Getting Started With Your Fundraiser

Organizing and coordinating a successful fundraiser requires a lot of forethought. A tremendous amount of time and effort must go into the planning of the campaign. Up front planning makes the entire process much smoother and enjoyable for everyone. The majority of organizations hold four to six fundraisers a year. Breaking your fundraiser down into manageable steps should help it not become so overwhelming.

• Goal - Calculate the amount of money needed to meet your goal. Determine whether this goal needs to be met in just one fundraiser or several throughout the year. A goal should include the financial figure as well as the actual result. For instance, your vocal group must raise $6,000 to pay for a trip to the annual competition. The $6,000 is the financial figure but the trip to competition is the result.
• Deadline – It is advisable to keep the fundraising campaign to a short period of time, such as two weeks. If the campaign time is too long your participants may become unmotivated and procrastinate too long in making their sells. With a short campaign they are motivated to get out there and sell quickly, thus keeping them on track.
• Types of Fundraiser – There are many types of fundraisers that have been used in the past to raise large amounts of money for organizations. You can choose from selling magazines, candy, cookie dough, pies, or sell from a gift brochure full of items from which your buyers may choose. Gift brochures are historically the best way to raise money without having to incur any financial expense up front. You pre-sell items before ordering from the company, deliver the goods and collect the money. There is more work involved in this type of sell but the results are better. You must determine which fundraiser is appropriate for your group. In making that determination, consider the following:

o What has worked in the past and what has been unsuccessful?
o How many participants do you have to work the fundraiser and what is their experience?
o What would the participants enjoy selling? Ask your group members for suggestions on what they would enjoy selling. If they feel involved in the decision and confident in their product, they will be more motivated to sell.
o How quickly do we need the money? Do you have time to order and sell candy bars, or do you need money quickly, in which case a car wash might work best. Basically, do you have time for a pre-sale campaign or only time for a direct sale?