The Dreaded Fundraiser
There is a month every year that parents dread. The day their child comes home with the annual (or bi-annual) fundraising packet. The parents are worried about who they are going to hit up this year. Will they take it to work or not? Will others feel shamed into buying? Will parents who you bought from their child now return the favor? Will the family at holidays avoid conversation just to avoid buying something they don’t want?
Let’s face it, for parents, fundraisers are really missing the fun!
Unfortunately, these feelings carry over to the teachers and school administration themselves. Something that should be fun and for a good cause is now a nightmare – and all of the focus usually gets concentrated on the sponsor. The one person nominated to run this years fundraiser.
Fundraising is Good!
The first thing to remember is that fundraising is not evil. Most people: teachers, parents, and even many students, have become cynical or jaded about fundraising. This is because there have been a lot of really shady fundraisers in the past or fundraisers that have taken a lot of work but have made very little money for the cause. There are boxes of junk that people bought in fundraisers and never use. Parents have boxes of chocolates and candies that they have been obligated to buy.
Overall, fundraisers have historically been boring and not very productive.
Let’s focus on the purpose, because that is where many have gotten lost, they have strayed from the purpose. The purpose of a fundraiser is to raise money for a cause. Whether it is for the booster club for the football team to get new uniforms, or for the band to sponsor kids to camp, or for a trip to competition for the Latin Club. Fundraisers serve a higher purpose than putting a buck in someone’s pocket – they exist to help make good things happen.
“…fundraisers exist to make good things happen.”
To do so, a fundraiser needs two components. First, it must be interesting enough that a vast majority of the kids will participate. High participation includes many sales per student. You may have a great idea but if the student participation is low or the sales per student is low – you might not meet your fundraising goals. Second, the fundraising product should be profitable. By this, it is meant that the amount made per sale should be considerable. If a school pays $9 for a widget and the student sells it at $10 – the fundraiser only makes $1 per widget. This is not a very profitable margin.
How to Run a Successful Fundraiser
So for a fundraiser to be successful, it needs to have an awesome mission or purpose, great participation and good profitability. The mission should be internalized by the students and parents. This will make them become better at selling because their passion for the cause will show through. Some donors won’t care what product they get in return, they are happy just donating money to a great cause. Once the mission is internalized, a great product will help because it will increase participation rates. The product chosen should also have great margins so that the cause or charity is enriched and not a third party.
“internalizing a good cause can make anyone into a great salesperson”
Would you like a fundraiser that is truly fun, very profitable and has high participation rates? Would you like to participate in a program that is simple to administrate, easy to implement and can be started in as little as 10 days? imark Fundraising has great products that are highly desirable as well as highly profitable for schools, organizations and charities. Contact imark Fundraising today!
