Fundraising Tips

Organization and a plan of action are key ingredients to running a successful fundraiser. Here are some tips and simple guidelines to help you on your way.

Tips on Organization

• Do your fundraising at the beginning of the season; earlier the better!
• Set deadlines for your fundraiser; have a clear start and finish date.
• Have a visual representation of your financial goals. Make a chart or thermometer showing progress.
• Update students frequently. Make sure to check that there are no problems.

Safety

Always keep safety the top priority of every fundraising campaign. Make sure your students know and follow these safety practices:

• Always sell in the company of others- use the buddy system or with parental supervision.
• Never carry large amounts of cash.
• Regarding online safety, never respond to suspicious emails from people you don’t know.

Selling Tips

• Sell to people you know first- friends, family and neighbors.
• Know why your organization is fundraising and tell people why when you ask them for their support.
• Be proud of your organization.
• Be cheerful, courteous and smile.
• Always thank people whether they buy or not.
• Regarding emails, send a reminder email halfway through your campaign to those you have on your list.
• For online purchases, make sure to send a thank you email.
• Have fun!

Collecting Money

• Have a deadline to collect money. Have the money returned to the person responsible for collecting the money by the deadline.
• Use cash collection envelopes for each event team or individual that will collect money. Keep an accurate record of who collect the money as well as the amount collected.
• Deposit money in a timely manner. In between deposits, keep money under lock and key

Promote Your Event
Promote the campaign in your community with printed signs posted around the neighborhood and in grocery stores. Post an announcement in your church bulletin. For a larger campaign, try to solicit free advertising in newspapers, radio or TV. Utilize free marketing by posting links online at Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. The internet is an amazing resource for spreading the word!

Fun & Recognition
Fundraising can be an educational and rewarding experience for everyone. Communicate the goals and the results of your campaign. Your students will feel the pride of accomplishing the goals through teamwork! Recognize everyone who participates and acknowledge exceptional individual efforts.