2 High School Fundraising Myths to Avoid

How to ensure you have a successful high school sale.

Over the years of working with various groups, we've heard several things from sponsors about what they feel will make their sales successful. Some things are based on fact, while others, although they seem logical, are based more on theory or assumption.

There are two basic myths that many high school fundraising sponsors seem to focus on. One, they tend to overemphasize the importance of the brochure, and two, is minimizing the value of the prize program. If your group isn't prepared and motivated to sell, your brochure won't matter because no one will see it. Here are some things to consider regarding running effective high school fundraisers:

Establish a Fundraising Plan

Deciding on what to sell is usually the first thing group sponsors think about. After all, having an exciting brochure will make more sales, right? Not so fast. The brochure should be one of the last things to decide on. Most people think they'll make a lot of money if they can only find the right items to sell. And to top it off, they'll do so with little effort because people will flock to buy. The problem is not many brochures sell themselves without first having a well-designed sales plan that considers the following:

1. How much money do they need to accomplish their purpose?
2. How much each student needs to sell?
3. How do they plan to achieve their goal?
4. What is their commitment to reaching it?

Once these four questions are answered, what you sell doesn't matter. Your fundraiser will most likely be successful.

Offer Effective High School Incentives

One of the biggest mistakes high school fundraising sponsors make is thinking they don't need incentives. They seem willing to compromise the quality of their prize program to receive a higher profit percentage. They assume their students will be motivated to sell because they're group members. Some sponsors falsely assume their students will automatically be committed to the purpose. At the same time, they've not placed enough emphasis on the promotional aspects of their sale.

Regardless of the purpose, most students will respond to a sponsor willing to use proper incentives. Even when dealing with a lower profit percentage, many sponsors have found that effectively promoting their sales by offering incentives makes the group more money. On the other hand, sponsors receiving a higher profit with no prize program also tend to get complacent. They feel they'll make more money because they start with a higher profit. These sponsors fail to realize that you don't take profit to the bank; you take money.

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.