FastTrack Fundraising Tips and Articles

by Joe Garecht (http://thefundraisingauthority.com)

Fundraising for sports teams can be difficult… parents and other supporters are inundated with other fundraising efforts, from raising money for schools, churches and synagogues to competition from other sports programs, clubs, and activities that the children are involved with.  The key to increasing your sports program’s fundraising revenue is breaking through the clutter, and making a compelling case to your target audience.

Why Are You Fundraising?

When it comes to raising money, many sports programs focus on incentives for fundraisers, fun campaign kick-offs, and dire warnings about revenue shortfalls.  All of those things have their place, but what most sports program administrators forget is that what really sells your program… what really makes people want to open their wallets… is your mission!

What is it that makes your program different?  What sets you apart?  Those are the things that make your kids come to your program, and that will make their parents and friends support your organization financially, above and beyond membership dues.

Once you explain what sets your group apart, and why your mission matters, tell people why you need to fundraise.  If your program charges membership fees or dues for athletes who play on your teams, many parents may wonder why you need to raise money at all.  Be honest and tell them… If you need better equipment, if it costs a ton to keep your fields nice, if you’d like to add programs or scholarships or just keep general fees low… tell people.   Let them know: our mission matters, here’s why we’re different, here’s why we need the money.

This tip applies no matter what type of fundraising campaign you are running, even if it is selling a physical product like food, subscriptions, or gift items.

Tell and Show

Don’t stop there… once you have told your boosters why your mission matters, show them!  No amount of talking about your program’s benefits can match showing people why your organization is special.  For sports programs, that might mean holding a kick-off meeting where your athletes do a demonstration, inviting key donors to games, or putting together a short YouTube video of your players in action.  Tell them why your program matters, then show them that you’re telling the truth.

Market Your Effort

When you’re ready to start your fundraising campaign, don’t be afraid to aggressively market your effort.  While it is important to get your players involved, be sure to also go directly to parents (even if your players are in high school), and other boosters.  If your fundraising campaign makes it appropriate, do a mailing to local businesses, contact program alumni, and do a press release for the local paper.  The more people involved in raising funds for your sports group, the better chance you will have of meeting your fundraising goals.

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Joe Garecht is the editor of The Fundraising Authority, located on the web at http://www.TheFundraisingAuthority.com

by Joe Garecht (http://www.thefundraisingauthority.com)

Most non-public schools need to raise funds on a yearly basis, whether for general operating expenses, scholarships, special needs, or sports, clubs, and activities.  These yearly fundraising campaigns take any number of shapes, from product sales to fundraising events to straight fundraising appeals.  No matter what method your school chooses, chances are you will rely on volunteers to lead and run your effort.

Over the years, I’ve heard from many volunteer fundraising leaders who don’t know where to start in raising money for their child’s school.  After talking with the school’s administration, they feel like they are on their own, without a step by step guide for their efforts.  If you’re the school staff member serving as a liaison for these fundraising efforts, don’t leave your volunteers out in the cold.  Share with them these five steps for holding a successful school fundraiser:

1.  Choose Your Program

The school you are working with may or may not have chosen a fundraising program that they would like to use as part of your effort.  If they haven’t, it’ll be up to you to investigate your options and choose a program that will both work well for your particular school and provide a good return for your efforts. Your choices are endless, from selling chocolates or wrapping paper to doing fundraising mailings, holding an event, or simply gathering a team to make asks.  Don’t get bogged down deciding… investigate, choose, discuss your choice with the school to get their blessing, then get to work!

2.  Develop a Plan

Too many parent fundraising leaders make the mistake of starting a new campaign without making a plan – this is one of the biggest reasons why school fundraisers fail.  Before you begin, figure out how you’ll run your effort, what the costs and possible returns will be, what support systems will be needed for your volunteers, and how you will market the fundraising campaign.  Your best bet is to develop a short written fundraising plan before you begin.

