Get Students to Commit to High School Fundraisers

How to get your students on the same fundraising page.

Students involved in high school fundraisers often approach people by asking, "Want to buy something?" This can appear awkward and can even be misunderstood as unprofessional. They're simply untrained and haven't been provided with the proper sales tools.

We are more apt to buy if we know who they are, what organization they represent, and why we should support them. Sponsors should prepare their students to introduce themselves to potential buyers properly. Students can even practice their sales pitch during the kickoff meeting. Knowing what they must say to a potential buyer will often lead to a successful sale. We encourage groups to utilize a selling method called 'NOW'.

The 'NOW' Selling Method

• The 'N' stands for 'Name'. The first thing students should do is introduce themselves by saying something like, "Hi, my name is _______________________."
• The 'O' stands for 'Organization'. The next thing is to introduce who they are fundraising for. "I'm with _______________________."
• The 'W' stands for 'Why'. Tell the potential buyer why they are fundraising by saying, "We are raising money for _______________________."

Let the Fundraising Brochure do the Selling

The next step is simple. Sponsors should instruct their students to hand the brochure to the potential buyer as they are saying, "We're asking people to buy one or more items from the brochure.

Once sellers have communicated the 'why', they hand the brochure, the order form, and a pen to the prospective customer and stand back and smile. It's that simple. Students don't need to say a word. At this point, the brochure should do the rest of the work. In most cases, the potential customer will start looking through the brochure to see what's being offered.

Students should become familiar with the brochure so they can answer questions that may come up or even offer suggestions.

Complete the Sale with Courtesy

Sellers should be reminded to be polite by thanking people for their time, regardless of whether they choose to support their fundraiser.

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.