Has Your Fundraising Company Earned Your Loyalty?

How well did your last fundraiser company do?

You’ve been doing the same company fundraiser for many years. It’s great because you don’t have to hassle with shopping companies as so many other schools do. Even though nothing’s perfect, you understand that change can be difficult and potentially risky.

You contact your company when it’s convenient so you can schedule your kickoff date and get the paperwork signed. Plus, you’re busy, and planning a sale is one less thing to worry about.

Many sponsors operate this same way. They feel the company has earned their trust over time; therefore, they reward them with loyalty.

So why even question using the same company every year? Perhaps some are willing to overlook specific issues. Others may feel that if nothing goes wrong, then why fix it? Here are some things about your current company that you may be overlooking.

Can You Improve Your Fundraising Results?

This requires analyzing your numbers a little more closely. For example, you may feel that bringing in $15,000 in sales annually is exemplary. Yet an elementary school with 500 students can achieve that number, with only about 15% participating. But what if you could bring another $5,000 or even $10,000? If you’re in a larger elementary school, you may have a participation problem.

Did Your Students Like the Prize Program?

Most companies offer a similar type of prize program. The more you sell, the better the prizes get. If you were to ask your older students how they liked the prizes, many would give you a blank stare. There’s a reason that many schools suffer from low participation levels. Older students tend to stop selling after a certain age because they’re tired of the same yearly prize program. How can you get your older students more involved?

Did Your Buyers Like Their Merchandise?

There’s a reason so many buyers look for the cheapest item in your brochure. They’re unwilling to commit to the higher-priced items due to poor quality. Unfortunately, it’s a negative perception that’s hard to overcome. What if you could offer better-quality merchandise? Would some people then be willing to spend more?

Unless you ask the questions, you’ll never get the answers that might help you improve your sales. Staying with the same fundraising company every year is never a bad idea if you’ve done your homework. However, if you’re doing it just because nothing appears to be broken, then perhaps you’re settling for less and not realizing it.

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.