The #1 Fall Fundraising Debate: Should Your School Go First?

Learn the pros and cons of back-to-school sales.

Our top-selling school consistently raises around $100,000 yearly with its catalog fundraiser. The assistant principal running and promoting it is proud that they are the first school in their community to outsell.

She tells her students they can be confident that everyone they approach will not have already seen a brochure yet from another school. And she probably has a very valid point. Her students take her for her word, and the results speak for themselves.

But aren't you somewhat taken back when your child comes home from their first day of school, and you look inside their backpack, and what do you find? A fall fundraising packet? You haven't even begun to deal with the school routine, and you're already being asked to sell.

Schools ask us, "Should we try to be the first school in our community to sell, or wait until the dust clears and have a sale closer to the holidays?" As it turns out, there are advantages and disadvantages to both options.

To help shed some light on this debate, here are some things to consider if you haven't decided on a kickoff date.

The Advantages of Early School Fundraiser Kickoffs

Since many schools are close to other competing schools, the prevailing thought is to attempt to be the first one out in the community. If people haven't been approached yet, they'll be more likely to buy if you're the first to approach them. And since it's the beginning of the school year, students and parents are apt to feel refreshed and willing to get out and sell.

Still, another thought is that academics haven't had a chance to get underway yet. Many parents have grown to expect early fall fundraisers, and as long as they know this is not the first of many, they're probably ok with supporting their local school. After all, the sooner you finish your sale, the sooner you can start putting the money to work.

See 4 Reasons to Fundraising During the Fall

The Benefit of a Pre-Holiday Sale

Being the first school to sell in your community is easier said than done. You're excited because you think your school will be the first group. Then, two days before your sale starts, you receive devastating news. The school down the street has already started its fundraiser; worse, they're selling something similar to what you plan to sell. Your sale fails because your community already purchased items from the other school. Lesson learned. You'll never do that again.

There is fierce competition at the beginning of the school year because everyone thinks the same thing. Be the first school out there, and you'll make more sales. According to AFRDS, an independent trade association devoted exclusively to the product fundraising industry, you're not alone in your thinking. 7 out of 10 schools believe that the most profitable school-wide sales campaigns occur between August and October.

But are there disadvantages to starting your sale at the beginning of the school year? We've already touched on this point earlier. The fact is, people are already in the process of switching from a more relaxed summer break mode back into a more hectic school schedule. If you add a school sale to their plate, it may just be too much too soon. Many groups feel it's just too hard because people are adjusting to other challenges that returning to school brings.

Schools also place additional financial burdens on parents at the beginning of the school year. In addition to buying new clothes, many schools require parents to buy a checklist of classroom supplies. And now you want to throw a school fundraiser into the mix?

Chances are good that many people have already been approached to buy, regardless. We haven't even considered the fact that several year-round schools, as well as private schools, have already completed their sales anyway. Many of these schools start their campaign in July.

Think about all of the different types of school fundraising groups that are out there. Consider when your feeder schools are selling if you're an elementary school. Your middle schools, as well as the many groups from the high school, are out raising money as well. This is where knowing what other groups in your area are already selling is vital. You always want to strive to promote a product that no one else is offering.

Thus, many schools have found that delaying the start of their fundraiser makes more sense. Some believe that starting closer to the holidays will make people think more about holiday shopping anyway. This is where selling a seasonal shopper or a pie brochure may make more sense for some. However, limiting the number of sales you have as much as possible is just as important.

As you can see, there's no easy solution. You need to do research for your specific area. All cities and towns pose their unique challenges. As a result, many schools settle for the middle ground and kick off their sale around mid to late September.

When have you found to be the best time to start your sale?

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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.