2 Questions We Expect From School Fundraiser Groups

Answers to the two most commonly asked questions.

Many school fundraiser groups plan and schedule their sale for the following fall before they go on break for the summer. This way, their kickoff is already on the calendar, and they don't have to worry about it once things get busy again.

Other schools prefer to wait to make sure that they've gathered an adequate amount of information during summer PTA conferences. These groups usually make their decision before school starts as well.

However, some wait to decide on a fundraiser after school starts. Regardless, we expect many inquiries from people who call in at the beginning of the school year.

Here are the two most common questions we get and what you can expect our answers to be:

1. What is Your Best Fundraising Brochure?

Whenever asked which brochure is our biggest seller, we almost always respond with the same answer. The brochure that will sell the best is what you believe in the most. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we say or which brochure has the highest overall sales. Brochures work in some areas well but not in others for various reasons. In the end, though, it won't sell well if you don't believe you've picked the best one. Why? Because you won't be excited about promoting it. This will carry over to your students, parents, and community. You must, therefore, have a brochure that you feel people will embrace and that you will want to promote.

See our brochure fundraisers.

2. What is Our Fundraiser Profit?

Many sponsors think negotiating a higher profit percentage of their total sales is in their best interest. They're only partially correct. Schools that focus on percent profit are often not as attentive to the more important things they should concentrate on, like promoting their sale effectively. Schools with a higher profit percentage may also give up a better prize program that motivates more students to sell. Remember, you don't take profit percent to the bank; you take money. It's more important to focus on how much money you want to make than on what percent profit you can get.

In the end, what makes your fundraiser successful is the amount of time and effort you are willing to put into it.

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.