Should We Do a Brochure Fundraiser or Have a Spring Carnival?

The advantages of a spring brochure fundraiser over a school carnival.

Hopefully, you've raised enough money with your fall fundraiser to get through the school year. This is the goal of almost every school. Unfortunately, it doesn't always happen. If you're one of the many schools that need to raise additional money, what you'll do in the spring becomes your focus.

Many schools are uncertain when choosing their fundraiser for the spring. Redundancy is the first thing that comes to mind for many. If you had a brochure fundraiser in the fall, springtime might be a good time for something different, like a carnival. And, of course, the opposite is also true. Fall is typically the time most groups focus on raising money, but many don't reach their financial goals unless they also have a supplemental spring sale.

It's common for elementary schools to attempt to change things up a bit. They may have grown tired of the same company brochure, experiencing some apathy, or even facing complaints from parents. Plus, many schools already do a brochure sale in the fall. The thought of a second brochure sale to many is downright disgusting. As a result of the apathy, your sales may even be stagnant or trending downward, making trying something new somewhat appealing.

However, before jumping to conclusions and deciding to bail on the spring brochure fundraiser, let's examine the pros and cons of staying with the brochure sale compared to attempting something different, like a carnival.

The Spring Fundraiser Brochure

Pros:

• For those with less time, the brochure sale requires less planning.
• Requires no upfront money.
• Requires fewer people to run.

Cons:

• Only offers a certain percentage off of the proceeds.
• It pressures people into buying items that they may not need or want.
• It takes two weeks to raise money

The Spring School Carnival

Pros:

• Bring the school and community together.
• Help remove the pressure to buy something.
• Allow people to incorporate their ideas.
• Offer a higher profit margin if organizations can receive donations from the community.
• Money is raised in a matter of hours.

Cons:

• Requires a strong vision as well as a lot of work and planning.
• You need several people to become involved and learn to work together.
• It may require upfront money for supplies and materials.
• Must be appropriately promoted to be successful.

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.