How to Manage Post Fundraiser Delivery Issues

A guide to help prevent unwanted surprises after your delivery.

We've discussed how schools can adequately prepare for their fundraiser delivery. For example, sponsors should recruit volunteers in advance to help sort and distribute student boxes. Providing proper notice to your parents so they know when to pick up their orders is another planning step.

But what kinds of issues might sponsors encounter after they've received their merchandise? As with any order, mistakes can occasionally happen, and items can become damaged during shipment. The post-fundraiser delivery stage is as important as any other, so it is essential to know what situations may arise and how to address them effectively.

The most important objective at this point is to deal with any outstanding matters as quickly and efficiently as possible. Many school fundraising companies provide deadline dates to report any needed corrections. Also, you don't want to keep your parents waiting beyond a reasonable period to get their orders fixed. Here's how to manage some post-fundraiser delivery issues you may encounter.

Missing or Damaged Fundraising Merchandise

There are two ways that companies handle missing or damaged items:

1. Require sponsors to submit an item replacement form.
2. Refer parents to a customer service department.

Replacement Form Method

If you're dealing with a company that requires that you submit a form, one option is to inspect each order yourself before it goes home with the student. This way, you know what needs to be addressed before the boxes leave the school. Some sponsors take this further and have the parents initial or sign off on their orders as they pick them up. It's also a good idea to recruit extra help to do this. A computer-generated report should be inside each student's box, and the order form that tells you what's inside. You can use this report as a checklist.

Another option is to go ahead and send the students' boxes home, then give parents a deadline date to report any discrepancies. We provide this information for our sponsors in their parent letter at the beginning of the fundraiser. Make sure to remind your parents about your deadline date periodically. This way, you won't have to make any excuses if parents return a month later with an item that needs replacing.

Customer Service Method

Some companies provide online customer support or a toll-free phone number for parents to call. This information should be provided inside the student's box. Sponsors should still expect questions from parents and thus should have the company's contact information readily available.

How do We Handle Wrong Items?

Another situation that occasionally arises is what to do if a wrong item is sent by mistake. This is handled the same way as a damaged item. The invoice may need to be reconciled depending on the amount the school was initially billed for the incorrect item. Remember that many companies won't replace an item marked down incorrectly on the order form. In other words, if the customer wrote down the wrong item number by mistake, they can reorder the correct item.

Dealing with Backorders and Substitutions

Depending on the time of the season, backorders and substitutions can become an issue. As company inventory begins to run low, these situations become more likely. Remember that a backordered item will eventually be restocked and automatically shipped to the school once available. On the other hand, a substituted item will not be replaced. Companies either automatically replace the item with something comparable or offer online store credit, which has become more common in recent years.

Companies should always alert the sponsor and affected parents of backordered or substituted items. A timeline for replacing backorders should also be provided.

Communicating with Your Parents

Sponsors know what to expect after the delivery, so they'll know how to manage any issues with their parents. Ensure you communicate what your parents should know but don't overwhelm them with too much information. We provide a school fundraising guidebook that our sponsors use to address these issues.

At the end of the day, companies with a strong track record usually pull off a large fundraiser delivery containing several thousand items with little to no issues. We want sponsors to be prepared, just in case.

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.