How to Leverage Prize Programs for Fundraisers

Simple prize program tips for schools.

There's an ongoing debate over whether the brochure or the prize program significantly influences sales. Prize fundraiser programs have fallen under greater scrutiny because of their poor quality. One thing's for sure; if you have a terrible incentive plan, your sales are more likely to suffer. Even if you have a good one, that doesn't guarantee anything. So how do you plan to promote your prize program?

First, you must believe your program will motivate your students to get out and sell. Doesn't that sound obvious? Sure, but your students will see through your campaign if there are any doubts. This can probably affect sales more than anything else.

Your students are looking to you for leadership and to set a positive tone. So ensure you have the best possible prize plan and promote it. What follows are some additional ideas that will help you get the most out of your incentives.

Promote the Prizes Before Your Fundraiser

Why not start promoting your incentives before your sale? A few days before your kickoff date, arrange to start sharing with students what they might win during your morning announcements. It may even be a good idea to tell them you are saving your big prize for the kickoff. This will keep them in suspense. It's also a good idea to alert your parents by sending home a letter that includes information about what special prizes and awards will be given. You may be surprised by the parents who take prizes seriously for their children. Many want to know what their child will receive for participating.

See our prize programs.

Take Full Advantage of the Kickoff Meeting

The actual fundraising kickoff is where you can hype up your prizes. Whether you plan to kick off your sale, have someone else do it, or show a video, this is where you must sell your prizes to your students. And it's all in how it is presented. When presenting prizes to students at a kickoff, the most important thing is to create suspense. You can have your big prizes covered up at the front on a table as the students walk into the assembly area. Then reveal them individually as you describe what they must do to win them. Start from the smallest prize and work up to the biggest. You should show the prizes at the end of the kickoff presentation.

Hype Up the Prizes During the Sale

You must continue to promote your prizes after the kickoff as well. Don't assume your student's enthusiasm will persist after the kickoff. Like anything else, if we are not reminded about things, we tend to forget about them. Make sure you're talking about your fundraising prizes during your morning announcements. It's even recommended that you give away prizes during your sale. For example, consider using our prize drawing incentive game. This will encourage students to continue to push the sale even higher. Why not influence your sellers while they still have a chance to impact your sale? Make sure to announce the winners so everyone knows about it.

Set the Tone for Future Fundraising

Once your sale is over, have an award ceremony to give away your special prizes to those students who earned them. By having everyone present, you accomplish two things. One, the winners get recognized, and two, everyone sees them receive their prize. This will set the tone for your next program. By then, even more students will want to be up on stage receiving their prize.

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.