Improve elementary school sales with a new motivational approach.
Every company seems to be able to make claims on how they can make you more money. Use their brochure and prize program, and the money will follow. Wouldn't it be nice if it worked?
No doubt, finding the right product to sell is essential. So too, is motivating your students with incentives they'll want to work for. So if you're looking for elementary school fundraising ideas that work, consider changing your prizes.
Cheap, junky, but enticing prizes to a 4-year-old appear at the lower levels, and 'mind-blowing' prizes can be found at higher prizes. The only problem is that you must sell many items to get the more exciting toys.
When reaching sales goals, most sponsors can appreciate the need for incentives. Student enthusiasm has always been the engine that drives any school fundraiser. The more excited they are about the prize program, the better the sales.
The problem is most prize programs are predictable. They all seem to work the same way. Just ask your older students who've already experienced them. Is it any wonder that some of the lowest participation rates come from these students?
See Why Fundraiser Prize Programs Need an Overhaul
The good thing is you don't need to work very hard to get a prize. Sometimes selling just a single item is enough. But you won't be overly impressed with what you get, either. Bigger and better prizes await those students who sell a lot. But sadly, those students are a rarity. The vast majority end up with the 'cheap & junky' prizes.
Because your seasoned students understand the process, they usually stop participating after the 2nd or 3rd grade. So how do you overcome the apathy issue?
Unfortunately, many schools remain complacent, afraid, or unwilling to change and thus will usually stick with the status quo. Your sales results are "ok" because you get by every year. But what if you can raise more? A lot more.
You can always incorporate additional prizes, which will take more time and energy. PTO Today offers great fundraising incentives that schools can do to generate more sales.
Another option is to reevaluate your current prize program. Some schools have made a change.
Big Event Prize Program Differences
Our solution has been to offer an activity instead of prizes to help solve some of the well-known traditional prize programs' drawbacks. But to make it better, we did two things:
- Put the event, which is the most exciting part, at the lowest prize level to improve participation.
- Still offer higher prize levels to encourage students to sell more.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of what happened when schools switched to a Big Event prize program the following year after using a traditional incentive plan.
Good Elementary School Fundraising Ideas Get Results
| School | Traditional Prizes | Big Event Incentive | $ Increase | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webb Elementary | $20,000 | $43,000 | $23,000 | 115% |
| Noonan Elementary | $8,000 | $27,000 | $19,000 | 238% |
| Kostoryz Elementary | $12,000 | $31,000 | $19,000 | 158% |
| Milton Elementary | $24,000 | $42,000 | $18,000 | 75% |
| Meadowbrook Elementary | $12,000 | $27,000 | $15,000 | 125% |
The question then becomes, "Should we take a chance and offer something new, or continue down the same path and play it safe?" Why change when you can raise the same amount of money every year?
To help answer these questions, here's a list of advantages and disadvantages between traditional prize programs and Big Event prize plans.
Traditional Prize Programs
Advantages:
- Familiarity
- Easier because you don't have to change.
- Prizes come inside each seller's box.
Disadvantages:
- Cheaper prizes at lower levels discourage participation.
- Students and parents may be disappointed with the quality.
- Results show that most students only sell enough to reach the lowest prize levels.
Big Event Incentive Plan
Advantages:
- Students don't have to sell much to gain admission to the event. This has proven to increase fundraiser participation and sales.
- Students can still choose to sell more and win bigger prizes.
- The event is embraced as exciting and new by students and parents.
- No parent complaints about a lack of prize quality.
- No broken prizes to have to deal with.
Disadvantages:
- Additional work is required to have the event.
- Schools must share the cost of bringing in the event if sales don't reach the minimum.
- Some may feel it's unfair for students to sell to attend an event at their school.
Deciding whether to stay with a traditional prize program or try a big event may be worth considering if your school:
- Has experienced stagnant or declining sales.
- Has a larger enrollment with less than desired participation.
Selecting the right incentive plan is essential to the success of your fundraiser, so it's best to do a thorough analysis and weigh all of the pros and cons first.
Learn about fundraising events for schools.
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.