3 Easy Ways to a Very Profitable High School Fundraiser

Learn three no-cost ways to transform your high school sale.

Elementary school students can become excited over the simplest things. They're easy to please. You can convince them by showing them a few prizes they can win, and they're ready to sell to the world. High school students, not so much. They're a bit more of a challenge. "What's in it for me?" is probably the first thing that comes to mind. They need to know the 'why'. Older students are not so easy or forgiving. They often appear skeptical and, worse, are simply disinterested.

The younger student also needs a 'why' when you think about it. Their 'why' is having an opportunity to win a prize. So why can't you do the same for a high school fundraiser?

Well, you probably could, but the prizes would most likely need to be very expensive, so your return on your investment would probably be in jeopardy.

Students who are 'easy to please' don't need much motivation, so winning an off-brand prize won't break the bank. The right prize can motivate almost anyone to go out and make sales, no matter how old the student is. However, that's not realistic. So we'll probably need to approach the high school student differently.

The good news is that there are ways to inspire older students to get out and sell without spending money. And they can be just as productive as their younger peers. It's just a matter of understanding their unique characteristics and what their hot buttons are.

See how to engage high school students.

Here are three easy ways that we've found that can lead to very profitable high school fundraisers:

1. Take the Time to Plan a Fundraiser Meeting

High school groups that experience the highest participation rates become sold on the purpose. And sponsors need the time to sell it. Some are content to wait for their students to drop by and pick up their sales materials. Others will hand out the sales catalogs at the end of class or after practice and tell their students to bring back any money they happen to collect at the end. These approaches are not recommended.

If you want your sale to succeed, you must commit to a scheduled fundraiser kickoff meeting with your students. You'll need to develop a plan to convince them to become involved. An excellent place to begin is to ask yourself, "Why should they participate simply?" For starters, they'll need to know how many items you expect them to sell and how much time they have.

You need a block of time and everyone's attention to do this. In addition, you have the opportunity to establish unity with everyone together at the same time. Accountability can become a natural byproduct because everyone will leave the room with the exact expectations.

Don't think you have to offer the world to high school students to get them to participate in your fundraiser. It's not 'all or nothing'. Give your students more credit. They need to be convinced, that's all.

See our Starting a Fundraiser section for more information on how to kick off any grade school group properly.

2. Consistently Meet with your Sellers

Elementary school sponsors can easily be lulled to sleep with complacency after witnessing high enthusiasm at their kickoff assembly. Unfortunately, regardless of group age, most sponsors feel the kickoff meeting is enough. Granted, some groups have logistical challenges, making periodic meetings difficult.

This begs the question, "How much ongoing accountability and motivation is enough?" If they're being sincere, no one will be able to answer that. However, we've found that it's well worth the time and effort to occasionally check in with your students on their progress while at the same time reaffirming your objectives.

This strategy does a couple of things. First, it reinforces the importance of the fundraiser to your sellers. Second, regular meetings with your students will send a strong message of accountability. For some groups, you'll need to continue to remind your students when and where the meetings will take place.

Learn why tracking fundraiser progress is useful

3. Offer Additional Sales Motivators

If sponsors want a productive high school fundraiser, they'll want to incorporate what we call additional incentives. And the key is to offer them during your sale while they can impact the outcome. If students know they can walk away with a prize two days from now, whether receiving a special group privilege or cash, they will work harder. Our money game is one program that works very well with high school groups.

We understand that most high school groups have little to no money to start. So get creative. You don't need to give away cash or even prizes. Instead, you can provide special privileges that you know will motivate your group to sell. For example, baseball players who sell a certain number of items by Tuesday don't have to do sprints at the end of practice.

There are probably several unique ways to motivate your specific group that will help keep them focused on selling.

Like anything else, sponsors who put the necessary time and energy into their sales will usually reap what they sow.

See our catalog fundraisers for high school groups

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.