No-Cost Fundraising Prizes that Improve Sales

How to boost sales without spending money on expensive prizes.

The problem with incorporating additional incentives into your sale is the extra cost. Will you return the money you've spent on that big top-seller prize or limo ride? Even though your students will probably be excited about winning these prizes, you don't know if they'll translate into more sales. If you spend the money, promote your incentives throughout your sale to help achieve a good return on your investment.

However, what if you could offer no-cost fundraising prizes and achieve a similar increase in sales? Here are some ideas that many groups have been successfully incorporating for years.

Fundraiser Prize Drawings Increase Enthusiasm

Don't just remind your students to sell; keep their enthusiasm high throughout your sale. A great way to get more out of your fundraising announcements is to draw out names and announce periodic prize winners. The object is to draw as many prize coupons out of your drawing box as possible. This way, more sellers will feel they can win and work harder on the sale. Sellers who turn in coupons for every five items sold can win special privileges like:

• 'Line Leader' for the day
• 'Classroom Leader' for the day
• 'Free Dress Day' pass

There are many incentives that you can come up with that your students would sell for that don't have to cost you any money.

Fun Sales Reward Activities Motivate Sellers

If you understand what motivates your sellers, you can raise a lot of money by offering them a fun activity as a reward. For example, you can have a pizza party for your top 25 sellers. Many sponsors can have the pizza donated in exchange for free publicity (or use pizza coupons to pay for the pizza). Other sponsors host a DJ dance party for students with a minimum sales goal. Make it even more fun by asking the principal to be the DJ.

Get the Principal to Play a Fundraising Role

You can take your fundraiser to the next level by getting a school administrator involved in your fundraiser. Most students respect their principal and will listen to what they have to say. More importantly, students will probably be willing to sell more if they know the principal will do something fun or humorous as a reward. You will also want to place a condition on this activity, like a predetermined goal must be reached for the principal to:

• Come to school in their pajamas.
• Spend a day on the roof.
• Kiss a pig, ride a donkey backward, or _______?
• Dye their hair

Ensure that you have the principal talk about this at the kickoff and throughout the sale.

Like anything else, promoting your incentives as often as possible will help ensure you get the most out of your fundraiser, regardless of your investment.

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.