10 Questions to Ask a School Fundraising Company

What you should know about your company before you sign up.

Let's face it; no one wants to do a fundraiser. You do it because you have to. Hopefully, you're planning your sale carefully and are doing your due diligence on picking the right program.

Many companies compete for your business as you search the internet. Many are ethical and have good intentions; others will tell you things that sound good on paper but don't work out well once you put them to the test.

So before you sign up with a school fundraising company, make sure to ask the sales rep these ten questions:

1. How long have you been in business?

Most companies come and go regularly. It's relatively easy to copy what other companies are already doing. Many 'me-too' companies have done nothing but overcrowd the marketplace. You'll need to dig deeper to separate the pretenders from the real.

2. Do you offer full-time customer service?

Many companies rely on often overextended outside sales reps to both sell to and service their customers. It's more important that you find out how their customer service department works and how quickly they can resolve any issues that may arise.

3. Can you provide testimonials or references?

You may not receive this information if they don't have a good track record. Instead, look for a school fundraising company with a strong track record and can provide the testimonials and unbiased feedback you need to make an informed decision.

4. Does your company provide a fundraising manual?

You may have questions after your rep leaves the school. Getting a hold of them can sometimes be challenging. Alternatively, look for a company that can provide the steps you need to run your sale in writing effectively. There are a lot of things that you can easily forget once the rep leaves.

5. Are you offering us an exclusive sales brochure?

Many companies offer the same brochure to other nearby schools. This often happens with local sales reps attempting to saturate a given area. Ensure you find out if other schools in your area will sell out of the same brochure. This could have a significant impact on your sales.

6. Do you only offer one type of prize program?

Many schools have expressed concern over using the same cheap junky prize program year after year. And unfortunately, most companies only offer one type. This often leads to seller boredom and can hurt participation. Instead, You should look for a school fundraising company that offers several types of prize program options that may be a better fit for your students.

See our prize programs.

7. Will you prepack our merchandise by the student?

You may think that most companies nowadays automatically prepack by the seller. Think again. Make sure to ask; otherwise, you may have to sort your merchandise before issuing it to your sellers to take home.

8. Do you offer a 100% item replacement policy?

Some companies require damaged merchandise to be returned as proof before you can get them replaced. They usually won't reimburse you for the shipping cost either. Look for a company that doesn't require returning any damaged merchandise. This will make your life a lot easier.

9. Can you claim near 100% order fulfillment accuracy?

Some companies use other packing companies to pack their products for them. These packing warehouses are sometimes over a thousand miles away. Quality control and accuracy can be an issue. Make sure your company packs its items right in its warehouse. Companies that have invested in updated technology can ensure almost 100% accuracy when filling orders, which helps make for a smooth delivery.

10. Will we receive a comprehensive sales report?

Some companies only invoice their schools. Your company should also provide a detailed sales report showing a breakdown of the total items sold and those sold by individual sellers. You should also see which classrooms or teams sold the most. This will help you when giving out things like sales awards.

See our brochure fundraisers.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.