Spring Cleaning: Get Your Fundraising Plan in Order

Get ready! It’s time to organize your fundraising house.

The weather is warming, days are getting longer, and trees are budding. It must be springtime! The fresh new season is a welcome break from the harsh winter days. And it’s also the best time of year for organizing and deep cleaning.

So, what does this have to do with school fundraising? Plenty. Because now is a great time to organize and clean your fundraising house (your plan) and set up your group for success in the fall.

Get your plan together

Imagine taking on a fundraising role, and a ton of information is available to you. Except it’s scattered in binders, thumb drives, and websites with forgotten passwords. How frustrating! While the scenario sounds like an exaggeration, it can become a reality. And it’s especially true if you don’t have a fundraising plan or structure.

From setting an initial goal to organizing the fundraiser, you need a road map to ensure you’re on the right path. That’s where your plan comes in handy. Examples.com has several school fundraising templates you can check out that can help you create a new plan or enhance the one you already have in place.

If your group is new to fundraising (or you need a refresher), you’ll want to check out our ultimate guide to fundraising success. Here, you’ll find great tips on what successful fundraisers recommend you do for your fundraising.

Organize a strong foundation

Once your plan is in shape, you’ll want to work on getting and staying organized in other areas. Future fundraisers for your group or school will be glad you did.

Because keeping track of everything can impact your success, you’ll want to know what type of fundraiser you held… and the vendors you used… and who volunteered for how many hours… and what worked what didn’t…

Whew! That’s a lot of data to store and maintain.

It can be challenging to keep it all organized, current, and easy to find. But the trick is setting a structure for how it’s all saved and where. One great example is using a cloud storage solution like Google Drive. If you do, remember to create a storage structure like this one. Then, ensure every member follows the format and uploads the most current version of what they worked on. That way, everyone can get quick and easy access to what they need.

So, are you ready? Let’s get a jump on cleaning and organizing your plan this spring. Your Incoming group members will love you for it. Download our free fundraising tips eBook from our school fundraising tips for planning ideas for your next campaign.

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.