Fundraising
Success!
By
Kimberly Reynolds
2005 Edition
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Table Of Contents
To jump to a particular section, click on the page number to the right:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I
DEDICATION
III
FOREWORD
IV
THE 30,000 FOOT VIEW
1
GROUND LEVEL VIEW
11
GETTING STARTED
19
SELECTING THE RIGHT FUNDRAISER
26
THE BASICS
37
PREPARATION
47
GOAL SETTING
59
USING A CONSULTANT
65
ASKING FOR IT
71
IMMEDIATE DELIVERY SALES
79
CATALOG SALES
86
EVENT-BASED FUNDRAISERS
94
WILD & CRAZY IDEAS
105
THE BEST SELLERS
112
COMMON MISTAKES
120
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PUBLICITY
132
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
138
COMMUNICATION
140
MERCHANT PLAN
146
CHECKLISTS
159
RECORD KEEPING
163
SAFETY
167
SALES TECHNIQUES
170
SALES SCRIPTS
175
INCENTIVES & REWARDS
182
101 TIPS & TECHNIQUES
188
WEBSITE BENEFITS
207
FUNDRAISING FOLLOW-UPS
214
FUNDRAISER RATINGS
216
THE RATINGS LIST
223
SUPPLIER PROFILES
232
SUPPLIER CROSS-REFERENCE
233
PARTING THOUGHTS
234
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to my mother, Anne Carroll, who was an Executive
Director for the United Way for a number of years. She took great pride in
knowing that her work helped change people’s lives for the better.
I’d also like to say thanks to my husband for all the research help, editing
assistance, and format suggestions. Kudos to everyone who read the draft
versions and suggested changes or provided extra insight.
This book probably won’t change your life, but I can assure you that the ideas
and the techniques contained within these pages will most definitely bring you
fundraising success.
Kimberly Reynolds
March 2002
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Foreword
Whew! Four months of effort and the book is finally completed. Time to wind
down and write the introduction. I’m sitting here in my home office amazed at
just how huge Fundraising Success has become. If someone had told me when I
started the project that it would eventually grow to more than 800 pages of
reference material, then I probably wouldn’t have begun.
Now, my capable support staff is winding down as well. My Chief Editor, O’Dude
the Cat, is curled up in my lap, taking a much-needed break from putting kitty
paws on the keyboard when I least expect it. My Chief Investigator, Mad Muffin
the Wonder Pup, is snoring softly at my feet, exhausted from running in circles
chasing down the facts. Her paws twitch slightly as she dreams of having even
more fun in the front yard.
Over at his desk, the Chief Researcher, my husband, mumbles under his breath
as he profiles yet another supplier. Choice words evidence his disdain for those
who don’t provide full contact information on their websites, likening them to
mystery merchants. Other things like useless graphics and annoying pop-up
windows always get him going. “Don’t these people know what they’re doing to
potential customers?” is a common refrain. Best not disturb him until he gets it
all out of his system.
I’m thinking back to where all of this got started. My husband and I were talking
about how to pass on to others all the things we’ve learned about fundraising
over the years. We’ve both been active at this for decades and were constantly
amazed at how many fundraisers didn’t know all the secrets.
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I guess you can’t really call them secrets because many of them are common
sense. Better to think of them as tips and techniques on how to be successful in
the business of fundraising.
Make no mistake about it though; raising money is a business endeavor. Those
that are successful have these things in common – everything is well planned,
written instructions are given, there is a surplus of willing volunteers, the
deliverables are high quality, the proper emphasis is placed on maximizing the
revenue, and their supporters are happy to help.
Think about your own situation for a moment. When someone says - “It’s time to
get started on the fundraiser” - what comes to mind? Is it a sense of anticipation
about hitting up your family, friends, and coworkers for yet another cycle of
raising funds? Sure, it’s all for a good cause, but there are thousands of good
causes.
Why should yours be any different? Why should those same people hand over
their dollars to you and support your cause year after year? What if you could
offer something that people wanted; something they’re already spending money
on; even without it being for a good cause?
We all have something of a philanthropist inside. A good cause gets our
attention, a cute kid selling cookies or gift wrap tugs at us and makes us want to
say yes. Now, in your mind’s eye, attach something really useful and desirable
to that cute kid ringing the doorbell.
As a mom, a fundraising coordinator, a grade parent, an active PTA member,
and a softie who can’t say no to any kid ringing my doorbell, I’ve had plenty of
first-hand and second-hand experience with fundraisers. With six kids between
us, both my husband and I have been involved with various fundraising efforts for
the last quarter century.
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We’ve been supporters, volunteers, youth coaches, organizers, and leaders.
Interestingly, both sets of our parents were also heavily involved with fundraising
activities as well. My mother worked for the United Way for a number of years
while my husband’s father was Little League Commissioner in his hometown.
Both of us got plenty of firsthand experience even as kids.
So, we’ve been in your shoes and we know what most fundraisers are like.
Same old, same old. Not only are most of them repetitive and dull, they’re a lot
of hard work because no one’s thought everything through. The good news is –
there is a better way to fundraise!
It’s true that some of the standard fundraisers that have worked well in the past
will continue to work just fine in the future. In this book, I do not suggest that all
the gift-wrap catalogs and candy bar offers belong in the trash.
I do suggest, however, that there are dozens of better ideas that either offer a
more profitable alternative or provide a way to supplement a standard program.
That adds up to higher net profits per fundraising effort, assuming that the
planning and execution are handled correctly.
Back to my original statement about what comes to mind when someone says “It’s time to get started on the fundraiser.” The PTA, the school band, the
cheerleading squad, the church youth group, it’s always the same. What are we
going to do this year and how should we get started?
There was never a central repository of information from which to start, aside
from defaulting to “Let’s do the same one that we did last year.” Not a whole lot
of thought went into planning, research, trying new ideas, or even improving the
old ones. People would even become offended if you mentioned there was a
better way.
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Does this sound familiar? Are you tired of spending hours searching for new
fundraising ideas? Are you looking for ways to improve the net results of any
fundraiser? Thought about trying to find alternate suppliers of similar products
for price comparisons? Ever bemoan the lack of a centralized place where nonprofits could share experiences? Tired of reinventing the wheel?
Well this book, along with the Fundraiser Help web site, is your solution. We’ve
covered it all and we’ll continue to update the web site with even more tips &
techniques in the future. Take some time, get organized, make a plan, work your
plan, and launch your fundraising results to new heights.
This book will take you from start to finish through everything you need to know
about being a successful fundraiser. It will help you maximize the results of your
efforts. After all, if you are going to do it, be sure to get the most out of it.
When I say, “get the most out of it,” I mean getting the most:

from your own efforts

from your fellow fundraising volunteers

from the participants in your fundraiser

from your supporters and customers

from the philanthropic experience itself

and, most importantly, getting the best results
There’s a strong emphasis on selling in this book; but after all, isn’t fundraising
selling your organization’s need for additional funding to as many potential
supporters as possible? I have a salesperson’s blood. I sold high technology
with tech stalwarts such as Dell and Cisco for fourteen years before fulfilling my
dream of working from home by writing a fundraising how-to book.
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I hope you get as much out of reading this book as I did out of writing it. Please
take the time to e-mail any comments or suggestions to the contact mailboxes
listed on the Fundraiser Help website.
Best wishes on your fundraising success,
Kimberly Reynolds
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Fundraising Success!
The 30,000 Foot View
The 30,000 Foot View
"Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility... in the
final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have... is the ability
to take on responsibility."
- Michael Korda
Let’s start with the big picture, or as I like to call it, the 30,000-foot view.
Nationally, fundraisers by schools and other non-profit organizations were
responsible for more than $5 billion in revenue in 2004, not including capital
campaigns. Overall, charitable giving topped $125 billion.
While that seems like a lot, retail sales exceeded $4 trillion in 2004. The
consumption portion of spending by businesses and consumers within the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) exceeded $2.5 trillion. Obviously, fundraising is a drop
in a bucket compared to the ocean of economic activity in the United States.
What if your fundraiser could tap a bigger portion of that economic activity? Why
shouldn’t it? We’ll start that process by examining the nature of fundraising.
What is a fundraiser?
A fundraiser is a coordinated group effort to solicit supplemental funding from the
community, usually in exchange for something of value.
The four main types of fundraisers
They are: 1) direct sales of products with immediate delivery; 2) direct sales of
products with delayed delivery; 3) special event fundraisers; and 4) donation
solicitation. This book focuses primarily on fundraising through direct sales
activities and events, but much of this material also correlates with coordinating
the solicitation of donations.
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Fundraising Success!
The 30,000 Foot View
Direct sales with immediate delivery
This is a one-stop type of fundraiser with all sales being “cash and carry.”
Product is distributed to all participants ahead of time and sales are concluded on
the spot. The variety of products is necessarily limited to what’s easily carried
and what’s easy to sell. Net proceeds must take into account the cost of unsold
returns from individual participants. Many items come in case quantities and
partial returns are not accepted.
Direct sales with delayed delivery
This is a “two-stop” (or sometimes more) fundraiser with sales being booked from
a brochure or catalog. It involves more work for the organizers, but usually much
larger revenue is generated. Product is delivered several weeks after the order
is placed and payment for it is received. There are a tremendous variety of
product offerings available. Risk is minimal because all sales are pre-paid.
Special events
These are usually short term programs involving a theme, a sponsor, a carnival,
a raffle, a car wash, a bake sale, etc. Often simple in what they offer, they are
very effective for smaller needs. They can also be more elaborate, sometimes
including a combination of special events into one night or weekend. Wild and
crazy ideas will often stimulate higher participation.
Soliciting donations
Here there is nothing to sell but the needs and the cause of the organization.
Such funding requests are usually most effective if made in person or to a select
group of supporters. The most successful capital campaigns focus on the upper
strata of the giving pyramid, individuals who can give amounts larger than the
annual salaries of 98% of the population. Smaller pledge amounts are solicited
through direct contact, direct mail, e-mail, newsletters, publicity, or telethons.
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The 30,000 Foot View
Don’t forget the newcomer
Having a web site that generates funds for you by participating with on-line
shopping affiliate programs is the Internet age way to raise funds. This type of
fundraising often involves receiving rebates or getting back a percentage of
revenue from your supplier. They can also involve ongoing catalog sales or
running a store from your web site with drop shipments from a supplier.
What are your objectives?
To be successful, you need to have a clear understanding of what your overall
objectives are and how you are going to achieve them. It is very important to be
realistic in your objectives, yet not settle for less than the best results possible.
Your fundraising approach should closely match the long-term goals and
fundamental tenets of your organization. Assess your present situation carefully
and identify specific, concrete needs to link to your fundraising activities.
For instance, say that you are interested in raising funds for a youth sports group
to cover the travel costs to a championship tournament. Your primary supporters
are the parents of the children involved and most of the sales will result from their
interactions with friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Make sure that each
participant communicates the message of “raising funds for championship travel”
when they approach a possible supporter.
The fundraiser you choose should also respect the value of those relationships
and give reasonable value in exchange for the funds requested. If your offering
is low in perceived value, then your key participants risk alienating their group of
contacts. Selling items that have a higher perceived value will provide more
revenue in the long-term and generate additional goodwill for your organization.
A fair statement would be that most groups seek to offer good value to their
customers while generating the largest possible amount of retained profits per
customer and per seller. Sales of inexpensive items such as candy bars require
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The 30,000 Foot View
a much larger number of individual sales transactions to achieve the same
results as higher priced offerings such as discount cards or music CD’s.
The importance of the right offering
Many organizations will return to their community several times a year with new
fundraising campaigns. Prospective buyers rightly expect to get something of
reasonable value in exchange for their contribution.
If the perceived value is low, or if a previous experience with your organization
was less than rewarding, then the prospective contributor will be reluctant to
participate again. If your group is selling primarily to family friends, neighbors, or
adult coworkers, then the parents (your key participants) will also feel awkward
about promoting this low value type of fundraising activity.
The importance of getting your message across
A successful fundraiser is one that clearly communicates the reason why funds
are being raised. Make sure that the who, what, when, where, why, and how of
your fundraiser gets out to the community. Revenue will be greater if every
prospect knows the reason why you’re raising money. Provide a clear, concise
goal so that your participants have no trouble communicating the need and
asking people to help meet that need.
Your message needs to be specific, not general in nature. It should detail why
the fundraiser is being done and it should make them want to help. For example,
which of these messages has more motivational power?
“We’re doing a band fundraiser. Would you like to buy something?” Or, “Our
school band has earned the right to compete in the regionals. Can you help us
because we have to pay our own way?”
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Does it feel right to everyone involved?
It’s very important that all participants in a fundraiser feel good about what they
are doing. Attitude and perception are significant factors in the success of your
endeavor. Maximum results are achieved through full participation of everyone
involved.
Elements of a successful fundraiser
There are too many to list here, but dozens of them are well covered in the
chapters that follow. Most importantly, it’s critical to have strong leadership for
your fundraiser. Be sure that your chairperson has the time, energy, and
personality to drive your sales efforts to the limit.
Your group also needs to select the best, most appropriate fundraiser and be
well organized to execute successfully on each major step. Good
communication is essential, particularly the instructions given to your
participants.
Your sales group should rehearse their sales presentations in a role-playing
scenario at least twice before making actual sales calls. Every contact is
important and each one should be approached in a professional manner with
quality sales support materials that make decision-making a snap for each
prospect.
If your primary participants are kids, remember that many children are shy by
nature. When they are shy, they mumble, look at the ground, or forget what to
say. Obviously, you don’t want them to do that, but have you taken the time to
show and tell them how to do it right? If you haven’t, take the time to do so and
make it a priority. This is more fully addressed in Sales Scripts and Sales
Techniques.
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Fundraising Success!
The 30,000 Foot View
Have the right fundraiser
Choose what’s most appropriate for your target market. It will vastly increase
your retained earnings. Good value in products (perceived and actual) is a must
for successful long-term fundraising. Choose your offerings wisely and match
their price range with community demographics.
Be sure to track your achievements each time against previous fundraising
benchmarks. Keep good records over time of what works best so that others
who assume your role later will benefit from your experience.
Try newer items for fundraisers
Some of the new varieties of fundraising ideas that are becoming popular are
compilation (best of) CD’s, online shopping rebates, gift certificates to local and
national merchants, clothing catalogs, along with DVD’s and video movies.
These fundraisers offer the ability to tap into enormous pools of discretionary
spending. See the Section on Best Fundraising Ideas for more ideas.
Planning and coordination
This is essential for all group activities. Begin assigning roles and responsibilities
at least thirty days before your actual campaign begins and be sure to assign firm
timelines to every task. Assign team leaders right away and meet regularly with
your group or team leaders to ensure complete understanding of all relevant
details by the respective leaders.
Be organized
Lack of organization can and usually will cost your group money in extra costs.
Mistakes, lapses, oversights, misunderstandings with suppliers, order confusion,
and duplication will eat into your hard earned profits, so get organized early to
avoid them.
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The 30,000 Foot View
Adequate division of labor
A good rule of thumb is to allocate no more than fifteen hours of work to any
individual. It’s necessary to avoid resentment and burnout by people being
saddled with too many tasks. Other volunteer tasks can take much less time, but
are just as critical to your success. Be sure to offer these volunteer positions for
those who want to help, but don’t have as much time to offer. Consult the
Sections on Getting Started and Organization, and then make your
assignments accordingly.
Follow all laws
Make sure to follow all state, local, and federal tax laws pertaining to non-profit
fundraising. Consult the excellent content and constantly updated database at
www.fundraisetaxlaw.com.
Using a consultant
Professional fundraising consultants, also known as sales representatives, can
be a big help. If there’s no additional cost to your organization, I’d recommend
using one. Only the largest suppliers have field sales reps and they can provide
invaluable assistance, particularly if you lack experience. They can provide a
variety of choices, advice on what works elsewhere, help coordinate events, and
offer planning assistance. For more information, see the Section on Using A
Consultant.
Consider the competition
Other organizations supporting good causes are directly competing with your
organization. Emphasize in your communications to your participants (and
possibly in your sales script) what differentiates you from your competition.
Never say anything negative about any other group.
As an enthusiastic consumer of Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mints rule!), I know that
several Girl Scouts will approach me each year to buy cookies. I plan my buying
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Fundraising Success!
The 30,000 Foot View
accordingly and buy only a portion of my yearly cookie purchase from each Girl
Scout. Don’t do a cookie dough fundraiser when the Girl Scouts are actively
selling.
Similarly, try not to offer the same thing everyone else is. Otherwise, many
potential supporters will have committed to buying their gift wrap, for example,
from another organization. This is one of the main reasons why you want an
alternate or supplemental offering in your seller’s toolbox.
Other Considerations
There are many other considerations involved in fundraising, including the
benefits it provides for participants, what size revenue stream to tap, and how
selling higher-priced items takes only slightly more effort with much better results.
Fundraising provides benefits for participants:

Often first introduction to volunteer work

Sense of belonging to a greater group

Achieving goals through teamwork

Learn community service and other life lessons

Personal growth via helping others

Becoming a good citizen and making good choices

Reinforces positive behaviors such as selflessness

Active involvement lowers propensity for alcohol/drug use
Tap Bigger Revenue Streams
Your potential supporters spend money on both necessities and non-luxury
goods. Consider selling gift certificates for restaurants, groceries, gas,
entertainment, clothing, hardware, etc. The profit percentage is less, but if you
structure it right, everyone can be a supporter through their regular expenditures.
You can also offer these through your web site year round.
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The 30,000 Foot View
Sell Higher- Priced Items
They’ll net you more funds than lower priced items. Example: You’d have to sell
ten $1 candy bars to net the same amount as one $10 item such as a CD. Ask
yourself how many people will buy ten candy bars versus how many will buy one
or more CD’s. Don’t forget that almost all of your participants will be selling to
ten prospects or less.
Don’t waste your sales effort; focus on maximizing your results!
Points to remember

Sell what’s easy to sell

Make it easy to buy

Make product offerings easy to choose

Plan in detail to maximize revenues from each fundraising drive and each
sales opportunity within it.

Place a strong focus on looking at everything with an eye toward maximizing
your net profit.

Something new and different catches the attention better than SOSDY (same
old stuff, different year).

Consider offering items with broad appeal (multi-unit sales) such as those that
can be given as gifts – music CD’s, gift certificates, pizza cards, etc.

Catalog sales offer the biggest variety and the best chance for larger overall
dollar volume.
Make it timely
Selling gift-wrap in November is more effective than selling it in the spring.
Likewise, don’t sell cookie dough against Girl Scout Cookies. Chocolate in the
summertime is problematic. Don’t settle for less than the right mix of high quality
goods at the right prices (cost and retail), along with something new.
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The 30,000 Foot View
Always remember: Quality + variety + something new = better bottom line
Avoid doing too many fundraisers
Doing three major fundraisers along with some combination of service or special
event programs works well. Consider supplementing your major campaigns with
a “new product” catalog, even if you’re already planning a catalog sale anyway.
A second catalog offers additional purchase options and supplemental revenue
from each sales opportunity.
Guide to various fundraisers in this book
Each type of fundraiser is profiled in the Section entitled Fundraiser Ratings.
Information is provided to help you determine which fundraiser is right for your
organization. Fundraising is not just about the money-raising potential of a
particular type of program, it’s also about the impression left behind with your
supporters and the perception of your participants towards this type of
fundraising. You can’t please all the people all the time, but you can influence
participation levels and results.
Check for our Feel Good Rating ™. The rating summarizes how your
organization and target market will perceive a particular fundraiser and sums up
the overall impact of the program.
Our Feel Good Rating ™ reflects not only the net results, it also reflects the
goodwill generated, participation percentages, participant self-esteem,
willingness of volunteers, and community perceptions as well as participant
perceptions. Be sure to consult this benchmark when you’re weighing the pros
and cons of various types of fundraisers.
Be sure to consult our Supplier Cross-Reference Section at the back of the
book. Major suppliers are profiled in depth and are listed by category for ease of
use.
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Fundraising Success!
Ground Level View
Ground Level View
“To succeed, it is necessary to accept the world as it is and rise above it.”
- Michael Korda
Oh $&#^@! I Have to Organize A Fundraiser!
Don’t panic. You can do it! There’s plenty of great information in this book.
Check out the sample forms, checklists, plans, and job descriptions in the Value
Add section. Read the main sections to get a general feeling of all the different
possibilities and responsibilities. Avoid stress and begin here with the ground
level view.
De-stress the process:




Take a deep breath and relax
Develop a positive attitude (and a tough skin)
Organize your to-do list
Share the load with others
Failing to plan disappoints everyone
Last year, one of our PTA committees decided to do Teacher Appreciation Week
in February instead of the usual week in May. A good idea, since the end of the
school year can be very hectic for parent volunteers.
The problem was, no one was informed about the decision until the week before!
The following days were “fruit basket turnover” (as my mother used to call it.)
The grade parents, without ample time to prepare, did not have time to call for
volunteers to help.
Teacher Appreciation Week turned into a chore instead of what was intended: all
parents and students showing sincere appreciation for the work our teachers do.
Poor planning and communication resulted in poor execution.
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Fundraising Success!
Ground Level View
What’s Required:
Time
Determine how much time is needed for each task and plan accordingly. You’ll
be lost without a well thought out timetable. I can’t stress enough how important
it is to take the time to write out your plan and then work from it as you go.
Preparation
Make sure each step has been assessed and the right resources assigned.
There is no substitute for preparation. Write everything down once for your
annual plan and then follow your path to success.
Supervision
Every facet needs to be supervised, from publicity to sales to delivery. The
chairperson and team leaders should remember to delegate responsibility to
each sub-group leader and to maintain a clear vision of what’s needed to achieve
the goals.
Feedback
Keep an open mind to the concept of change and ask questions. Your best
sources of information are those who are directly interacting with your potential
customers along with the experienced veterans of previous fundraisers.
Internal Coordination
Efficiency gets better results. Review all of your distribution and communication
processes. Make sure that all materials reach the right hands in a timely
manner.
Execution
Maximize your fundraising results by flawlessly executing each step of the
process. When something goes wrong (and it will), take corrective action
immediately. Be sure to eliminate the root cause to avoid a recurrence.
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Fundraising Success!
Ground Level View
Selling
Decide ahead of time on the best sales contact method. Present that information
in the handout materials accompanying each sales package. Have a prepared
sales script for your participants to use. Make sure that your sellers know to
make a list of prospects and to rehearse their sales pitch several times.
Sales Rewards
Design your program with the appropriate level of reward for all participants. A
little reward can produce a lot of motivation. Be sure to set the initial reward level
low enough so that at least 50% of your sales force get a direct reward for
meeting the first level sales goal. Group awards will also stimulate additional
sales, but not as much as individual rewards.
Collecting Funds
Choose ahead of time whether your fundraiser will use prepayment with order or
collect upon delivery. Pre-payment is better for most fundraisers for many
reasons. It eliminates financial risks, simplifies delivery, and eliminates unsold
merchandise.
Sales Tax
Make sure your organization complies with all federal, state, and local tax
regulations. Just because your organization is tax exempt doesn’t necessarily
mean you don’t have to collect and remit state/local sales taxes. For more
information, see www.fundraisetaxlaw.org.
Tabulating
Collating all the sales results is a time consuming job. If possible, have each
group tabulate their results before forwarding their sales orders to the central
contact point. Be sure that each order is double-checked for accuracy before it is
forwarded.
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Fundraising Success!
Ground Level View
Keep Copies
Be sure to keep a copy of every order sheet and tally list. It greatly simplifies the
delivery process and provides a verification source to resolve any discrepancies
with both suppliers and customers. Use the copies to check off pre-sorted
deliveries.
Ordering
Placing your order with the supplier is an essential step where any mistakes
need to be caught before they become a public relations problem. All information
should be reviewed once more before the order is submitted. Attentive suppliers
will send you an order verification to double check your quantities and most will
list items by seller.
Payment
Your supplier will usually expect payment before the order ships to your
organization. Verify pricing and totals with your supplier before funds are sent.
Avoid discrepancies later by checking all details before signing a contract.
Sorting
Once your shipment has arrived, organizing the product for delivery is the largest
task for most catalog fundraisers. If possible, look for a supplier who will presort
your order and provide a computer printout. Otherwise, have all your group
leaders pitch in to help sort the merchandise into the individual orders. Never let
this task fall to only one or two people.
Delivery
All deliveries should be timely and error free. Make sure the right delivery
expectations are set by your sales organization and then meet them without
delay. Pick a supplier who provides advance notification of their delivery to you.
Turn your shipment around into sub-group and individual orders quickly.
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Returns
Ascertain what your suppliers return policies are before you finalize your choice
of suppliers and begin raising funds. Include that information in the sales packet
provided to your sales force so that all communications with your customers are
accurate. A satisfied customer is a repeat customer.
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. 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.
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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?
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Ground Level View
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.
Setting goals and deadlines
Do this well in advance, mapping out campaign timelines and strategies before
the school or fiscal year starts if possible. Your goals should be realistic and
based upon solid data from previous results. Take some time to think what extra
offerings you could add that would double the net proceeds from each customer.
Always have a hard deadline for the sales period to end, nothing more than 17
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Ground Level View
days. Seventeen days is two weeks plus an extra weekend, the prime selling
time.
Don’t forget to smell the roses
A well-planned and well-executed fundraiser will leave you time to bask in the
glory of your success. Remember to have fun and good luck!
"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting
otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."
- Theodore Rubin
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Getting Started
Getting Started
"There is no such thing as a long piece of work, except one that you dare
not start."
- Baudelaire
The first step is always the hardest. Before we begin, let’s back up for a moment
and look at the big picture. Here are some things to consider:
Who will do all the work?
What are you planning to sell?
When will your fundraiser take place?
Where does this fundraiser fit in the overall activities of your organization?
Why are you doing this particular fundraiser?
How will you organize everything that needs to be done?
After you’ve pondered the who, what, when, where, why and how of your efforts,
the realization dawns that a successful fundraising stuff involves a considerable
amount of organization and effort.
The best place to get started is at the beginning. Any homebuilder worth his salt
will tell you that a house is only as good as it’s foundation. In a fundraiser, that
foundation is your volunteer group.
Who will do all the work?
Build your organization
The first step to getting started is getting organized. Have a master plan mapped
out that identifies all key organizational needs. Building a strong organization
and not overloading your core group of volunteers are critical success factors.
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Getting Started
Get structured
Define your organizational structure. Clearly spell out roles and responsibilities
in writing. Amazingly enough, once these are written documents, they can be
used repeatedly on future fundraisers with only slight modifications. Sample
documents have been provided as part of this book to give you a head start on
how to proceed.
Go for experience
Rely on the experienced veterans to fill the key posts. Last year’s worker bees
can move up to chair different committees and handle more responsibility this
year.
Be proactive
Actively recruit volunteers from your potential supporters. Spell out what skills
are needed for each position. Make sure the job description includes an estimate
of how many hours this job will require.
Do a skills match
Look for people whose skills match up with the needed tasks. Example: Tap
someone with an accounting background or a person who’s balanced a cash
register to help tally your orders. They’ll have the eye for detail that’s needed.
Get a running start
Getting volunteers to sign up in advance is crucial. By having an organized
staffing plan already written out, you’ll be able to solicit the right type of help and
offer clearly defined requirements.
Let them know
People will be more likely to volunteer if they know what they’re signing up for
(e.g. a four-hour shift on a Saturday delivery day or a commitment for two
evenings of tallying orders.)
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Getting Started
What are you planning to sell?
Make the right choices
Choose a fundraiser by using the information in this book – see the Sections on
Fundraiser Ratings, The Best Sellers, Selecting the Right Fundraiser, etc.
Select the fundraiser that best meets your overall needs and your capabilities.
Once you’ve made your selection, be sure to select the best supplier of that type
of fundraiser. Easily check your potential suppliers by consulting the Supplier
Cross-Reference Section. Get the best prices by then looking up those
suppliers in the Section titled Supplier Profiles.
When will your fundraiser take place?
Start at the beginning
Start your process by creating a fundraising calendar for the entire year. Lay out
the year with a major fundraiser slotted for the fall and another for the spring.
Each one will have roughly a two-month block of time set aside for it.
You can also pencil in a smaller holiday fundraiser if desired. Give it a four to six
week block of time. Each specific fundraiser has its own unique aspects, but
most of the organizational timelines remain the same.
Avoid conflicts
Be sure when plugging in your dates that you avoid scheduling conflicts. Don’t
plan a school fundraiser that overlaps exam time or holiday breaks. Avoid setting
any distribution activities for days when school is out, the youth group is away on
a retreat, the team is playing in a tournament, and so on.
Create a specific timeline
Different types of fundraisers will have different timelines. The major variable is
the product delivery window. A fundraiser with products being delivered
immediately by the seller will therefore be much shorter than one where the
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Getting Started
product orders come in during a two week period and then product delivery is
one to three weeks later, followed by a few days of sorting and delivery.
Here are some approximate timelines:
Planning & organization – two weeks
Information dissemination & arrival of selling materials – one week
Selling period – two weeks for larger, shorter for smaller and for events
Order tally & remittance – one week to supplier’s hands
Waiting for shipment – one to three weeks
Shipping time, sorting, and delivering – one week
Calendar considerations
Don’t forget to include the timeline of when you actually need the money in your
planning decisions. Set the appropriate timeline for the fundraiser you’ve chosen
and plan ahead. Once the rough timeline is determined, you can get into the
nitty-gritty of getting started. See the Section entitled Getting Started.
Where does this fundraiser fit within the overall activities of your
organization?
Things to consider
How much time and effort will it take? What net results are expected? How
many fundraisers have you done so far this year and how many more do you
have planned for the rest of the year?
Is your group currently extremely busy with other activities or is this a down time
when having additional volunteers can make it a big success?
The type of fundraiser chosen will determine the principal places where sales are
made and products are delivered. If it’s a catalog sale, be sure to have space
reserved for organizing goods when they’re to be sorted for delivery.
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Getting Started
Make sure that space is available during the time you need it. For example, if
you will be using the gymnasium for sorting orders, be sure there’s not a game or
other activity scheduled there during that timeframe.
Why are you doing this particular fundraiser?
Be goal oriented
Set a realistic goal or set of goals. Determine in advance what your profit goal is
by benchmarking it against past experience and upon defined needs. Then set a
stretch goal for your organization and build your incentive plan toward that larger
goal.
Why a stretch goal
Years of technology sales taught me that the “salespeople” will come to see their
stretch goal as their actual goal so long as it is realistic and the reward is
appealing.
If you raised $5,000 last year, set a stretch goal of a 20% increase or an extra
$1,000. Have a big reward tied to achieving the stretch goal and smaller rewards
tied to a repetition of last year’s numbers.
Define need and communicate the need that this fundraiser will meet and
communicate that as the reason for this group effort. Send written
announcements to your participants stating what your goals are and incorporate
those into the sales script that you distribute with your sales materials.
People respond better to a request for help meeting a specific need versus a
general one. Think of your own experience as a customer. Did you buy an extra
item because it was for a good cause? How did you know it was for a good
cause? Because the seller gave you specific details that motivated you to help!
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Getting Started
For example, here are some reasons why fundraisers are done:

New equipment

Supplemental art supplies

Updates for a community center

Youth group retreat expenses

Upgrade playgrounds

Computers for the classrooms

Classroom supplies

Special event trips

Uniforms and sports equipment

Scholarships

Music program funding
Be sure to spread the word.
Publicity and communications are essential ingredients of a successful
fundraiser. Send a press release to your local paper and radio stations. Very
often, publicity for non-profit organizations is offered as a free service.
How will you organize everything that needs to be done?
Cover the basics
Organization depends on executing well on the basics. Get a detailed project
plan in place and work from it. Identify all the manpower requirements. Spell out
your action plan with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
Don’t assume anything
Never assume that anyone knows exactly what to do. Describing an action item
as, “It’s the same way we did it last year” just won’t work. What about all the
newcomers you’re recruiting that weren’t here last year?
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Getting Started
Communicate your needs
Staff all your needed positions by recruiting volunteers, not by waiting for them to
step forward on their own. Communicate clearly the organizational need and the
reason you’re raising funds. Volunteers are just like customers; you have to sell
them on the idea of helping your cause. Give them written job descriptions that
include an estimated time commitment.
Fundraiser type affects structure
When considering a fundraising category, choose one that will produce enough
profit to cover those needs. The type of fundraiser selected will certainly affect
your organizational structure. You’ll need more volunteers for catalog sales and
for big events than you will for an immediate sale fundraiser.
Decide about a consultant
Decide on whether or not to use a professional consultant. This decision is
dependent on what approach you take. For certain types of fundraisers, they can
provide valuable assistance. For other types, there is no need.
Summary
Make sure you take the time and place the right emphasis on maximizing your
results with the appropriate consideration of who, what, when, where, why and
how. It’s the basic starting point for all your planning and decision-making.
Once you’ve thought all that through, you’re ready to select the right fundraiser.
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
Selecting the Right Fundraiser
"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."
- Albert Einstein
Selecting the right fundraiser is the most important decision you’ll make. Among
the key factors are the timing of each fundraiser, the quality of the merchandise,
selling considerations, delivery considerations, and ultimately, the net profit to
your organization.
Think of yourself as running a small business building a reputation for innovation
and quality products. What are your financial goals versus expected unit volume
numbers, sales revenue versus profit percentage, quality of goods versus cost,
acceptable market price points, etc? If you think like a business leader, then
you’re on the right track.
First choose a type of fundraiser
There are different types of “best” fundraisers and you have to select what’s best
for your organization at this particular time. There are event-based fundraisers,
direct donation fundraisers, fundraisers with immediate product delivery and
fundraisers with delayed product delivery. The first decision you have to make is
on the fundraiser category, the fundraising supplier, and then the actual
fundraiser itself.
Decision factors
How do you make that decision? A professional fundraising consultant can often
help. You can also check the web, use personal contacts, review your group’s
past records, etc. Most importantly, I’ve included two forms with this book to help
you gather the information you need to make the right decision.
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
The first form is a simple survey that you can give to past organizers and other
key influencers such as local merchants and organizational leaders. It offers
clear choices to ease evaluation of replies. Print it out and get quality feedback
from your within and without your organization.
The second form is a spreadsheet for evaluating and ranking fundraisers. It
breaks the ranking criteria into categories with sub headings in text boxes across
the spreadsheet. Numerical rankings are assigned to what criteria are most
important to your group at this particular time for this fundraiser.
Things to consider when evaluating offerings:

Quality of the merchandise items offered

Quality of support materials provided such as catalogs

References of supplier

Availability of free sample kit

Service level of supplier such as pre-sorting goods, etc.