3.  Choose Your Team

The people helping you on your effort can make or break your fundraising campaign.  Find other parents, teachers, and student leaders (if needed) who are willing to work hard and with a cheerful attitude to make your event or campaign succeed.

4.  Train Your Team

Next to the failure to write out a plan, a failure to properly train the fundraising team is the biggest reason why fundraisers fail.  Once you have your team in place, show them what needs to be done.  Tell them how to sell tickets, or magazines, or ask for donations… whatever your effort requires.  Answer their questions, and provide support to them throughout the fundraising campaign.

5.  Track Your Success

As you move from planning into the actual fundraising, constantly track what works and what doesn’t, who is raising money and who isn’t, which volunteers are working hard, and which aren’t.  Make adjustments midstream, if necessary, while adhering as closely as possible to the overall strategy you laid out in your plan.  Stay on top of your campaign so you can guide it to success.

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Joe Garecht is the editor of The Fundraising Authority, located on the web at http://thefundraisingauthority.com

Candy bars, caramel corn, baked goods, plants, cookies, magazines and specialty cheeses. If during the school year you hear a knock on your door, it’s entirely possible that you’ll find a student waiting outside, hawking one of these to raise money for school activities.

For some parents, that can lead to “fundraiser fatigue” — and the need to continually mobilize for new projects can take a lot of time.

“I hear it all the time — geez, not another one,” said Michelle Daniel, 45, who lives on Wausau’s east side.

With five boys, ranging in age from 8 to 18, and all of them involved in sports and extracurricular activities, it’s inevitable that Daniel and her family sometimes feel stretched a bit thin.

“There are some times I would rather say, ‘Tell me how much you need and I’ll write you a check,’” Daniel said.

That’s not because the family is so wealthy that they wouldn’t notice it, she said. It’s because of the time and effort that fundraising takes.

But with school budgets stretched tighter than ever, the fundraising burden on families and groups such as parent-teacher organizations is only likely to increase.

In 2005, the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors & Suppliers found that product fundraising nationwide accounted for $1.7 billion in school and youth group funding, with 83 percent of that money going to schools and school groups including PTOs. The survey also found that eight out of 10 respondents and nine out of 10 parents had bought something to support a school fundraiser.

At Wausau’s Riverview Elementary School, a “no fundraiser fundraiser” was in effect for several years, as parents were asked to donate money in lieu of fundraising efforts. Riverview Parent-Teacher Organization President Tara Parks said that approach worked well for a few years, but this year the group had to return to traditional fundraising efforts.

“The success of the no-fundraiser fundraiser had gone down drastically,” Parks said.

And she said the efforts fund important services, including supplies for teachers and for the computer lab, and money for a fifth-grade end-of-school-year trip.

“Sometimes fundraising gets a stigma,” Parks said. “When I was (a student) in band, I paid for trips to Washington, D.C., and New York by selling pizzas and magazines. Without fundraisers, I wouldn’t have gotten to go.”

Still, Parks said she had heard complaints from parents about the efforts being undertaken. At the same time, from the school district’s side, the need for fundraising has only grown.

In a nationwide survey in 2007, the National Association of Elementary School Principals found that 94 percent of school administrators rely on fundraisers to supplement district, state and federal money they receive.

It is easier to raise money when “you know what you’re fundraising for and can express that to people,” Daniel said. If the fundraiser money is going to new football helmets or wrestling mats, she said, that makes it easier for people to say yes than if it’s to be used for more general purposes.

While many parents approach coworkers and family members, some have few alternatives to canvassing neighbors.

“We have no family in town, so a lot of it is door-to-door,” Daniel said. “It ends up being a lot of the same neighborhood. … I buy from all the neighborhood kids also, because I know that they’re also buying from my kids.”

Ultimately, for Daniel as for most parents, the efforts are worthwhile.

“The benefits outweigh the negatives of fundraising,” Daniel said, citing statistics showing that kids involved in extracurricular activities do better in school. “We do what we have to do to keep the programs.”

