3 Steps to High School Fundraising Success

How to bring in more money with your next high school fundraiser.

There's a false assumption out there when it comes to school fundraising. Many sponsors assume high school students won't sell as well as their younger peers do. By the time students reach high school age, they seem not as excited about winning prizes as they once were.

As a result, sales expectations are lower. High school sponsors feel that it will take a lot more to motivate them to sell for various reasons.

One theory is they could be just tired of the fundraising process, or perhaps they're distracted with other obligations, or maybe this age group is lazy and doesn't care anymore.

High school groups can perform poorly in fundraising, yet it doesn't have to be that way. Several things can be done to motivate high school students better to fundraise that will yield a better outcome.

1. Give Your Students a Reason to Fundraise

If you had to pick the most important thing to communicate at your fundraiser kickoff meeting, you're your students; it's the "why". Nothing is more important than communicating your purpose. What is it, and why is it important to them? How will they benefit from the money that's raised? This is one advantage you have with this group that you don't have with younger audiences. High school students will understand the benefits that come from achieving your purpose.

See our high school fundraising ideas

2. Use High School Level Prize Programs

When it comes to winning prizes, most high school students no longer want the same prizes they won when they were younger. So why do most school fundraiser companies still offer the same prizes to older groups? You need to get their attention with more creative prize programs.

We offer sportswear or cash incentive plans to our high school groups. For example, coaches can offer students customized sportswear with the school's colors, name, and mascot. This will promote team spirit and unity and is much more desirable because it is associated with the team. Also, many high school sponsors prefer to motivate their students with cash instead of prizes.

3. Motivate with Additional Fundraiser Incentives

You shouldn't assume the main prize program will be enough. It's also important to incorporate additional incentives into your fundraiser that will make selling fun and exciting. What follows are two ideas to consider:

• Money Game
• Mystery Person Game

What ideas have you found that work well to motivate high school students to fundraise?

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.