Hidden costs such as freight, paying for brochures, etc.

Hassle factors like replacement goods and refunds policies

Special delivery needs such as refrigeration for some foodstuffs

Specific needs of organization

Past performance
Seek wisdom from past experience
Results will vary with the amount of fundraisers done previously, number going
on at same time (yours and others), time of year, etc. Look at this fundraiser in
context of others – done this one before, done it every year, competing group just
did it, or our cheerleaders did this one before and it was a big hit.
Successful past fundraising ideas could and should be repeated, but remember
that your customer base is usually 80% to 90% the same year after year. Spice
it up; try something new and different.
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
Don’t overdo it
Keep your numbers to two major fundraisers, one in the fall and one in the spring
with a possible third one at pre-winter holiday time. Any others should be service
or event related like a carnival, a car wash, or an auction. These are usually
one-day events and don’t require the same level of support as a full-blown
fundraiser.
Beware of profit drains
Watch out for hidden costs when evaluating different plans. Consider things like
freight charges, return policy, freshness guarantee, or special needs during
delivery like refrigeration.
Break down your decision factors
Break your decision factors into major and minor categories. There are some
that are critical such as how much money you need to raise, how much time you
have to raise the money, and how many people you have to help reach the goal.
Other factors may only influence the decision such as your previous results,
community income level, and current enthusiasm level. For ideas on what’s
successful, see our Section called The Best Sellers.
Appropriate for your group
Lastly, if your fundraiser involves child participation, remember that kids will be
kids! Consider the age appropriateness of what they will be selling, where they
will be selling it, and the time they (and their parents) will have to spend to sell it.
While your primary effort is to sell the product and your organizational cause,
don’t forget other advantages of your sales force:

Kids are cute and people will buy from them.
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser

The guilt factor is real and should be used to its advantage. It’s hard to say
no to a kid.

Don’t let kids sell on the phone. You lose too much of your cute kid/guilt
factor advantage.

Don’t allow kids to sell door to door alone. See the Safety section.
Evaluation Criteria:
Let your goals be your guide
Your organization’s financial goals are the number one criteria for your fundraiser
selection. Be sure to select a fundraiser that will meet or exceed all of your
goals. Don’t settle for generating less than what your group needs just because
it’s the same fundraiser you’ve always done. Consider all the possibilities and do
the math first to narrow your choices to the most productive ones.
Revenue is king
Remember that higher revenue is directly related to a higher net. Maximize your
results by selling higher priced offerings or using a quality catalog that will inspire
a multiple item purchase. Make sure your fundraiser offerings focus on getting
the highest possible total sale from each customer.
Percentage to organization
Your gross margin is the percentage of the selling price that you get to keep. As
discussed previously, bigger is not necessarily better. Pick the right product and
make sure you’re getting the best percentage deal that you can. Don’t be afraid
to shop your business around to several suppliers. A bidding war can be a good
thing for your group.
Percentage isn’t everything
Percentage to organization is important (don’t get me wrong), but so is the
perception of the offering by both the potential buyer and the seller. A higher
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
percentage profit sometimes means either lower quality goods or overpriced
ones. The percentage doesn’t go in the bank, just the net results.
If your revenue per customer is lower due to poor quality or lessened reception,
then you’ve lost money, not made more. The bottom line is that extra profit
percentage points aren’t because one supplier is more generous than another.
Once everything is factored in, you’ll find that extra percentage is made up
somewhere along the line.
Net to organization
Revenue times percentage less expenses determines your net results. You want
to maximize your revenue to maximize your net. Be sure to get the lowest cost
on your product and watch out for hidden expenses. Get everything in writing up
front.
Work involved
Determine how much work a potential fundraiser will be. Sales with delayed
deliveries are more labor intensive than those with immediate deliveries. Heavier
items are also more work. Certain food items like cookie dough and cheesecake
may require special handling to keep them cold until they reach the customer.
Product quality
Top quality goods sell better, period. Inspect the sample items carefully for
flaws. Compare them with catalog/sales material descriptions. If they’re food
items, check the weights and the quality of the packaging. Freshness counts.
Price versus retail
How attractive is the unit price of the items being sold compared to comparable
items in nearby retailers. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and evaluate the
price points carefully. No one wants to overpay for something.
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
Ease of doing business
A reputable supplier should be easy to do business with. They should have an
800 number, fast turnaround on documents, quick delivery of samples, no upfront
monetary commitment, clear descriptions of all potential extra charges, and a
friendly attitude. Why do business with jerks?
Average unit price
Generally, a higher unit price will produce more revenue and a greater net to
your organization. A catalog of items with a high average price will do better
overall than a catalog of lower priced merchandise, within reason of course. You
need to be careful though that the supplier hasn’t inflated the average unit price
to an unrealistic level. Also, make sure that the product price points are
appropriate to your target market.
Variety or selection means more sales
A wider variety and better selection offers a greater likelihood a potential
customer will find one or more items that they want to buy. You’ve gone to a lot
of effort to put your fundraiser message in front of each prospect. Avoid
disappointing them by broadening your selection. Note: Too many products can
be confusing, so find a happy medium.
Caliber of supplier
A high quality supplier will focus on satisfying their customers to earn repeat
business. A supplier of shoddy merchandise knows you won’t be coming back
for more and acts accordingly. Look for Better Business Bureau affiliation and
membership in AFRDS. (Association of Fundraising Distributors and Suppliers)
Quality of support materials
Interview sales reps from suppliers. Ask for samples and compare to their
brochures. Be sure that the collateral materials that your sellers will show to
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
potential buyers are in color and that they contain appropriate descriptions that
are easy to read.
Ease of sale
The product selected for the fundraiser should be an easy sale. You don’t want
to put your participants at a severe disadvantage with hard-to-sell goods.
Generally, high quality goods at attractive prices sell themselves.
Feel Good Rating
See our Section on Fundraiser Ratings. Each major type of fundraiser is
analyzed and ranked. A unique Feel Good Rating is assigned to each category
that reflects how your organization’s participants and supporters will most likely
feel about that particular style of fundraising.
Sales incentives provided
Check to see if sales incentives are included in the prices quoted. Net them out
if you don’t want them, but don’t forget their real purpose. Sales incentives exist
to motivate your sellers to do their best. Don’t put a disincentive program into
place. See the Section on Incentives and Rewards for more details.
Extra discounts and freebies
Always ask for extra discounts before you place your order. “Is that the best you
can do?” Just asking that question will often get you an extra few percentage
points. Also, find out if there are bonus offerings available based on the size of
your order. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know for sure that you got the best
price.
Packaging
Check the quality of packaging on sample products. Remember that your
customers are often repeat buyers on future fundraisers. Poor quality packaging
usually indicates poor quality merchandise. Also, the shipment packaging of
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
sample merchandise is often a true reflection of how well your actual shipment
will be packaged. Damaged goods can be a major headache.
Tallying orders
Check out all support materials in advance. How easy to tally are the supplier’s
order forms? Does the supplier provide an individual order tally sheet with each
lot being pre-sorted within the main shipment?
Displays and samples
You can’t always judge a book by its cover. Be sure to get samples of as much
of the catalog as the supplier will send. Find out if there’s a charge for it or if
there are free samples. Are there display materials available for items sold?
Check the quality of these and compare it to the comparably priced retail
equivalent.
Return Policy
Determine ahead of time what the return policies are. Are partially sold case lots
returnable? Is there a customer satisfaction guarantee? Are undelivered goods
returnable? Who pays the freight for the return?
Guarantees
What guarantees does the supplier offer on things such as damaged goods? Do
you have to pay in advance for replacement goods? Is there a customer
satisfaction guarantee on food items?
Turn around time on orders
Find out how quickly your potential supplier ships an average order. If the
timeframe quoted is one to three weeks, that’s about normal. Try to get a firm
timeline established ahead of time. Once you sign the agreement, you’re stuck
and your bargaining power is zilch. Pay careful attention to what their policy is
on backordered items.
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
Expedite charges
Get firm pricing upfront on what freight charges the supplier covers and what
constitutes an expedite charge payable by your organization. Be sure to get it in
writing if it’s not part of the supplier agreement.
Payment terms
Most items are paid for in advance. The reason for this is most fundraising
organizations are not businesses with credit histories and offices. Expect to pay
for all items before shipment, including any expedited last minute shipments.
References
A reputable supplier should have no problem supplying references upon request.
Most will have generic references posted on their web sites. Take the time to get
the numbers and verify results, problem resolution, quality of goods, etc. Always
ask if they’re still using them as a supplier.
How long in business
Longevity is often an important indicator of financial stability. If they haven’t been
in business for more than three years, ask for bank and/or trade references.
Shipping point
Find out where the supplier is shipping from and who pays the freight. If the
supplier quotes you FOB Destination, it means that you pay the freight.
Oftentimes, there is another supplier offering exactly the same product or catalog
with more favorable freight terms.
Problem escalation/resolution
Review all written statements from suppliers on how they handle the inevitable
snafus. Check the supplier’s references for information on how well they’ve
handled problems such as missing items, damaged goods, etc.
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Don’t forget to maximize your results
Remember that you can always use a supplemental catalog sale or any type of
discount card on top of any other fundraiser. Capture something for everyone
through offering something different like a pizza card after you’ve pitched your
regular items. These usually retail for $10 and cost as little as $2. That’s a great
percentage payout and has a different appeal than what you’re already offering.
Alternatively, you can offer a $10 discount card featuring local merchants that
might cost you $2 or less. If your sellers can add one of these to half their sales,
then you’ll enjoy a significantly higher net. Don’t forget that most of your sellers
will approach less than 10 prospects. Just be sure not to offer it until after your
regular fundraiser has been offered or you will just be taking revenue away from
your primary offering, not supplementing it.
Summary
In closing, when choosing the right fundraiser, be sure to weigh all the criteria.
Read the Section on the Best Sellers. Choose what will work best for your
group based on the results needed, resources available, and the size of your
group.
Equip your sales group with the right tools. Quality selling materials and a well
thought out sales script are essential components of a successful fundraiser.
Incent your participants in the most practical and effective manner. Keep the fun
involved, particularly with younger children.
Execute your organizational plan with an eye on maximizing revenue. Tally all
numbers twice and then check them again. If you’re delivering merchandise, be
sure to have enough help for the mission critical delivery day.
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Selecting The Right Fundraiser
When you’re finished, don’t forget to communicate your results and say thank
you to everyone involved, particularly your customers. Good luck!
"After the verb 'to Love,' 'to Help' is the most beautiful verb in the world."
- Bertha von Suttner
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The Basics
The Basics
“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
When you’re doing a fundraiser, you’re actually creating and running a small
business on a temporary basis. This section focuses on the basic operational
details of running a fundraiser – preparation, organization, and execution.
Preparation:
The first thing you need to do is to conduct an annual needs assessment of your
organization. Determine what your needs are and prioritize them. You can’t
raise money for everything at the same time. Link specific fundraisers to specific
needs.
Plan ahead
Many times, it’s nearly impossible to get organized while you are in the midst of a
large-scale fundraiser. Plan all aspects ahead of time in as much detail as
possible. That way you can get a head start on many time consuming tasks. I
relate this to having a few casseroles in the freezer just in case.
Define your ultimate objectives
Where do you want to be in six weeks? In six months? In a year? What are
your success criteria? Is it really just raising money? Are you building a stronger
organization going forward? What about strengthening your merchant ties and
increasing your community involvement?
Set goals
When was the last time you set detailed goals for anything besides revenue?
This time around, spell out how you’ll get there by defining what it takes in each
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category - participation, average unit price, average seller revenue, percentage
net, expenses, stretch goal, etc.
Break goals into subsections
Divide up the goals into smaller ones such as daily, per classroom, weekly,
percentage participation by sub group, etc. That way you can track all the trends
that spell success or disaster. See the Section on Record Keeping for more
insight.
Get input on goals
Make sure that your goals aren’t mandated solely from the top of your
organization. Use a survey form to gather input and suggestions. Hold informal
meetings where everyone is free to speak their mind. Brainstorming now may
prevent future Blamestorming when the going gets tough.
Your goals should be derived from those discussions, benchmarked against last
year’s results, based on current headcount, and reflective of any changes to that
headcount. The numbers should be linked to a specific need that your group is
trying to meet.
Type of fundraiser decision
Many factors affect the type of fundraiser that your group chooses to do. Product
sales are the biggest money raisers. Events are of shorter duration, but produce
lower revenue. Donations work best for causes or as a simple membership
vehicle.
Boost the gross to boost the net
Generally speaking, the higher the gross revenue, the higher the net proceeds to
your organization. So, if you want to maximize the amount your group raises,
then pick a product fundraiser that is suitable for a group your size. See the
Fundraiser Ratings for more information.
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Customer service
When choosing a company from among similar providers, don’t forget customer
service. Turnaround time on orders, return process, problem resolution, handling
of back orders, and ease of communication are all important aspects of how a
company does business.
Trust is important
Look for companies with a “value add” approach. Trust is important. Don’t lose
the trust of your customer base because you couldn’t trust your supplier to do the
right thing when a mistake is made.
Limit quantity and emphasize quality
Do only a few major fundraisers with quality items and offer appropriately priced
goods. Don’t ruin your reputation with shoddy merchandise to make a quick
buck. In the end, it will only hurt your organization.
Specify all dates
Every fundraiser should have a clear beginning and end date. Lengths will vary
based on the type of fundraiser you are conducting. Product sales are usually
10, 14, or 17 days in duration. If possible, slot each time span to provide multiple
weekends, which is when most of the actual selling takes place.
For event-based fundraisers, have backup dates in case of bad weather or
similar disruptions. Make sure that all dates are clearly communicated to all
participants and supporters.
Put it in writing
The more details about your fundraising efforts that are in writing, the fewer
instructions you’ll have to verbalize to your volunteers. Why waste time every
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fundraiser spelling out to all the newbies exactly what needs to be done? There
is a better way to go about this. It’s called being organized.
Here’s a list of documents to be assembled over time:
1. Goals – annual and specific to this fundraiser
2. Task Descriptions – job details, amount of work, hours, timing
3. Staff Plan – key positions defined
4. Sales Plan – have it written out along with sales scripts
5. Merchant Plan – ongoing development of business supporters
6. Delivery Plan – staffing requirements, special needs, contact info
Publicity
To be successful, you need to do advance promotion and publicity. Use
newsletters, flyers, posters, etc to get the word out into your community. If you
don’t take the time to create awareness of your offering, then the community
response will be lower by far.
Completed planning
Once you’re organized, everything on this final planning checklist should be
complete:
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Goals set
Positions defined
Assignments made
Roster of contacts/alternate contacts – phone, e-mail
Org chart completed
Responsibilities defined by individual
Correct # of volunteers for each step
Flyers designed and approved
Posters drawn
Timeline reviewed and verified
Logistics arranged
List of materials needed
Announcement dates set
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The master schedule and project plan should also be completed, specifying
the following:
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Start date
Deadlines
Ordering window
Drop-off points established
Delivery plans reviewed
Incentive awards defined
Appreciation ceremony set, if applicable
Wrap-up meeting set
Record keeping completion date
Organization:
Now that your preparation and planning are underway, you’re ready to get
organized. It’s surprisingly easy to do if you’re willing to make the right choices.
If you doubt the importance of being organized, consider this quote:
“A prudent person profits from personal experience, the wise one from the
experience of others.”
- Dr. Joseph Collins
Have only one boss
Things work best if you have only one person in charge. They can get input from
committees and other sources, but leave the ultimate decision making to the
chairperson of this fundraiser. Let them make the tough calls when needed and
delegate the rest, maintaining only managerial oversight while keeping an eye on
achieving the goal.
Imitate the military style of organization
Just like in the military, the troops do most of the work. The higher-ranking
officers’ role is to make the strategic command decisions and send out orders.
The lower ranks are tasked with carrying out those orders and leading by
example.
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Recruiting help
How to recruit enough adult volunteers is a common dilemma. You need to start
early. Consider a plan that gets dads, grandparents, and even older siblings
involved, and always offer details about what’s involved in terms of time and
labor. If people know the specifics of what they’re getting into, they’re more likely
to make a commitment than if they’re forced to make a leap into the great
unknown.
Division of labor
Be sure to break every area into manageable chunks. Don’t overload anyone.
That way your organization members and volunteers will return to help the next
time. Otherwise, you face a high turnover rate and a loss of valuable experience.
Buddy up
Use co-chairs for key roles with the junior one being groomed for taking the top
slot in the future. Employ the buddy system for double checks on form
completeness and order tallies. Be sure that two people count all funds received
in separate counts.
Keep a database
Maintain records of staff, volunteers, and merchant supporters. Keep adding to it
with good notes about skill sets and additional relationship information. For
example, if a dry cleaners gives you ten discount coupons to use to reward your
volunteers, make a note of it and ask afterwards if the merchant gained new
customers from it. Jot down referrals to other merchants, etc.
Motivate your volunteers
Enthusiasm is contagious. Make sure everyone knows what reaching the
organization’s goal will mean. Motivate your team by having each one take
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personal ownership of a piece of the group goal. Give the right rewards for a job
well done.
Recovery time
Organizations need recovery time between major fundraisers for volunteers,
community, and especially parents. Don’t ever do continuous fundraising. You’ll
wear out your volunteers and burn up your support base. Do major fundraisers
on a set schedule, do them right, and then take at least a month off.
Execution:
A successful marketing strategy involves being prepared, having a solid
organization behind you, and doing the best possible job of marketing and
delivering your product.
Define your core market
Focus first on your core market. Have each seller make a list of their best
prospects. Make sure that each seller is prepared with a sales script on what to
say and has TWO different offerings to promote. Have each team leader review
results with their sales team every few days.
Have a strategy
Strategize on how to get more customers. Work with merchants to put a sales
table outside their stores. Have a fast start sales bonus tied to hitting certain
goals the first weekend. Ask parents for ideas.
Give volunteers real responsibility
Let your volunteers run with the ball, but call and check in with them on a regular
basis. Knowing that you have confidence in them means a lot to most people.
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Use a four-letter word
Offer extra value above and beyond high-quality merchandise. Use a shocking
four-letter word in your fundraiser that’s guaranteed to get their attention. That
word is FREE. Your prospects will be more receptive to a pitch that has the word
free in it. Go the extra mile and give them something free like merchant coupons
and your group’s sales success will amaze you.
Kickoff meeting
Do a formal kickoff campaign to boost results. It increases both participation and
awareness of your specific goal. You need everyone on the same page as far as
understanding your specific goals and motivating your group to reach them.
Be prepared to sell
Equip your sales team to sell successfully. Make sure that they have high-quality
sales materials, understand their order forms, have a sales script to follow, and
are able to recite the specific reason for this fundraiser.
Focus on satisfying customers
Offer good products and do what you say you’re going to do. If you satisfy
people, they’ll buy from you year after year. Disappoint them and you’ve made it
easy to say no the next time around.
Don’t let problems fester. Communicate immediately with the customer if there’s
a problem. Work to find a solution that’s a win-win but remember that the
customer is always right. Bad word of mouth will kill your reputation.
Coordinate with other group activities
Check your planned dates against school calendar, with area competitors, and
against other important community events. Don’t set delivery day for right near a
holiday or where it might conflict with a sports team’s schedule.
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Don’t disrupt the classroom, organization, or workplace with fundraising activities.
Keep organization and sales campaigns within the appropriate bounds.
Delivery requirements differ
The two primary types of major fundraisers differ in product delivery. One has
the product in hand during a sales situation; the other is taking orders and
collecting funds in advance for future delivery of product.
Obviously, immediate delivery fundraisers have simple delivery logistics. Just
distribute the sales package to each seller, and then collect the cash and unsold
merchandise the next week. Consolidate leftover product and have a sidewalk
sale to move it quickly.
With catalog sales, the delivery process is more complicated. An incoming
delivery from a supplier may or may not be presorted. Some items like cases of
citrus fruit require heavy lifting. Others like cookie dough require refrigeration.
Christmas gift-wrap sales require tracking many small orders.
Have enough volunteers
Be sure to have enough volunteers to handle the delivery logistics. How many
and when you’ll need them will depend on the type of fundraiser. Know before
you start a fundraiser that you have enough help lined up to handle the delivery
needs.
Thank early and often
Always thank all participants – buyers, sellers, and volunteers. Celebrate group
achievements. Have a group potluck supper to present awards and certificates
of merit. Praise those who deserve it and let the others draw inspiration from a
peer recognition event.
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Record keeping
File all records where they can be retrieved when needed. It’s important to keep
them for tax purposes. They’re also helpful in determining what past results were
and what areas could be improved. Your successor will thank you for this!
Summary
The vast majority of Americans purchase multiple fundraising items each year. It
makes sense to be organized in order to get your fair share of that support. It
also makes sense to execute well on the basics in order to win the loyalty of your
supporters for future fundraising efforts.
Fundraising has a number of benefits. It promotes school/team spirit, community
involvement, and organizational skills. Fundraising fosters awareness within the
participants that effort and results are directly linked. This alone is a great lesson
to kids. By doing the basics right, you’re doing everyone a community service.
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Preparation
Preparation
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
- Benjamin Franklin
No matter what your resources, the key to fundraising success is to compose
and follow a plan of action. Your plan must be your own design. It must detail
how you will meet your specific needs and achieve your goals.
Your plan should identify and combat your weaknesses while leveraging your
strengths. It should contain specific timelines for addressing weaknesses and
implementing improvements. Your plan should also clearly define success from
your own perspective.
Advance preparation is crucial to your fundraising success. Besides deciding
what type of fundraiser you’re doing and getting the word out early, what else do
you need to do to prepare?
Quite a bit actually. Preparation involves thinking through all the various stages
of fundraising activity. Once you’ve thought everything through, you need to put
it in writing. That written documentation simplifies the process stages of your
fundraiser by providing clear and concise instructions on what to do.
Preparation includes:
1. Advance planning
2. Business focus
3. Written documentation
4. Recruiting volunteers
5. Personnel assignments
6. Communication process
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Advance planning
Goals and objectives
Your non-profit organization needs to define its objectives. Goals need to be set
both for the year and for specific events. Those topics are covered thoroughly in
the Sections on Goal Setting and Record Keeping. So, we’ll focus here on the
need to decide on certain timelines.
Set your annual schedule
First, you need a master schedule for the year. Each fundraiser has to have the
right amount of lead time, sales period, delivery, and wrap-up. Mark off three
sets of six-week blocks on your calendar. These will be the slots for your major
fundraising campaigns.
Coordinate these six-week blocks with other schedules – holidays, schools,
competing events, etc. Leave some recovery time in between each major
campaign so that you’re not doing continuous fundraising. Two weeks is the
bare minimum between finishing with one fundraiser and scheduling the
organizational planning session for the next one.
The type of fundraiser you select will affect certain variables like prep time, sales
period, and waiting for delivery. Don’t vary from using the six-week block of time
approach just because you're considering doing an immediate delivery sale or an
event-based fundraiser. Instead of trying to squeeze another fundraiser into the
schedule, use the time wisely to maximize your results instead.
Set fundraisers for specific time blocks
Once you’ve got the master schedule set, then focus on the individual six-week
blocks. Pick your three best fundraisers and match them with the slots, being
careful to optimize the fit. What do I mean by optimizing the fit?
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Consider a school’s annual fundraiser schedule. If the group is well organized,
the first six-week block can actually begin before school starts. Planning,
fundraiser selection, even ordering sales materials can all be completed before
the first day. Of course, that requires planning for next year before the end of the
current year.
Start early
Why do you want the early start? First of all, parents are more enthusiastic about
volunteering and supporting your cause at the start of the new school year than
they are at any other time. You “optimize the fit” by scheduling your first
fundraiser to leverage that enthusiasm and support. By planning ahead, you
could have a Classroom Computer Campaign making catalog sales during midSeptember.
Besides leveraging the new school year commitment level, starting early also
gives a bit of a breather to your students, parents, and volunteers. That’s
important before you begin conducting your largest fundraiser of the year. You
will also gain a better response for your big holiday fundraiser in the prime midNovember timeframe. You can use the in-between gap before Halloween for a
simple one-weekend event like Pumpkin Patch Kids.
The same logic also applies to the third of the six-week blocks. Your Spring
fundraiser can be positioned easily around Spring break, going before or after as
your specific schedule for that year dictates. Therefore, using an annual
planning methodology gives you the best chance for success by strategically
positioning your selling times for maximum participation.
Advance planning for a specific fundraiser
Once you’ve got your six-week blocks positioned properly within your annual
calendar, its time to focus on the specific timelines for each of the three major
fundraisers you’ve selected. Each timeline will set aside various amounts of time
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for the following components – planning, preparation, execution, delivery, and
wrap-up.
Planning
The planning is primarily completed in an outline form. Each fundraiser is a
subset of the annual plan. For each fundraiser, your organizational assignments
must be made, decisions reached, and an action plan finalized. Make sure this is
done first because failing to plan means planning to fail. Call this planning phase
week one of the six-week block.
Preparation
Preparation starts immediately after the first planning meeting. Sales materials
are ordered, publicity commences, volunteers are slotted, merchant supporters
are contacted, and specific written documentation is completed. Once all of
these are completed, you are ready to begin raising funds. Call this part of week
one along with a portion of week two in the six-week block.
Execution
The execution phase is the actual fundraising window. Your sales support
packages (brochures, catalogs, order forms) are handed off to your sales team
and the active part of the program is underway. Call this half of week two of the
block and continuing through the end of week four.
Tip: Always begin on a Thursday. This gives your sellers (and their parents) a
day to review the offering and to complete their prospect list. If your time window
is 17 days, it also gives you three weekends to conduct sales instead of the
standard two-week sales period. That’s the prime selling time; i.e. when most
supporters are easily accessible.
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Delivery
For most catalog sales, the delivery window takes up weeks four and five. All the
orders have been batched to the supplier and your group awaits delivery.
Results are tallied and when the product arrives, it is sorted for distribution. As
mentioned earlier, the actual time windows will shift depending on the type of
fundraiser selected, hence the need for specific plans for each fundraiser.
Wrap-up
The last week of the six-week block is usually devoted to the necessary follow-up
and record keeping tasks. Just because you’re “finished,” don’t skimp on these
areas. This is when you thank your supporters and analyze your results. When
you have all the facts, communicate your level of success to everyone and thank
them for their help. Don’t forget to prepare your recommendations for future
improvements. Remember to announce the results!
Planning saves time
In actuality, planning saves time and money in the long run. You schedule
effectively to work around holidays and other down times: thus preserving them
as actual breaks. This advance scheduling allows your group usage of the best
selling periods and maximizes your results.
Burnout is no longer an issue because you’re working smarter by not doing
continuous fundraising. Both your supporters and your sellers will thank you for
not asking them to do a fundraiser every month. Instead, you’re asking your
sellers to work smarter and maximize the revenue obtained from each supporter.
Variations
Obviously, there are variations in these timelines. Specific fundraisers have
flexible windows to perform the functions that vary between different types of
campaigns. For example, a fundraiser with immediate delivery wraps up quickly
because there are no deliveries to make. An event-based fundraiser will similarly
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Preparation
have a two-week period for preparation and interest creation with only a short
wrap-up afterwards.
Business focus
What’s involved
Setting realistic goals and breaking them down into areas of responsibility are
two extremely important areas of preparation. The best approach to these is to
run your fundraising efforts with a business focus.
Besides the need for planning that we’ve already covered, other aspects of
fundraising also lend themselves to a businesslike approach. The main ones are
supplier relationship, logistics, money handling, and partnership marketing.
Supplier relationship
Review the contract before signing up with your supplier. Make specific inquiries
about responsibilities, timelines, mistakes, freight, refunds, etc. Signing a
contract without fully understanding all the terms and conditions is a big mistake.
Those kinds of mistakes cause unforeseen expenses, customer complaints that
end up being resolved out of your profits, and a harried volunteer staff.
Logistics
Logistics is another area that needs careful attention. For things to go smoothly,
your organizational needs must be determined and responsibilities assigned
ahead of time. One example of this would be not having any refrigerated storage
ready for food items that require this type of special handling. Another example
would be not having enough volunteers scheduled for delivery day. A third would
be inadequate seating for a long auction event.
Money handling
When it comes to handling money, look at any business and you’ll see that they
are extremely careful about it. Safeguards are in place on bank accounts and
who is authorized to sign checks. Each day’s receipts are counted twice and
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Preparation
then put away for safekeeping until they can be deposited. Independent audits
are conducted to verify the accuracy of all financial records. Always keep a
sharp eye on cash receipts.
Partnership marketing
Businesses increase their sales by leveraging their marketing partners. Look at
any large business and you’ll see multiple sales channels and beneficial
relationships between different companies. Consider the way Starbucks and
other businesses are now being located at a corporate campus. Look at how
Baskin Robbins are often co-located with a Dunkin’ Doughnuts, or Burger King
and a gas station. Big corporations usually know a good thing when they see it.
Market your group and your fundraiser to the community in every possible way.
Look to leverage existing relationships within your volunteers and among existing
supporters.
In a fundraiser, these can include tapping a local printer for help, getting free tax
or accounting advise, getting advertising or free services from family-oriented
businesses, etc. Make sure they get something of value in return for their help.
Look to your community for other kinds of assistance and potential new sources
of support. Build a base of merchant partnerships by following the instructions
given in the Section titled Merchant Plan.
Written documentation
Importance of
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have written documentation for all
major organizational activities. Besides the annual plans and specific timelines
mentioned above, detailed plans and checklists make everything run smoothly.
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Preparation
Org chart & contact list
First, create an organization chart that delineates the chain of command and lists
all reporting relationships. Next, create a contact list that contains everyone’s
phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Distribute these to all organization
members and volunteers.
Keep contact info updated & visible
Remember to keep this contact information up-to-date as the year progresses.
Post them on your website, include the information in newsletters, and if
applicable keep them visible on a bulletin board.
Use calling trees
For each specific fundraiser, create unique calling trees that define two things.
The first is how to get information out to everyone involved in your fundraiser
including individual sellers, with any single person responsible for making no
more than six phone calls.
The second is providing an escalation path that gives each layer of the group one
person to call to find out information. This removes most of your communication
bottlenecks. It also avoids overloading one individual as the answer person.
Provide job descriptions
Written job descriptions are needed for each major position within your
organization and specifically for each fundraiser. This eliminates the need to
have outgoing chairpersons trying to verbalize the tasks involved, key contacts,
etc. Volunteers who have written instructions will ask fewer questions.
Documentation is also needed for every type of volunteer task. Improve
participation by having a one or two paragraph description that includes good
detail on what’s involved. Be sure to include a minimum time commitment each
position requires.
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Record assignments
Another specific document needed is a written record of assignments. That way
you’ll be able to find out at a glance whom is responsible for each functional area
of the latest fundraiser. It also helps for planning the next fundraiser, as you’ll
have a database of each volunteer’s experience level.
Merchant plan
A merchant plan is your best method for growing your business. Using a
carefully crafted strategy, you’ll focus on developing relationships, not on asking
for handouts. It takes longer to implement this approach, but it is infinitely more
valuable.
Your merchant plan not only needs to be written down, it needs to be tracked for
success. Keep records of which merchants are supporting your group and for
how long. See the Section titled Merchant Plan for complete details.
Use progress checklists
All of the checklists you’ll be using need to be hardcopy. The ones provided at
the Fundraiser Help members-only website include samples of:
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Picking a fundraiser
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Initial to-do’s
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Scheduling
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Final planning
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Organization
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Sales prep
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Order handling
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Delivery
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Final wrap
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For a more complete overview, see the Sections on Checklists and
Organization.
Recruiting volunteers
Start early
As previously discussed, to get enough volunteers you need to start early. The
best way to do that is by pre-recruiting them. In other words, go through last
year’s files and select the members that you think will be the most helpful. Have
each of them make a list of three to five potential volunteers and then instruct
them to invite each potential helper to the first meeting.
Create an easy sign-up checklist
Next, use your written job descriptions to create a checklist form that has clearly
defined positions and time requirements. At your first meeting, circulate a signup
sheet where volunteers can place their name and number next to the description
of a suitable position. There is never a better moment to recruit than at the first
meeting!
Our neighborhood swim team recruits volunteers in a surprisingly direct fashion.
In fact, if your child participates on the swim team, it is a requirement that the
parent sign up for at least two tasks, period. Now that’s volunteer recruiting at it’s
best. Certainly, this doesn’t work in many situations like in the public schools, but
use it if you can.
Recruit special skills
Don’t forget to actively recruit expertise for special areas. A marketing person for
your marketing plan, a sales person for your sales script, a bookkeeper for order
tallying, a business owner to head your merchant plan.
The bottom line is you can get more and better volunteers by being proactive and
by targeting specific skill sets.
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Personnel assignments
Get experience
You’ll want involvement from those with specific knowledge of what works. Rely
on your veterans from previous efforts, but don’t overload them or you’ll burn
them up at a rapid rate.
Build for the future
Key positions need experience, but strive to groom newcomers for the future as
well. Empower volunteers to make the right decisions and they’ll feel like they’re
making a difference. That empowerment will translate into a higher return rate
next year among your volunteer pool.
An example would be a customer satisfaction issue where someone received
some damaged goods. Any volunteer will tell you that they hate having to tell a
customer that they need to get a refund approved by a chairperson. Give them
the authority to set things right immediately. Your customers and volunteers will
be happier and both will be more likely to participate again.
Communication
Promote your cause
A good communication strategy is all about the promotion of your organization’s
cause within the community and within the organization. Your plan needs to
clearly define how information will flow.
Spread the word (and the work)
As we talked about before, set up calling trees, distribute master phone lists,
have a publicity coordinator, and have one person in charge of all flyers and
posters. Don’t forget to leverage your website as an information dissemination
tool. This will cut down on phone calls to handle, but don’t assume everyone has
easy access to the internet. Make it available through other means as well.
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Enthusiasm is contagious so, by all means, pick a communication leader who is
always upbeat. See the Section on Communication for a more in-depth review
of this vital topic.
Summary
Strive for continuous improvement every time you prepare to raise funds. Written
records allow you to define processes that will help you reach and exceed your
goals.
Look for synergy with other parts of the organization and community. Avoid any
conflicts with other scheduled activities. Always leverage community resources
to maximize your revenue and lower your costs.
Run your organization like a business. Delegate responsibilities by having
managers for each process and function. Have written plans for every aspect of
fundraising. Promote your cause with publicity and a merchant plan.
You’ll find that once you’re fully organized, you’ll wonder how you ever got
anything done with the old chaotic approach. Good preparation pays off with an
improved bottom line and that’s what fundraising success is all about.
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Goal Setting
Goal Setting
“Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of
ourselves – to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by today.”
- Stewart B. Johnson
When you’re doing a fundraiser, be sure to set the right goals. Be realistic in
setting your objectives. You need to be able to measure your progress and
ultimate attainment. When defining your baseline, the best numbers to rely on
are the historical data from your organization’s past efforts.
Use this past data to set a reasonable bar for success. Old records should have
information about participation levels, total sales volume, net to organization,
number of participants, etc. If no records are available, seek out anecdotal
information from old-timers. Also, if these records don’t exist, start keeping good
records now!
You can also check industry averages or consult a professional fundraiser for
additional details about local, state, and national benchmarks for reference
purposes.
Get agreement on the number
The next step in goal setting is to have a purpose that everyone can support. Be
specific about it and make it integral to all fundraising announcements. Then, set
a regular target and a stretch goal. Include an additional reward for everyone if
the stretch goal is reached.
Be sure to get the total group involved in setting the goals and make sure
everyone “buys in” to the numbers. If not, adjust them accordingly. It is far better
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Goal Setting
to hit the number than to fall short. Don’t disappoint your participants by setting
your targets and stretch goals too high.
Define your target
Define where your target should be by committing to matching last year’s
number. Add a small growth factor for the new target, say roughly a 10%
increase. Then set your stretch goal by adding 10% to 20% to your target. It’s
reachable, but it’s still a big stretch. Reward for stretching to new heights with
either a group reward or a unique attention getter such as the football coach
dressing like a clown for the day.
Analyze the trends
The next step is to break your goals down into subsections and measure the
relevant details. Here’s what you should be looking for in trend analysis:
Percentage participating
Compare what percentage of eligible participants actually contributed. Measure
volunteer commitment as well. A decline in either number indicates problems.
Participation by sub group
Measure this number to see which smaller units are improving or backsliding.
Design your program to reward high levels of participation. Put a plan in place to
reward good numbers at this sub-group level.
Number of individual sales
Benchmark your numbers based on the total number of actual sellers. Then
compare this year’s numbers with last year’ results. To avoid skewing the
numbers, look at the average number of sales per person as the baseline. Most
groups will have star performers and those that are “less than stellar.” Usually,
they average each other out, but be sure to keep this in mind when performing
certain calculations.
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Goal Setting
Average sales per participant
Once you’ve broken things down to the per person baseline, then get the next set
of numbers. You’ll need unit volume per seller, dollar volume per seller, average
sale per seller and average profit per sale. These are the best set of comparison
numbers for any type of analysis.
Number of unique customers
Another important set of measurements is the averages per customer. You need
to determine the total count of unique customers from a tabulation of order forms.
From that number, recalculate the unit volume, dollar volume, average sale, and
average profit on a per customer basis.
Number of volunteers
Review to find out how many helpers it took last year to get everything done. Try
to determine a total amount of volunteer time invested in the fundraiser. Make
that your final benchmark.
Compare the numbers
Once you’ve finished the full analysis of goal setting based on last year’s
numbers, you can then track this years attainments against those benchmarks.
You’ll be able to see what the results are per seller, per customer, and per
volunteer. Major changes in those numbers will usually pinpoint problem areas
that are hindering goal attainment. Have part of your plan focus on how to
bolster each of those numbers
Divide it up
Assign responsibility for hitting specific portions of the goal to all leaders. One
person should be responsible for ensuring the volunteer number is hit. Another
should be accountable for posting interim results about both the seller numbers
and the customer numbers with a motivational push to reach even higher.
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Goal Setting
Communicate the goals
Be sure the goals and the specific need are clearly communicated to all
participants. They must also be clearly expressed in your standard sales pitch.
See the Section on Sales Scripts for a sample, and a full breakdown of the sales
steps involved.
You’ll never hit your goals if:
They aren’t communicated correctly
Don’t expect miracles. People are motivated to succeed by believing in the
group goal. If they never hear what the goals are or get a commitment on what
the funds will be used for, effort will be less than optimal. Make sure that all the
leaders, participants, and buyers know what the group goal is. They also need to
know what this fundraiser’s purpose, or value proposition, is.
They aren’t understood
The group’s goals have to be firmly based in reality. If the leadership just picks a
number out of thin air, then the participants may not “buy in” completely to the
validity of the numbers and your results will suffer.
No one believes in them
Without this “buy in,” the emotional commitment to success does not take place.
If that connection is not made, then the participation percentages will drop.
Again, fewer sellers mean lower results.
They aren’t properly motivated
Part of the emotional connection to the goal is a personal incentive. When you
are setting your goals, link the rewards program to specific measurable
participation and attainment numbers. In the business world, which salespeople
usually outperform others? Those with a lucrative commission plan!
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Goal Setting
Your participants are ill equipped
In addition to the right attitude, the sales group must have the right products, the
right support materials, and the right sales scripts. Without all four, your group’s
chances of attaining your goals are remote at best.
You have the wrong fundraiser
Without the right products, all your work is weakened by a poor reception among
your supporters. Make sure that you have an offering that everyone feels good
about. For more information, see the section on Fundraiser Ratings.
Summary
You’ve got to have goals. That’s a given. They must be measurable and they
must be based upon past experience and industry standards.
You must communicate the goals, both target and stretch goal. The message to
your participants and supporters must clearly delineate the source of the actual
numbers (last year plus 20%) and state specifically what those funds will be
spent on.
Your participants must believe in the goals. That emotional commitment is what
fuels the drive for extraordinary achievement.
You have to measure progress toward those goals at the detail level as well as
macro level. That is, all the numbers must be divided into smaller units and the
actual sales results analyzed on a per customer and per seller basis. The
improvement of each subset of numbers defines true success.
Lastly, you must reward everyone for reaching the goals. Personal incentives
motivate your participants and your volunteers to make that extra effort. While
not everyone can receive a trophy or a prize, often praise for a job well done is a
meaningful reward.
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Goal Setting
When everything is done, the final results must be communicated back to
everyone involved. Copies should be retained with the fundraiser records for use
in benchmarking next year’s program.
If you’ve done a good job at goal setting, success is truly in your grasp.
"This one step -- choosing a goal and sticking to it -- changes everything."
- Scott Reed
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Using A Consultant
Using A Consultant
“The greatest thing a man can do in this world is to make the most possible
out of the stuff that has been given him. This is success, and there is no
other.”
- Orison Swett Marden
A professional fundraising consultant, also known as a sales representative, is a
resource many organizations should consider using, particularly if they’re trying
to maximize their results. If the price from his/her suppliers remains the same,
you are essentially getting free extra help.
What kind of value adds can you expect to get from a sales rep?
Wealth of experience
They have a knowledge base of what works and a deep understanding of
fundraising concerns. They know community tastes and preferences from other
sales they’ve worked on. Be sure to ask for references and check them out in
detail.
Extensive business contacts
Besides better promo assistance, a consultant often has a wide range of local
merchant ties. This can be a big help for maximizing your revenue through
prizes from local retailers or through having a sidewalk sale of your fundraiser
outside their business. There’s truth in the old saying that sometimes it’s not
what you know, but whom you know.
Record keeping
A sales rep will be familiar with his company’s forms and how they’re to be filled
out along with other paperwork procedures. Another set of eyes reviewing your
order is never a bad thing. They can also tell you how important it is to keep a
duplicate set of all your order forms for backup purposes.
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Closer contact with supplier
The rep will know whom to call at his company to get a quick answer. They can
provide more insight into real world delivery problems. When a glitch arises, it’s
handy to have someone nearby.
Single point of contact
Many large organizations are now moving towards having a single point of
contact with their suppliers. Since your organization is a small business itself,
isn’t it a good idea to take a page out of the major’s playbook? Besides, it’s the
rep’s job to help you with any questions or concerns.
Expedite problem resolution
Your fundraising consultant can help you out when there’s a problem (and
problems do arise) that you can’t easily resolve. Turnaround time and win/win
answers are important parts of providing customer satisfaction.
Samples and free merchandise
A good rep should be able to show you or ship you a sample kit. They should
also be able to get you supplemental merchandise along with a good-sized order.
Remember the magic question – “Is that the best you can do?”
Paperwork concerns
Often, they can provide you with samples of completed forms and tell you what
mistakes to avoid. Experience is the best teacher and they usually have plenty.
They can help with tallying orders by providing one more set of eyes to doublecheck.
Tax law knowledge
Your sales rep will have firsthand knowledge of local and state tax laws as they
apply to your organization. Non-profit concerns should consider the fact that in
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Using A Consultant
some states, “retail” sales to an end user are taxable. In other geographies, a
non-profit is exempt so long as none of the proceeds are used for personal
remuneration.
Financial stability and help
Presence of field sales support means that company is robust enough to afford to
provide extra help. Their availability can indicate a financially sound company.
Those suppliers generally have well-organized kickoff campaigns and
supplemental selling materials.
Good speakers to groups
They can help motivate your volunteers at a kickoff meeting if needed or be
present to add insight during a planning session. Suppliers also provide their
reps with extra kickoff materials and colorful posters to help promote the meeting.
Because they’ve done dozens of kickoff meetings, they’re relaxed and confident,
plus they’re a new face and that increases audience interest.
Help reduce workload
Another value add is that the services they provide save you time and money as
well as reducing volunteer burnout. Many times, a sales rep will have multiple
offerings from the same supplier. Other times, your rep might be a multi-supplier
or manufacturer’s rep. Both can provide valuable input.
Increased supplier responsiveness
A sales rep will often provide better follow up and follow through with the
supplier. Having one will Improve delivery communication (both ways) when you
need it most.
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Help with damaged or unsold product
This is always a sticky area and definitely one where having a local contact can
help. Because your relationship has a face-to-face component, help is more
likely to be provided when it’s a gray area of responsibility.
Commission concerns
Commission is a large part of the consultant’s pay. Building a clientele for repeat
business motivates them. Referrals, good word-of-mouth, and written references
are their livelihood. They’ll work hard to earn and keep your business.
A true value add - extra net profits
All told, using a sales consultant can make your organization more money than
going it alone. They can show you cost savings tips that you might not have
thought of yourself.
Committed to your success
A good rep will take personal responsibility for helping you conduct a successful
fundraiser. Believe it or not, there aren’t an unlimited number of customers for
them to replace you with. They’ll want to keep your business for the future.
There’s an old joke using farm animals as examples about the difference
between “being involved” versus “being committed” to an endeavor. When it
comes to breakfast, the chicken is involved by providing eggs. That’s pretty
good, but the pig is committed because he’s providing the bacon.
A good rep will be committed to your success because it’s their livelihood. If your
analysis shows that they’re not costing you anything extra on the price, then why
not use one?
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Reasons not to use a fundraising consultant:
If they cost you money
Make sure that you calculate that cost to the “net” results. If you find that the
cost of goods is higher for the same product, then by all means use another
supplier if there’s not enough extras to make it worthwhile.
Pricing concerns
Product isn’t any good or is overpriced. That would certainly be a problem, but
most companies are competitive and those with sales forces are doing greater
volumes than their internet-only or inside-sales-only competitors.
Personality conflict
If the rep is pushy, abrasive, unresponsive, or lacks knowledge; look elsewhere.
Don’t use a consultant if you don’t like them personally or you find them annoying
to be around. As a consumer, you buy from who you like don’t you?
Better offer
Don’t use one if you’ve gotten a better offer from another company (or another
consultant). Always act in your own best interest.
Not available
Some companies simply aren’t big enough to offer outside sales representatives
or consultants. Perhaps they have an inside sales office or a small customer
service center. If you are sure that the type of fundraiser and supplier you have
chosen is right for your needs, then use your common sense on this topic.
Summary
There are many benefits to using a fundraising consultant. When you are
choosing a fundraiser or selecting your supplier, weigh the benefits of having the
additional support. If you like the company and like its products, using their sales
rep is a natural fit.
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Using A Consultant
Many suppliers offer the same wholesaler’s product line via a customized
catalog. Some have sales reps and some don’t. If there is no extra value to be
obtained by using a company that provides a consultant, then don’t bother.
Make sure your decision gets you the best overall deal. Check the bottom line
for your specific fundraising needs, pick the supplier whose prices are best, and
don’t look back.
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Asking For It
Asking For It
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Oftentimes, a non-profit group will ask for donations via a direct solicitation.
There are literally dozens of books about this type of fundraising, so I’ve limited
this section to a simple overview of the basic types and a listing of common
mistakes to avoid. However, many of the other sections of this book such as
organizational topics apply to direct solicitation fundraising as well.
Think about doing something different than you’ve done in the past. Consider
doing an overlay on top of your donation request. For example, offer a reward
level item like a wall plaque or a personalized brick with capital campaign drives.
Don’t be afraid to vary your pitch from time to time. No one wants to hear the
same tune over and over again, so make sure your message changes with the
times.
The bottom line is: “You need to ask for donations, so why not do it right?”
Direct solicitation takes many forms:
Direct mail request
Fundraising letters are mailed to some combination of supporters, businesses,
residents, potential constituency, etc. Mailings can vary from a simple postcard
to an elaborately crafted, multi-page letter spelling out a group’s positions while
also supplying a donation envelope or postcard.
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Asking For It
Maximize results with this type of approach by focusing your efforts on building
(or buying) a database of potential supporters and directing your efforts at these
targets exclusively.
Personalized e-mail request
Similar to direct mail, a message is distributed to either a limited number of
previous supporters or to a qualified group of potential contributors. The best
messages are those that spell out a need, offer a solution of sorts, and create a
sense of urgency via a call to action.
Avoid sending unsolicited, generic e-mails to large groups of strangers (aka
spamming). Keep your e-mail lists private. Don’t provide “spam food” for others.
Donor list
This is the premier tool in direct solicitation. Building your donor list is the second
most important thing to do. The most important is to ask it to support your cause.
Remember the pyramid of donor potential and don’t waste your best prospects
with a phone call. Make the call to the wealthy only to set up an appointment to
discuss your group’s unique value and donor recognition program.
Phone solicitation
Like the other types of direct solicitation, work from a list of potential supporters,
not a telephone book. If you are light on names, consider swapping lists with an
organization of similar ideology.
Phone solicitation works best if you have a phone script, but only refer to it, don’t
read from it. Make the phone call a conversation while getting your message
across. Don’t try to force a pledge. Personally, I don’t like this form of
solicitation. To me, it’s just another telemarketer asking me to part with my
money.
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Asking For It
I receive an average of three telemarketing calls per day, usually at dinnertime or
kid’s bedtimes. None of these people have a relationship with me, nor will they
ever establish one through those methods.
Always work from a list of known supporters or from a list of people familiar with
your organization. Otherwise, you’re just another annoying telemarketer.
Group pledge drive
These involve getting people to sign pledges supporting a large cause from
within their own group. One example would be the United Way type of fundraiser
where an organization seeks pledges from amongst its members toward their
own group donation goal. Another would be a capital campaign for a new
building at a private school.
Personalized pledge drive
Here, someone is raising funds for self-promoted cause. Oftentimes, these
involve a individual raising money on their own to achieve a goal. Examples
would include someone soliciting funds for a self-rewarding event (pay for trip to
World Youth Congress, etc.) or an individual getting backers linked to a bigger
cause (pay ten cents a mile to back me in the bike-a-thon to help fund The
Special Olympics).
Voluntary network of supporters
The best way to a steady revenue stream is to build one of these. Often seen in
causes like public television or animal rights movements, they usually involve a
central rallying point with emotional significance. Your best source of new
volunteers is by asking your existing volunteers to recruit additional help.
Event sponsorship
This approach involves raising money by selling the rights to sponsor an event or
some portion of it. Sponsors receive signage rights, prominent mention in event
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literature, and many other forms of recognition. This is widespread in the sports
area and closely imitated elsewhere with many companies now sponsoring
things like charitable golf tournaments, etc.
Personal sponsorship within an event
A further subcategory involves sponsoring an individual while they participate in a
group fundraiser. These range from backing the efforts of a bicyclist within a
local MS event to participating in The March of Dimes. This approach works best
with either a noble cause, a challenge goal, or a strong personal connection.
Corporate donations
This involves approaching large companies either for group appeals or for a
straight donation to a cause. Many publicly traded corporations have a person or
department responsible for community giving and philanthropic efforts. Find out
who that person is and be prepared to tell them why your cause is worth their
time and money. Make sure you offer to include their company name in any
advertising or public acknowledgement.
Seeking grants
Usually, this involves writing a proposal and presenting it to a decision-maker for
approval. These grants could be from philanthropic groups, foundations,
corporations, or governmental bodies. Often, they are tied to clearly defined
expenditures or portions of an overall solution such as a grant for a new
computer system for an organization.
Auction of donated goods
Here, a group will raise money by asking supporters to donate items that can be
resold to other supporters or to the public. Items auctioned can range from fine
art to leftover clothes. This method works best when tied to an auction of an
“exclusive” nature with restricted access and where refreshments are served.
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Membership drives
This type of fundraising involves building a supporter base through signing up
new members and collecting dues. It’s used by organizations ranging from the
PTA to the NRA. Works best when tied to strongly supported group goals.
Consider small monthly dues with a discount for annual payment. Give visible
membership recognition such as bumper stickers, T-shirts, or member cards.
(Think merchant discounts on the back of the card.)
Door-to-door appeals
Neighborhood canvassing approach to fundraising. It works best if you’re either
a known local cause, part of a national or regional campaign, and can provide
documentation of your membership within a certain organization. Drawbacks
include resentment of intruders, laws against, permit requirements, and limited
success rates.
Media-based appeals
These can vary from appeals for disaster relief to telethons targeting specific
diseases. As with any fundraiser, the appeal must contain a call to action while
creating a sense of urgency. Strive to overcome inertia as well as objections.
Consider hiring a professional copywriter to craft the message to ensure getting
the maximum response.
Watch out for these common mistakes:
Wearing out your donor base
Hitting up the same group of people repeatedly without giving feedback on
previous results or accomplishments will have this effect. Avoid this problem by
communicating the need and how it was met through their generosity. For best
results, give specific results and mention tangible community benefits linked to
previous giving.
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Not expanding your donor base through community involvement
By working with other groups within your community, you expand your range of
potential supporters. Consider partnering with another organization whose
supporters will be likely to support your group as well. Be sure to add everyone
that you interact with to your contact database.
Not saying thank you
If people don’t feel appreciated, they are less likely to make a donation again in
the future. Take time to create a personalized message conveying your
appreciation. Thank your biggest donors in person or with an award.
Not giving feedback on results and what funds were used for
Make sure everyone knows that the goal was met, that it was exceeded, that “x”
benefits resulted from “y” contributions. Consider publishing a formal capital
campaign report. Don’t be afraid to provide full financial disclosure of your
organization’s results. Prominently feature your biggest contributors with a
profile, an interview, or other special recognition.
Not making them feel good for giving and want to continue to give
People not only want to be thanked; they want that appreciation to be known to
others. Publish your results in a nicely bound limited edition and distribute copies
to major donors with their thanks embossed in gold on the cover. Think of
another ongoing recognition method such as framed certificates of merit, pictures
of them accepting an award from your organization (ready for hanging in their
office of course.)
Not enough publicity
Make sure that your fundraiser gets media notice. Your donors will also like the
fact that others have heard of your program in the news. If your cause is worthy
of your time and other people’s money, isn’t it worth pursuing a bit of extra
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publicity? Take the time to issue press releases, contact radio stations, write
articles for the newspaper, and so on.
Not enough uniqueness
Define what sets your group apart from similar organizations. Get the message
across that your group has a valuable voice that needs to be heard in community
dialogue. If you are just like everyone else, then why should a donor be
interested in supporting you? Take the time to craft a mission statement that
speaks from the heart.
Growing stale in approach
Don’t be afraid to shake things up a little bit. It’s easy to ignore a group whose
fundraising technique is so basic and unvaried from year to year that they don’t
even have to open your letter to know what it says. Make the need more real by
making it vivid. Think of the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” and paint a picture of
how the world would be different without the efforts of your organization. Jimmy
Stewart would have been great as a fundraiser!
Not asking for it – the best time is right now!
Finally, the biggest mistake that many capital campaigns make is by not asking
for it. If you want monetary support, be bold and seek it out. If you don’t ask at
all, then you’ll never get what you want. Don’t shy away from approaching that
potential major donor because everything isn’t perfect in your pitch or your past
performance. Instead, make a list of potential objections and then write out the
answers to those roadblocks ahead of time. If you wait until everything is perfect,
someone else will have their ear (and their check) before you take action.
Summary
Don’t be afraid to ask. For a salesperson, the worst that can happen is hearing
“no.” For a direct solicitation, the worst that can happen is to actually “know.”
You’ll find out immediately if your potential supporter believes in you enough to
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support your cause. If their answer is no, work on honing your value proposition
and don’t be shy about asking fo referrals anyway. Ask for a “top this” challenge
letter to show others.
When you directly approach a person or an organization, you’ve at least created
or increased their personal awareness of your non-profit group and its goals. A
“know” may become a yes in the future.
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Immediate Delivery Sales
Immediate Delivery Sales
"I was taught very early that I would have to depend entirely upon myself;
that my future lay in my own hands."
- Darius Ogden Mills
A popular type of fundraiser is a product sale with immediate delivery. These
often take the form of a prepackaged box of candy bars with a low selling price.
The idea is that the sales process will be quick and easy while the group retains
roughly 50% of the total revenue. These are particularly popular with youth
sports organizations.
Advantages
One stop sale
These immediate delivery sales have several advantages. First, there is no need
for a return visit with a future deliverable. All sales are concluded on the spot,
which means that you’ll need fewer volunteers since all product is handed out at
the kickoff meeting.
Funds in hand
Second, all funds are collected immediately. That makes this style of fundraising
a perfect approach for a group that needs its funds quickly. Each transaction is
concluded and the money collected can be turned in regularly.
Easy to do
Third, it works well with a younger sales group because it’s relatively easy to do
and there is the immediate gratification of a quick sale. Therefore, kids regard
this type of selling as more fun than taking orders for future delivery.
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Immediate Delivery Sales
No order forms
Fourth, there are no complicated order forms to fill out and tally later. As a result,
organizational bookkeeping is straightforward.
Disadvantages
Limited selection
There are some disadvantages to this type of fundraising. First, selection is
usually limited to what the seller can comfortably carry. This limited selection
means that the items being sold might not appeal to everyone.
Low price points
Second, the items being sold are usually low dollar value merchandise, which in
turn places a strict upper limit on the funds raised per seller and per potential
supporter. Remember that the key to successful fundraising is maximizing your
revenue.
Returns
Another disadvantage of an immediate product sale type of fundraiser is that
there are often strict limitations on product returns. Products packaged for
immediate sale are usually in case quantities and no partial returns are allowed.
This means that an organization needs to consolidate their leftover inventory and
find a way to sell it quickly to get the best results.
Prepayment
One of the biggest disadvantages of these fundraisers is the requirement to
prepay the merchandise. Your group will need to have funds available to cover
the product costs ahead of time and then be paid back from the results.
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Immediate Delivery Sales
Need for an angel
Many times a smaller group will not have the necessary funds on hand and will
need an “angel” to pay for the merchandise themselves and be reimbursed later.
Not everyone wants to have 500 cases of candy on their credit card!
To recap, here are the pluses and minuses of immediate delivery sales:

