All schools need money to fund classroom supplies and extra curricular projects. Fundraising is an essential process for the majority of classrooms, but many people just don’t know where to start. The key to a school fundraiser is having a timeline and sticking to it. Having a timeline is essential to planning and executing a successful school fundraiser.

Before you even start, make sure that you are prepared. Preparation is an important step in the fundraising process. Set a start date for your fundraiser and take steps to ensure that it starts on time. This includes, but is not limited to, gathering your volunteers, alerting the community, and voicing your cause. Depending on the form of your fundraiser, these steps will vary. For example, there is nothing worse than not having your lollipops in stock when your lollipop fundraiser begins. Remember to make sure both the volunteers and possible donors are aware of when your fundraiser begins. This will give your fundraiser the extra kick it needs, as well as boosting morale.

The middle of your fundraising campaign is usually the most crucial. At this point, many fundraisers start to lose steam for one of two reasons:

· -       -The novelty has worn off. Initial donors have already made their contribution and the beginning rush has stopped.

· -       - Potential donors are waiting until the end of the fundraiser to make their contribution. Procrastination is part of human nature, and as such, many donors will wait until the last minute to make their contribution.

During this period, it is a good idea to have preset benchmarks and goals so that those involved, volunteers and potential donors alike, have an idea of what the fundraiser has accomplished so far. Take this time to relay information regarding the progress of the fundraiser to your volunteers. Keep your volunteers involved in the process. This is also an opportune time to rebroadcast your cause. Let the community know what they have accomplished so far and they will be more likely to respond. The key here is to involve the community and make them feel like their contributions make a difference. Plus, people will be more likely to contribute when they can identify where their money is actually going.

Finally, you must set an appropriate end date to your school fundraiser. When taking into consideration how long your fundraiser should last, remember that it should be long enough so that all potential donors have the opportunity to contribute, but not so long that the community grows callous to your cause. Having an effective deadline helps volunteers and potential donors in that they are now able to visualize a clear end to the fundraiser. Having an end to your fundraiser is of great importance. Towards the end, it will generate a sense of urgency which should spur donations in the last stretch of the race.

Follow all these tips when scheduling your next school fundraiser and it should go off without a hitch.