What Happened to the Innisbrook Wrapping Paper Fundraiser?

Why Innisbrook no longer dominates the school fundraising market.

What company comes to mind when you think of the Christmas wrapping paper fundraiser? When selling gift wrap first became popular in schools, you may have answered Innisbrook. After all, the company’s been around since 1982. Today, that likely isn’t the case. What happened to Innisbrook, and why are they no longer dominating the school fundraiser wrapping paper market? Let’s take a look.

Gift Wrap Fundraising

Gift wrap fundraising is a type of fundraiser typically held before the holidays. The idea is to sell wrapping paper, gift bags, bows, tags, and other gift wrap accessories. The proceeds from sales are put towards a current need of the school. This fundraiser has been around for many years and is extremely popular. Everyone needs gift wrap! And frankly, the quality and diversity of gift wrap found in stores don’t measure up to what can be found in the fundraising catalogs. This is why this type of fundraiser succeeds.

However, wrapping paper fundraiser companies still need to do their part to make the raise as successful as possible, which means not becoming stagnant but changing with the times to meet current demands. These are the boxes schools want to check when selecting a fundraising company.

Innisbrook

Thirty years ago, Innisbrook and Sally Foster Wrapping Paper were the two dominating fundraisers in the wrapping paper space. Today that is no longer the case. What happened?

Back then, schools did not have the breadth of gift wrap fundraiser companies available to them that they do now. Whenever a school was interested in selling gift wrap, the predominant choice was either Innisbrook or Sally Foster. But as more businesses entered the wrapping paper fundraising space, the market share of these two previously dominant players began to fall.

Today, Innisbrook no longer does school fundraisers but still offers its products online to the general public. And as it turns out, Sally Foster is no longer in business.

And even though wrapping paper fundraiser companies are plentiful, a relatively new player appears to have risen to the top.

Charleston Wrap

Charleston Wrap wrapping paper now dominates the gift wrap fundraiser space, but not because they came through and wiped out the competition by force. They dominate because they provide the best quality and largest selection of unique and exclusive designs and prints. They say the key is to provide high-quality products at a reasonable price point.

They also offer more than just gift wrap. They sell gifts too. Innisbrook and Sally Foster provided minimal gift options, which schools started to see as a downfall over time. Charleston Wrap provides a variety of goods to pair with its gift wrap supplies. The bottom line is more options usually lead to more sales and customers.

Charleston Wrap goes beyond the basics of offering various quality products. They are the fan favorite for many reasons, including:

• Offering more embossed roll options than any other company.
• All of their wraps are thirty-two square feet or more. No short rolls!
• Their ‘Jumbo Rolls’ cost less than the industry standard size.
• They offer the largest selection of accessories in their catalog and online, including unique offerings such as their ‘Chalkboard Paper’ and ‘Kraft Paper’.
• They feature 3D gift wraps, offering added design and fun.
• All of their wrap designs are exclusive and 100% developed in-house.
• Their north star is fashion, furniture, and retail, not fundraising. This means they know the trends and what will sell best.

Bonus Tip: Maximize your raise by pairing a fun Christmas-themed sale or activity with your wrapping paper fundraiser. This can be anything from selling hot cocoa packets to hosting a gingerbread cookie-making competition!

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.