Shorter timeframe to conclusion

Low item price means easy sales

One stop sale

No deliveries

Simple order tallying

Fun for younger sellers

Fewer volunteers needed

Lower revenue due to low prices

Net profit is less

Returns limited to whole cases

Upfront payment to supplier

Limited selection
Some examples of immediate delivery merchandise:
Candy
All the major candy companies have some type of fundraiser pack they make
available through distributors. Hershey, Nestle, and Mars all have case units of
their most popular candy available in either $0.50, $1, or $2 sizes.
Other popular candy items include gourmet lollipops and hard candy such as
Jolly Ranchers that don’t suffer from high temperatures the way chocolate does.
The big advantage here is selling a well-known product at near retail pricing.
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Immediate Delivery Sales
Discount certificate books
Almost every major fast food chain has some type of discount offer that they
make available to fundraisers. Of course, each local franchisee has to be
contacted for approval by the supplier for these to be made available in your
market.
Generally these certificates are good for “buy one get one free” type of offers.
The main advantage of this type of sale is a higher dollar sale based on the
perceived value of being able to use the certificates across a defined time period.
Discount cards
This product is an evolution of the discount certificate booklets into a wallet-sized
plastic card. The front of the card usually features your group logo and an
expiration date while the back details roughly a dozen merchant offers.
Sales are generally made with a supporting flyer providing details of the special
offers and extrapolating a dollar value based on repeat usage in a one year
period. These discount cards usually sell for $10, depending on the merchant’s
offers. They represent an easy way to raise significant amounts due to the high
revenue per participant.
Raffle tickets
Numbered tickets or scratch cards linked to a chance to win prizes are used to
obtain funds. Prizes can be a single large item such as a big screen television or
a medley of smaller items. The cost of the prizes is usually less than 50% of the
funds raised.
This approach needs to be checked for compliance with local laws. It also needs
a strong sales effort because net profits are those provided by the sales made
after the cost of prizes is covered.
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Immediate Delivery Sales
Many groups swear by the “big prize” approach with larger groups raffling off
such expensive merchandise as snowmobiles and automobiles. Proceed with
caution here. Make sure you will raise enough money to cover the cost of the
prize with money left over to keep.
Spirit merchandise
Popular with youth athletic groups, these sales feature items with the group’s
logo that can be used to show support for the team’s activity. Examples include
stadium cushions, drink cups, foam fingers, noisemakers, T-shirts, etc. These
are usually sold via a concession stand at events. Because of the high markup,
they can produce significant revenues to larger organizations over a season.
Here’s how to maximize your results:
Overlay with a supplement
If you’re doing a candy-based fundraiser, why not supplement it with a discount
card offering? Not everyone wants candy, but most people are interested in
saving money at participating merchants.
Fast food offers predominate in these cards, so families with children will
recognize the value. Many prospects will buy both the candy and the card so
your revenue will spike with the combined approach.
Organize well
Make sure your participants know what the group goal is as well as what their
own expected results should be. Run these programs for a two-week maximum.
Longer than that and sellers lose interest. Give feedback to the sellers on a
regular basis and have your calling tree monitor sales results at least twice a
week. Be sure to offer prizes to incent maximum effort.
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Immediate Delivery Sales
Sales Scripts
Give each seller a selling script detailing what to say (and what not to say). Don’t
expect everyone to be a natural salesperson. Give them the tools they need to
be successful. See the Section on Sales Scripts for details.
Quality goods
Offer name brand merchandise if possible. Be sure that your offering is priced
fairly. Would you want to buy it for that price? More people will buy if they
recognize the product as a good deal with a little extra markup built in. Given the
choice between a national brand and a generic brand for the same price, which
would you choose?
Summary
In conclusion, fundraising with immediate product delivery is a good fit for certain
situations, particularly those where you need to raise funds quickly and you don’t
have a large group of adult volunteers to help.
Boost your revenue by offering quality goods at fair prices and consider doing a
supplemental offering of a discount card or a pizza card at the same time. After
all, your sellers are already making the calls, so why not give them another
offering? If you do one type of fundraiser every year, consider selling something
different this time around.
Watch out for common mistakes like ending up with partially sold packages that
are not returnable or creating a low-end product sale that seem like drudgery to
your participants. Make it fun by offering items that are easy to sell due to brand
name recognition and fair pricing.
Maximize your results by selling higher ticket items such as discount cards
versus smaller revenue items like candy bars. Get the law of large numbers on
your side.
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Equip your sales force for success by providing well crafted sales scripts and
pitching bonus offers such as one discount card for $10 or two for $18. Any time
you can get extra revenue and profit from each customer with a quality product,
do it.
If you keep it fun for your participants, offer a good value to your customers, and
make a solid effort, you can expect excellent results.
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Catalog Sales
Catalog Sales
"Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for
yourself. It's what you do for others."
- Danny Thomas
The most popular type of fundraiser is the catalog sale. These involve having
your organization’s sellers present a catalog selection to each prospective
supporter. When orders are placed, they are tallied on the seller’s order form
and payment is collected in advance.
During a two week sales period, order forms are collected on a regular schedule
and funds turned in to the group’s leadership. When the sales period ends, the
group’s order is submitted to the supplier for future delivery to the customers via
the sales force or from a centralized pickup point.
Generally, the product being sold has a higher price range when compared to
immediate delivery fundraising products. In addition, the sales amount per
customer is higher because of the increased likelihood of multiple item
purchases. A catalog fundraiser might have an average sale per client of $20
compared to an average sale of $5 for a fundraiser based on immediate delivery
merchandise.
The selection is always much larger and it is usually geared toward adult
purchases. Items offered often include such gourmet food items as chocolate,
coffee, cheesecake, sauces, etc. Other popular items include fresh fruit, gift
wrap, candles, magazines, and music CD’s.
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Catalog Sales
Advantages
These catalog sales have several advantages. As mentioned previously, both
the unit prices and the average sale are higher than with immediate delivery
merchandise. This ensures that you will maximize your revenue from your pool
of supporters.
Secondly, all the items are paid for before you submit your order to your supplier.
That means that your group does not have to spend money to make money.
Third, since everything is ordered on a pre-paid basis, there is no unsold
inventory to worry about at the conclusion of your fundraiser.
Disadvantages
There are some disadvantages to this type of fundraising activity. First, all sales
have to be carefully tracked via individual orders to ensure that the right products
are ordered and delivered.
Second, the delivery process for a large catalog fundraiser presents manpower
and logistical challenges that can become quite daunting if you’re not well
organized.
Organizational bookkeeping is more complicated due to the variety of products
and the need to sort orders two ways (quantity of each item and total of each
order). Mistakes will crop up with order form errors, math blunders, bad checks,
etc. Each will require a volunteer’s time to correct the situation.
Hidden costs
There are sometimes hidden costs involved from freight shipments. Some
suppliers require a certain volume to get free freight. Others charge on expedite
fees. Logistical problems may arise when some products turn up backordered at
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Catalog Sales
inopportune times. Damaged goods can also create last minute problems whose
resolution requires expedited replacement merchandise.
Hassle factors
All in all, there are more headaches involved with doing a catalog sale than with
other types of fundraisers, but the financial rewards are also much greater. Be
sure to choose a supplier who provides good selling materials, quality
merchandise, excellent phone support, and clear order forms.
I never understood why an order form should contain extremely small row
heights for each order line. Never mind who writes that small, who can read it?
If you stay organized and stay focused, you’ll be successful.
To recap, here are the pluses and minuses of catalog sales:
Pluses:

Wide selection of products

Higher revenue due to higher prices and bigger sales

Net profit is greater

Returns are usually not a problem

All items are prepaid before you order them
Minuses:

Takes longer to conduct

Requires more selling effort

Most sales require two visits

Delivery challenges

Complicated order tallying

A bit more work for younger sellers

More volunteers needed
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Catalog Sales
Here are some examples of catalog sale merchandise:
Holiday gift wrap
Always a popular seller, holiday gift wrap keeps getting bigger and better every
year. Usually, the catalog offerings are a higher quality than found in the stores
and thereby justify their higher price. New styles and improved selection keep
regular customers returning year after year.
The main advantage of this type of fundraiser is that it leverages the holiday
season with a selection of old favorites. The products provide a 50% profit
margin and generate considerable revenue. This type of fundraiser, combined
with a catalog with holiday candy and nuts, should be one of your top three
choices.
Boxed candy
These gourmet candy packages sell well during cooler weather and excel during
the pre-Christmas season. Priced from $5 to $15 depending on size and
content, they offer customers a chance to indulge themselves for a worthy cause.
Attractively described and scrumptiously photographed, these items have a
strong pull on everyone with a sweet tooth. These provide an average of 40% to
50% profit combined with high sales volume.
Magazines
A simple catalog sale for a young group. National brands at reasonable prices
are usually coupled with a strong reward program. Works best in sales to
immediate family and close relatives, less well in adult workplace sales. Avoid
conducting in mid-winter when discount subscription offers flood the mail. This
offer is sometimes combined with cookbook offers as a supplemental sales item.
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Catalog Sales
Gourmet anything
There are so many gourmet offerings available; it would take a dozen pages to
describe them all. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve included the Section called
Supplier Cross-Reference in this book. You’ll find listings for everything from
sauces to relishes to coffee, all of which command premium prices.
Their novelty gives them a unique appeal and that sense of indulgence combined
with doing a good thing drives their sales volume. Consider these a good
supplement to any catalog sale and give them a place in your off season rotation
spot.
Music CD’s
This category has been growing in popularity in recent years. Some suppliers
offer Christian music while others provide children’s songs or music linked
specifically to band fundraising. Compilation CD’s, artist greatest hits, and
unique “best of” offerings are always good sellers.
These offer a 40% to 50% profit margin and offer strong unit pricing as well as
multiple purchases. They’ll produce strong profits close to the holiday season or
at anytime of the year. Be sure to pick a selection with a broad ranging appeal.
Gift certificates or scrip
Another new contender for a year-round fundraiser revenue king. These pay
anywhere from 3% to 20% profit, but make up for it with incredible volume.
These allow you to tap into the discretionary spending of your supporters by
offering such merchants as Blockbuster, Outback Steakhouse, KFC, Pizza Hut,
TCBY, Red Lobster, Chili’s, Applebee’s, Olive Garden, Barnes & Noble, The
Gap, TJ Maxx, Stein Mart, along with dozens of others.
When you combine that with offering them year round on a click-through basis on
your group’s website, you’ve got a new winner to add to your fundraising lineup.
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Catalog Sales
Premium steaks
This fundraiser is mouth watering and a snap to conduct. Sell from the catalog,
collect the money, and suppliers such as Omaha Steaks do the rest. All sales
are shipped directly to each customer, so there’s no deliveries to worry about.
These are a high-ticket item and sell best in affluent neighborhoods. Profit
margins average 25% to 30% with an average sale of $55. It’s a premium
fundraiser with premium results that works well with a supplemental offering like
a discount card for those who don’t want the meat items.
Other Seasonal Items:
If timed properly, seasonal fundraisers work well. Here’s a list of seasonal ideas:

Pumpkins

Christmas trees

Holiday luminaries

Wreaths and poinsettias

Easter Baskets/Spring Baskets

Blooming or gardening goods
Here’s how to maximize your results:
Overlay your catalog with a supplement
The concept here is no different than with immediate sale fundraisers. If you’re
doing a catalog-based fundraiser, why not supplement it with a discount card
offering? Not everyone will want the catalog items, but most people are
interested in saving money at participating local or national merchants.
Fast food “buy one & get something free” type offers predominate in these cards,
so families with children will recognize the value. Many prospects will buy both of
your group’s offerings and your revenue will spike with the combined approach.
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Catalog Sales
Remember to keep records of sales and profits by product so that next year, you
or your successor will know what worked best.
Organize well
Make sure your participants know what the group goal is as well as what their
own expected results should be. Run these programs for a two-week maximum.
Longer than that and sellers lose interest. Give feedback to the sellers on a
regular basis and have your calling tree monitor sales results at least twice a
week. Be sure to offer prizes to incent maximum effort.
Sales Scripts
Give each seller a selling script detailing what to say (and what not to say). Don’t
expect everyone to be a natural salesperson. Give them the tools they need to
be successful. Make sure they understand at least the basics of salesmanship.
Quality goods
Offer name brand merchandise if possible. Be sure that your offering is priced
fairly. Would you want to buy it for that price? More people will buy if they
recognize the product as a good deal with a little extra markup built in. Given the
choice between a national brand and a generic brand for the same price, which
would you choose?
Summary
In conclusion, fundraising with catalog sales is a good fit for most situations.
Boost your revenue by offering quality goods at fair prices and consider doing a
supplemental offering at the same time. If you’ve done the same type of
fundraiser every year, consider doing something different this time around.
Watch out for common mistakes like ending up with unsold merchandise, which
is not returnable, or by creating an endless product sale that seem like drudgery
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Catalog Sales
to your participants. Make it fun by offering items that are easy to sell because of
high quality, wide selection, and fair pricing.
Maximize your results by also selling higher priced items such as discount cards.
Equip your sales force for success by providing well crafted sales scripts and
bonus offers such as one discount card for $10 or two for $18. If you keep it fun
for your participants and offer good value to your customers, you can expect
excellent results with a solid effort.
Many organizations settle into a pattern of repeating the same catalog sale each
year because of its continued success. Oftentimes, a group will do a big catalog
sale in late fall featuring gift wrap and boxed candy items. Don’t forget that many
people won’t buy the same old thing each year or won’t buy as much of it.
Be sure to offer variety to get the best results. Think about equipping your sellers
with a second catalog or a fruit brochure to widen your appeal.
Lastly, make sure your catalogs always offer good entry points on the first two
pages. You want an initial buying decision to be made at first glance. A properly
positioned item offered at $5 or less breaks the ice and begins the buying
process. Once the initial buying resistance is overcome, it’s that much easier for
the customer to add several more items.
If you stay organized and stay focused, you’ll be successful.
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Event-Based Fundraisers
Event-Based Fundraisers
“You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it
come true. You may have to work for it, however.”
- Richard Bach
Event based fundraising is a time-tested method of getting your local community
involved with your organization via an invitation to participate in a special event.
These events can be anything from an auction to an athletic “competition” to a
merchandise style event or the more pedestrian car wash/bake sale.
The goal is to increase awareness of your group while raising the maximum
amount of funds possible in the shortest amount of time. Goals like that aren’t
easy to reach without the right preparation, organization, and execution.
Are you looking to develop a signature event for a large non-profit group or are
you looking to improve the results of this year’s bake sale? The key to remember
with event-based fundraisers is that advance publicity and building community
awareness of your event is the sales phase.
It all boils down to: “If you build it, make sure they come!”
Limited duration
Event based fundraisers have a limited duration by definition. Typically, they last
for one day as in a carnival, one evening as in a theme dinner, or one weekend
such as a Pumpkin Sale or a Christmas Tree Lot.
Mo’ Money?
If all goes well, your event based fundraiser should produce a high amount of
revenue in a short period of time. The preparation is not necessarily done in
such a short time, however! Make revenue grow year to year by “branding” your
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Event-Based Fundraisers
event. That is, choose an event that will be remembered, anticipated, and
eventually become associated with your organization.
Who’s buying what?
Your results will depend largely on who your “target audience” is, what would
they be willing to spend, and how many of them are willing to spend. The appeal
of your event will determine the answer to those. This is true whether you are
doing a car wash or a large scale, themed event. As I’ve said before and will say
several more times, use yourself as a litmus test. Would you pay that? Would
the people you know pay that? If the answer is “no,” rethink your offering.
Make results match the effort
Service events like a bake sale or car wash work well for very small groups. For
a large event such as a carnival day, the work load increases exponentially as
does the need for many volunteers. Often, the results are well worth the work,
but don’t forget planning extra ways to maximize revenue. Keep in mind that
larger events require a lot of telephone work, so plan and staff appropriately.
Selection criteria
Some of the criteria in selecting an event are: the amount of funds needed, any
unusual site considerations, potential participation, total attendance, amount of
work involved, whether or not to charge an event admission fee, and the
number/type of sources for items or services that will be provided.
Don’t forget to overlay
Events are a great opportunity to do an overlay fundraiser. Sell the last of your
boxed candy that didn’t move, assuming your timing is right and it’s still fresh.
Price it attractively so you won’t be stuck with any leftovers. If it still doesn’t sell,
use it as prizes for other activities at your event.
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What’s a good overlay?
Sell spirit merchandise or discount cards at your event. You have a captive
audience, so take advantage of it. A side table offering pizza cards always
opens the purse strings. What family can resist 26 free pizzas for $10? Offer
refreshments that are appropriate to the event and the audience.
Be organized
As with all other types of fundraisers, execution hinges on getting the most from
your organization’s members and supporters. Be sure to have written task
descriptions and don’t overwork anyone. You’ll get more help if any one job is
not a mountain of work, so use a divide and conquer strategy.
Post and distribute a list of positions and their attendant skill sets and time
commitments well in advance of the event. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone
and ask for help to fill every position. The written task descriptions will ensure
that every volunteer knows their job requirements and is prepared to carry them
out. Restrict your senior leadership to supervising versus doing everything
themselves. That way everyone will be fresh on the big day.
To recap, here are the pluses and minuses of event based fundraising:

Limited duration

High revenue in short period of time

Can build a “branded” event that works every year

Results are dependent on “who,” “what,” and “how many”

Service events work well for very small groups

Requires a lot of coordination for a large event

Takes a lot of telephone work to pull off smoothly

Publicity (community visibility) is extremely important

If it’s an outdoor event, weather can “dampen” results

May require some upfront expenditures

Many volunteers needed for actual event day
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Event-Based Fundraisers
Here are some examples of event based fundraisers:
Athletic type events
There’s a wide variety of athletic events that can be used for fundraisers. Many
elementary schools use Athlet-a-thons where students gather sponsor pledges
for running laps, shooting baskets, doing sit-ups, etc. National organizations
sponsor local events such as the Multiple Sclerosis Bike-a-thon where riders get
backers to donate so much per mile ridden, etc. Some non-profits offer a
celebrity golf outing such as the Jimmy V Classic for Cancer Research.
What works for one non-profit organization may not be suitable at all for another
group. Factors include group size, competing offerings, community interests,
upfront costs, insurance requirements, etc. Use a feedback form to sound out
your core group of supporters on what they might like to see. Offer only a small
group of choices with a simple numerical ranking system.
Auction type events
Auctions of donated goods and services are an excellent way to raise funds.
Obviously, there are two key aspects to this kind of event. The first is soliciting a
sufficient quantity of items of a sufficient quality to generate the necessary funds.
The second is attracting enough bidders with enough money (and a desire to bid
up the prices) to achieve your goal.
A cadre of volunteers is needed to pull this one off properly. You must get the
word out to the entire community and surround the event with a “must attend”
buzz. The leadership also has to have connections to get the kind of items that
everyone wants. If it’s not a silent auction, then you’ll also need a master of
ceremonies who’s also a master at egging on the crowd.
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Event-Based Fundraisers
Tap your organization to leverage all potential sources for donated goods. Be
creative in what you offer because not everyone wants a new painting for their
living room. Look to offer a month’s worth of lawn service, a free plumbing call,
gift baskets, flowers, printing services, chiropractor visit, massage therapy, etc.
These kinds of services have a broad-based appeal while at the same time; they
offer local businesses an inexpensive way to promote their offerings.
Consider increasing your drawing power (and your net) by selling admission
tickets for a low dollar amount with a featured door prize raffled off to a lucky
winner. A $2 admission won’t deter anyone and you’ll raise a lot more than a 19”
TV or a DVD player would bring at the auction. If you can’t get one donated, they
cost less than $150 at most superstores.
Also, consider offering local restaurants some prime real estate along one wall
before your auction to offer samples of their food to your patrons. People are
able to sample nibble-sized portions and the restaurateurs are able to promote
their specialties. Free samples and coupons for a first visit discount are an
irresistible draw that you can feature in your promotional material. And of course,
the restaurants will help publicize your event because they will be there.
Publicity is crucial to a good turnout. Prepare flyers with a list of the major
goodies. Give every one of your volunteers fifty flyers to distribute. Make sure
that everyone in the area knows when it is and what you’re offering.
To sum up, a good auction takes a lot of effort to produce good results, but that
effort can be very rewarding indeed.
Auctions - Internet style
A new twist on the auction front now makes this fundraiser easier to pull off for a
small organization. Here, the key is that instead of putting on an event with all
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Event-Based Fundraisers
the attendant extra effort that that involves, you conduct your auction on the
Internet. Surprisingly, it’s nowhere near as complicated as it seems.
Here’s what you do. Approach your members, supporters, community, etc. for
donations of certain items that sell well on the Internet. If you have a hard time
putting your arms around that concept, visit www.ebay.com for a look at the
extensive array of goods they have for sale. Once you realize it’s just about
anything in reasonably good condition (and some collectibles that aren’t), round
up what your supporters are willing to donate.
Next, inventory all your goodies and write short descriptions of each item. Then,
you pick up the phone and call a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay called
Half.com or visit them on-line at www.half.com. They’ll walk you through the
details of posting your merchandise (roughly 250 items at a time) onto their
website. They get a slice of the profits; you deal with the buyers that their
website directs to you.
An Internet auction can continue year round if you want it to, given an occasional
replenishment of additional donated goods. Just remember that one person’s
trash is another one’s treasure.
Entertainment style events
Here’s a fundraiser that doesn’t require extensive preparation. The basic
premise here is to buy discounted tickets to an event in bulk and sell them to
your supporters at the regular price. These can be simple events such as a
group night at a baseball game or a more elaborate affair involving donated
tickets to a major event.
Look at the website of www.allstarcharity.com for some other ideas about how to
enhance your event. Celebrities, when approached correctly through their
agents, will often donate signed memorabilia to a charitable cause that they
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support. Sports stars often have written clauses in their contracts that they will
do a certain number of promotional appearances in the community. Contact the
team’s marketing manager for details.
Food related events
These can range from bake sales to restaurant dinners to honorary “roasts.” The
key, of course, is to get as much of the food donated as possible while keeping
your other expenses low.
Restaurant dinners can be as simple as organizing a group night out for all
interested supporters on a slow night for a local restaurant. You’d be surprised
at how easy it is to arrange a 15% rebate to your organization with the owner in
return for adding much needed customers. Restaurants have a certain cost of
doing business, their “nut” so to speak, that they need to cover each night before
they can make a profit. Your group can help them cover the “nut” easily and all
the other patrons are then pure profit for the restaurant.
If possible, vary your location each month and actively promote the activity within
your group and to the community. Your group of supporters enjoys a nice night
out at regular prices while getting a chance to share company and make new
friends. Many non-profit groups report that this monthly “night out” becomes a
cherished aspect of their social life and doesn’t seem like “fundraising” at all.
Other groups swear by the traditional “roast” of a local public figure. Again,
concentrate on getting as much of the costs covered as possible by donations.
Sell tickets to the event not only to your supporters, but also to the friends and
well wishers of your honored guest. Make sure everyone knows what the ticket
price includes – dinner, beverage, featured speaker, and of course, the “roast”
itself.
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Feature next month’s guest in a flyer that you distribute to this month’s
attendees. Build monthly on the “roast” concept and you’ll make a name for your
group in the community as well as establishing extensive business contacts that
will serve you well in your other fundraising activities.
Product related events
These can range from a group garage sale to sponsoring a flea market to hosting
an arts and craft fair. The main profit maker here is in putting it all together and
charging fees to smaller groups or individuals to sell their wares (or have you sell
their wares instead for a fee). Your organization is the producer of the event and
the draw for customers is the larger size and variety that a smaller event would
not have. The advantage for the other participants is the umbrella organizational
aspect that your group provides.
Coordinating a product related event can leverage your group’s organizational
skills and increase your community contacts. If you have an experienced team,
consider looking at this as a way to generate needed operational funds without
wearing out your donor base. An added benefit is the goodwill you’ll build with
other organizations.
Service type events
The ever-popular car wash is a prime example of this type of event. Service with
a smile at a good location will draw dozens of passersby who’ll add to your
coffers. Design your operation efficiently so that you can perform multiple
services at once, such as two or three lanes of car washers working at the same
time.
As always, heavily promote the event with your own supporters and consider
offering a supplemental sale item such as a discount card or a gourmet coffee
offering with immediate delivery. Leverage your merchant base to get good
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Event-Based Fundraisers
deals on whichever supplemental items you choose to sell. Be sure to follow the
Merchant Plan guidelines and don’t forget to say thank you to every customer!
Special occasion events
Some special occasions offer a limited window to stage an event with built-in
appeal. Think holiday, think appropriate event, and think leveraging the obvious.
Halloween and a pumpkin sale. Thanksgiving and turkeys. Christmas and a
Christmas tree or holiday wreath sale. Valentine’s Day and a candy/roses sale.
Easter and an Easter lily/Spring flower sale.
These events are obviously short term in nature and benefit from extensive
publicity and choice locations. Buy in bulk and look to book some advance
orders at super low prices to make sure that all your expenses are covered
without another sale being made. Before you start, have a liquidation sale
planned to dispose of any excess inventory.
Theater type events
Put on a special event in a school auditorium or in a banquet room at a local
restaurant. Popular theater events are Almost Queen For A Day, Mystery Dinner
Theater, and the CAP Follies. All of these are “Events In A Box” with complete
scripts and in some cases, costumes.
Make money by charging admission, serving dinner or refreshments, selling
acting roles, and by offering supplemental fundraising items as an overlay via
side tables.
These theater events can also be done as a sideshow to provide entertainment
breaks during an afternoon charity auction, etc. After all, who would want to
leave before seeing how it all turned out?
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Here’s how to maximize your results:
Overlay your event with a supplemental offering
If you’re doing an event-based fundraiser, why not supplement it with a discount
card or pizza card offering? Everyone might not want to participate, but many
people will if they are interested in saving money at the participating merchants.
Fast food offers predominate in these cards, so families with children will
recognize the value. Your net profit on selling 50 cards will approach $400.
Organize well
Make sure your participants know what the group goal is as well as what their
own expected results should be. Give feedback to your supporters on a regular
basis and have your calling tree monitor sales results on a daily basis. Be sure
to offer an incentive to maximize effort by your volunteers to pack your events. A
group reward dinner works well along with building a greater sense of belonging.
Quality for the money
Offer an event with as wide ranging a draw as possible. Be sure that your event
is priced fairly. Would you want to participate for that price? More people will
attend if they recognize that it’s a good deal with a little extra markup built in.
Given the choice between attending and staying home, which would you
choose?
Summary
In conclusion, fundraising with a special event works well for most organizations.
Boost your revenue by pricing your event fairly (i.e. attractive to the median
income range for your community), and by doing some type of supplemental or
complementary offering at the same time. If you’ve done the same type of
fundraiser every year, consider doing something different this time around.
Many organizations settle into a pattern of repeating the same events each year
because of their continued success. Don’t forget that many people won’t attend
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the same old thing each year. Consider doing a combination of events at the
same time to maximize your drawing power. If not, be sure to offer variety from
time to time to get the best results.
Watch out for common mistakes like not adequately publicizing your event or by
creating an endless amount of work for a small reward. Don’t overwhelm your
volunteers. Make it fun for everyone involved.
Again, always strive to maximize your results by offering some type of
supplemental item. If you keep it fun for everyone, offer good value to your
customers, and put in a solid effort, you can expect excellent results.
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Wild & Crazy Ideas
Wild & Crazy Ideas
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
A little bit of outrageous thinking goes a long way toward maximizing your results.
Put a little fun into your fundraising by linking certain goals to wild and crazy
events or fun ideas. Reward your group’s supporters and participants with a
chance to let their own hair down.
Consider doing an event based solely on having fun. Think about a carnival with
fun events like a dunking booth, a cream pie toss, face painting, moonwalk, etc.
Have key organization members commit to doing crazy things once certain
revenue goals are reached, say in $100 increments. Let things build to the
climactic moment where the head cheese does the ultimate fun thing as a way to
reward the group for their support
Remember that you can blend fun into even the most traditional fundraising
events. Everybody knows what a bake sale is, right? How can your group make
this year’s bake sale a little better? Use a cake walk to sell a large portion of
your donated sweets. Kids love it and you’ll get more for the dessert than if you
sold it outright. Consider having awards for various submissions and then
auctioning off the best pie, cake, whatever.
A fun spin on fundraising will:

Increase participation internally

Attract publicity

Create anticipation

Improve community involvement

Maximize results
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Increase participation internally
Your pool of volunteers will be greater if there’s fun involved. Most people like to
have a good time. Offer multiple tie-ins that motivate everyone by giving different
things to look forward to every step of the way.
The fun goals will motivate your sellers and volunteers as much or more as
winning actual prizes. Think about low cost fun events that you could tie to
hitting certain goals: a water balloon fight, an ultimate Frisbee match, etc.
Attract publicity
People will talk to others about recent events in their lives and things going on
around them. If someone shares a funny anecdote about a wacky fundraising
idea they heard about or contributed to in some way, that will increase
community awareness of your group’s fundraising activities.
Not only that, but they’ll make future one’s easier as your sellers call on past
supporters and they get asked “What crazy things does your teacher (or coach or
whatever) have to do this year? How can I help?”
Show pictures of the wackiest activities to everyone that you can. Post them on
a website, a bulletin board, in group offices, etc. They’ll be a constant reminder
of past fun and future craziness waiting to happen.
Bigger events will even attract newspaper and other media attention. They love
having a fun picture to put in their local section. They know that local people buy
the paper to read about themselves and others who are similar to them. It’s all
about belonging to a bigger community.
Consider asking a corporate sponsor to donate an additional amount if your
goals are met. For example, if your goal is $4500 and your stretch goal is $5000,
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ask your corporate sponsor to donate an additional $500 for meeting your goal,
or an additional $1000 for meeting your stretch goal.
Create anticipation
The fun goals will motivate your sellers and volunteers as much or more as
winning prizes. Everyone will be watching the results closely to see when a
certain event might be triggered.
Be sure to offer plenty of events starting with each sub-group within your
organization. Any authority figure can be a target. Volunteers will get a kick out
of watching the fundraiser chairperson do a goofy stunt for hitting the group’s
overall goal. Think of a child waiting for Christmas morning and you’ll get a
sense of what a powerful motivator anticipation can be.
Improve community involvement
Your group will get a better draw from potential supporters if the wacky spin is
part of your sales scripts. For example, a child selling candy asks for help
reaching their goal so that their teacher or coach has to do the silly thing that’s
been chosen for that goal. Examples include running backwards around the
football field or being a contestant in the “yodel championships.”
This gives an underlying hook or “call to action” to a potential contributor. They
can picture the silly event in their mind’s eye and sense the pleasure that
achieving the goal will give to the person asking for their support. Presto!
Increased buy-in at every level.
Maximize results
Offer things that will motivate better results! Get fun built in at every level and get
more people involved. Think about what motivates your different sub-groups and
structure accordingly.
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Give feedback to supporters of all the wacky activities that resulted from their
participation. Thank them for doing so and tell them that you’ll top it all next year!
Here are some sample wacky fundraisers:
Eggheads
The idea here is that your supporters will pay money to smash an egg on a
someone’s head like the coach or popular teachers. You can also make it a
wacky reward for hitting a certain stretch goal. Volunteers can also pay money
not to have an egg smashed on their head.
Rotating gag gift
This involves putting a “conversation piece” such as a pink flamingo or an entire
toilet in someone’s yard. You keep this within your supporter base of course.
They see on the signup sheet in a vinyl sleeve attached to the base that the last
person pledged $10 to have it moved from their yard and placed in yours.
Each recipient makes a new pledge and places it in another yard. This works
great for neighborhood fundraisers like the garden club. The pink flamingo idea
was borrowed from the historical society in a small coastal town. The residents
of the historical community were “honored” by having the pink flamingo in their
yard for the season.
This is the gift that keeps on giving! Spoilsports can opt-out by calling the
fundraiser leader to have it removed. Be sure to always give that option.
Stunts
Performing strange stunts for a certain level of donations always lures more
contributions. When setting the various goal levels of any type of fundraiser,
consider tying an unusually dramatic result to certain key achievement levels.
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For instance, in a school fundraiser, ask the teachers what they’d be willing to do
to encourage 100% participation by their class. In exchange for some level of
extra funding for supplies for their classroom, they pledge to wear a goofy
hairstyle for a day. Imagine how eager the kids will be to see their teacher with
blue hair or a silly wig!
At the next level of achievement, say matching last year’s results, the top seller
gets to toss a whipped cream pie at their chosen target (who retains opt-out
rights) in front of the rest of the class or school.
If the entire group meets its stretch goal of exceeding last year’s results by 20%,
the principal will kiss a frog or wear pajamas and a bathrobe all day. Another
option might be for the coach to dress up like Elvis and sing a song at the next
game or pep rally.
Giving individuals and your group some fun targets to shoot for will drive up your
results tremendously.
Money bucket madness
The concept here is fairly basic. A school keeps an empty five-gallon water
bottle outside the principal’s office for coin or small bill donations. It’s emptied
every day by an office employee who posts the new totals on a window chart.
At various hundred dollar levels, the principal or a coordinating teacher has to do
something goofy – where a big sombrero, sing the morning announcements, do
the lunchroom rap, etc. Money flow increases as each event trigger level
approaches.
It’s a way to get small incremental donations that really add up. One school
raised over $3,000 in a year using this ongoing approach. Another benefit is that
it brings the students, teachers, and administrators closer together. Authority
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Wild & Crazy Ideas
figures are seen as a little more human and everyone has fun in a bonding
experience.
How to maximize your results with a wacky spin on things:
Wacky Prizes
Kids in particular love gross stuff, probably because it shocks their parents and
gives the child a little peer group feedback. Consider offering unusual prizes
such as chocolate covered insects, novelty items, or some of the “gross” toys
that are offered in any toy store.
Within a carnival event, you can offer prizes for buying a ticket and doing things
like eating a chocolate-covered insect. In effect, you’re selling each novelty item
to them so they can show off in front of their friends. Its fun for the kids and it
increases group participation. If insect eating isn’t your idea of fun, use sour
gummy worms.
Goofy goals
Put a big sign up over a “wacky booth” at an event featuring something like:
“Over 50 insects eaten, a teacher will eat one! Over 200 eaten, the principal will
eat one!”
Once again, participation increases as the goal nears. A crowd gathers to watch
the consumption climb closer and closer to the goofy goal. A big cheer goes up
when the number is reached. An even bigger cheer goes up when the milestone
event happens. Hamming it up by making a funny face while swallowing will get
a roar from the crowd.
The bottom line here is that everyone has fun, everyone contributes toward the
group goal, and everyone enjoys watching the results.
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Recap
In summary, fun definitely belongs in fundraising. You might even consider it the
first priority in building group cohesion.
It’s important to remember to make sure they’re all done in “good humor.” You
don’t necessarily have to be politically correct, but you do need to be sensitive to
people’s feelings. Always give an opt-out option if someone is not comfortable
with their expected participation.
Increase participation internally through linking fun events to key milestones.
Attract publicity by sharing pictures of the fun or notifying the media ahead of
time. Get everyone talking about what your group is doing and speculating about
what you’ll do next.
Create a sense of anticipation among your participants that grows as the trigger
level for fun moments and wacky behavior approach. Improve community
involvement by making everyone aware of the fun involved. Everyone enjoys a
good laugh, even when the joke is on them.
As always, maximize your results by designing a program that maximizes both
participation and contributions by putting fun everywhere you can. Life is too
short not to have fun.
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The Best Sellers
The Best Sellers
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you’re doing a fundraiser, look for things that are tried-and-true, but also
consider those that are unique from the standard offerings that you’ve already
done many other times.
This section covers the top producing types of merchandise related fundraising.
Make sure these power hitters are part of your annual lineup.
Direct sales with immediate delivery:
Inexpensive food items
This approach uses prepackaged bundles of things like brand name candy,
lollipops, doughnuts, etc. These have a fairly low hassle factor and are good for
small to medium sized groups. Funds are quickly in hand.
Disadvantages include low unit price and the resulting smaller profit net per sale.
Lack of returnability is also a problem when complete pre-packs don’t sell
through. Perishable items like doughnuts need high-density selling locations.
As with most immediate delivery merchandise, these fundraisers require upfront
funding. Some case sizes on candy may be too large for younger sellers.
Americana Merchandise
This is very popular in the wake of the September 11th tragedies. These offer
desirable merchandise featuring the American flag. Items include bumper
stickers, window decals, coffee mugs, and various sizes of flags.
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The Best Sellers
Some items can also be imprinted with your group’s logo as well. They offer a
good percentage payout on most items. These are easy to sell and perfect for a
sidewalk sale in front of a supporting merchant. A good idea for small and
medium sized groups.
Discount Cards
One of the most popular fundraisers because of its easy to sell and there is a
large net profit per sale. It’s perfect for any size group.
The basic concept is a plastic card with your group’s logo on the front and about
twelve merchant offers on the back. They generally sell for $10 and offer 70% to
80% margins.
Customers want these because they are easy to use and represent good value.
Discount cards are usually prepaid, although some distributors will offer terms
with a purchase order or credit card guarantee. Unsold cards can’t be returned,
but these are generally an easy sale anyway.
Discount cards can produce a very high net profit per seller. They are a good
offering to supplement any other fundraiser, particularly catalog sales. You may
also choose to use this type of fundraiser with a delayed delivery approach.
Spirit Merchandise
This type of fundraiser is popular with high schools and athletic organizations.
They are steady sellers across time with good margins.
Logo merchandise is sold at concession stands and at the school store. Items
range from plastic cups to stadium cushions to clothing. Clothing items above
the standard T-shirt or sweatshirt level are usually sold via prepayment of a
special order. This works well for larger organizations and larger athletic groups.
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Direct sales with future delivery:
Wrapping paper and holiday items
The perennial favorite of most elementary schools and often their largest
fundraiser is the wrapping paper catalog sale. There is high dollar volume and
large margins, usually 40% to 50%. It is easy for kids to sell and appreciated by
parents as long as it’s quality merchandise.
These are familiar items and are an easy sale to friends and neighbors as well as
within the extended family. Organizational coordination is high, but net results
are worth the effort.
Food related catalogs
Food products have the most variety of all fundraisers. The popular ones include
upscale candy, nuts, and high-end food items like gourmet coffee, sauces, and
so on. Some premium items can really add to your bottom line. Make sure your
catalog price points match your community income levels. These work well for
any size organization.
Top line revenue is very good and margins average 40% to 50%. These are well
received because most catalogs have a wide selection and colorful pictures.
Drawbacks can include small package size relative to total price and delivery
logistics. The more items the catalog contains, the more you or your supplier
have to sort ahead of delivery time.
Magazines
Subscription sales have increased in popularity due to the high margins.
Recognized magazine titles are an easy sale for older children of middle school
range, youth sports organizations, or church groups. Magazines have name
brand recognition and are a familiar item.
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This fits well in late fall. Subscriptions can be pitched as good holiday gift for that
hard to shop for individual. Watch out for aggressive selling during this time of
year by the publishers. Don’t forget to sign up customers for magazine renewals
too.
Drawbacks are the price points and competition. You are essentially selling
these at their newsstand prices or some smaller discount. There are also many
subscription offers mailed from the publishers that offer a better price.
Cookies and cookie dough
What’s the third most popular cookie in America? The Girl Scout’s Thin Mint
brand. They generate over $1 billion in cookie sales in a very short window early
in the year. A large percentage of the Thin Mint sales each year end up in my
freezer!
Many organizations have been successful with a fall offering of high quality
baked goods. Margins are around 50% and very large groups can get
specialized branding. See the Supplier Cross-Reference section for details.
These appeal to a widespread audience because of their perception as a comfort
food. If your pricing is right, many families will buy a half dozen boxes.
This type of offering is a good total revenue and net profit fundraiser. An offshoot
is the cookie dough sale, which suffers from not being ready to eat and requires
refrigeration. Most 3 pound tubs are priced at $10 with profit margins of 35% to
50%.
Fruit
Big around the winter months with a wide audience appeal, these are often
bundled with a wreath or poinsettia offering. Considered a seasonal fundraiser,
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The Best Sellers
they offer nice top line revenue and good margins. This works for small to
medium-sized groups. It’s an excellent band fundraiser.
Drawbacks include large case sizes and being perishable. For best results, work
with a reputable wholesale supplier that can provide quick shipping and might
also include a little extra to cover the occasional squashed orange.
Compilation CD’s
This concept is growing in popularity. Featured items include Eighties hits, bestof series, greatest hits, etc. Most major genres supported including Christian,
children’s, country, rock, and Christmas tunes.
Usually, customers will make it a multi-unit sale at prices ranging from $5 to $15.
Profit margins average 40% or more.
Pick high quality compilations for your best sellers. Customers will want those
because of popularity of bundled hit packages.
Don’t select a catalog with more than 25 to choose from; it gets complicated with
more than that. Be sure to get pre-sorted deliveries.
These are familiar items with a low hassle factor. They work well for any size
group and is very successful as a supplement to other catalog sales, particularly
near the holidays.
Donation type selling:
Scratch cards
Some fundraisers are a pure donation request with no merchandise involved. An
example would be the scratch-style donation cards. Here, your participants
approach potential supporters with a simple fundraising idea – scratch off a
section to find out how much you’ll donate.
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The Best Sellers
Scratch cards vary between suppliers, but most have amounts ranging from
$0.25 to $3.00 arranged in groupings across the card. The total on each card
can range from $50 to more than $100 if all donation sections are completely
scratched.
There’s no product to sell and just a card for your sellers to carry around with
them. The plus side is that there’s such a low range on the entry points that
almost everyone approached will pick something.
The two downsides to this fundraising approach are that most kids don’t feel
good about asking for outright donations and that repeated use will exhaust your
supporter base. Remember that they’re getting nothing in return except for the
knowledge that they contributed.
These work well for small and medium-sized groups that do no other fundraising
such as athletic groups. The best way to improve this type of offering is to
include a coupon sheet for every donation.
Maximize your results by setting an expectation within your sales teams that
each participant will complete an entire card. Obviously, that won’t happen, but if
you don’t recommend a goal, the default goal will be much lower.
Net profits on discount cards are in the 40% to 70% range, depending on how
completely the cards are filled. Shop around for the best deals. A card that
costs $10 less than the competition will really add to your bottom line.
You should consider:
Website fundraising
Some fundraising suppliers offer additional opt-in participation via a website.
There are pros and cons to these opt-in programs. They can be a great source
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The Best Sellers
of revenue without much additional selling. Mentioning these as a supplement
offering can add dollars downstream for years to come.
The drawback for many organizations regarding web site programs is that they
don’t know how to set them up. The good news is that there are now fundraising
companies who will send you the HTML code to load the appropriate links from
your website via a click-through banner.
They also supply the merchandise that supports these offers as well as credit
card processing, direct shipping, etc. Your only involvement is putting what they
send you onto your site and then cashing the monthly rebate checks. Not bad for
a phone call and an hour’s worth of work.
Gift Certificates or scrip
Tap into that discretionary entertainment dollar (Blockbuster) as well as huge
opportunities in getting a slice of regular spending on groceries (Kroger),
restaurants (Outback), or household items (Home Depot).
You can plan to earn anywhere from 3% to 23% on these items. That may not
sound like much, but it’s a slice of something you didn’t have without the gift
certificate supplement program and its got a real value for your supporters. Also,
sales volumes can be huge on this type of program. Be sure to offer them only
after the regular fundraiser offering has been completed (or rejected).
Some band programs keep a scrip or gift certificate program going year round
and supplement it with a local merchant presence. Often, a web site is capable
of processing orders.
Consider making a supporter a sales pitch of buying $20 worth of gift certificates
a month with automatic credit card billing and certificate mailing directly to the
supporter (a hassle free revenue stream). They know they’ll be spending that
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The Best Sellers
much anyway (and probably more) at those national merchants. Some programs
are generating as much as $50 a month from some households.
The more sales volume your organization generates, the higher the percentage
that your group receives in return. $20 a month nets $12 a year at 5%. $50 a
month nets $30 a year in rebates to your group.
Click-through purchasing of gift certificates is also available through a web site.
You don’t have to handle anything at all with this approach unless you want to.
It can be a one-time sale’s item that keeps generating revenue year round or you
can collect checks and batch order them yourself for extra savings. You’ll get
paid on your customers’ purchases every month. Truly, the check is in the mail.
Summary
In closing, these best sellers should make up the bulk of your efforts. Rotate
what you do each year so that your audience stays receptive. Be sure to pick the
ones that are appropriate to your group’s size and capabilities.
Maximize your profits by overlapping your primary offering with a supplement. It
will widen your appeal and increase your total revenue per customer. This
increased profit means you don’t have to keep fundraising every month.
Make your fundraiser a best seller by featuring the best sellers. After all, you’re
trying to raise the maximum amount of funds possible, aren’t you?
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Common Mistakes
Common Mistakes
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
- Anonymous
Fundraising is both an art and a science. If your fundraising revenues are static
or declining, your organization is probably making one or more of these common
mistakes:

Lack of planning

Repeating the same old fundraiser

Not recruiting enough help

Low quality merchandise

Inadequate sales preparation

Poor support materials

No sales scripts

Weak internal communication

Lack of publicity

Continuous fundraising

Bad timing

No rewards

Poor rewards

Letting problems fester

Picking the wrong fundraiser
Lack of planning
Things haven’t been thought through. Deadlines produce a crisis response.
Nobody knows exactly what to do. Everything is a haphazard fire drill. Does any
of this sound familiar?
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Common Mistakes
Usually only a few people have the prior knowledge needed from the year before,
so there’s a bottleneck on information. That often produces the “suffering martyr
syndrome” where the person in charge, who should have had everything planned
well in advance, instead spends their time moaning about how overworked they
are. Admit it, you know that person!
All of this can be avoided if the right preparations are made ahead of time. See
the Section on Preparation for a host of valuable ideas.
Repeating the same fundraiser
The same old fundraiser is done over and over again because that’s what you’ve
always done. The roles and responsibilities are well known, so it’s a safe
comfortable solution. Unfortunately, your supporters are probably sick and tired
of it. Your volunteers probably feel the same way.
The typical result is flat to declining total revenue, not to mention all the missed
opportunities. Have you ever looked at your old records to see what the average
customer sale and average profit per sale were several years ago? It’s a good
bet that there’s been little change.
The root causes of this fundraising inertia are lack of knowledge, fear of change,
unwillingness to upset the status quo, etc. If you will take the time to expand
your knowledge base, then you will increase your success.
Remember that your goal should be to maximize your revenue and increase your
net every year, not to maintain a breakeven position. After all, the items and
services your funds raised purchase have definitely risen in price over the years!
Even if it’s just inflation, the things your funds will eventually buy get more
expensive each year, so your net proceeds need to grow as well. Newer
fundraising activities have come along that can increase your net results per
customer by 25% or more.
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Common Mistakes
Don’t let your fundraising efforts achieve less than they could because they lack
better direction. See the Section on Organization for more insights.
Not enough help
Overworking your core volunteer group is a recipe for disaster. Good people
who are willing to help your cause at no cost are hard to find. Why chew them up
and spit them out?
Increase your volunteer base by defining all the roles and responsibilities. You
should have written descriptions of what’s expected from each support role.
Make sure that it includes an accurate estimate of the time that position requires.
Break those volunteer time blocks into two, four, or eight-hour chunks. By
defining how much time a support position requires, you increase the likelihood
of a match with potential volunteers. Allow job sharing; that is, allow two people
to sign up for one function and coordinate their own efforts.
Another way to avoid burning out your volunteers is to recruit for all positions at
the beginning of the year. This requires having your master project plan for the
year mapped out ahead of time. Offer signup sheets for this year’s positions at
your first group meeting. That’s when people are the most receptive to the idea
of pitching in, particularly if it’s for a clearly defined amount of time.
Circulate flyers at every meeting for the remaining open positions. If necessary,
include a call for additional help in your newsletter.
The Section titled The Basics is an excellent source of ideas.
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Common Mistakes
Low quality merchandise
Sales are declining. Customers are saying no thanks all too often. Multiple unit
sales are a rarity. Complaints are commonplace.
If these are happening to your organization, a wrong decision has been made
somewhere along the line. Perhaps a higher profit percentage on every item
sold sounded like a good idea. The result isn’t higher net profits; it’s lower sales.
Those lower sales are coupled with disappointed clients. Your group’s reputation
is suffering.
Get rid of the junky stuff. Ask yourself if you or someone you know would pay
those prices for similar quality goods at retail. If the answer is no, look for a new
supplier before your support base erodes further. The idea is to buy at wholesale
and sell at close to retail, not at twice retail.
For decision criteria, see the Section on Selecting the Right Fundraiser. For
supplier information, consult the Sections titled Supplier Profiles and Supplier
Cross-Reference.
Inadequate sales preparation
Remember the very first fundraiser you participated in? Did you know everything
you needed to know as a participant? Chances are that you didn’t and that you
did the best you could without much direction.
A common mistake is to have no written instructions or inadequate instructions
given to your sales team. Don’t expect people to know all the selling “to-dos”
without adequate direction. Many volunteers could be new recruits or have
served a different function for a past fundraiser.
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The results of inadequate sales preparation are costly. You’ll end up with missed
opportunities, order confusion, lost payments, mistakes on order sheets, and
many others that all cost either time or money to fix.
Be sure to take the time to do it right and you’ll save in the long run. Read the
Section on Preparation for more tips.
Poor support materials
Having poor support materials is another problem. Usually these are obtained
from a supplier and shown to each prospective supporter. The quality of that
presentation material is a reflection of your organization. Don’t settle for
brochures that make your group look bad.
If necessary, create additional sales materials in-house and supplement what
your sellers have available to them. For example, if your group is selling
discount shopping cards for $10 each and the accompanying brochure doesn’t
really get the message across, create a flyer with large print emphasizing the
savings generated.
Here’s a sample flyer for a BUDS discount card:
Be our BUD for only $10 and save up to $600!

Use it once - Save $2

Use it once at each merchant - Save $20

Use it year round with no limits - Save up to $600
Check out these great deals:

Free large drink with taco.

Two-for-one pizza DELIVERED!

Save $2 on two kid’s meals
Saving with our BUD’s Card is the way to go!
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Having a flyer that the prospective supporter can read gets the message across
much quicker than your sales team can say it. That way, the entire message
comes through visually and your sales rate jumps.
For a more in-depth review, see the Section on Sales Techniques.
No sales script
Not having a written sales presentation is another big mistake. In many
fundraisers, a child is one of the primary sales channels. Why would you expect
a youngster to be a natural salesperson? Having been in sales for more than a
dozen years myself, I can tell you with confidence that advance preparation is a
mandatory requirement for success.
Write out one or two sales scripts that focus on your organization’s specific need
and properly present offering. Distribute those scripts to your team along with
written instructions on practicing within the family, how to build a prospect list,
etc. If you think your group has this area mastered, select any seller at random
and have them give you their sales pitch. I can guarantee that you’ll be
surprised.
A boy of about 14 appeared on my doorstep one evening. Shoulders hunched
over, he mumbled his pitch to his shoes, which could barely be seen beneath his
drooping pants. Less than a week later, another boy came to my door for the
same reason. He looked me in the eye, gave me two sentences about his
purpose, and asked for my help. To which one did I contribute? Okay, both of
them, but not everyone is a softie like me, but I did contribute more the second
visitor. Work on sales pitch delivery!
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I’ve included a couple of sample sales scripts in this book along with detailed
information on sales preparation. Read the Section on Sales Scripts for
complete coverage of this topic.
Weak internal communication
This manifests itself in many ways and severely hampers your fundraising efforts.
Not giving clear direction to your volunteers and your sellers equals a lack-luster
performance.
Here are some examples:
There are no individual or sub-group goals given at the start of your drive. The
group’s specific goal isn’t communicated clearly to the sellers. Your message
isn’t getting across to buyers. No feedback is given to your participants or to
your supporters about the results. Nobody knows how well the fundraiser did or
whether it was worth the effort.
These kind of communication problems create a strong drag on profits. Revisit
how your group passes along information. Design a system with multiple paths
of communication. Eliminate bottlenecks in the flow of information. Leverage
your website as a great source of specific data on everything your group is doing.
All of these topics and more are covered in the Section on Communication.
Lack of publicity
Advertising works. That’s why you see so much of it. Put it to work for your
organization by getting the word out in every possible fashion. Use flyers,
posters, signs, media contacts, etc. When was the last time your group sent out
a press release?
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Publicity increases community awareness of your non-profit organization and
pays untold dividends. It will motivate additional participation, increase your
volunteer pool, provide feedback, and give a method for communicating results.
See the Section on Publicity for more detailed information.
Continuous fundraising
Another common mistake is doing too many fundraisers. The result is burnout of
your volunteers, your participants, and their customers. You know your group is
in trouble if you belong to the “Fundraiser of the Month” club.
Limit your group to two or three main fundraisers each year. Take the time to
design the right approach that will maximize the results of each fundraiser. A
well conducted fundraiser can double the results of one that is poorly planned
and executed.
Other warning signs of doing too many fundraisers include low sales volume or a
declining net per customer transaction. Why do fundraisers at all if you end up
generating less than $5 net profit per salesperson?
This book is full of suggestions on how to maximize your revenue for each
fundraiser. One is to have a supplemental offering on top of each major effort.
There are literally dozens of other ideas too numerous to list here.
If you absolutely feel that your group has to raise money year round, move it to
your website. Create a silent fundraiser there via a store, set up a click-through
sales commission program, provide a gift certificate/scrip program there, etc.
See the Section labeled Website Benefits for additional information.
Take advantage of the rest of this book and avoid the burnout problem. Read a
concise package of suggestions in the Section entitled 101 Tips & Techniques.
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Bad timing
Problems that fall into the category of bad timing include conflicts with holidays,
poor weather, competition doing same thing, lack of interest due to another
event, overlapping school exam time, etc.
Avoid planning anything that spans major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas,
New Years, Easter, July 4th, or Labor Day. Those are wasted time slots within
your calendar due to the lack of availability of participants and supporters.
Poor weather means not doing a candy fundraiser for a youth sports group in
August when the candy is likely to melt. For the same reason, don’t offer special
handling merchandise like cookie dough, cheesecake, or pizza kits at those
times either unless you plan everything very carefully.
Stay alert to what other fundraisers are going on in your community. Having a
pumpkin patch sale on the school lawn two weeks before Halloween isn’t a good
idea if there are three other ones within a mile. Offer something different and
stay in touch with the leaders of other groups.
Scheduling an event-style fundraiser is a bad idea when it conflicts with another
major community event that will draw away most of its customers. Check the
schedules for sporting events and community functions. Don’t be like the group
that promoted a Saturday car wash at a site only to find that all nearby traffic was
blocked off that morning for an annual running event!
If your group relies on student sellers, don’t forget to check when midterms and
finals are. Their parents won’t appreciate extra time demands when academics
are the highest priority.
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The message is that your success depends on being aware of the community
around you. Find more detail in the Sections on Preparation and The Basics.
No rewards
Sometimes this is appropriate; other times it is not. It depends on what the
seller’s motivation is and what’s yours (the group’s leaders) is in making that
decision.
If you’re not offering rewards because it’s a band fundraiser and all the money is
going to pay for new uniforms, that’s OK because the goal is the reward. There
is no need for performance rewards.
However, if you’re not offering rewards because they come out of the group’s net
profits, rethink your approach. Your net profits will suffer because your sellers
don’t see anything that incents an extra effort. Ultimately, you end up with less
profit because your sales are lower. Don’t make the mistake of offering a reward
to everyone just for participating. Always make it attainment based.
A nationally known health organization sponsored a “jump rope-a-thon” at an
elementary school. Among the materials sent home with each child was the
prize or incentive sheet showing what each child could win with certain levels of
monetary sponsorship. The low-end prize was a bookmark ribbon thanking each
child for their support.
The level of sponsorship required for this prize was $0 to $10. Where’s the
reward for the child who got $10 versus the child who did nothing? Sure, they’re
just kids, but what message are we sending to our children if we reward zero
effort?
Other sections of Fundraising Success detail ideas such as seeking donations
from local merchants for seller rewards like a two-for-one pizza offer or a
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discount coupon from a sporting goods store. Get creative and maximize your
results!
For more ideas, read the Section titled Merchant Plan.
Poor rewards
Poor rewards often have the same effect as no rewards at all. Junk is junk, so
why bother?
Relying on supplier freebies isn’t always a good idea. As mentioned above, go to
your local merchants for a cooperative program that will drive customers to their
stores while encouraging the merchants to supply motivational rewards to your
sellers.
Invest the time in designing the right reward program. The increase in sales will
more than pay for a slight additional cost.
For more information, look in the Section on Rewards & Incentives
Letting problems fester
Remember that when you’re conducting a fundraiser, you’re a small business
owner whose livelihood depends on maintaining a good reputation. The old
“word of mouth” rule is that each person who has a good experience with your
group will tell one other person, but the person who has a bad experience will tell
five other people.
Claiming that you’re overworked is no excuse for not being responsive. Don’t put
any customer satisfaction issue in the “get around to it” pile. You’ll be harming
your organization in more ways than you realize.
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Deal with all problems immediately, even if it means dropping what you’re doing
right then. Follow the Golden Rule and do unto others as you would have them
do unto you. Consult the Section on Organization for other tips.
Picking the wrong fundraiser
Sometimes a fundraiser is just wrong for a group. It might be because that
particular one works best for a larger sized group. It could be that it requires a
longer time period than is available.
Others might not fit because it was picked for its higher percentage payout rather
than the quality of the offering. The poor value of the merchandise ends up
lowering sales instead of generating profits.
A fundraiser might have pricing that is wrong for community. Higher priced
merchandise or gourmet food items aren’t a good fit in some areas.
Put “best practices” in place within your organization. Design a decision matrix
that weighs the various factors to help you make the right choice. Be sure to
take the time to review the other sections of this book, particularly the Sections
on Selecting The Right Fundraiser and The Best Sellers.
Summary
Allowing these mistakes to continue within your organization is costing you extra
time, lost revenue, lower profits, and it’s eroding your support base. Root them
out now. Act like a business owner and put a detailed plan into place to correct
these deficiencies.
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Publicity
Publicity
“I am convinced that the majority of people would be generous from selfish
motives, if they had the opportunity.”
- Charles Dudley Warner
The best publicity contains all of the important details about your event, just like a
newspaper story. You want to tell the public all about the who, what, when,
where, why and how of your event, all in an easy and concise manner.
In addition, give everything you distribute about your fundraiser a common
“hook.” A hook is a catchy tag line that gives a strong reason why the community
should participate. An example would be, “Mondo Yard Sale, Saturday only, at
the High School.”
Another example would be an auction style fundraiser that had some signed
donated goods from celebrities – “Don’t miss your chance to bid on a basketball
signed by the national champion Duke Blue Devils and an autographed Michael
Jordan jersey this Monday night.” You’ve given them a “hook” by publicizing a
sought after item with limited availability that can only be obtained by attending
your event.
When you’re doing a fundraiser, increasing community awareness before sales
begin is key. Advance promotion generates interest. Movie trailers are a good
example. When you see a movie trailer that looks interesting, you want to see
that movie. Advertising circulars in your newspaper for a special sale are
another. An advertisement for “take an additional 50% off” always gets my blood
pumping.
It’s critical when constructing your publicity campaign to utilize effective
marketing techniques. Look within your group for someone with advertising
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experience or a marketing background. If you don’t have in-house talent, read
articles about the effective use of the media.
There’s an art to advertising. It involves not only getting your message across to
the community; it creates a “call to action” with the recipient. Your publicity
campaign should tell them all the relevant details.
Who
Get your organization’s name into every aspect of the publicity. Build on your
“brand.” Think of it as making your group a household name. That’s branding.
What
Give a capsule description of the type of fundraiser. Your flyer should describe in
a few words what you are offering. An example is a band fundraiser selling
Florida oranges. “Direct from the groves – Fresh Oranges!”
When
Communicate details on the specific dates of your event or sales period. Again,
be succinct. “Saturday, Oct 22nd only – The Pumpkin Patch.”
Where
If you want anyone to show up, you have to tell your audience where it’s going to
be and provide any specific directions. Example: Celebrity Auction, Mission
Church Auditorium, 2500 Jones Road, just past the State Park.
Why
Always mention the organizational benefit from this fundraiser. People are more
likely to support your cause if they know why the money is needed and what it
will be spent on. Having that knowledge makes them feel better about their
decision to help. One example of this telling “why” would be the seller talking
about the new computers their school will be buying with the proceeds.
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Be sure to put this particular fundraiser into a specific perspective:

We’re raising money for a new computer lab

Our band needs to pay our way to The Rose Bowl parade

We’re trying to buy new sports uniforms
How
Explaining how you’re raising funds is important when the type of fundraiser
you’ve covered in the “what” category is somewhat vague. An example of this
would be a drive to have goods donated for auction. You’re tying to reach all
potential supporters to tell them to bring any consumer electronics items they no
longer want so your group can sell them on eBay’s subsidiary, half.com.
“Our auction will turn your junk into funds for our group.” Or, remembering the
hook concept, you could say: “Your junk is our new computer.”
What now
Once you’ve determined what your message is and tweaked it to maximize
results, you are ready to spread the word.
Utilize these communication methods:
Press releases
When was the last time your group actually put out a press release? Next to
never? If you want to broaden your potential audience, get creative. Copy a
press release off the Internet and modify it with your message. Mail, email, or fax
a copy to all the media outlets in your area.
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Newsletters
Utilize both your organization, along with the various neighborhood and church
newsletters in your vicinity. Start telling everyone what’s going to happen at least
a month in advance.
Posters
Besides putting these up in your familiar environs, think outside the box. Can
you get permission to put them in the window or on the bulletin board at a local
merchant? See if any organization members own a small business or manage a
retail space. Work your merchant base by reminding them how many of your
supporters shop there.
Roadside signs
A lucky group like a school might have roadside signage already. However,
there’s no reason other groups can’t have some as well. Remember those flocks
of candidate signs from the last election?
You can make your own signs and plant them in the ground in conspicuous
areas. Be sure to remove them when you’re finished, follow all local laws, and
save them for future re-use.
Flyers
These can be stuck to neighborhood mailboxes or placed under windshield
wipers at the supermarket, sporting events, local businesses, etc. They are also
good for placing on the bulletin board at the local supermarket.
Design your flyers with an eye toward getting the print size as large as possible.
Consider using an eye-catching color of paper. If cost is an issue, check for
connections to a local printer or ask for help from volunteers to print some on
their home printer.
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Newspaper coverage
You can’t get mentioned in the local paper if you don’t ask. Many papers have
sections that focus on community events. Check the paper for other mentions. If
there aren’t printed instructions, ask right away about submission procedures.
Be sure to invite the media to come and take pictures if there’s a potential story.
Even though the publicity will be after the event, it will help for the next fundraiser
and generate community awareness of your group. This is useful for getting
more volunteers and merchant supporters. “Did you see the story about our
group in the paper last week? Well...”
Radio coverage
Invite local radio personalities to participate in a fun-type event fundraiser. Many
have mobile broadcast vehicles that can also serve as an extra attraction for your
event. “WXYZ 108FM will be there! Don’t miss out on meeting your favorite
DJ’s.”
Local merchants
Create awareness via a local merchant’s program. Use window decals and other
“branding” or “co-branding” strategies like the “Thanks a million” dollar bill with
your local merchant sponsors listed on the back.
Publicity stunts
Shameless attention getters will often get you media exposure. Be sure not to do
anything too risky that could end up portraying your organization in a less than
stellar light.
E-mail
E-mail all sources offering public service announcements. Check around ahead
of time for specific lead-times and requirements. An example is to send
information about your event to the local PBS station.
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Website
Use a website to post all the relevant information. Liven it up with pictures and
creative copy. This is a good place to post a thank you list of volunteers and
organizers. Merchants like being credited here as well.
If you don’t have your own website, start one today. See the Tips and
Techniques Section, and Website Benefits Section for more details.
Summary
A fundraising event is not like the movie “A Field of Dreams” in that, if you build it,
they will come. Think of your last fundraiser and the general awareness of who,
what, when, where, why, and how. Do you really believe that everyone that was
a possible supporter heard your message?
You’ll have problems if potential supporters:
1) don’t know who is raising funds
2) don’t know what you’re doing
3) haven’t a clue as to when it is
4) can’t find out where it will be
5) don’t know why you’re doing it
6) are baffled as to how it all works
Spend some time strategizing about communicating your information to your
community. Have a publicity plan and work your plan. Then, your fundraiser will
be a “dream” and indeed, they will come after all.
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Community Involvement
Community Involvement
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not
expect to sit.”
- Nelson Henderson
Community involvement creates knowledge of your particular organization within
your community as a whole. By getting your group involved with the community,
you create a wide range of benefits including more sponsors, more volunteer
contacts, more expertise to tap, and additional sales channels.
Having more sponsors means that you can promote your fundraiser in more
locations. You’ll potentially have more value added to cross-promotional items
like local merchant discount coupons.
You can also find your group additionally rewarded with additional prime sales
locations such as sidewalk sales or merchant tables near high-traffic locations.
This allows your group to market fundraising items to a much larger pool of
potential buyers.
Having a bigger base of volunteers to draw from allows you to lessen the
individual workloads of your core volunteer group. These new individuals may
also possess additional talents that may benefit your organization.
For example, say that your group does a monthly stint in such activities as
visiting nursing homes and hospitals to spread good cheer. In doing so,
someone else in the community becomes aware that your group visited a relative
of theirs. Say then that they have a skill that your group needs. One result might
include some professional assistance being donated to your organization that
otherwise might have been a cost item.
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Community Involvement
I’m not saying to increase your community involvement and expect to get
something back in return. What I mean is that increased participation means
increased visibility. That in turn leads to a higher likelihood of convergence with
like-minded individuals.
Another example is where your group regularly provides volunteers for the local
hospital. The hospital might reciprocate for a semi-regular support group. For
instance, they might allow your group to place a holiday sales table near their
entrance. Again, you get increased opportunities by helping others.
Children and adults all benefit from increased involvement within their
community. Many studies have shown that involved teenagers are less likely to
drink or do drugs than individuals who lack those kinds of close community ties.
Community involvement means a year-round relationship that collaterally
increases your support base. Giving back to the community is also a good
example to set for youngsters. Build for the future by being a positive role model
and a responsible citizen.
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Communication
Communication
“The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he’s going.”
- Anonymous
Every organization needs all the help it can get from its supporters. Provide
meaningful communication of your message to everyone involved – sellers,
buyers, sponsors, parents, volunteers, etc.
In order to maximize your success, all of this needs to be done early and often.
Let’s take a look t the three main areas of fundraiser communication – what to
communicate, how to communicate, and when to communicate.
What to communicate:

Specific reason for this fundraiser

All financial goals

Type of fundraiser selected

Timelines for all activities

Specific directions for those activities

Supporting sales materials

Updates on milestones

Key reminders

Final results
Your organization, your participants, and to some extent your supporters need to
know the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your fundraiser. Getting this
information out accurately on a timely basis is a critical factor in your group’s
success.
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Specific reasons
As discussed elsewhere in this book, a fundraiser works best when all of its
participants and supporters know the specific reason why money is being raised.
This motivates the sales group to work harder toward a defined objective. It
gives the supporter an emotional reason to make a purchase or an outright
donation.
Financial goals
The goal itself needs to be a specific dollar amount. That sum needs to be
translated into sub-group goals and individual goals. Everyone involved needs to
understand what their part in the project is.
Fundraiser details
The operational aspects of the fundraiser need to be communicated clearly. All
roles and responsibilities should be in writing. Everyone should have a copy of
their job description and a clear expectation of their time commitment.
Timeline information
Two weeks before the kickoff, everyone involved should know all the key dates of
the project. This is important because you want to have a clearly defined start
and stop date that is well known to both your sellers and to the community.
Directions on activities
Provide the most detailed set of instructions possible. The more detailed the
instructions given, the fewer questions are asked and the better the results.
Sales materials
The sales participants need to have their order forms, sales scripts, brochure or
catalog, and instructions in hand. That means getting everything assembled and
bundled into delivery stacks. Allow enough time for them to become familiar with
the materials before putting them to use.
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Updates
Periodic updates need to be provided to various individuals within your
organization. Make sure your project plan includes a written list of all necessary
communications.
The participants also need feedback during the campaign that lets them know
how the group effort is progressing. Any interim prize level achievements should
be included as motivational material.
Key reminders
All deadlines need to be spelled out well ahead of time. Periodic reminders of
those deadlines need to be made as well.
Final results
How’d we do? It’s surprising that after many fundraisers that the answer to that
question is not widely known.
Communicating the results and goal achievement brings emotional closure to all
members of the group. A lot of effort was expended. Let them know that it was
all worthwhile. A popular idea is to have a thermometer or measuring stick sign
showing attainment toward the goal.
How to communicate:
Be enthusiastic about your organization and this fundraiser in particular. Give
motivation to all participants to do a great job. Keep a quote file for inspiration.
“The only thing to fear is fear itself.”
Well, that one is probably over done. How about these:
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” – Zig Ziglar
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“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you’ll land among the stars” – Les
Brown
Put a structure in place
Give your organization a communications post, or better yet, a communications
committee. Its work is just as important as the delivery committee. Lack of
information causes lack of interest and lack of interest will definitely impact your
results.
Be sure that record keeping needs are communicated clearly as an essential part
of the process. All volunteers should be given the correct documents for
recording the right data as you go.
Use hard copy
Put everything in writing. It saves many a committee chair from having to answer
the same questions repeatedly.
Put those documents in the hands of the people who need them. Don’t expect
anyone to know exactly what they are supposed to do and when they are
supposed to do it.
Keep a central archive of all documents and make sure that your organization’s
leadership have backup copies of each set of important files.
Use posters and signs
Create wall art that attracts attention and spreads your message. These large
scale and colorful reminders will keep your fundraiser in the public eye. Have a
contest among the kids for the most creative posters. Put a few rewards in place
to spur competition.
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Use calling trees
Form calling trees to structure a rapid means of communication. A good rule of
thumb is no more than six downstream phone calls per person. That means ten
people can reach sixty, who in turn can reach up to three hundred and sixty more
people, etc.
Make sure that your calling trees are structured to work in reverse as well. After
all, communication is a two-way process. Don’t have all the questions that arise
get routed to one or two individuals. Most questions can be answered by their
contact one level up and don’t need to go all the way to the top.
Again, avoid overburdening your key personnel. Run your fundraisers like a
business. Sure, anyone who wants to can call the CEO of their company, but
most of the time they don’t need to. Why? Because the answers they need are
available at lower levels of the organization and the CEO has empowered those
people to provide answers and to make decisions.
Use your website
Your web site should be used as a focal point for communications, inbound and
outbound. Make sure that the common questions that always arise are
addressed there. Set up an e-mail address (and monitor it) for questions and
concerns about fundraising activities. Provide names, e-mail addresses, and
phone numbers of people to call for more information.
Keep information accessible
Give as much access as possible via a website, bulletin boards, newsletters,
FAQ handouts, etc. Put a volunteer packet together for each volunteer
containing all the necessary documents and instructions. Don’t expect anybody
to know or learn everything through osmosis. Save everyone time (and
redundant questions and assemble the information once. Then, it only needs
slight updates as contact names change.
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When to communicate:
Weeks ahead
“In two weeks, we’ll be starting our fall fundraiser. This catalog sale produces
more than 50% of our annual budget, so we’re giving all our supporters a heads
up on what’s coming this year.”
Give periodic participation updates
“It’s the start of week two of our fall fundraiser and we’re already at 89% of last
year’s number. Keep up the GREAT work!”
Give end results
Give final fundraiser results and feedback to everyone – organization, customers,
sponsors, participants, volunteers, etc.
Give the future a look
Communicate your results and recommendations to future members of your
organization for reference.
Give positive feedback
Be sure to say thank you to everyone involved. You want them back next time
as supporters and volunteers don’t you?
Summary
In closing, good communication is an essential part of every fundraiser. Don’t
think of skimping on this part of the process. If you do, your results will
undoubtedly suffer.
Put forth the necessary effort to get it right. It really isn’t that difficult to organize
your communications. Remember that most of these materials can then be used
repeatedly in the future with just slight tweaks for different fundraisers.
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Merchant Plan
Merchant Plan
“It is not enough to have a good mind, the main thing is to use it well.”
- Rene Descartes
Local businesses are an excellent fundraising resource. They should be part of
every non-profit group’s fundraising strategy. When asking local merchants to
get involved with supporting your organization, think like a business owner.
Make sure it’s a win-win situation.
What is a merchant plan?
A merchant plan is a step-by-step outline covering the development of a mutually
beneficial relationship with area merchants.
Remember the most important word
What word has a tremendous amount of power? Me. Specifically, “what’s in it
for me.” Self-interest is a basic human instinct and one that you need to pay
close attention to when developing your plan.
Put yourself in the merchant’s shoes and ask – “What’s in it for me?” If you
design your plan so that every step of your merchant relationship provides value
for that merchant, you will be very successful indeed.
The three main levels of a merchant plan
Level One: Helping The Merchant
Begin by doing something that benefits the merchant. It can be something as
simple as distributing their existing ads (that they pay to run) your supporters at
no cost to them. Or, you can ask them if they’d like to be an “emcee” at one of
your special events.
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Do something nice for them. How would you react to someone who brought you
a gift and asked for nothing in return other than to help you promote your
business? Bring some homemade fudge or cookies and make a friend.
A merchant wants foot traffic and they want customers. They are constantly
looking for ways to bring in new business. Print a flyer of merchant ads (supplied
by your new friends) that prominently features your group’s name. Use an eyecatching color scheme to ensure that the merchant will notice the coupon
redemptions. Give the flyers away to any prospect while doing your regular
fundraiser. Send a sheet of them home every month with your regular
newsletter.
Level Two: Ask For Help In Return
Only after demonstrating your value to the merchant should you approach them
with a request to help your group. Always look at it from their perspective and
keep your initial request minimal.
Ask for something simple like a discount on a low-cost prize for one of your top
seller rewards. Better yet, ask them if the winner can pick the prize up in person
via an award certificate. Remember, you can print these yourself and the
merchant gets foot traffic that views the award in a personal light.
Ask the merchant’s opinion about how to expand your promotional program. Buy
them a cup of coffee and let them talk. These folks are experienced marketers
and have lots of useful tips.
Once you’ve demonstrated value to a merchant, be patient. When you have a
discussion about how to increase your results, wait for them to make an offer. I
know it sounds contrary to the notion of getting immediate results, but you are in
it for the long-term. When the merchant volunteers on their own, you’re golden
from there on out because they’re a willing participant.
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Level Three: Full Partnership
A merchant relationship that’s been developed correctly and nurtured over time
will provide tremendous value for your group. What kind of help could a full
partnership bring you?
Donations are one thing that every group asks area merchants to provide.
Guess which group the merchant will favor with their best donations? Always
give fair value before asking for anything. Think or yourself as a relative of a rich
uncle. Would you rather be thought of as the “ne’er do well” or the favorite
niece/nephew?
Event sponsorships are another form of assistance that a merchant can provide.
The merchant gets prominent publicity and your group gets help lowering your
costs. Remember the mantra of “what’s in it for me” and always give a
promotional avenue for the merchant.
An example would be an event night featuring a Mystery Dinner Theater. A
sponsoring merchant (could even be the restaurant where the dinner is held)
helps to lower your cost by covering part of the event expenses. Hint: Ask the
merchant if they’d like to play one of the lead roles!
Selling space (a merchant table) outside the merchant’s location for a product
fundraiser is another great benefit. Ask permission to set up a small table (away
from their door) to offer your immediate delivery items such as discount cards,
pizza cards, candy, etc. To maximize traffic, give something free to every visitor.
Make sure what you’re offering doesn’t conflict with their business.
Ask for a challenge letter
A merchant who is a full partner can also be asked to provide (on their
letterhead) a letter challenging other merchant supporters to ‘Top This!”
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Have them prepare a two-paragraph letter listing what they’re doing to help your
group and daring fellow merchants to outdo them. This approach can spiral into
receiving much better support than the other merchants were originally planning.
Ask for cross-promotions
My husband likes to tell the story of how a simple milkman with a local route
helped his father out tremendously back when he was the local Little League
commissioner. The milkman told the commissioner that his company wouldn’t
pay to have an ad hanging on the outfield fence like all the other merchants.
Instead, he proposed something unique that was coming out of his own pocket.
Every player in the Little League that hit a home run would receive a free halfgallon of ice cream. Of course, the route milkman delivered the free ice cream in
person and made a point of shaking each youngster’s hand.
Naturally, the milkman also provided a copy of his price list in the bag with the ice
cream, but never asked for any business in return. And, just as naturally, his
business went through the roof with dozens of new customers. When he retired
after many years of service, he was honored as the most successful route
salesman in the company’s history!
A final note about the milkman to further emphasize the topic of cross-promotion.
Without being asked, the milkman also convinced the corner gas station owner
and several other merchants to allow the Little Leaguers to sell their candy
outside those locations.
Guess where those children’s parents bought their gas and did their shopping?
And, I guess I don’t have to tell you who would stop by with cold chocolate milk
that all the kids loved? Now what do you suppose those kids begged their
parents to order from the milkman?
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Don’t ignore cross-promotional opportunities. They are extremely powerful
marketing techniques that will help you maximize your fundraising success.
How to get started
Build your relationship gradually
Nobody wants to be “used.” Whatever you do, try to give the merchant
something of concrete value in return for their assistance.
Don’t ask them for anything (yet)
Offer to help promote their business at no cost to them. How do you do that? By
partnering with them in ways that will increase their customer traffic, while at the
same time providing benefits to your supporters.
Check them out
Find out what ads they are paying to run. Incorporate those same promotions
into a free giveaway flyer that’s handed to everyone who’s a participant,
supporter, buyer, and even a prospect of your fundraiser.
Help them out
Give the flyer away to your supporters as a way of saying thanks. The merchant
gets a free ad campaign. Your group gets to make a positive impression on
everyone they contact by giving something of value.
Broaden your horizons
Approach all merchants within a five-mile radius. Have a sample contact script
written out. Make sure your script clearly communicates what your organization’s
goals are and what’s in it for the merchants.
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Key points for a merchant contact script:
Tell them what you’re all about

Introduce yourself

Name your organization immediately

Allay suspicions – “I’m not here to ask you for anything”

Describe your approach of helping first
Tell the merchant what’s in it for them

More traffic to their business

Increased positive visibility in the community

Flyers are only hand delivered so viewing is assured
Tell the merchant they are in control

Merchant composes offer, not you

Merchant sets expiration date

Merchant gets free advertising to prime customers
What’s in it for you?
What results can your organization expect? First, you’ve gained the support of
several local businesses. These merchants will be impressed when they see the
same promotional offerings they’ve paid others to distribute coming back from
your hand-delivered support. Don’t think a merchant won’t recognize a positive
ad campaign result when they see it. And, it’s free to boot!
Second, you’ve created a very positive impression by giving a flyer to everyone
your group touches. “This group cares enough to give me this set of coupons
even though I didn’t buy anything. They value my time. This group has the
support of the community merchants. They are a quality group.”
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Third, the flyer results in repeated exposure of your group’s name and contact
information. Every person looking at the flyer receives what advertisers call an
“eyeball impression” of not only the merchant offers, but their sponsor. Make
sure your group’s name and information is prominently displayed across the top
of the flyer.
Lastly, the merchants are well on their way to becoming supporters. Next time
around, your group can ask for extra discounts for your supporters that are
“exclusive” special offers. You can also ask in the future for other forms of
support and partnership that are covered below.
Develop leverage
Leverage community resources
Ask a printer or copy shop for support in exchange for a prominent spot in your
free advertising. They can easily run you off a few thousand flyers if you provide
the paper.
Other merchants also have services that will provide additional assistance to
your organization, now or in the future. Be sure to show anyone you’re doing
business with personally, or through your group, a copy of your ad flyer.
Merchants are always looking for inexpensive ways to increase their customer
traffic, particularly those where their special offers are known to reach someone
personally.
Remember that sponsors want publicity. Have a sponsor listing on your website
and in your newsletter. By featuring these local merchants prominently as your
supporters, you are favorably acknowledging your “premium partners.” This in
turn encourages your group’s supporters to shop at those stores.
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Leverage prime locations
Ask if you can work a “table” at their entrance for one day during a weekend
fundraiser. Consider the foot traffic count when deciding which locations are
best. Imagine how many people you can attract to your “spotlight” sale with good
signage and a sample display. Think freebies to draw people to your table!
Have multiple tables across your marketing area and increase your reach. Think
about how many people you can reach with your fundraising offerings if you have
five or even ten merchant locations set up. Try to do one at every merchant who
is listed on your coupon flyer. Be sure to ask permission before distributing any
advertising flyers with discount coupons directly in front of their location. Also,
avoid competing business offerings in the same flyer.
Keep the right safety focus and always have an adult present at each merchant
table.
Become their customer
Buy items from them to give away as prizes. Ask for suggestions. Use their
merchandise as prizes or giveaways. See them and use them for needed
services. Develop your relationships as both a traffic generator and as a
customer.
You’ll be surprised how many other businesses will hear about your group’s
beneficial approach through good word of mouth from your merchant supporters.
Don’t be afraid to ask if you can use them as a reference for other merchants
who are considering participating in your flyer.
Promote a merchant day
What can you do to make a merchant want to help you with every fundraising
activity? The answer is to promote a “merchant day” or “sponsor day” with
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everyone that your organization touches. Make them aware of how much traffic
your group can generate.
How do you do it? Pick a Saturday that doesn’t conflict with other local events.
Communicate through your calling tree and in all your other channels such as
your newsletter, a take-home letter, website, etc. Promote it heavily with posters
and flyers, in your thank you flyer that goes out with your product deliveries, etc.
What do you tell your supporters to do? Simply patronize one or more of your
merchant sponsors on that day as way of thanking them for their support. Ask
your supporters to consider wearing clothing that identifies your group with logos,
colors, etc. That’s not too hard to do, right?
But, there’s one more thing that they need to do. It’s not enough to simply
patronize their establishment. They need to personalize their message. Tell
them that it’s critical that they go to the customer service counter, manager’s
area, or owner’s desk, and personally thank them for supporting your
organization.
I guarantee you that from then on your group will have a merchant who will want
to support your every effort!
What else should my merchant plan include?
You need to take it to the next level. Now your group should help the merchant
make incremental sales.
How do you do that? By selling gift certificates from local merchants as an
overlay on your regular fundraiser. Take a small profit for your effort. For every
$5 certificate sold, you keep $1 in profit. Pay the other $4 to the merchant.
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If they don’t have their own gift certificates to sell, you can create them on a
home computer (and plug your organization’s name in on the certificate). After
the orders are in from your supporters, take the money and the printed gift
certificates to the merchant. They’ll be happy to sign the authorization line on
each certificate and to accept your group’s check.
What do they get out of it? A guaranteed sale that only cost them a dollar. A
customer using a coupon has an incentive to visit a merchant. A customer who
has paid for a gift certificate will definitely shop there. In addition, the shopper
almost always buys something else, which further increases sales.
Also, list the supporting merchants on the back of a “Thanks a Million” dollar bill
given to every buyer. Work a deal with the merchants to arrange a mystery gift
for every “million dollar bill” used in their store.
Remember that each bill can only be used once and then it’s collected. The
mystery gift can be arranged so that it’s rewarding for both parties. For example,
a dry cleaners could give a free batch of dry cleaning (worth a set amount). That
customer then becomes familiar with the dry cleaners and is therefore much
more likely to use them in the future. The key to having each recipient select one
merchant where they can redeem their million-dollar bill for a mystery bonus.
Personalize your group’s million-dollar-bill by putting your mascot’s picture in
place of the presidential portrait. This helps create a “brand experience” as the
advertising gurus call it. Give one to each merchant to keep by their cash
register. That way it will be instantly recognizable to every merchant.
Ask and you shall receive
When your merchant program is fully in place, you can crank it up another notch
by asking for donations for a raffle night, seller prizes, participant/volunteer
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awards, etc. Two sample low-cost items would include discount dry cleaning
coupons, or for one free movie rental.
You could also ask for contributions of slow moving items for a “Mondo Yard
Sale” fundraiser. There are tax benefits available to merchants for making
donations to non-profit organizations, so be prepared to provide receipts.
Now, your group has extra items that directly generate additional revenues or
can be used to motivate your participants. Those aren’t bad benefits any way
you look at it.
Goodwill store
Don’t have enough advertisers for your first flyer? Try thinking outside the box.
Contact your local Goodwill or other donated clothing store. Tell them that you
will help them increase their flow of donated goods if they’ll provide a “$1 gift
certificate” for your flyer. That will help them increase customer traffic along with
potential future donations from those very same customers.
The Video Store
Approach your local video stores about selling their used videos as a fundraising
item. Get a list of used tapes and DVD’s of which they have a large quantity in
stock. Get old mailers or flyers that provide a small text description of each
movie. Create a supplemental flyer to offer these along with your next
fundraiser.
You can generally arrange to purchase these in quantity for $5 or possibly less.
Price them at $10 or under for an easy sale. Make sure that everyone knows
that it’s a partnership between your group and the local Video Store. Have the
flyer feature their logo and a note that these are used tapes or DVD’s being sold
for fundraising purposes.
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Pull from the local store’s inventory when sold. Their managers are incented to
move this excess inventory and they’ll be very grateful. Wouldn’t it be great to be
merchant friendly with a high-traffic location like a Video Store?
One last thing: Record keeping
Never assume that your successors will automatically remember everything that
you did or said. Maintain a merchant database with the business name, key
contact(s), phone number, best time to call or visit, notes on past relationship,
current status, etc.
Summary
A merchant program will add value everywhere your group goes in your
community. You can build relationships with merchants by helping them
increase their customer base.
Their participation begins with getting free advertising hand delivered to excellent
prospects for their goods and services. That participation can often quickly turn
into prime selling space at a table outside their place of business.
Your merchant program takes it to the next level by heavily promoting a sponsor
day with your group and its supporters. A solid impression is created with the
merchant by personalizing the thank you message.
The next step is to help the merchant increase sales by selling $5 gift certificates
to their business. The business owner will take notice how many are sold. They
will track how many incremental purchases went with those gift certificates.
Your merchant plan is now ready to kick into high gear. You can now ask your
merchant base to help your group by providing items that will help grow your
fundraising revenues. Those items include donated goods for seller prizes, for
raffles, for additional revenue generation, etc.
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Don’t expect something for nothing. My father owned a shoe store in a small
town for years. Various organizations were constantly knocking down his door
for a donation for one cause or another. Once, a fundraising coordinator for a
local school’s basketball team, who happened to want a donation toward new
uniforms, approached him. When my father asked where the team bought their
basketball shoes, the flustered fundraiser said they bought them via mail order.
Guess who didn’t get a donation?
The lesson: Support your supporters. If the only time that merchant sees you is
when you have your hand out... well, you get the picture.
Not having a merchant plan is a serious mistake. It helps you thank prospective
supporters, increases your group’s visibility in the community, provides premium
sales spots in high-traffic areas, helps motivate your sellers, and provides a great
future source of cross-promotional opportunities. Put your merchant plan into
action ASAP!
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Checklists
Checklists
“No one is listening until you make a mistake.”
- Anonymous
Checklists are a valuable tool to monitor progress toward a goal. Use them to
verify completion of tasks and to measure milestones along the way.
They are important as an organizing tool. A checklist can record assignments,
completions, be a progress check, aid record keeping, and serve as reminders.
When someone is scratching their head and wondering what they forgot, all they
have to do is consult their checklist to find out.
Here are a few checklists that will come in handy:

Sellers guide

Order handling

Tally sheet

Delivery guide
Sellers Guide Checklist

List of prospects created – ten needed

Sales pitch in writing – received by all participants

Sales pitch rehearsed in private – all sellers should practice

Sales pitch used on family – a dress rehearsal

Sales pitch put to use – try it first on a family friend

Smile – it builds rapport

Introduce yourself – its important to personally identify yourself

State specific group goal – create desire to help

Ask for help – it makes it harder to say no if you ask

State reason to buy – make a value statement
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
Use the word “because” when you state that reason to buy

State a favorite – communicating a personal preference makes others look

Show wares – demo of product or place catalog in their hand

Ask for order – it will double your sales

Get order – this is your goal

Ask for more - supplemental offering or reference

Communicate - delivery date timeframe or other relevant information

Say thank you - regardless of order or not
Order handling

Salesperson’s name on form?

Customer’s name & address on order sheet?

Selections listed or checked?

Unit amount and quantity listed for each selection?

Extended amount listed?

Customer grand total listed?

Customer payment match grand total?
Order checking & tally sheet

Checker’s name on form?

Source of orders on form?

Unit counts correct?

Unit pricing correct?

Unit totals correct

Pricing total correct?

Customer check completed correctly?

Customer payments match?
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Checklists
Delivery guide
Immediately check the delivery for accuracy and completeness before signing for
it. Here’s some sample items for your checklist:

Packing slip verified against received goods?

Any items backordered?

All items on master tally sheet listed also on shipment packing slip?

Shipment unit count correct for each item?

Shipment extended count correct for each item?

Items sorted correctly?

Or do some or all items need sorting?

Sorting project completed by name of volunteer?

Items ready for distribution to sellers?
Other checklists you can create
You should also consider creating fundraiser specific checklists in these other
areas:

Picking a fundraiser

Initial to-do’s & assignments

Scheduling

Final planning

Organization

Publicity

Sales prep

Merchant plan

Final wrap
Summary
By using a common methodology based on checklists, you can ensure that all
participants and volunteers are completing assignments correctly. Let a simple
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piece of paper take the worry out of your fundraising efforts. That way you can
focus on the ultimate objective of maximizing your results.
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Record Keeping
Record Keeping
“Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.”
- Malcolm Forbes
Some people consider keeping records a necessary evil, others consider it a
waste of time. Both couldn’t be farther from the truth. Records serve as both a
centralized information repository and as gold mine of historical data.
Consider these aspects of record keeping:
Audit records
Non-profit groups may be audited for various reasons. Having an outside
accountant digging through your books is bad enough. Not having any books is
a horror story.
Review old records for insight
Take some time and review your organization’s old records for insight. Find out
what was done in the past, what worked, and what didn’t. Then apply that
knowledge to your current fundraisers. You should be able to make several
recommendations that will increase your net profit.
Revenue & profit check
Actual results need to be verified several times against sources of revenue and
invoices to accurately assess the net profits from your fundraiser. You’ll want
hard numbers here, not ballpark figures.
Keeping tax-free status
A state or local tax agency may want to determine if all tax laws were followed.
Failure to maintain adequate records will result in severe treatment by the tax
authorities. Check your local requirements at www.fundraisetaxlaw.org.
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Check expenditures
Record all expenditures from your group’s fundraising efforts. These expenses
will need to be documented for tax and audit purposes. Not having them can
leave you liable for malfeasance without any way to defend yourself.
Use for goal setting basis
As discussed in the Section on Goal Setting, old fundraising records are a gold
mine of data for comparing results. Be sure to keep the participant, seller, and
volunteer numbers accessible to help determine the true baseline performance.
When you are organizing records, be sure to:
Keep things neat
What did you find when you last consulted the old records? Were things neat
and organized, a total mess, or somewhere in between? Do everybody a favor
and make an effort to structure your record keeping so that any fundraising file
can be located quickly.
Keep accurate records
Records that can’t be deciphered or are missing important documents are a
cause for concern. Stress the importance of legibility and accountability. Place
notes in files explaining why certain documents are no longer in the file.
Organize them well
Follow a common checklist or format each year. Otherwise, searching through
them will be difficult at best. Label all folders clearly and with a standard
methodology. Group the various detail reports into sub-folders and place
everything into a master file for that fundraiser. Keep everything from one year in
the same place, i.e. a file cabinet drawer.
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Have full access to past and present
By retaining full sets of records each year, you provide others with an opportunity
to leverage your success. You’ll also keep your organization from having to
reinvent the wheel every year.
Leave summary info on top
If you don’t have a summary form already, then create one and attach it at the
front of every file. The responsible parties should sign new ones for each future
fundraiser that your group conducts.
Keep duplicates at an off-site location
Remember the old saying about not keeping all your eggs in one basket? That
holds true for accounting files. Make copies and store them elsewhere. If
something goes wrong, you’ll be glad you did.
Retain paper versus electronic
It’s preferable to keep both paper and electronic copies of your records. If you
have to choose one or the other, choose to retain the actual paper records.
Everything else is just a reconstruction of those records. Originals are a must.
What records should you keep:

Financial goals

Actual results

Number of participants

Various participation percentages

Revenue breakdown

Planned timeline vs. actual

Responsibility/assignment chart

Contact list and phone numbers

Database of all records, electronic

Support needs
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
Total hours worked

Problems & their resolution

Supplier contract

Supplier performance

Copies of flyers used

Sales breakdown

Summary

Satisfaction level

Recommendations for future fundraisers
Summary
Good record keeping plays an important role in the ongoing success of a nonprofit organization. Conversely, failure to keep good records will cause trouble in
the long run. Don’t take any shortcuts. It’s not worth it.
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Safety
Safety
“Of all nature’s gifts to the human race, what is sweeter to a man than his
children.”
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
When your group is doing a fundraiser, it is imperative to make sure that the
proper safety precautions are followed. Never allow door-to-door sales without
direct adult supervision. Period.
In a sad case, an 11-year-old boy selling candy for a PTA fundraiser came to the
door of a 15-year-old boy that was home alone at the time. The youngster was
invited inside, sexually molested, and then murdered. This is not an urban
legend. The murder happened in Freehold, New Jersey on September 27, 1997
and it raised the fundraising safety issue to national prominence.
I’m not usually an alarmist, but I included the paragraph above to heighten
awareness of the safety topic. I am by nature a trusting person, but not when it
comes to my children! Nothing is worth such devastating consequences.
So, how do you build the appropriate safety focus into your program? You start
by stressing safety from the top of your organization to the bottom. You have to
make sure that safety is a focal point in all your communications.
Use written selling guidelines
Put it into writing that all selling should be supervised. Your organization needs
this as a protective measure and so do the children. If an adult cannot commit to
accompanying a child, the child must not perform that type of sales activity.
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Make sure that each child’s parents are aware of these guidelines. Get the
message to them that their children are not being encouraged to sell outside their
comfort zone by your group.
Tell them that they should focus on their core contacts – family, friends,
neighbors, and coworkers of parents. In other words, be safe by selling only to
individuals who know your parents.
Repeat the message
Put up fundraising safety posters at convenient locations to remind young sellers.
Make them friendly, but firm. Example: What’s the last thing you do in a
fundraiser? Sell without an adult present.”
Print a safety message on all of your sales literature. Look for this from a quality
supplier. Put the “Keep It Safe” message on all communications.
Repeat the safety message at every opportunity. Cover it in your kickoff
meeting, during sales brochure distribution, in the take home package, etc. If
your fundraiser is school-based, have teachers reinforce the safety message in
the classrooms.
Put safety into practice
Don’t encourage inappropriate behavior such as risk taking, unsupervised sales,
shopping center sales activity without prior approval and adult supervision.
Following the murder of a student from a neighboring school district, the music
program at Ridgewood (NJ) High School developed a set of guidelines to ensure
the safety of their students while fundraising door-to-door. Here is a summary of
that plan:
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Safety
Sales are concentrated in a short period. High school students are grouped in
teams of at least four and accompanied by a parent who serves as a chaperone
and/or driver.
Parent supervisors watch students from their cars to make sure they go from one
house to the next safely. According to the program’s guidelines, students may
not enter the homes of residents under any circumstances. If this occurs, the
accompanying parent must immediately knock on the resident’s door and retrieve
the student. (My personal note: Even better, the adult goes to the door with the
children!)
Your group’s policies and procedures may vary from this approach. The
important thing is to develop a written policy and make sure those guidelines are
followed.
Summary
The best way to avoid an unsafe situation is by not going there. Many other
youth programs also carry a strong safety message. Make sure yours does too.
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Sales Techniques
Sales Techniques
“It is no use saying, “We are doing our best.” You have got to succeed in
doing what is necessary.”
- Winston Churchill
There’s no getting around it. Doing a fundraiser involves selling two things - your
cause and your offering. The right things need to be said to your potential
supporters to promote your cause and to “sell” what you are offering as a
fundraiser. If you don’t have a process in place that provides some basic sales
techniques to your participants, then your fundraiser will never reach its full
potential.
Don’t assume, teach
You should never assume that someone will automatically know how to sell
something. Good sales techniques follow a defined communication path to
develop rapport, define a need, demonstrate value, and obtain agreement. If you
want to maximize your results, be sure to provide all the sales help you possibly
can to your sellers.
Ask for outside help
Ask a member of your organization who’s a sales professional to help construct
your selling guidelines. Work out a scripted participant introduction and a basic
sales pitch in advance. Put it in writing and make sure everyone gets a copy.
Do some role-playing. Have the adults perform a “what to do” and “what not to
do” skit at your kick off meeting. Make it fun so everyone will enjoy it, but be sure
to get the message across as well – good sales technique means good sales.
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Sales Techniques
Put sales techniques to work
Increase your group’s success by putting professional sales techniques to work
in your organization. Have your sellers do what every sales professional does practice, rehearse, train, review, talk to the mirror, etc.
Work from a prospect list
Selling always follows the law of large numbers – the more people you contact,
the more of your offering that you will sell. Have everyone create a written
prospect list. Have your team or sub-group leaders review these and offer
additional suggestions.
State a specific goal
Remember that stating your group’s specific goal should be a prominent part of
what your sellers say to their prospects. It should be mentioned before they even
say what they’re selling. Then, it should be mentioned again while the prospect
is reviewing the product offering.
Don’t forget free prospects
Team up with local merchants to get prime selling locations in high-traffic areas.
When it comes to prospects, you can never have too much of a good thing.
For more information on sales techniques, study sales materials in the library and
on the Internet to get more tips. Focus on the classics like Dale Carnegie’s “How
to Win Friends and Influence People.” There’s a reason why they are classics.
Sell your brand
Whether or not what you are selling is a name brand item, the primary “brand” in
fundraising is your organization and the enthusiasm of your entire group. If your
sellers are enthusiastic about what they are selling, or even the cause for which
they are selling, success will follow.
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Sales Techniques
See through the customer’s eyes
Would you buy that, at that price, at that time, from that person? Remember the
power of “me” - as in “What’s In It For Me.” Enough said.
Sell on an emotional level
Buying decisions are almost always made at an emotional level, not through
logic. Logic is used to justify the buying decision after it has already been made.
Therefore, you want to couch your offer in terms that stir an emotional response.
Think about visiting a car dealership. They’re not focusing on the logical side of
the buying decision. The salesman wants to get you to test drive that new car so
that you form an emotional bond with the idea of having a new vehicle. The last
thing they want to do is talk about financial numbers until you’ve gotten “hooked.”
Then, they’ll limit that discussion to “affordable” monthly payments, so that you
can rationalize the buying decision.
Focus on their wants, not their needs
When people spend money on something without advance contemplation, 98%
of the time they are buying a “want” item, not a “need” item.
Think of the
checkout lane at the supermarket or any other retail establishment. They are
loaded with impulse buy items that customers can quickly add to their purchases.
So, how does this relate to fundraising? Its another sales technique that your
sellers should have in their toolkit. It works a couple of ways. First, if there is
buying (or donation) resistance, respond with a statement that addresses the
emotional “want” side of their brain. It’s much easier than trying to convince
someone that they “need” what you’re offering.
People want to help. Use that as a lever to get someone to take action. You can
say, “We really need your help because (your stated goal/need) is important.”
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Sales Techniques
People tend to procrastinate. You can say, “This is your chance to help out
now.”
People set limits on their donations. You can say, “This is a cause that needs
your support because its important to you.”
Once buying resistance is overcome, you can appeal to the emotional “wants” to
increase the level of participation. For example, if you’re selling from a catalog,
you can say, “There sure are a lot of great gifts in there. Are you buying gifts for
out-of-town family members that you want to keep in touch with?”
The same thing applies to other product sales. You can say, “Is there someone
else you’d like to buy a (insert fundraiser product here) for? A lot of people are
doing that.”
Convert benefits into feelings
Make a statement that creates a pleasant mental picture for your prospective
buyer. Your goal should be to get a feeling of positive emotion linked to the
purchase of your offering. Your prospective customer should have a vivid word
picture created for them that dramatizes the benefits of your offering.
An example would be when you are selling a discount card that contains multiple
merchant discounts. Instead of reciting a list of a dozen offers, make mention of
the satisfaction associated with saving money. You might say, “Isn’t it great
when you can save money for the things you really want?”
Or you could say, “Doesn’t it feel good when you get a great bargain? Check out
these fantastic freebies!” Most people love getting a bargain and getting
something for free, regardless of their income.
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Dramatize their loss if they don’t buy
Talk about what your prospective customer won’t get if they decide not to
purchase your offering. Fear of losing out on a good deal or a valuable benefit is
a strong motivator. You’ve already created a positive emotional feeling about
what they’ll gain; now link that good feeling to one of loss.
For example, if your group is selling pizza cards that have twenty free pizzas on
a two-for-one basis, you can talk about paying extra every time they buy two
pizzas. You can say, “Without this card, every time you want an extra pizza,
you’ll have to pay for it.” (loss of good deal linked to reminder of extra cost)
If you’re selling gourmet lollipops, you can say, “These are all we have left.
When they’re gone, everyone else is out of luck.” (loss of opportunity)
If you’re selling from a catalog or a brochure, you can say, “Ordering gifts doesn’t
get any easier than this.” (loss of time savings/convenience/selection)
Limit choices
Make sure to focus your prospect on a narrow range of options. Too many
choices can cause hesitation in making a buying decision. Aim for an immediate
choice from a limited pool of attractively priced options. If there is no easy
choice, people will often make no decision at all.
For example, in the gourmet lollipop example above, make your first pitch with
the three most popular flavors. Don’t confuse the prospect with 25 different
lollipops to choose from! You can say, “These three are the best sellers.” If they
ask for other choices, try to get a specific flavor they’re looking for before you
show them 22 other ones. You can say, “What’s your favorite flavor?” If they still
can’t choose one, sell them a bundle. You can say, “A lot of people buy five
flavors and enjoy them all.”
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Sales Techniques
Another example of limiting choices would be sales from a catalog. It’s important
to point a prospective buyer toward an easy decision by highlighting a personal
favorite, a best seller, or an attractive price point. You can say, “There’s a ton of
good choices, but this one right here on page three is a great deal and it’s only
five dollars.”
Offer more ways to buy (and pay)
Make sure that you offer as many ways to pay for what you’re selling (or
collecting pledges/donations) as possible. Don’t always limit yourself to cash or
checks. Make it easy for people to do business with your group.
For example, it’s fairly inexpensive to get your group set up to accept credit
cards. Just ask your banker for a merchant kit. That way, you can collect and
process credit card payments at a central location. Think of ways to leverage
that capability. You can use your website and process payments online. You
can host an auction at a convenient location and accept credit cards (which
allows people to spend more).
You can even sell products with a credit card form that the customer fills out.
Imagine how much larger your sales volume could be if customers could charge
their holiday gift selections from your catalog instead of just writing a check.
Think about collecting pledges and membership payments. You can take credit
cards for payment or you can setup an automatic draft on their account. Put
together a selection of $5, $10, or $20 a month pledge packages. Don’t forget to
give them significant membership rewards along with their pledges.
Some important point-of-sale techniques:
Look your best
When making a sales pitch, take the time to make a good impression. Dirty
jeans and a ratty t-shirt won’t help your cause.
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Sales Techniques
Smile
A smile is a universal communication that invites further communication. To get
the best results, smile first and smile often.
Say hello
Always introduce yourself first. It puts you in control of the conversation.
Attitude is important
Be positive and enthusiastic. Nobody likes a glumph.
Don’t mumble
Speak up. Mumbling doesn’t get the message across.
Be positive, not negative
Make only positive statements about your products. Don’t close the door on
yourself by being negative.
Recommend a favorite item
State a preference for a favorite item and provide a reference price point.
Demonstrate value
Show the value in relation to the price point by pointing out the benefits or
superior features of the product offering. Always by truthful about what you are
selling and about the cause you are promoting.
Reaffirm need and solution
Remind the prospect that they are helping meet the stated, specific need of your
organization.
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Sales Techniques
Offer a reference
Reference another sale, preferably someone known to the prospect.
Ask for the order
Always ask for the order. This is so basic, but it needs to be remembered and
put into practice. Never try to sell something the customer doesn’t want.
Because is important
Always use the word “because” when you ask for the order. “Can you help us
out because...”
Be quiet after asking
After you’ve asked for the order, don’t say anything else. Wait for the prospect to
respond, with a yes, a no, or a request for more information.
Be ready for business
Be prepared to write up your order. Have plenty of pens and don’t seem like you
are in a hurry. Give them time to decide on how many items they’d like.
Have a Plan B
If they say no thanks to what your group is selling, offer them your supplemental
fundraising item. Always have an optional approach ready for those who don’t
like the main offer. If there is no other offering, then simply ask for a small
donation of a dollar or two.
Always say thanks
Remember to say thank you whether someone buys something or not.
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Sales Techniques
Summary
The entire fundraising experience can be a positive influence on young sellers.
Selling teaches children good communication skills. They’re interfacing with the
adult world and trying their best to achieve personal and group goals.
Just like in sports, using good technique is essential to succeed. Equip your
team to succeed with the right techniques and with well-rehearsed sales scripts.
Make fundraising a positive experience for them by putting the best tools and the
right skills into their hands. You’ll not only maximize your results; you’ll also give
your young sellers some valuable skills. Successful fundraising skills help them
incorporate some positive experiences into their lives. Years from now they’ll
thank you for it.
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Sales Scripts
Sales Scripts
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a
habit.”
- Aristotle
Equip your sales team for success and watch your results improve dramatically.
You’ve invested a lot of time and effort to get one of your organization’s sales
representatives in front of a potential supporter. Now what are they supposed to
do?
If they are inexperienced, if they are shy in unfamiliar situations, or if they lack
public speaking experience, then they will most likely have difficulty
“regurgitating” your group’s message.
Why use a script?
Why are sales scripts needed? So that the right message does get across and
so that each prospect will more likely become a supporter of your organization.
Studies have shown that two things make a major difference in a sales situation
– a confident, winning attitude combined with an ability to smoothly articulate the
offering and ask for the order.
Develop abilities
How does a youngster develop the confidence and that ability? By being
provided with a sales script and then by rehearsing it several times. Rehearsing
has been demonstrated many times to provide confidence in sales situations.
The elevator speech
In sales, most professionals have a quick concise “pitch.” The idea being, if you
find yourself on an elevator with the CIO, what would you say in the 30 to 60
seconds you’ve been given while he’s your captive audience? What do you say
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Sales Scripts
to make him want to hear more? In fundraising, you have approximately 30 to 60
seconds to lay the groundwork for making the sale or get the opportunity to tell
them more. Use that time wisely by developing your “elevator speech” to cover
the most important points.
Convey enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is conveyed to the potential buyer and subliminal emotional signals
are exchanged between the two parties. These nonverbal cues need to be
correctly taught as part of the sales script. While nobody expects a child to be a
professional sales person, delivering the message well is important.
Encourage developing rapport
Do you have any idea what the most important nonverbal cue is when two people
are talking? Many people don’t. It’s called a smile. People are predisposed by
imprinting to react favorably to others who smile at them.
Try it yourself the next time you meet a stranger on an elevator. Chances are,
you’ll get a smile in return, and a possible conversational opening will result.
So, now we know that a smile is a good thing for our sales force to use when
they discuss the fundraiser. Where does that smile fit into the subject of sales
scripts? Lots of places, but specifically it ties in with the selling checklist covered
in the Section on Sales Techniques.
Selling Checklist