The fact that there are so many students in a typical elementary or middle school creates the potential for huge sales and profits. But because there are so many students at one of these schools it can be hard to organize and control the results of such a large school fundraiser. All hope is not lost as there are three key elements to a school fundraiser that if monitored while planning for the sale, will all but guarantee that your fundraiser will be a huge success.

Communication!
Long before your school fundraiser gets started, things should be in place and ready to go for the big fundraiser kick off day. Probably the best thing that a PTA or PTO can do before the fundraiser ever gets started is to make sure that all the parents of the school children know that a fundraiser is about to happen BEFORE it happens. At least once and it is even better to do this twice, send a letter home with the students that tells the parents a little about the upcoming school fundraiser and why the school needs the funds. In any communications you do in this manner never forget to ask explicitly for their help and participation.

Build Excitement!
Have an assembly or rally to kick the fundraiser off. The fundraising chairperson can create excitement about the fundraiser. It is also great to discuss with the students what money is being raised 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 to “spread the word” about what the money is going to be used for. That is what the parent letter is for anyway.

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 all you do for a school fundraiser kickoff is show the prizes and hold up the fundraising brochure that the prize program “goes with,” you will have a perfect 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 some specific points about each of these 3 elements of a school fundraiser that warrant close attention. Most of the time it is a good idea to run your fundraising ideas by an experienced fundraising consultant and heed 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 profitable fundraiser. 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. Prizes are what drive school fundraisers. If you do the ordinary, ho-hum, regular prizes, you will end up with ordinary, ho-hum, regular results. This is why schools that make a change in their philosophy about prizes usually double or more their previous year’s sale. It is not the product, service or profit percentage that makes the difference… it’s the prizes.

By Juan Franco

The back to school season often means fundraisers are in full swing, whether they are for schools, clubs, sports teams, or scouts. And while students are encouraged to sell an assortment of products to people they know, a lot of moms and dads inevitably get pulled into the mix, hitting up co-workers and relatives for everything from wrapping paper to popcorn to cookie dough.

If fundraising season is in full swing at your house, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• These days just about every fundraiser for grade school students advises kids not to sell to strangers. That’s sound advice, but if your neighborhood is open to solicitations, you can still accompany your young scout or athlete doing door to door sales–but don’t have the kids solicit alone.

• Contact your local Publix to ask about scheduling a time to do fundraising. Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops can frequently be seen on weekends selling popcorn or Girl Scout cookies (you’ll have to wait until spring for those Thin Mints and Do-Si-Dos).

• While it’s tough to get younger kids to fully understand the purpose of fundraising, get them engaged in the process as much as possible. Have them ask Grandma and Grandpa if they would like to buy something from the latest fundraiser, and thank them for their support.

• If you take your kid’s fundraising forms to work, make sure that you are not violating any office policies. A lot of workplaces frown upon employees using e-mail lists for solicitations, so don’t run afoul of Human Resources.

• If you are permitted to bring fundraisers to work, ask your manager first, and set out any fundraising forms in a common area, like near the office coffee pot. Do not put the fundraising form in a folder with a routing slip and expect your co-workers to fill it out and forward it. The form could end up sitting on the desk of someone who had more important things to do and never make its way around the office. It’s important to make fundraising feel optional, not an obligation.

• Speaking of obligations, it’s best not to push fundraisers for your child in the workplace if you are the boss. Subordinates might feel pressured to buy something (even if they don’t admit it to you) and might mention it to HR if you work in a corporate environment.

• Don’t feel bad if you get turned down by close friends, neighbors or relatives this year. With the current recession, a lot of people are trying to save money any way they can. Besides, if there is one thing that’s certain about student fundraisers, it’s that there is always going to be another one next year.

For more info: Getting back into the back-to-school mode? Read the At-a-glance calendar for first semester and the Checklist for students and parents.

