How Do School Fundraisers Work?Each year schools raise about $1.7 billion selling merchandise. We know it works.
But before you start, decide how to sell our products. We offer three ways to raise money:
Brochure Fundraising
If you want to take orders first, we'll send you what you need before your start. Each student gets a brochure, order form, prize flyer, and money envelope. Students then show the brochure to neighbors, family, and friends and ask them to buy one or more items. Money collection takes place up front with the order.
Once finished, deposit the money in your account and send us your order forms. We'll then send you a sales report and invoice and schedule delivery. Orders arrive packed by the seller to make distribution easy. Your profit is the difference between what you initially deposited and the invoice.
All of our brochure programs include an online store. This gives students a 2nd way to raise money.
Online Fundraisers
If you want to sell online exclusively, If you want your group to make sales online exclusively, check out our online school fundraisers. There's nothing easier. You have no order forms or money to collect and no product deliveries. Everything ships directly to the customer's home. And to top it off, we offer exclusive prize programs that can make selling online even more fun and rewarding!
Sell Direct
Another option is to order your product up front and then sell it directly to consumers. Instead of using a brochure, your students would have the product in hand.
Knowing how much to order is essential since you receive the product upfront. You'll need to ask:
We provide a handy 'Calculate Your Profit' tool on each product page. You'll know how much to order and how much your group will raise.
To get started, submit a purchase order. Payment is due within 15 days of receiving your product.
What Makes Our School Fundraising Programs Better?Many school districts can’t fund extracurricular projects and events, so fundraising is a viable option.
There are many ways that schools can raise money. For example, they can have events, drives, or sell products. Previous sales experience is often used to determine the method that works best.
It usually depends on the size of the group. Smaller organizations can make $1,000 or more. Large school-wide groups often bring in over $50,000.
Schools have several minor unplanned sales to meet existing financial needs. Instead, they should take the time to plan 1 or 2 larger ones.
It depends on the type of sale. Events like a carnival occur over a day or evening, but much more work goes into planning an event. A product sale typically lasts one to two weeks to give people time to collect orders and money.
The most straightforward sales campaigns don’t require much upfront work. Groups can also complete them in a shorter time frame. Some products, like lollipops or beef jerky, can sell out in 5 days or less.
Variety sells, so consider fall or spring brochures that offer many items. Well-known brand names like Otis Spunkmeyer® and Cinnabon® are popular programs.
To fundraise for a school, start by setting clear goals, creating a fundraising team, and leveraging various channels like events, online platforms, and community outreach.
Consider popular ideas like bake sales, silent auctions, car washes, crowdfunding campaigns, and themed events to engage students, parents, and the community.
Generate funds through ticket sales, donations, sponsorships, merchandise sales, raffles, and partnerships with local businesses.
Fundraising enhances educational resources, supports extracurricular activities, fosters community involvement, and promotes a sense of pride among students and supporters.
Explore options such as event-based (carnivals, auctions), product-based (selling items), service-based (car washes), and digital fundraisers (crowdfunding, online auctions).
Plan strategically, promote widely, involve students and parents, offer attractive incentives, communicate the purpose, and express gratitude to supporters for a successful school fundraiser.
School Fundraising Ideas & TipsMore than 90% of elementary schools have fundraising events. The majority of middle and high schools need them as well. They account for 80% of the money used to fund extracurriculars.
School fundraisers are essential. They help create educational opportunities that assist students in finding their passions.
Raising money is a part of nearly every student’s experience. That’s why we offer a huge selection of products and brochures. Choose an item-in-hand school fundraiser, like pretzel rods or lollipops.
Try our gourmet kitchenware brochure if you want more product variety. Your group will find a fundraising program that appeals to everyone.
We make logistics easy and efficient. With our turnkey programs and marketing, you can focus on selling items and raising money.
Nowadays, raising money goes far beyond traditional campaigns like cookie dough or discount cards (although these still make excellent programs!). Your fundraiser can feature deluxe frozen pies, themed smencils, or customized apparel.
You can even sell Auntie Anne’s® pretzels or Cinnabon® rolls. Kids, teens, and adults will all find a sales program that appeals to their passion and fuels them to make sales.
School fundraisers can be very successful. Make sure to set goals, consider your audience, and encourage engagement. Goals are normally tied to a need, like a new playground or textbooks for fifth-grade science. Determining how much your school needs to raise is a great way to help you pick the right product or brochure.
But schools must also consider their audience. Your school may be in a predominately younger neighborhood. Fancier kitchen gadgets may have less appeal to new families on entry-level incomes.
Many single-family homes are perfect for gourmet food offerings. Consider pizzas or pies that make every mom’s life a little easier. A little upfront research will go a long way in setting you up for a successful sale. Learn how to sell for school fundraisers.
Finally, pick a fundraising product students can get excited about. Sports teams will love things they can customize to foster school spirit. Younger students will enjoy selling treats and items they can use and enjoy.
Sales campaigns can be overwhelming. They depend on resources and volunteer support. We offer decades of experience, industry-leading products, and motivational prize programs.
Our school fundraisers increase participation, drive revenues, and achieve big goals. We offer a variety of products and special incentives, like Big Event Prize Programs.
These experiential prize programs allow students to participate in a super fun event. And they get to celebrate their success with low sales requirements. Schools routinely report a major upsurge in participation with our event incentive plans. This dramatically boosts school fundraising profits.
If you want to achieve bigger results, start your journey with Big Fundraising Ideas.