How to Improve Your Big Event Fundraising Program

Tips that will make your big event unforgettable.

You have completed your sale, and your students eagerly anticipate their upcoming Big Event Fundraising prize program as their reward for selling. If you've never brought one of our events to your school, what can you do to help ensure its success?

There are several things you can do to help your students have a great experience. If your event goes well, it'll help set the tone for future events and spread the word. This will lead to an even bigger sale next time.

Here are a few things you'll want to do:

Keep Your Big Event Organized

• Ensure your students are ready for the start time of your big event. Allow ample time to get your participation bracelets on your students who qualified. Most schools require at least an hour before start time to do this.
• Have your students enter the event area in an organized manner so you can ensure that each student is wearing their qualification bracelet.
• Ensure you have your parent volunteers at the event at least 30 minutes before the start time.

Safety Comes Before the Fun

• If you are doing one of our party events, your students will have several different activities. Ensure you and your parent volunteers consistently enforce the 'no running' rule.
• Students must line up orderly and wait their turn on each inflatable game.

End the Event with an Awards Ceremony

• Leave about 15 minutes at the end of your big event to acknowledge your bigger sellers.
  • Have them come up to the front of the group, read off their names, how many items they've sold, and how many total dollars they raised. You should do this in order of the least to the highest overall seller. You should limit this activity to those who have sold 24 items or more. Be sure and make a big deal out of these sellers.
  • Make sure that you encourage everyone to clap as each name is announced. The idea is that everyone will see other students being acknowledged and may want to be upfront next time.
• Make sure you wrap up your awards ceremony by asking all the students if they had a good time.
• Make sure and thank all of your participants for their hard work in helping to make their school fundraiser a success.
• Allow students who didn't qualify for your big event to see what's happening and what they are missing. This will motivate them to sell more for your next big event.

See our big event fundraising programs.

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.