“Congratulations Ms. Cantsayno, you’ve been appointed fundraising chairperson. Your mission, should you decide to accept (and you will because we know that’s the kind of person you are) is to oversee our school’s fundraising activities. Good luck.” Do not panic. Fundraising is not for wimps. You’ll never hear Tom Cruise whine, “But…but…I’ve never done this before.” Now is the time for action. The following attack plan was developed with the fundraising rookie in mind in consultation with several experienced fundraisers. One word of caution: every fundraising program is different so the logistics can vary greatly. However, once you’ve selected a particular program and a professional company, your fundraising representative can help you map out the details.

6 Months Before

Step 1 – Set a Goal

No fundraising activity should be without purpose and that purpose should be one that everyone can support. Why do you need the money? How much money do you need? When setting the fundraising goal, be specific. Involve all interested parties in setting the goal and then make that the focus of your campaign from start to finish. If the goal is meaningful to school administrators, faculty, parents and children, your chances for success are greater.

Step 2 – Recruit a Committee
New fundraising chairs often try to do too much themselves rather than delegate. Recruit a team of three or four parent volunteers to help organize the activity and recruit any other needed volunteers. For example, assign one person to take care of publicity; two to handle money collection and record keeping; and another to manage delivery logistics.

Step 3 – Select a Company
Get this right and the rest should be a cakewalk (pardon the expression). Pare down your list to two or three companies and make appointments with each. Allow enough time (at least 45 minutes) for a proper presentation. Step 3 is not the place to skimp on time and effort. Competing companies will need to know your group’s financial goal; the number of potential participants and their ages; and any historical information you can provide (e.g. past fundraisers, participation levels, successes and failures).

You will need to learn from each of the companies you interview: § How long has the company been in business?

1. How many years of experience does the company representative have in fundraising?
2. Are the program’s product/s of high quality that the organization will be proud to stand behind?
3. What services are available to save you and your volunteers time and energy?
4. How will the program work? Are products paid for in advance or upon delivery?
5. Does the company understand and comply with your state sales tax laws? § How is safety addressed? Does the company discourage unsupervised door-to-door sales? Will adult supervision be stressed? How will these points be communicated to parents? Children?
6. What promotional assistance will the company provide? (kick-off assemblies; parent letters; posters; samples for display; etc.)
7. Is there an incentive or prize program? If so, who pays for it?
8. How are products shipped and when? Who pays the freight?
9. What is the policy regarding damaged or unsold product? What about back orders?
10. Will there be a written agreement?
11. Can the company provide references? (Be sure to call and check these references.)

Again, it’s important to remember that there are many types of fundraising programs. Not all of the above criteria may apply to your organization or the company with whom you choose to work.

Once you’ve selected the firm, set the dates and place them on a school or community activities calendar to avoid overlap within your own school or neighboring schools. Clear activities and crucial dates with appropriate officials (school principal, coaches, and custodians) to avoid conflicts with other events. Now relax for a few months

1 Month Before

Step 4 – Final Planning
Contact your fundraising representative and meet with your fundraising committee to review logistics. Make a list of materials that you’ll be responsible for and those that the company will supply. Determine how many adult volunteers you’ll need to execute the fundraiser at every step. Develop a master schedule of important dates for everyone to use as his or her blueprint. Include such details as: advance promotion (press releases, newsletter articles, billboards); arrival dates for company materials; kick-off activities with students/teachers/parents; deadlines for orders/money to be turned in; reminder notices/P.A. announcements; delivery of products and prizes; announcement of results to all participants; volunteer appreciation; and a wrap-up meeting to review the entire event. Let teachers know about the fundraiser so that they may incorporate it into their lesson plans.

1 to 2 Weeks Before

Step 5 – Advance Promotion
Send a flier home to parents announcing your fundraising goal and when they can expect to receive their fundraising packets/products. Put up posters around the school and post dates on the school billboard, web site and on the homework hotline. If an open house or parents meeting is scheduled, arrange a display with product samples from your fundraising project.