List of prospects created – ten needed

Sales pitch in writing

Sales pitch rehearsed in room

Sales pitch rehearsed on family

Sales pitch ready to be put to use

Smile
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Sales Scripts

Introduce yourself

State goal

Ask for help (use “because”)

Smile again

State a reason to buy

Point out a favorite

Show wares

Ask for order

Smile again

Get order (think positively)

Smile again

Ask for more (supplemental sale or reference)

Communicate delivery timeframe

Thank you (regardless of order or not)
I’ve worked up a short sample sales pitch for a PTA gift-wrap fundraiser to serve
as a basis for looking at the underlying psychology of sales.
“Hi, Mrs. Smith.“
(get response)
“My name is Timmy Jones. Our school is raising money for new playground
equipment with a holiday catalog sale. Could you help us because some of that
equipment is really old?”
(get response, hand catalog to Mrs. Smith)
“There’s some great wrapping paper on the third page. This shiny red one here
is my favorite. It’s real thick, so it won’t tear easily, and nothing shows through.
Pretty nice, huh?”
(point out favorite)
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Sales Scripts
“Plus, it’s only $7 a roll. Mrs. Sanders bought four of them! And half the
proceeds go to the playground fund. Can you help me out because I’m trying to
be the top seller?”
(get response on personal goal)
Here are the underlying psychological aspects of that basic
sales script:

Timmy gives personal greeting (then smiles and looks at the prospect directly,
then looks down and away)

Greeting returned by prospect (Timmy lifts eyes back up)

Timmy gives self introduction (Timmy smiles again)

Query received from prospect (Timmy shifts feet and adjusts grip on catalog)

Timmy names his group affiliation & states specific goal (Timmy looks up,
then continues)

Timmy asks for assistance to meet specific goal (Timmy smiles nervously,
then looks away to await answer. Note - It’s key that he awaits the answer)

Response received from prospect (Timmy leans forward to show catalog)

Timmy shows value and promotes favorite (Timmy waits without smiling for a
display of interest)

Non-verbal response received from prospect

Timmy defines price point

Slight verbal response from prospect

Timmy references another sale (displays happiness)

Eye contact from prospect

Timmy reminds of specific goal, implies need (looks shyly downward after
finished talking)

Affirmative body language from prospect

Timmy asks for help/order by personalizing it and adding personal goal (looks
intently and directly at prospect, but says no more)
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Sales Scripts

Prospect agrees to “help” with group need and personal goal (Timmy smiles)

Body language reflects shared pair bond of minor nature

Timmy collects order and says thank you
What the heck does all that mean?
There are a couple of key points here. One, you’re not going to be able to teach
any youngster the psychology of sales in a short period of time.
Two, there’s nothing wrong with constructing an effective sales script that allows
the right communication patterns to unfold by asking your sellers to say some
key phrases, make a few pauses, and smile from time to time. Kids can
understand that.
Leave the rest of it to the psychologists who study human interaction. Now,
where does that leave us with constructing a good sales script for your
fundraiser?
Actually, pretty well off. Once you understand some of the rituals involved with
face-to-face selling, you’ll have more insight into why you want your sales force
to smile and pause a lot.
The key points of the sales script are:

Personal greeting

Smile & pause for response

Self introduction

Pause for query

Name group and state specific goal

Pause & smile

Ask for assistance to meet goal
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Sales Scripts

Pause and wait for response

Introduce offering

Smile

Promote favorite and show value

Wait for display of interest

Define price point

Quickly reference another sale

Pause and wait for response

State personal goal and imply need for help

Pause and wait for response

Ask for order

Smile

Conduct business

Smile

Say thank you

Smile again
It’s totally up to you how much you want to emphasize the pausing and smiling.
The older your sellers are, the more they need to follow the ritual pattern of the
minor pair bond. Adults give young sellers the benefit of attentively listening and
responding favorably in most situations.
Summary
There was a famous psychological study done in a busy public library where
there was always a line to use the copy machine. Hidden cameras observed the
results as various individuals tried to “cut in” ahead of someone else.
Interestingly, a majority of people would allow an individual to cut in front of them
in the line if they were asked pleasantly. That demonstrates the importance of
asking for the order and smiling.
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Sales Scripts
Even more interesting was the fact that using the word “because” to preface a
supposed reason for cutting ahead in line increased the percentage of people
allowing someone else to cut ahead by another 30%. That demonstrates the
hidden psychological power of the word “because.”
It made very little difference what the supposed reason was just as long as the
word “because” was used. A nonsensical reason such as “because I have to
make copies” was nearly as acceptable as “because I’m in a hurry” or “because
my own copier is broken.” Even a silly answer like “because it’s raining outside”
gained widespread acceptance.
So, in your sales scripts, be sure to include a pleasant exchange that includes
eye contact, asking for the order, and a justification for helping that includes
using the word “because.”
For more information, you can read any number of sales books, attend seminars,
etc. Take my word for it though. For greater success, always use a sales script
that includes at least rudimentary pause and smile instructions. Good selling!
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Incentives & Rewards
Incentives & Rewards
“Image creates desire. You will what you imagine.”
- J. G. Gallimore
Incentives are meant to drive additional participation and generate more sales.
The best incentives are those that have value in the eyes of the participants and
will motivate them to give their best effort. Therefore, your reward program
should offer quality items within a fairly structured setup that doesn’t cause
unwanted behaviors such as excessive or unsafe competition.
Who’s paying?
An important consideration is who ultimately pays for the rewards program. If
you think about it, all rewards will come out of your net profit one way or another.
Doesn’t it make sense to get the most for your money while at the same time
offering the best overall incentives?
Look for ways to save
Ask your supplier how their reward program works and whether there are any
discounts for not utilizing their prize package. You might be able to not only save
money, but also construct a better incentive program through local merchants.
Consider putting together a selection of gift certificates for top sellers that are
donated or bought at a discount from businesses that want to participate.
Go local
Offer locally generated prizes such as lessons, gift certificates, baked goods, and
other items. Discount coupons can also be easily printed and supplied as a
participation reward for everyone. Local merchants like toy stores, fast food
restaurants, family entertainment businesses, sporting goods stores, etc. are
examples of coupon sources or potential prize suppliers.
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Incentives & Rewards
Think it through
Brainstorm with your team on how to create the best possible set of rewards at
the lowest cost to your organization. Try to structure your incentive program to
reward everyone - merchants, buyers, volunteers, sellers, parents, each subgroup of participants, etc.
Weigh competing factors
Consider the long-term impact of an improved prize program based on local
offerings versus the alternatives. Don’t default to low-end prize packages unless
you have to.
Consider what’s important
An incentive program should pay attention to what’s important to the grass roots
level of the organization. Look at these ideas for incenting higher participation in
a school fundraiser and think if they might have a greater impact than simply
using token giveaways.
Example elementary school incentives:

Giving a portion of funds raised by them directly to that class

Offer the teacher an incentive for hitting classroom goal

Allow a class to retain a portion of funds raised above their goal

Give class bonus funds for hitting 100% participation goal

Let teachers sell fundraising items directly for their class’s benefit

Reward the top five classes with a teacher prize package

Provide a premium rewards catalog via a points system
Sales rewards
Design your program with the appropriate level of reward for all participants. A
little reward can produce a lot of motivation. Be sure to set the initial reward level
low enough so that at least 50% of your sales force gets a direct reward. Group
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Incentives & Rewards
awards will also stimulate additional sales, but not as much as individual
rewards.
Progressive rewards
Offer ever-increasing levels of rewards. Allow roll-up combination of rewards into
one big one. For instance, a seller might select a basic prize for each level of
success or one larger prize for his ultimate success.
Valuable rewards
Give awards for success that really have value. Nobody wants junk. Skip
trinkets and work with your community to come up with better prizes that don’t
subtract from your net. Example: $5 coupon for a local fun center such as
miniature golf, bowling, etc. Those merchants are well aware that more spending
will result from that visit.
Big customer rewards
On sales from a catalog, consider motivating customers to make bigger buys by
giving prizes for the biggest orders. Good coupons always work. Example: free
car wash with a $50 order. Obviously, work with a local car wash on this
promotion.
Volunteer rewards
Don’t forget to reward your volunteers. You want them to come back, don’t you?
Select an appropriate reward for various levels of participation or at a minimum,
do a reward party or luncheon.
Appreciation
Show your appreciation to all facets of your organization and supporter base. Be
sure you do fun things that aren’t fundraisers. For example: offer discounts on
tickets to athletic events, group outings, parties, barbecue night, etc. These fun
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Incentives & Rewards
activities will help build the camaraderie useful for future fundraisers (and for
getting those volunteers to come back again).
Prize preview
Show off what sellers can win for different levels of achievement. Build a “want”
or desire to have one or more of those prizes in each of your participants.
Recognition
Never underestimate the power of being praised before your peer group for doing
a good job. Consider having a group awards ceremony. Award plaques are a
nice touch, particularly if you can get them at a discount (remember the influence
of your organization in other areas).
Personal goal
Motivate each salesperson with a self-selected personal goal stated in front of
their peer group. Tie a reward to the achievement of that goal.
Tiered rewards
Give better prizes for better sales volume. Save money by dropping the lower
tier reward once the next level is reached and offering a better prize for that
achievement than if they got two lesser prizes. Example: Level B seller gets
nicer Level B prize, but forfeits the Level A prize upon reaching Level B.
Merchant prizes
Contact your local merchants for best prizes that mean the most to your sellers.
Work deals for movie passes, merchandise discounts, gift certificates, miniature
golf, theater trip for top ten sellers, etc.
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Incentives & Rewards
Classroom Incentives
In school fundraisers, try to include something that directly benefits each
classroom by providing supplies, special classroom privileges, or extra
playground time.
Party rewards
Ice cream, pizza, movies, a group trip… All of these and more can be great
motivators and increase competition between sub-groups.
Quality rewards
Junk is always junk and will end up in the trash shortly. Only offer rewards that
will truly motivate your sellers.
Structure rewards fairly
Design your program so that everyone is rewarded proportionately and is proud
of participating toward winning one.
Seek prize donations
Otherwise, rewards will always come out of your net profit, one way or another.
Look to your Merchant Plan for how to develop sources for extra prizes that
really have value.
Fun Incentives
Offer a Cream Pie Attack party to all sellers reaching a certain level. Equip
multiple tables with paper plates full of shaving cream to either attack each other
or attack the coach, the youth minister, the troop leader, etc.
Use a wacky reward
Have key organizational figures promise to do something funny is the goal is met.
Examples: The coach has to shave his head, the principal has to dance with the
school mascot at the pep rally, all the second grade teachers will dress like
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clowns on Friday, the youth minister will sing off key a chosen song. Ask your
sellers for suggestions!
Thanks for listening
Consider offering a coupon sheet to everyone contacted by your participants as a
way of saying “thanks for listening.”
Million dollar bill
Say thanks to your buyers by giving them a “million dollar bill.” Feature your
organization on the front, say with a mascot picture in the center. List sponsors
on the back. Offer a premium tie-in at local merchants. Have customers go
inside to find out more (builds your value with merchant).
Summary
The proper use of an incentive program will definitely maximize your results.
Plan well to motivate your participants, encourage repeat business, reward your
volunteers, and build your support within the community.
If you want the best results, don’t settle for less than the best incentive program.
Get your sellers imagining themselves winning awards and collecting rewards.
Now that’s motivation!
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101 Tips & Techniques
“Efficiency is intelligent laziness.”
- David Dunham
This section is all about fine-tuning your chosen fundraising activity by applying
these nuggets of insight. Read these for some quick “how-to” ideas about
maximizing your fundraising results.
The Big Picture Stuff:
1) Maximize value to maximize results
Make this your mantra. More value means more prospects. More value means
more buyers. More value means more money!
2) State a value proposition
Sum up the specifics of what you’re doing and why in two sentences or less.
State exactly what your fundraiser is all about. Make sure it has a compelling call
to action. Include it in all your communications and fit it into your sales script.
3) Set a public goal
Make a commitment about your group’s fundraising goal and state it publicly.
This causes your mind to internalize it as a verbal commitment. Your goal should
be realistic, but also aim high. Structure your sales efforts to emphasize and
reward achievement of that goal.
4) Everyone take ownership
Make sure everyone takes ownership of the fundraiser’s success on an individual
level as well as within the group effort. Everyone should be committed to doing
whatever it takes to reach the group goal.
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5) Keep it fun
Fun is part of fundraising. Don’t make it drudgery to be a volunteer or a
participant. Remember that they’re giving up their free time to help. Plan fun
things to do during each stage of the process that reward involvement.
6) Provide alternative options
Explore all ways to allow alternate giving from the community. Some people just
don’t like fundraisers, but would be willing to contribute in another way. Consider
offering a membership option of supporting your group with one annual check or
an automatic donation each month.
7) Quality, quality, quality
Quality sales presentations and quality goods mean more sales. Quality rewards
mean more motivation. A quality program exudes confidence and confidence
breeds success.
8) Avoid any risk taking
Always caution against unsafe selling practices. All neighborhood sales activities
should include adult accompaniment. Seller safety is your highest priority.
9) Have a written project plan
Run your fundraiser like a small business. Have a written project plan that spells
out all roles and responsibilities. Slot motivated individuals into those roles and
equip them with everything they need to do a great job.
10) Help others
Don’t forget to increase your organization’s visibility by giving back to the
community. Visit the elderly, volunteer your group to help with other charity work
such as Special Olympics or Community Warmth programs, write letters to
military personnel posted overseas, or other causes that have special meaning to
your group.
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Public Relations:
11) Use your website
If you don’t have one, get one. Use it to communicate your goals, thank your
sponsors, highlight periodic offerings, recognize successes, honor individual
contributors, etc. Promote your web site on all your materials.
12) Actively seek more publicity
Get the word out about your fundraiser in as many ways as possible. Get into as
many neighborhood newsletters and other public forms of communication as you
can. Send out press releases to the local media and invite coverage with photo
opps at your fun events.
13) Utilize any gathering
Make announcements at other events to spread the word, display products, take
orders, make sales, and recruit volunteers. Take a joint venture approach to
marketing your group by giving something of value back to all those who join
your team.
14) Goal awareness
Heavily promote the goal of your fundraiser in all communications, particularly
between sellers and buyers. A good cause gets the money out. Make sure that
all participants know a specific reason why the money is being raised.
15) Communication
Use all available means of increasing awareness of your group’s efforts including
roadside signs, e-mail lists, phone calling tree, newsletter, flyers, posters, bulletin
boards, recorded hotline messages, etc.
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16) Sponsorship decals
Offer these free to supporting merchants. Sell to membership level supporters.
Use the glass stick on type for storefronts or vehicle windows. This “branding”
gets the word out to the community that your organization has a strong support
base.
17) Bumper sticker
Sell your organization year round with every fundraiser by offering one that says
“Proud Supporter of _____.” Give one to every volunteer and group member.
18) Flyers everywhere
Hit local mailboxes (follow postal regulations) and car windshields in shopping
centers. Give fundraiser details in your flyer in a way that promotes sales and
gives contact information. Put a coupon or free gift offer into the flyer that will
keep it from being thrown away. Your merchant base will help provide the offers
because this is free advertising for them. For example, a flyer including a car
wash, dry cleaners, or oil change coupon. (Or even all three!)
Preparation:
19) Review previous records
See what’s been successful before. Look for ways to improve upon the past.
What items sold best? Get more of them. Has your gift-wrap sale lost its luster
with declining revenues? Jazz it up with newer offerings.
20) Set a specific timeline
Make sure that your start date and end date are both firm. The best selling
period is 17 days, including 3 weekends. Any longer and the drive runs out of
gas; any shorter and you limit your prospects. Avoid any scheduling conflicts.
Plan ahead to avoid overlapping other important community events, holidays,
etc.
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21) Get everybody feeling good
Make sure your sales force knows the objective and feels good about the goal
and about what they’re selling. If they’re not enthusiastic, sales will suffer.
22) Use a consultant
If it doesn’t cost you anything extra in the price of the merchandise, use a
consultant for anything and everything you can think of. Tap their expertise for
new and unique approaches that have been successful elsewhere.
23) Actively recruit volunteers
Get more and better volunteers by going after them. Don’t wait for them to come
to you. Use a calling tree to root out prospects. Ask for dads, older siblings, and
grandparents to get involved. Advertise for specific help via newsletters, flyers,
and word of mouth.
24) Seek prize donations
Otherwise, rewards always come out of your net profit one way or another. Ask
for items that can be awarded as prizes. These could be services such as a 30minute computer tutorial, car wash, discount coupon, or other offer. Consider
giving a free ad in your newsletter in exchange for a prize.
25) Offer membership levels
Offer a tiered membership structure offering bronze, silver, gold, platinum levels
with appropriate cost/reward structure. Consider giving some kind of “status
symbol’ such as special bumper stickers, decals, etc. Don’t forget to recognize
your members and thank them often.
26) IPTAY Club
Clemson University’s athletic department raised $20 million in 2001 from their
IPTAY club, which originally meant, “I Pay Ten Dollars A Year.” Membership
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giving is a growing trend. Don’t forget about it when designing your annual plan.
Create your own variation along the line of... say, $5 a month or $25 a year.
27) Partnerships are important
Fundraising is always more effective when done in partnership with the
community. Seek out other organizations with compatible goals. Give them a
reason to help you in return by assisting them first.
28) Matching funds
Ask corporate sponsors for matching donation as a percentage match. Many
large companies have such programs. Ask your membership for details of
programs where they work. If there’s money available, don’t be afraid to ask for
it. For how-to tips, study books on grant writing.
29) Identify needs and define roles
Do it ahead of time and match your group’s needs to each volunteer’s skills and
availability by including it in each of the volunteer position’s description.
30) Start early
Get your fundraising team assembled and out there before competing groups.
The early bird gets the biggest orders.
31) Set personal goals
Motivate each salesperson with a self-selected personal goal stated in front of
their peer group. This verbal commitment is a powerful psychological motivator
that brings results.
32) Perception is reality
It really is reality if someone thinks it is. People relay their impressions to all their
personal contacts. To promote good word-of-mouth, always strive to make a
good impression and give fair value.
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33) Weather wise
Pick products that match the season. Don’t sell chocolate in the summer or
lemonade in the winter.
Organization:
34) Use different people
Double up, particularly for key positions. Fill organizational roles well ahead of
time with different people than on the last fundraiser unless there is a good
reason not to switch.
35) Start early to broaden participation
Put the word out early and often about what volunteers you need. Get plenty of
them so no one feels overworked. Offer a volunteer sign-up sheet for different
events at the very first meeting of the year.
36) The chairperson matters most
Pick someone who’s motivated, has available time, great people skills, is
unflappable, good in math, well organized, efficient, and experienced. Make sure
the ego is checked at the door and that credit is spread across the entire
organization. Prima donnas will ruin it for everyone. Yeah, you know this person
too!
37) Control expenses
Review records to see which expenses can be eliminated or reduced. Cost
control increases your net profit at a higher rate than additional sales will. Of
course, don’t forget to expense Fundraising Success!
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38) Show appreciation
Show your appreciation to all facets of your organization and supporter base. Be
sure you do fun things that aren’t fundraisers. Example: discounts on tickets to
athletic events, group outings, parties, barbecue night.
39) Boost involvement
Make sure key organizational figures are actively involved with your fundraiser.
Example: principal of school should be directly involved with PTA fundraising
activities and kept informed of all details.
40) Have a master sergeant
Use a strong communicator to help group and assign volunteers. Some people
are a natural for this key role.
41) Set small group goals
Break overall goal down into what’s needed from each sub-group. Set up each
unit with their own goal and translate that into what’s in it for them. Reward each
sub-group based on their own success. That will reinforce the correlation
between funds raised and their own efforts.
42) Distribute the workload
Get everyone pulling their fair share. Too much of a burden on a core group
leads to burnout and resentment.
43) Money handling
Always split responsibility for money handling between two unrelated individuals.
Check and double-check everything financial in nature. Be sure to keep checks
and money locked up until they are deposited.
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44) Boost parental involvement
Identify roles suitable for working parents. Example: assisting with delivery day
on a weekend. This is a great way to get dads involved. Increased involvement
means more people with a stake in your success.
Execution:
45) Approach merchants only as partners
Never ask for something without providing value in return. State specifically that
you’re looking to partner with them. Give them a flyer explaining your goals and
add them to your call back contact list. They can supply gift certificates, tie-in
coupons, and offer extra discounts to prize winners - kids get $1 off the purchase
of $5 or more at a youth-oriented business.
46) Adaptability
Circumstances change. Adapt your offerings to a changing environment. If
someone can’t buy your fundraising product, ask if they can help by an outright
gift. Another example: Merchant donation of slow moving merchandise as prizes
in exchange for prominent ad or Sponsor Day where organization members are
urged to shop at supporting merchants. Flexibility increases results.
47) Sales reports
Do interim reporting to track progress. Allow sufficient time for final push to
stated objectives. Summarize important numbers such as participation levels,
average sale, revenue per participant, etc.
48) Respect workplace etiquette
Don’t have parents pressure anyone at work to buy something in your child’s
fundraiser. Only approach regular co-workers unless their workplace has a high
traffic area where a catalog can be left for independent signups. Practice
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reciprocal fund raising or co-back scratching, as I like to call it. Always buy
something from someone who buys from you.
49) Teamwork
Make sure everybody pulls together and everybody wins. Build a sense of
camaraderie among all organization leaders and volunteers.
50) Use an order drop-off box
Have one set up for those participants who complete their first order form right
away. Have only two keys to the box. You can also use it for donations, notes,
and questions.
51) Order forms
Make sure they are filled out correctly before separating payment. If it’s been a
problem in the past, provide a correctly filled out sample to each of your sellers.
52) Double-check the checks
Make sure they are made out correctly and signed before separating them from
the associated order form.
53) Bounced checks
You’ll get some eventually. Note selling source on back of each check before
depositing. It’s a big help later. Whenever you do get one, act immediately with
notification and follow-up. Never deliver a large merchandise order if a check
hasn’t cleared and never put a child in the middle of trying to resolve these
issues.
Sales Techniques:
54) Emphasize setting a personal challenge goal
Have sellers make a commitment to be their sub-group’s best salesperson.
Structure their sales efforts to emphasize achievement, not failure.
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55) Sellers state their solo goal out loud
By publicly stating what you’ll accomplish to your peer group, you’ve reinforced
the commitment. Who wants to say publicly that they’ll fail to achieve?
56) Make a prospect list
All sellers should make a list of prospective customers before they start. Review
it and make sure they have at least ten targets.
57) Define your best customers
Stick to the people you know – friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. Don’t forget coworkers and out-of-town contacts for your major fundraisers.
58) Rehearse the sales pitch
Have everyone practice your group’s sales pitch at home. Fine tune your value
proposition and make sure that every seller uses it.
59) Be armed and dangerous
Be prepared. Sellers should carry their order form and sales materials wherever
they go.
60) Smile and introduce yourself
Remind all your sellers to smile and introduce themselves before launching into
their two-sentence pitch.
61) The power of “because”
Use the word “because” when stating the group’s goal and first request for help.
It’s an extremely potent trigger word. “We need your help because our band
needs new uniforms.”
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62) Ask for the order
Always include a direct request for an order in your sales script after the because
statement. “Can you help us meet our goal?”
63) Personalize by picking favorites
Tell each seller to find one or two items that they like and then promote those
enthusiastically. “These green ones are great.”
64) Ask for more
After the initial order is placed, offer supplemental items for more revenue or ask
for referrals, etc. Ask these questions. “Can I show you another program we’re
offering because it’s a great deal too.” “Can you think of anyone else I should
contact?”
65) Make it easy to buy
Do everything you can to make buying your offering easier. Offer to fill out the
form yourself. Remind the prospect that a certain item makes a good gift or that
it’s all for a good cause. Resolve all objections. Offer to call back if they can’t
decide.
66) Re-contact misses
Do a follow-up sales pitch to any absentees who weren’t available the first time
around.
Added Results:
67) Sidewalk sales
Set up a table to make sales in front of a participating or cooperative local
merchant. Have a different team work it every weekend of your fundraiser in one
or two-hour shifts.
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68) Have a no sale response ready
Don’t just walk away from a prospect that isn’t interested. Part of selling is being
ready to persuade. Remind them about other possible uses. “Other people have
bought one to give as a gift. We sure could use your help because...”
69) Gift certificates
Boost your net by offering a gift certificate to buy after the regular fundraiser has
been discussed. Use national merchants for the best draw, local merchants for a
community tie-in. Tap into both their discretionary and mainstream spending.
70) Combine programs
Supplement your regular fundraiser with something extra at the same time.
Example: When doing a candy bar sale, add a discount card offering to it. That
way, you’ll double dip each prospect for twice the fundraising dollars. If you’re
going to do a major campaign, always be sure to maximize the results from
everyone’s time and efforts.
71) Local merchant certificates
Sell a supplemental pack of local merchant certificates for $10 with real value to
items included. Make sure the value adds up to more than the asking price ($20
in certificates for $10). Your sellers and supporters will feel it’s a bargain and big
sales will follow. Work a 50% split with participating merchants. Make sure the
certificates have expiration dates.
72) Buy right with “Is that the best you can do?”
Getting the best price on what you’re selling is critical to maximizing your profits.
Always ask the supplier if that’s the best they can do, then be quiet. You’ll
almost always get an extra discount. Check the supplier cross-reference and
supplier profiles for comparing who’s got the best deal on what you’re selling.
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73) Maximize revenue
Concentrate on maximizing revenue from each customer and sales totals will
spike up. Once the buying decision has been made (preferably by showing
inexpensive items first), its much easier to get them to buy even more of what
you have to offer.
74) Prize preview
Show off what sellers can win for different levels of achievement. Build a “want”
or desire to have one or more of those prizes in each of your participants.
75) Scratch card donations
If you’re using a donation (no merchandise) fundraiser like a scratch card
promotion, be sure to create a local merchant flyer of coupons to give to each
customer as a thank you. Your sellers will feel better about the promotion and so
will your contributors. Consider giving more free value with larger donations.
76) Step them up
Create a unique bundle available only to “gold club members” (those who buy a
certain amount). Make it irresistible. Example: If you’re selling $1 candy bars
and someone says they’ll take three, immediately offer them a deal. “If you buy
five candy bars, you get one free.” Everybody likes freebies and your profit just
went up from $1.50 to $2.00. How? You went from selling three $1 bars at
$0.50 each to selling six $1 bars at $0.50 for a $5 sale.
77) Varied merchandise
Sell something new occasionally like music CD’s. Don’t repeat the same sales
over and over again without a break.
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78) Set a stretch goal
Have a super goal that’s at least 20% beyond the regular goal. This allows you
to keep the sales momentum going once your first goal is reached. You’ll be
surprised how hard everyone will work to hit that goal. Give it a big reward!
Customer Incentives:
79) Local merchant discounts
Give away a flyer to everyone you contact that contains coupons for discounts at
local merchants. This in turn will draw more traffic to your sponsoring merchants.
80) National merchant discounts
Same as local ones, but you may have to get home office approval. Place
emphasis on everyday items like fast food, hardware store, dry cleaners, chain
retailers, etc.
81) Reward big customers
On sales from a catalog, consider motivating customers to make even bigger
buys by offering prizes for the biggest orders. Good coupons always work.
Example: Give a coupon for a free car wash with a $50 order or a free restaurant
meal with a $100 order.
82) Reward buyers unexpectedly
During product delivery, give them an additional sheet of premium coupons from
merchants that have some extra value. They’ll remember it the next time around.
If you’re doing a customer pickup of merchandise, have small treats for smaller
children and pets. People will remember the kindness.
83) Say thank you
You can’t say thank you often enough to your supporters and participants.
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84) Provide feedback
Always give feedback to all supporters and buyers on how your fundraiser turned
out. Make them feel good for participating.
Participant Rewards:
85) Offer more prizes
The more prizes that you offer, the happier your team will be. Get creative with
local merchant support. Have escalating level of rewards for buyers, sellers, and
volunteers.
86) Reward every potential customer
Give out a flyer sheet of donated discount coupons. Be sure that your
organization’s name and fundraising goal are prominently displayed. Your
merchant base will be glad to see the extra customer traffic. Don’t forget to
reward your volunteers. You want them to come back, don’t you?
87) Give progressively larger rewards
Offer ever-increasing levels of rewards for better sales volume. Allow roll-up
combination of rewards into one big one. Be sure to structure rewards fairly.
Design your program so that everyone is rewarded proportionately and proud of
participating.
88) Valuable rewards
Give awards for success that have real value. Nobody wants junk. Skip trinkets
and work with your community to come up with better prizes that don’t subtract
from your net. Example: $5 coupon from a local fun center such as miniature
golf, bowling, etc. Those merchants know that more spending will result from
that visit.
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89) Fast start bonus
Offer prizes for those quick starters who fill their quota the fastest. Motivate your
overachievers to go for more. The 80/20 rule applies to fundraising as well.
90) Cast party
Have one for all volunteers at conclusion. Get together at someone’s home or in
the fellowship hall with everyone bringing potluck. It’s a nice way to build
goodwill and reinforce a sense of community for future recruiting.
91) Unique volunteer recognition
Give all volunteers something that no one else has as a direct result of their
efforts and as a thank you. Example: donated t-shirt, decal, or plaque… be
creative.
92) Use a consultant for bonuses
A Fundraising Consultant may offer benefits for using their services: free pizza
on delivery day, doughnuts at the wrap-up session. Just ask.
93) Merchant prizes
Work with local merchants for best prizes that mean the most to your sellers.
Work deals for movie passes, merchandise discounts, gift certificates, miniature
golf, IMAX theater trip for top ten, etc. Follow the Merchant Plan guidelines.
94) Classroom incentives
In school fundraisers, always include something that directly benefits each class.
95) Offer a sub-group reward
Ice cream, pizza, movies, field trip, in-class movie, etc. can be great motivators
and increase competition between sub groups.
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96) Fun incentives
Offer a Cream Pie Attack party to all sellers reaching a certain level. Have a
whack attack where key organizational figures promise to do something funny for
meeting goals. Examples: shaved head, blue hair, funny wig, dressing like a
clown, etc.
Website:
97) Build an e-mail list
Ask for an e-mail address for a newsletter distribution when you’re fundraising.
Have opt-in links on your web site. Build an online community of supporters by
offering them extras available only at your site.
98) Offer click-through sales (the silent fundraiser)
Offer gift certificates, CD’s, DVD’s, etc. where your group gets a monthly check
from suppliers. Check out Amazon.com and their affiliate program. Many
organizations are making hundreds of dollars each month with these silent
fundraisers.
99) Website Q&A
Provide information to the community in general. Offer your supporters a way to
e-mail submission of inquiries about orders. Provide key contact information.
Promote your web site on all your materials.
100) Setup a year-round online store
Find a way for your organization to keep generating funds every month of the
year without external marketing. Examples include a school store website, an
ongoing catalog sale with drop shipments, or a web shopping mall with click
through purchasing that pays a commission to your organization.
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Finally:
101) Consult this book
Refer to the appropriate sections early and often. Use the checklist and other
supplemental offerings that have been provided. Take advantage of the links in
the supplier profiles to go directly to their websites. Add your own ideas by emailing them to us.
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Website Benefits
Website Benefits
“Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World.”
- Christopher Columbus
These days, having a website is mandatory for every non-profit group. It is the
premier communication medium of our time and it’s only going to get better.
A website is important for putting a public face on your group and for providing an
information source to your supporters. It can also provide a vehicle to conduct
unattended, year-round fundraisers.
It’ll save you time, it’ll save you money, and it will make you money. There’s
nothing else that you can make those claims for (besides a bottle of snake oil, of
course!).
Just how can a website do all those thing for your organization? Read the rest of
this section and find out!
Helps define your role
A website helps you define your role in the community and provides increased
awareness of your group’s activities. It puts a public face out there for the
community to see. That in turn lends increased credibility to your organization’s
fundraising efforts.
Provide an information resource
Being on the Internet allows you to make certain documents, records, and forms
available. You can highlight your group’s mission statement, trumpet the benefits
provided by your fundraising efforts, supply a printable order form for more
merchandise, etc.
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The amount of information that you supply to your group and your community is
limited only by your imagination. If you’re a school PTA, you can provide links to
other education sites or post pictures of the winning science fair projects.
If your organization supports youth sports, you can give game schedules and
directions. If you represent a church group, your summer camp program can be
featured. The possibilities truly are endless.
Give updates
Your website can provide a list of all programs currently running and those that
are scheduled for the rest of the year. Supplying important dates is a snap when
you post an annual calendar on your site. Results of past fundraisers can be
listed. You can use it for motivation for this year’s sellers to make it to the top
spot and get their pictures up on your website.
Provide a communication path
Being on the Internet simplifies many forms of communication. E-mail opens up
a wide range of enhanced information distribution. A simple mailing list allows
you to let everyone know immediately about any developments.
People can easily ask questions and get a response, even when they don’t know
whom to call. All it takes are a few mailboxes such as fundraiser@my.org. That
e-mail address can be automatically forwarded to this year’s chairperson or your
web coordinator. Another option is to provide a list of contact information that
lists individual e-mail addresses.
Questions about orders or procedures can be handled efficiently. Volunteers are
then allowed a chance to better manage their time by answering e-mail twice a
day versus answering questions during the family dinner.
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Press releases and administrative bulletins can have a permanent home on your
website. So can all of your project documents, checklists, org charts, etc.
Improve communication
By providing enhanced ways to make contact, your organization becomes more
accessible. By giving immediate answers via posting detailed answers on your
site, you’ll reduce the workload of your support staff.
Sending and receiving e-mail is a wonderful way to not only get your message
across quickly, but to get it across in greater detail with a more positive effect.
You can craft your answers to supply more information than anyone could
possibly provide in three times the time it takes someone to read them.
Hidden benefits
There are hidden benefits available from using your website fully. Recruit
volunteers on-line by posting job descriptions, time requirements, and dates
needed. You can even provide a sign-up form that automatically encapsulates
the data and e-mails it to your volunteer coordinator.
It can provide a space for a supporting merchant to have an ad. That can be
used as an incentive for the merchant to step up to a higher level of sponsorship
of your fundraiser. You could even sell the ad space to pay for everything, but I’d
recommend having the ad space as a free offering to your merchant supporters if
possible. Their support will more than outweigh what you could charge for an ad.
Your website also allows you to do good deeds for others. Post links to national
charities like the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, the United Way,
and other worthy causes. Post pictures and updates about your church’s mission
volunteers. You might even find a need to help a deserving family raise money
to pay for a child’s major medical expenses.
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Website Benefits
Give recognition
You can put up pictures of your key volunteers and your top sellers. Everyone
loves reading about themselves and looking at their pictures. Besides, the web
lasts a lot longer than a newspaper any day.
A non-profit group can boast about what a great job they did on the community
Spring Clean campaign by gathering and hauling away two tons of trash. A
youth sports group can honor their championship teams. A school can say
goodbye to a retiring teacher or even post class pictures.
The website also provides a good place to thank your sponsors and contributors.
Special recognition is easy to provide and it helps maximize the next round of
fundraising ahead.
Use common sense and be safe with the information you post on your web site.
A highlight on your website congratulating the youth minister on his upcoming
marriage, the happy couple’s new address, along with where and when they’ll be
on their honeymoon... well, it’s just a bad idea. Too much detail and personal
information can lead to unsafe consequences.
Use it for year round fundraising
Tired of doing what seems like continuous fundraising? Your website can be a
silent but very effective fundraiser. Sponsors can be set up for click-through
marketing where they pay you for the business that comes to their web site from
your site.
Yes, don’t be surprised. They have software that tells them where their buyers
came from on the Internet. Those click-though links have a unique identifier that
says this customer came from www.youthgroup.org’s website. That identifier
allows them to know which organization to pay.
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Website Benefits
You can conduct other year round revenue generators like selling memberships
on-line or having an on-going catalog sale through your site. Order forms and
payment are submitted direct to the supplier for drop shipment and you get a
commission check every month on your sales.
Some band organizations sell gift certificates or scrip on-line and never touch the
merchandise. Other groups set up a shopping aisle for spirit merchandise such
as T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc. These items are subbed out to another site
through an active order link.
Another silent fundraiser is providing click-through access to a site with shopping
that pays a percentage of sales as a rebate. Amazon.com pays between 5% and
15% for sales that come though your site. Land’s End pays 5%.
All you have to do is put a small banner on your site and provide a short
paragraph describing the fundraiser. Your supporters will do the rest.
Cost considerations
A website doesn’t really cost much at all. Many groups already have a simplistic
web presence and just need to enhance it. Others need to start from scratch.
Look around the Internet by searching for terms like “web hosting” and compare
the various offerings. You’ll find that a powerful tool can be leveraged for less
than a dollar a day for a site with way more features than you’ll ever need and for
half that amount for a very decent setup.
Skill level considerations
It’s not that hard to put a website together. There are many excellent reference
books on the topic as well as multiple websites offering assistance. If you don’t
have expertise among your members, put out a call for help in your newsletter.
Once your site is up, adding new material is no harder than learning to cut and
paste within a word processor.
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Website Benefits
Upgrade your site
Add a FAQ button. That’s short for Frequently Asked Questions. It will do an
amazing job of reducing the strain on your organizers.
To stay in closer touch with your supporters, send out a regular newsletter. Keep
your message in front of the community and increase your profile. Use it to ask
for volunteers, tell about upcoming events, successes, milestones, etc.
Consider setting up what’s called auto-responder e-mail. Here you have prewritten e-mails on certain topics that are linked to a selection of e-mail addresses
on your site. Confusing? Not really.
Here’s an example: Your youth sports group’s site has six auto-responder e-mail
accounts – FAQ, signups, schedules, fundraiser, volunteer, and directions. A
message sent to signups@youthgroup.org automatically sends a three-page email with all the information concerning the signup days, a copy of the enrollment
form, and a copy of the doctor’s physical form. Your new players show up on
signup day with everything completed along with the correct funds in hand.
By maintaining a mailing list through your site, you can keep track of all your
supporters and push information out to your group. For bigger organizations, this
is essential. No one wants to manually merge a large data file of e-mail
addresses into an e-mail program. Get an inexpensive e-mail mailing list
program and automate the entire process.
Summary
We have entered the on-line world. In some cases, our children are there ahead
of us. Don’t be passive and expect the world to come to you. Dive right in by
using an active web approach
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Website Benefits
Don’t wait for all the wrong reasons – it’s too hard, it costs too much, I don’t have
the time, I don’t know what to do, etc. Those are just excuses to continue
procrastinating.
I assure you that if you can type a document in Microsoft Word, then you can
create a web page. There’s inexpensive or free software that you can use to
convert it into HTML. It’s a safe bet that there is talent within your organization
(or your member’s children) to do a website.
I know from recent experience that there are some very inexpensive web hosting
companies out there because I looked at a lot of them when I was choosing my
site. Several companies offer a very nice package for $8 a month. Other
companies provide free web hosting of small sites in exchange for banner ad
space. There are even sites that will host you for less than $50 a year with no
advertising requirement and plenty of disk space.
When it comes to the time factor that people often cite as their last line of
defense, that’s a strawman objection. Poke it and it collapses. Think about how
many times you answer the same questions. How much time is that taking up?
A website will save you time, it will save you money, it will simplify your life, and
it’s not hard to do. See the member’s only section of the website for information
on software tools and website hosting as well as links to great reference
materials.
Don’t make excuses, just do it. Better yet, recruit a volunteer to do it!
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Fundraising Follow-ups
Fundraising Follow-ups
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.”
- John Wesley
The key to continued fundraising success is to follow-up afterwards. Supporters
and participants need to be thanked. Merchant contributors need to be debriefed
on their results from participating. Records need to be gathered, copied, and
stored.
Communicating the results to everyone involved in your most recent effort is of
utmost importance. Nothing charges up your organization for the future better
than a group celebration. Give recognition to your volunteers. Enjoy the sound
of “We did it!”
Conduct a post-mortem analysis of the fundraiser just completed. Gather
information and record impressions while everything is still fresh. Make notes
about supplier relationships, any process problems, and what aspects need finetuning for the next time around.
Gather those recommendations for future fundraisers. Brainstorm with your team
and write down all the possible ways to improve. Circulate a written evaluation
form to gather multiple viewpoints for the permanent file.
Make plans while everyone is still excited from this success. Strategize how to
increase the number of volunteers. Plan to promote those who excelled this time
around to positions with more authority.
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Fundraising Follow-ups
Ask your merchant supporters what you could do better to help them even more.
Now is a good time to ask them for increased participation during your next big
drive.
Review all records for completeness. Work up the statistical analysis covered in
the section on Goal Setting. That will save time in the future when you want to
set your benchmarks.
Post the results on your website along with multiple pictures of your team in
action. When describing your success, be a shameless namedropper. Everyone
likes to be thanked publicly.
Most importantly, put the funds you’ve raised to good use.
Your fundraising follow-up is the foundation for your future success. Don’t give
this area short shrift. Pave the way for even better results next time.
Summary
Be grateful for the support your organization received from the community.
Nurture every relationship.
Treat your team like a garden – work the soil to prepare it for next season. Do
the activities now that will make your future efforts blossom.
Always remember to thank yourself. You took on a huge job, made it better, and
improved things for your successor. Recommend this book to them if you found
it helpful. Hang on to yours though, the next fundraiser is just around the corner,
and you did such a great job, you’ll certainly be asked to head it up!
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Fundraiser Ratings
Fundraiser Ratings
This Section contains a ratings system for all the main fundraising categories.
While I have not favored one fundraiser over another and have tried to remain as
impartial as possible, I’m only human and some of these ratings may reflect my
own likes and dislikes. I’ve used a common methodology to provide an overview
of what’s involved and created a ranking system that assigns a point value to the
major components of each type of fundraiser.
Guide to various fundraisers
More than 170 types of fundraisers are profiled in a separate document related to
this book. This information will help you determine which fundraiser is right for
the current needs and capabilities of your organization.
What information is provided?
Each rating page is comprised of five sections. They are the description, the
financial aspects, the pros & cons, the commitment required, and the overall
rating.
The description section provides an overview of this type of fundraiser. It will tell
you the following:
Description: A paragraph or two with the gist of this particular type of
fundraiser’s main features.
Category: Donation, Immediate Sale, Catalog Sale, or Event
Best Suited For: Small, Medium, Large, or All groups
Prospective Customers: Notes on the customers targeted and the relative size
of that market
Comments: Any additional relevant information goes here
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Fundraiser Ratings
Feel Good Rating: My assessment of how everyone involved feels about this
particular fundraiser.
The Feel Good Rating ™ relates to the overall quality of the offering and the
reception that it receives from prospective customers and from the participants
themselves. The higher the rating, the more enthusiastic your sales group and
clients will be about the product being offered.
Enthusiasm translates into results. Ratings are of course subjective, but relevant
to your organization. A five star rating is our highest level.
Explanation of numerical rankings
Numerical values have been assigned to categories comprising each fundraising
concept’s financial aspects, pros & cons, and the commitment required.
Here’s what the Financial Aspects section looks like:
Financial Aspects (1 – 10 scale):
Profitability Ranking
Average Unit Price
Dollar Volume Per Participant
Percentage to Organization
Total Dollars to Organization
Subtotal (maximum of 50)
8
7
6
5
4
30
In the category of Financial Aspects, the number on each line is representative of
the revenue and profit generating capability of this fundraiser. The higher the
number on each line and in the subtotal, the greater your potential fundraising
success.
This category rewards up to 10 points per line, then combines them to a
maximum of 50 points for the entire category.
Profitability Ranking: Rewards points for the profit potential of all the offerings
of this type of fundraiser. It’s a catchall for a number of factors.
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Fundraiser Ratings
Average Unit Price: Rewards points for higher unit prices up to a certain level.
You make more net profit on higher priced goods, but sales drop off above $10.
Dollar Volume Per Participant: Rewards points for sales multipliers like multiple
popular offerings, wider customer appeal, good range of price points, etc.
Percentage to Organization: Rewards points for higher percentage payout up
to a certain point. No bonus is earned for anything above 50% due to higher
markups lowering item’s appeal or approaching pure donation fundraising.
Total Dollars to Organization: Rewards points for potential total net profit.
Subtracts points for fundraisers with lower potential.
Subtotal (maximum of 50): Cumulative total for all financial aspects
Fundraisers that produce a larger revenue stream will ultimately put more in your
coffers when all is said and done than those with a smaller revenue stream. A
large subtotal number for this category means that it will be a great fundraiser for
a well-organized group.
Here’s what the Pros & Cons section looks like:
Pros & Cons (1 – 5 scale):
Community Impression
Organizational Impact
Quality of Deliverables
Risks
Hidden Costs (freight, etc.)
Subtotal (maximum of 25)
5
2
4
3
5
19
In the category of Pros & Cons, a high number is again indicative of the quality
and the ease of doing business with this particular fundraising concept. That
means that for this line item, there’s more pro than con to this fundraiser.
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Fundraiser Ratings
This category rewards up to 5 points per line, then combines them to a maximum
of 25 points for the entire category.
Community Impression: Rewards points for items or events that make a
positive impression on your community.
Organizational Impact: Rewards points for items or events that have a positive
or light impact on your group.
Quality of Deliverables: Rewards points for higher-quality goods. Subtracts for
shoddy products or excessive markups.
Risks: Rewards points for items or events with little risk of loss and low upfront
costs. Subtracts if items can’t be returned
Hidden Costs (freight, etc.): Rewards points if there are no possibilities for
unpleasant surprises. Subtracts for having to buy sales literature, etc.
Subtotal (maximum of 25): Cumulative total for all the Pros & Cons
Here’s what the Commitment Required section looks like:
Commitment Required (1 – 5 scale):
Preparation Time
Selling Effort
Collecting Funds
Processing Orders
Delivering Goods
Subtotal (maximum of 25)
4
3
2
3
2
14
In the category of Commitment Required, once again a higher number reflects a
program that is easy to run and if it involves merchandise, has a smooth ordering
and delivery process.
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Fundraiser Ratings
Some fundraisers don’t require a lot of time to get them going or they continue to
raise money without a lot of effort.
This category rewards up to 5 points per line, then combines them to a maximum
of 25 points for the entire category.
Preparation Time: Rewards points for items or events that are easy to ramp up
for. Subtracts when prep time is excessive (more than two weeks).
Selling Effort: Rewards points for popular items that are easy to sell. Subtracts
for things that are hard to sell due to price, limited appeal, etc.
Collecting Funds: Rewards points when the money handling aspects are
easier. Subtracts points when things are more complicated. Considerations
include percentage of sales made in cash, size of checks, complex order sheets,
etc.
Processing Orders: Rewards points for easy order processing, reorder friendly,
uncomplicated tally sheets, etc.
Delivering Goods: Rewards points for easy delivery up to a point. Subtracts
points for special handling needs, long wait for delivery, custom made goods, etc.
Subtotal (maximum of 25): Cumulative total for all the Commitment Required
Here’s what the Overall Ranking section looks like:
Overall Ranking
(On a scale of 1 to100)
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Fundraiser Ratings
The overall ranking serves as a bottom line for this fundraiser category. It sums
up the three numerical rankings into one total that provides guidance as to this
fundraiser’s ultimate effectiveness.
So, what’s it look like when it’s completed? See the next page for our ranking of
Pork Products. In the pages after that sample listing is a list of the categories
used in both the Fundraiser Ratings section and in the Supplier CrossReference section.
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Fundraiser Ratings
Pork Products
Description: Catalog sale of pork-related products including barbecue, barbecue
sauce, country hams, pork rinds, dried chitlins, pickled pig’s feet, dried pig’s ears,
pigs in a blanket, etc.
Best Suited For: All group sizes.
Prospective Customers: People that appreciate country cooking.
Comments: Some people may not like pork. Survey your team first. Dried pig’s
ears are offered as doggie treats.
Feel Good Rating ™: Three stars
Financial Aspects (1 – 10 scale):
Profitability Ranking
Average Unit Price
Dollar Volume Per Participant
Percentage to Organization
Total Dollars to Organization
Subtotal (maximum of 50)
7
7
6
5
5
30
Pros & Cons (1 – 5 scale):
Community Impression
Organizational Impact
Quality of Deliverables
Risks
Hidden Costs (freight, etc.)
Subtotal (maximum of 25)
3
3
3
4
4
17
Commitment Required (1 – 5 scale):
Preparation Time
Selling Effort
Collecting Funds
Processing Orders
Delivering Goods
Subtotal (maximum of 25)
4
3
3
3
3
16
Overall Ranking
(On a scale of 1 to100)
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The Ratings List
The Ratings List
Americana
Amish
Armchair Horse Races
Art
Athlet-A-Thon
Auctions
Audiobooks
Backpacks
Bags – Cargo, Duffle & Tote
Batteries
Beads
Book Fair
Books
Books - Personalized Children’s
Bricks - Personalized
Bumper Stickers
Calendars
Calendars – Custom
Cameras – Disposable
Cameras – Disposable w/Logo
Candles
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The Ratings List
Candles – Commemorative
Candy - Case
Candy- Catalog
Candy – Gourmet
Car Raffle
Car Smash
Car Wash
Cards – Discount
Cards – Greeting
Cards – Scratch
Carnivals
Catalog Sales
CD’s – Educational
CD’s - Music
Cheesecake
Child ID – Fingerprinting
Chocolate
Chocolate - Gourmet
Chocolate Roses
Christmas Ornaments – Custom
Christmas Store – In School
Cleaning Supplies
Closeout Merchandise
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The Ratings List
Clothing
Coffee
Coffee Mugs
Coins - Custom
Commemorative Mugs
Commemorative Plates
Computers
Computer Accessories
Computer Match
Computer Software
Cookbooks
Cookie Dough
Cookies
Coupon Books
Coupons on a CD
Credit Cards
Cushions – Stadium
Cutlery
Decals
Dinners
Discount Card - Annual
Discount Card – Brief Duration
Discount Card – Single Merchant
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The Ratings List
Dog Tags – Non Pet
Donated Clothing
Donated Electronics
Donated Goods – Sell on Half.com
Donor Bricks
Donor Walls
Doughnuts
Dry Erase Boards
Duck Races
DVD Movies
Earth Friendly
Educational Software
Educational Toys
First Aid Kits
Flower Bulbs
Flowers
Food Items
Fruit
Fudge
Gadgets
Gift Baskets
Gift Cards
Gift Certificates
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The Ratings List
Gift Items
Gift Wrap
Giving Tree
Glow Merchandise
Gourmet Food
Grocery Coupon Books
Hair Care Products
Holiday Gift Shop
Home & Garden
Honey
Inspirational
Jewelry
Key Chains
Kosher
Letter From Santa
License Plates
Logo Products - Clothing
Logo Products - Metal
Logo Products - Plastic
Lollipops
Magazines
Magnets – Personalized
Matchmaking
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The Ratings List
Meat Items
Medallions - Logo
Mighty Bike
Mystery Dinner Theater
Music
Newspaper
Nuts
Online Shopping
Pasta
Pens
Pens – Personalized or Logo
Personal Care Products
Pet Products
Phone Cards
Phone Service
Photo Frames
Photographs
Pies
Pins – Personalized & Logo
Pizza
Pizza Cards
Planners
Planters
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The Ratings List
Plants
Popcorn
Portraits
Posters
Pretzels
Prints
Raffles
Rebates – from Referral Shopping
Recognition Plaques
Recycling
Recycling Toner Cartridges
Religious
Rings
Safety Items
Scratch Cards
Scrip
Snacks
Soap
Software – Children’s
Software – Educational
Special Events
Spices
Spirit Merchandise
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The Ratings List
Spirit Signs
Sporting Goods
Sports Caps
Sports Mugs
Stadium Cushions
Stone – Engraved
Student Art – Magnets, T-shirts, etc
Stuffed Animals
Sub Sandwiches
T-shirts & Sweatshirts
Theater
Throws, Tapestries, & Pillows – Custom Logo
Toner Cartridges
Touch Lights
Towels
Toys
Trees
Tupperware
Valentine Candygrams
Vending
Videos
Website Shopping
Wrapping Paper
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The Ratings List
Wreaths
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Supplier Profiles
Supplier Profiles
There are an enormous number of fundraiser suppliers. What I’ve done here is
create a listing of as many suppliers as I could find. That way you don’t have to
do all the research yourself. This first edition features more than 300 profiles.
Use the profiles to get a capsulized overview of each supplier.
Each supplier has their contact information listed – Company Name, Address,
Phone, Fax, and Website.
Each profile contains a description of their business based upon the information
that the supplier provides to the public.
Each fundraising product line that the supplier offers is also listed. See the
Supplier Cross-Reference Section for listings of other suppliers offering items
within the same product category.
Please note that this database is not all-inclusive. As mentioned previously,
there are hundreds of suppliers of fundraising products.
Additions, deletions, and profile updates will be made over time. An updated
Supplier Profile list is available on the member’s only section of our website.
If you want to add a supplier listing or update one, send a newly created form via
e-mail to supplieradmin@fundraiserhelp.com.
Here is what a supplier profile looks like:
Supplier: Bubba’s Pork Products
Phone: (800) 123-4567
Fax: (987) 345-6789
Website: www.pigsrus.com
E-mail: bubba@pigsrus.com
Address: 123 Main Street
City: Any Town
State: AS
Zip: 12345
Description: All things porky for all your fundraising needs. Best down-home pig
products you’ll find anywhere
Product Lines: Barbecue, Country Ham, Pork Rinds, Pig’s Feet, Pig’s Ears,
Pigs in a Blanket, Silk Purses
Terms: Prepaid
Notes: Silk purse made from a sow’s ear free with every order
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Supplier Cross-Reference
Supplier Cross-Reference
This section provides a comprehensive source listing of suppliers for each
fundraising category as defined in the Section on Fundraiser Ratings.
Its purpose is to enable you to quickly find the suppliers that offer the fundraising
product(s) you’ve chosen for your fundraiser. That way, you’ll be able to easily
compare their offerings, pricing, terms, and other important factors in choosing
the right supplier.
The benefit to you is tremendous time savings in searching for the best supplier
once you’ve made your fundraiser product selection.
To save space, I’ve listed only the supplier’s company name along with their
main contact information. Consult the Section on Supplier Profiles for the full
description of what each supplier has to offer.
As with the other supplier information sections, updates to this will be available in
the member’s only section of our website.
Here’s what a Cross-Reference category looks like:
Pork Products
Supplier: Bubba’s Pork Products
Phone: (800) 123-4567
Fax: (123) 345-6789
Website: www.pigsrus.com
E-mail: bubba@pigsrus.com
Supplier: Billy Bob’s Barbecue
Phone: (800) 789-1234
Fax: (321) 987-6543
Website: www.billybobsbarbecue.com
E-mail: info@biilybobsbarbecue.com
Supplier: Pork Southern Style
Phone: (888) 654-3210
Fax: (888) 654-3211
Website: www.porksouthernstyle.com
E-mail: sales@porksouthernstyle.com
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Parting Thoughts
Parting Thoughts
“What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
- Johann von Goethe
I hope that you’ve learned a lot by reading this book. Putting all these concepts
into your future fundraisers will take some effort, but the benefits are well worth it.
My recommendation is to plan and then plan some more on how you’re going to
improve your fundraising. Read the book, digest what you’ve learned, figure out
how each area can be improved; and then plan some more BEFORE you begin.
Then, once you’re ready, go ahead and dive in.
Fundraising is evolving and growing. Stay abreast of the new trends and
supplier offerings. For example, the year-round fundraising capability of your
website is the wave of the future. Who would have thought just a few short years
ago that a website would become such a powerful silent fundraiser?
Build a solid reputation in your community. Be the leader and innovator that
other non-profits want to emulate. Expand your business contacts and leverage
them to increase your success.
Somehow, I’ve gotten through life so far by being a well-organized procrastinator.
My husband, on the other hand, is a disorganized non-procrastinator. I suppose
we balance each other out, although we drive each other nuts at times!
I keep meticulous records for tax time, but would put off doing those taxes
indefinitely if I could. He must scrounge around for slips of paper, receipts, and
misplaced mail but wants to get started on it right away. Can you imagine my
household during tax season?
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Parting Thoughts
I suppose it’s very much like the relationship between our cat, O’Dude, and our
Chocolate Lab puppy, Muffin. They chase and romp, scratch and bite all day
long, but when the sun goes down, they cuddle up together and most likely
dream of doing it all over again the next day.
Writing this book has been very much like that. Me, the organized one; him, the
“do it all now, quick, quick, quick” type. But, I hope that each of our positive
qualities came together to provide useful and timely information that will help
make your fundraising efforts more effective.
Remember that what we do with the time we have on earth is the most important
measure of our personal worth. Investing your time to benefit others by
conducting fundraisers provides so many benefits for both the community and
yourself.
Sometimes, being a volunteer for a non-profit organization can seem like a
thankless job. Believe me, volunteers help make up the backbone of our society.
If no one else thanks you, I’m thanking you for making our towns, our schools,
our churches, our neighborhoods, and our country a better place.
I wish you all the best in your fundraising efforts. Enjoy every moment.
Kimberly
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