How to Ensure Your Best School Fundraiser Ever

Simple ideas that make sales more profitable.

Most elementary school sponsors are already busy with other things. One of the last things they want to do is spend extra time on their sale. After all, once the kickoff ends, you don't have to worry about anything until the orders are due. What an ideal situation. Your group is out selling while you focus on other obligations.

Once the orders have been mailed off for processing, you don't have to think about it again until your delivery. You distribute your students' boxes, pay your bill to the school fundraising company, and that's it. You got your wish, a low-maintenance money-maker that made you some money.

So why should you put additional effort into promoting your cause? Is the possibility of making additional money worth a little extra effort? Many groups work hard to promote their sale because they understand they make significantly more money. Here's how you can adequately prepare and have your best school fundraiser ever:

Announce Your Fundraiser

• Have the person who does the announcements talk about your sale every day. Prepare different scripts for the announcer. Make it fun, creative, and interesting for your students.
• Announce the sale on your marquee. Be creative here as well. If you can change it periodically, people will be more apt to notice it.
• Create and duplicate poster-sized charts that each teacher can post outside their classroom, along with each student's name. Students can place a star next to their name every time they sell five items. Many students love to compete against their peers. Another option is to have a large poster-sized paper on the wall near the office. When students reach the fundraising goal, they get to sign their names. At the top of the poster, you can say something like 'Fundraiser Wall of Fame'.
• Announce your big prizes daily (top seller, grand prize drawing, etc.).

Notify Your Parents about the Sale

• Send home reminder notices to your parents. You can use ones similar to those found in our school fundraiser guidebook.
• Post information about your sale on your school website. Some companies provide a link to place their logo on your site.
• Place promotional signs in front of the school where parents pick up their students.
• Put posters in or around the main office area.
• Feature your big prizes in your display case and include a brief description of how students can win them.

Use Additional Fundraising Incentives

• Incorporate prize-drawing coupons into your daily announcements. Every time students sell five items, they can drop their coupon into a drawing box to win a prize. Students love to hear their names announced; others will hear it and be motivated to sell.
• Whenever a student sells five items from their brochure, have them ‘high-five’ the principal.
• Get the principal to agree to do something fun if the school reaches the goal. Make sure and announce it every day during your sale.

How many sales campaigns do you want to have to do to reach your budget goals? Then why not put all of your energy into one strong campaign?

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.