1 to 2 Days Before

Step 6 – Countdown
Touch base with fundraising company, school administrators and custodians to reconfirm logistics. Gather and sort the supplies you’ll need from the company. Check in with your committee and team leaders. Call volunteers to remind them of their responsibilities and when they’re needed. Post reminders to teachers, explaining procedures, reminding them of the goal.

D-Day
Step 7 – All Systems Go
This is when you start to congratulate yourself on all the careful planning. Kick-off activities, if scheduled, go off without a hitch. Appropriate materials finally go home to each family. If your particular event will last over a one- or two-week period, make your final preparations to motivate volunteers. Remind volunteers of important deadlines; the group’s ultimate goal and what progress has been made. Some families may jump right on the fundraising project, returning their order forms/money immediately. So it’s a good idea to review your process for order and money collection to ensure theseearly returns are accounted for. Likewise, now is the time to review your plans for product delivery first to your school and then to the end-user. Touch base with the fundraising company representative for an approximate date of delivery. Reconfirm availability of space with school officials. If parental pick-up is planned, begin scheduling times once a firm delivery date has been determined.

Step 8 – Product Delivery
Again, fundraising programs will vary widely. Sometimes products will go home with students. Sometimes parents will pick up the orders. There are some instances that the product may go directly to the end-user. Have enough volunteers on hand to handle products at the appropriate time, making sure there is someone to trouble-shoot missing orders. Forward appropriate paperwork (invoice, purchase orders) to your organization’s treasurer or bookkeeper to ensure prompt payment. Then, congratulate yourself again on yet another well-executed plan.

1 Month After

Step 9 – Evaluation
Did your group meet or exceed financial expectations? Are plans underway toward implementing the originally stated goal? (Is the new playground equipment on the way? Are the field trip plans complete?) Communicate the final fundraising results by P.A., billboards, newsletters, parent letters, etc., thanking participants for their support. Meet with your committee to review the entire activity and any notes taken along the way to identify improvements for next year. Provide an overall report to the school principal in a brief meeting. And provide your fundraising company representative with your feedback. Now you can proudly pass on your file and vast knowledge to the next, more fortunate fundraising chair, because … congratulations, Ms. Cantsayno, your successful fundraising efforts just landed you the position of incoming President.

Source: AFRDS

Elementary school children have plenty of enthusiasm and energy that needs to be released under careful supervision. One way to augment their determination is to encourage their involvement in school fundraising events. As children strive to complete every assigned task, they learn to cooperate with each other and develop a sense of responsibility. Teachers and parents participate in these events and provide appropriate guidance to ensure that the children complete their hard work safely and receive much emotional and psychological reward for it.

Sweets make an excellent fundraiser for elementary schools. Many companies have developed fundraising programs specifically for elementary schools, and you can find out relevant details by consulting their business representatives. Make sure that your selected company provides enough promotional materials for your school to distribute. Working with teachers and parents, you can further take the opportunity to educate children about sweets as “sometimes” foods that are consumed only on special occasions.

Perfumed candles and other decorative items, such as calendars and dishes featuring children’s art works, are also a good way for elementary schools to raise funds. Your selected company offers attractive brochures for families to browse through and place orders, providing ample opportunities for the children to utilize their talents. In return, the company gives a percentage of the raised money back to your school.

Finally, book fairs, sporting events and carnivals are great ways to raise funds for elementary schools. Because both parents and children are able to participate, these events can often attract large crowds and contribute much to your school’s fundraising and public relations efforts. Make sure that you invite local businesses, particularly the media, to participate, either as sponsors or to occupy stalls that promote their products and services. Much support can also be found in nearby preschool facilities and high schools.

Churches and religious groups need to raise funds in order to survive and continue serving their supporters. Like businesses large and small, the best way for churches and religious groups to improve their fundraising campaign is to create and promote their “brands”. To build a brand is to explain who you are and what you can do for those who have faith in you. It also helps establish a strong emotional bond between you and your supporters.

