efundraising has helped over 11,000 groups raise
over $70 million since 1991. Let Spirit Corner and efundraising Help You
Organize Your Next Fundraiser!
Below, you will find tips, tricks and techniques
to help you and your group have a well structured, successful and enjoyable
fundraising campaign.
FIRST STEP:
Determining Your Unique Fundraising Needs
- How much money does your group need
to raise?
- When are you planning on starting your
fundraiser?
- When do you need your funds?
- How many participants do you think will
be involved in the fundraiser?
- Do you have a volunteer base to help
organize and run the fundraiser?
- How important is the ease of administration?
- How would you rate the success of your
previous fundraiser?
SECOND STEP:
In this step determine which type of
fundraiser to use. There are several different types of fundraisers,
including fundraiser events such as auctions, and fundraising products like
candy or magazine sales. When deciding on which fundraiser is right for your
group, refer back to the Fundraising Checklist, then discuss with your
committee which programs appeal to them most and why.
You can increase
your fundraising results by utilizing a combination of fundraising products.
You can also combine products with an event, such as a car wash fundraiser, a
raffle or a spaghetti dinner. These are a lot of fun, and can help raise a
lot of cash as well. For instance, at your car wash or spaghetti dinner, you
can also sell brand name candy bars, like World's
Finest Chocolate.
When people are purchasing tickets to your event, you can ask: "Would you
like a chocolate bar with that?"
Scratch
Cards provide the highest level of profit
with the least amount of administration work on the part of the campaign organizer.
They are easy to sell and supporters get valuable brand name coupons for their
contribution. For example, a group of 100 motivated members can easily net $9000
in 15 days!
Magazines
are easy to sell because everyone reads magazines! And with the large variety
of magazine titles offered, your supporters will be glad to subscribe to their
favorite magazines while helping your group earn high profits. In addition,
our magazine program works in three different ways, so that you can reach the
maximum number of supporters across the United States, quickly and easily!
The online
magazine fundraiser is one fundraiser you can do all year long, 24 hours a day.
This online program will help you raise
more profits with less effort. Individual Accounts per team member can be set
up and be used for personal expenses such as camp and individual team expenses.
Chocolate
campaigns offer products with high brand
recognition. This makes the products very easy to sell. They have proven to
be very successful for many years and make for a fun campaign!
Gift
Brochures are the best way to raise money
without having to incur any financial risk for your school or group. This fundraiser
allows you to have the items pre-sold before you order them from eFundraising.com.
It's relatively more work due to the collection of orders, the distribution
of products, and dealing with returns, but Order-Taker Brochures are ideal for
financial risk-free fundraisers! Select your favorite brochure from the list
of exclusive and effective brochures offered by eFundraising.com!
PLANNING YOUR FUND RAISING CAMPAIGN:
Set an objective: The objective you set for your
group should include a financial figure, as well as a tangible element. For
example, a group must raise $2,000 to pay for new band equipment, as well as
travelling costs to the Annual Band Competition.
- Set a deadline:
Your campaign should run a maximum length of 1-2 weeks. Keeping the campaign
short will keep your participants motivated and on track.
- Know your group:
Knowing how many of your group members will be participating in the fundraiser
is important, since it will help you organize a selling strategy. This will
help determine which geographic area to be covered by the participants,
as well as the best time to solicit donations.
- Motivate your group:
It is important to maintain close and constant contact with your group members,
and to motivate and encourage them constantly. Being a positive role model
for the group is also important, not only in terms of how much money you
raise, but also in terms of how much time and effort you put into your fundraiser
to make it a success.
MANAGING YOUR FUNDRAISER:
- Delivery: Once
you have placed your order, allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
- Money collection: Members
should collect money when they take the order. Also, it is easier for the
campaign organizer to collect ONE check from each participant for the entire
sum of money collected, rather than several checks.
- Tallying and packing orders:
It is a good idea to solicit volunteers in advance to help with these tasks.
Appoint a chairperson to oversee and coordinate these activities. The chairperson
and each participant should ALWAYS check and double-check orders for errors.
INCENTIVE PRIZES:
Not all fundraising campaigns need additional
incentives to motivate the participants. If a baseball team needs to raise $75
per player to be able to participate in a tournament, the incentive is already
there. With many campaigns, however, this is not the case. The following are
some additional ideas intended to help motivate your participants.
- Individual completion prizes: Everyone
who sells a pre-determined minimum amount receives a cash prize, movie tickets,
or any other prize available.
- Best-seller prizes: Offer a prize
to the individual who raises the most money, or sells the most units.
- Draw prizes: Every participant who
sells a pre-determined minimum amount is entered into a drawing for cash
prizes or other merchandise.
- Intangible prizes: These are often
the most effective for the participants, and as a result, create the most
incentive. For example, have your coaches agree to coach a game in a silly
costume! Being creative in this aspect is important, and can help make your
fundraiser a true success.
TIPS FOR PARTICIPANTS:
The manner in which a potential donor is approached
may determine whether or not a donation will be made. Try this simple but effective
approach:
"Hello, my name is ____________, and I'm
raising money for ___________. Would you like to support our group by purchasing
___________? Thank you for your generosity, and have a nice day."
List as many potential donors as you can before
you begin approaching people for support. Start with family and friends, and
then proceed to your neighbors and other people whom you feel would be interested
in your cause.
Know why your group is holding the fundraiser,
and communicate this to potential donors. For example: "Our group is raising
money in order to finance our trip to the annual tournament."
Smile, be polite and most importantly, be enthusiastic
about your cause.
If possible, always carry your fundraising products
with you.
Want More INFO? You can Print
out a flyer to present to your Coach or Club by Clicking Here (pdf)
Or you can Sign
up for a FREE INFO KIT - Click Here
|