An Easy Fundraising Delivery Doesn’t Just Happen

A guide to more uncomplicated school deliveries.

We recently had one of our elementary schools express an interest in selling discount cards for their next sale. We were curious because they usually sold gift items out of a brochure.

It turns out that this school was doing a significant renovation and didn't have the space needed to receive a brochure shipment. They'd never sold discount cards before, but their main reason for trying them was there would be no space requirements for delivery boxes. Discount cards come in a box that you can hold in your hand.

Was changing their program worth it to have an easy fundraising delivery?

Have a Fundraising Delivery Plan

When looking at fundraising programs, one of the considerations should be how the merchandise will be delivered. Ideally, everyone will pick up their boxes on delivery day, but most of the time, there are leftover orders. Therefore, you'll need to ask yourself several important questions, including:

• How much space will I have available for short-term storage if necessary?
• Will the storage area be temperature-controlled?
• What kind of support will I have at my delivery?
• How responsive will parents be about picking up orders?

Based on your answers to these and perhaps other questions, you'll want to consider selling a product that will meet your fundraising delivery needs. However, there are other factors to consider when deciding on a program.

Fundraiser Merchandise Storage Options

What follows is a list of the more common types of fundraisers and what their storage requirements are:

• Gift Items: Temperature-controlled storage (room temperature or below due to chocolate).
• Frozen Food: Freezer space is necessary.
• Non-Perishable Items: Sports mugs or jewelry (temperature control is not an issue).
• Discount Cards: No storage is required, and temperature isn't an issue.

Of course, you can eliminate your delivery to your school by selecting a company that offers home delivery.

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.