color, sexual preference or religious beliefs. They have never tried to convert anyone I know of and they never seem to engage in any type of politicking. The only thing I have ever seen them do is help people. They have their beliefs but as far as I have seen they do not try to force those beliefs on others.
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Like most organizations, schools in the United States are subject to constant budget stress. Important athletic and scholastic programs are subject to budget cuts as demographics change and taxpayers become increasingly budget aware. As a result, schools include fund raising resources in their planning for programs.

Education should rank high on the list of tax payer funding. With exception of defense, it is hard to imagine a governmental effort that is more important to our country than good education. Education and schools focus on our future leaders and it is in the schools where lessons in character are coupled with the development of skills required for success in a modern society.

Fund Raising and Healthy Products

Schools, both public and private, have turned to fund raising to help fund sporting and educational events. Where large number of people have gathered, schools, through sports teams, booster clubs and scholastic societies have raised funds by selling products for a profit at events or by using team members to sell products to friends and family..

Historically a number of products were sold that generated revenue and these were mainly food products like carbonated soft drinks, cookies, pizza and candy. As a group these products were not considered healthy by many. Recently, for example, an agreement was finalized to discontinue the sale of carbonated soft drinks in schools and this is a landmark effort to help reduce obesity and create a healthy lifestyle for students.

Many schools are now exploring fund raising with healthier products. As a result private label water is becoming increasingly popular as a healthy alternative method to raise funds.

Private Label Drinking Water

Private label drinking water is an effective and healthy way to raise funds for a number of reasons:

• If the water is purified, it represents a wholesome addition to a healthy lifestyle.

• Creation of a private label is an effective form of advertising that adds value to the water and the event. This additional value is reflected in a higher price, greater revenue and more profit.

• Private label water is consumable advertising that is often carried from the event and serves as a reminder to participants and others.

• The label design offers flexibility that allows schedules and scores to be listed and updated.

• Private label water is ideal for outdoor events and is very cost effective. The cost decreases as volume increases.

• Private label water can easily establish a brand identity for the school or team.

• The design of one label can be used for many school events.

Two Avenues of Fund Raising

Private label water is a versatile tool for fund raising. It can be sold directly at school events and players and participants can resell private label water to friends and family to raise revenue. Either avenue is an effective fund raising device.

Both avenues are available to schools most of the calendar year and provide consistent fund raising opportunities.

Student Participation

Students are both the beneficiaries and the key assets of fundraising. They can control the quality of their own athletic and scholastic programs by actively participating in the event and friends and family fund raising activities. Gaining a student “buy in” for programs will guarantee success.
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