Simple Tips on How to End Your School Fundraiser Successfully

When to end your school fundraiser and what comes next.

A successful school fundraiser is a well-planned one. Planning is the first and last step involved in the campaigning process. Many schools neglect to acknowledge a part of the plan: how and when to end the fundraiser and what comes next. These are as important as the execution as they neatly close out your current campaign while setting up the next one for success. Learn about ending your school fundraiser below.

When to End Your School Fundraiser

Planning to end your school fundraiser is essential in the campaigning process. Two traditional methods mark the endpoint in your campaign. These are time and gain. Let’s look closer at these concepts.

Time

Time refers to the length of the fundraiser. For example, your plan states your campaign is active from September 1^st through September 15^th. On September 15^th, you end your campaign regardless of results. This is beneficial as it prevents over asking of the donors already participating and eliminates the chances of your fundraiser running until it fizzles out.

Gain

Gain refers to the quantity of capital or other resources acquired through the campaign. At the outset, set a concrete goal. For example, our objective is to raise $5,000 in profits. When you reach your goal, your campaign finishes. This goal-driven method allows you to raise exactly what you need- nothing less and nothing more.

Your Fundraiser Has Ended – Now What?

When your campaign ends, your work does not. Fundraising is one step in the process of your campaign. The next steps include following up, evaluating your results, and beginning plans for the next campaign based on your outcomes.

Follow Up

Follow up with donors and participants. Send thank you letters through email or snail mail to acknowledge and thank those who donated or participated in your campaign. Reach out to any sponsors, volunteers, and those who helped with marketing, planning, and execution. This shows your appreciation and increases the likelihood of repeat giving and participation.

Evaluate

During the campaigning process, the fundraising committee should be compiling data. This can be as simple as units sold versus projected units sold. Another area to consider tracking is the market reached- did you only reach parents, or did greater community members get involved? Evaluate fundraising results by using this information. Decide if you need to pivot or adjust in your next raise.

Begin Planning

The final step is to begin planning for the next campaign. As you learned, this is a long and involved process. You should start preparing for spring campaigning at the end of your fall fundraiser! Set a goal, brainstorm ideas, incorporate this season’s results, and hit the ground running.

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.