What to Expect from a School Fundraising Company

What to know before signing up for your next sale.

Any good school fundraising company is passionate about providing tools to their customers that can enhance their sales. Some companies provide more resources than others, so make sure and do your homework.

It turns out that successful selling involves more than finding the right brochure and prize program, so if there are companies that tell you it's that simple, perhaps you should look elsewhere.

You'll need tools that will help you get organized, positively impact student participation, and assist you in wrapping up your sale quickly. So what tools should you consider? Here's what you should expect from your school fundraising company.

Utilize Organizational Resources

Your company should provide a complete breakdown of what steps to follow. They should provide a fundraising guidebook outlining what to expect at every sale stage. We encourage our customers to review our manual ahead of time. Will you need to do your collating because your fundraising material arrives in bulk, or do you receive student fundraiser packets ready for distribution? Additional online resources should also be available to utilize them at your convenience.

Employ Effective Selling Tools

Make sure to use tools that will help make your sale more productive. The best way to do that is to employ additional incentives at a time when you can make the most impact. Don't just rely on the main prize program to motivate your sellers. Students might forget to sell, so keep them engaged by incorporating things like periodic prize drawings to remind them and keep them interested. Your sellers are your most important resource, so do whatever it takes to communicate the importance of your fundraiser to them.

What kinds of promotional materials will you receive? Posting prize flyers and promotional videos, you can show your students during your sale are important reminders.

Being able to promote your sale online is also important. Social media helps get the word out to your community and beyond. Also, does your company offer an online store where out-of-town friends and relatives can order products and help your school? Plus, students earn extra prize credit when online sales are made. You can also spread the word about what specific product you are selling by linking your company to your school website, for example. Remember to include the brochure page URL in your Facebook and Twitter messages.

Wrap up Your Fundraiser Efficiently

Once you receive your merchandise, you should get it out the door as quickly as possible. Will your company provide you with advanced notice or even a scheduled delivery date ahead of time so you can notify your parents? Will the delivery driver bring your order inside the school or expect your people to do it? Will you receive a detailed sales report that breaks down your results? Who will handle any broken or missing items, you or the company?

The most important factor is the service you'll receive throughout your sale. The company should not only answer your questions when you contact them but also proactively notify you about important updates as well. As you can see, a lot goes into planning a successful sale. So make sure you choose a school fundraising company that can deliver.

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.