To further enhance such emotional bond, here are some useful ways in which churches and religious groups can express gratitude towards their supporters:

• Custom pewter medallions and coffee mugs, which can be crafted to showcase the representative image of your church or religious group and its specific message.
• Engraved or personalized bricks, which can be arranged around a special entryway or sidewalk. They can even be used in landscaping the building or garden of your church or religious group.
• Brass plagues and wall displays, which can be mounted against a polished wood backdrop in high-traffic areas for everyone to recognize the contributions of your supporters.
• Gift plants or memorial trees, which can be erected both indoors and outdoors. Gift plants are three-dimensional sculptures of plants whose leaves are engraved with the names of your supporters. Meanwhile, trees can live for years and help reinforce the bond between your church or religious group and its supporters.

Remember, there is no better way to thank your supporters by publicly recognizing their contributions. Indeed, all of us can do with some faith in certain power “behind the scenes” that sustains us through life’s hardships. Our faith enables us to appreciate the strengths of those around us. Only when we have faith in our fellow people can we have faith in this world.

Package your sunflowers into a Sunflower gram for extra value! Mothers will love that personal touch.

Things You’ll Need:

• Vase (optional)
• Mother’s day card or note
• 3-4 sunflowers for a bouquet, 1 sunflower for a single gram

Instructions

Step 1:

After ordering and receiving your sunflower fundraiser, select sunflowers that are able to hold their heads up with ease. Sunflowers have very heavy blooms, and older flowers will begin to droop on the stalk. You want to find those that stand tall and firm on their stems.

Step 2:

For  a single gram, take one flower and tie with a ribbon near the head of the flower, to create an impressive and cheery Mother’s Day gift.

For a bouquet, simply use three or four flowers.

Step 3 (optional):

Choose a tall, slim vase in which to package your gift of sunflowers if you would rather not sell them in a hand-held bouquet. Sunflowers are very top heavy, so make sure any vases you buy can hold the flowers steady (the water in the vase will help to stabilize it somewhat).

Step 4:

Attach a card that mentions the sunfloewrs with a ribbon to the stem on the bottom of the bouquet or the flower head. You can create a variety of card messages that supporters can choose from.  Sell each sunflower gram for $4.00 or a bouquet for $10.00.

The best type of fund raiser would be a party. Everyone loves a party. It is a way to unwind and have fun with friends. So for this, the organizers should choose a theme. After deciding on one theme, they should decide on a certain group of people they would want at that party as these people would want to be with other people whom they have something in common with. An example would be a party just for employees of a certain company. Another example would be a party just for bloggers. Only certified bloggers would be allowed to participate. This would ensure that the people would more or less know each other hence bringing together more people as it targets a certain audience.

The next thing would be to get a location for this party. It could be at an open air venue or a big function room. It would depend on the number of people the organizers are expecting to attend. After which they must find sponsors to be able to pay for the location and other expenses that might occur while planning this event. The sponsors will also pay for the costs of the sound systems and lighting systems as it is important that a party have a good lighting and music. Also check if you will be able to get disc jockeys or DJs to mix music for your party because that would add pizzazz to the whole event. If not ensure that you would have a good sound system that would produce good sounding music for the people.

As it is a party, it should be decided as to whether food and drinks will be free. If food and drinks will be free, it will definitely bring people flocking in. Freebies and raffles are also highly recommended to entice people to come. An example would be a free case of Coke for those who bring two more friends along. This would urge people to bring their friends along. It could also be done that free flowing drinks will be given instead of food and drinks. But do check out the age range of the crowd that you would want attending your party. If you do have a party with free flowing drinks, it might be advisable that this party be for people of a certain age only. You can also opt to have a limited amount of food and drinks to be able to cater to both needs of the group. Just make sure you take into consideration the type of group you would want at your fundraiser.

The costs of the tickets should just be at a minimum level in order to make people want to go. If it were too pricey, they will opt to not go instead of spending such a big amount. This sort of event could be advertised through flyers. It is highly advisable to get volunteers to go around selling tickets to different people. Also send out mass electronic mails (emails) to friends to urge them to attend and bring other friends.