School Fundraising Products

  • School Fundraising

    Keep school fundraising simple

    With our turnkey products, you’ll raise money without having to build a fundraiser from the ground up.

    Avoid upfront costs and needless work. Your students can either take orders from a catalog, or have the actual product in hand to exchange for money on the spot.

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Reviews

  • Big Fundraising Ideas provides exceptional service! Anything that was missing or damaged also had a quick turnaround. Great job!

    Mary Salas — Coach
    Rio Hondo Intermediate

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How Does a School Fundraising Product Sale Work?

If you’re looking for ways to bring in more money for your organization, you’re at the right place. According to greatschools.org, groups bring in more than $1.5 billion annually selling school fundraising products. 71% of parents have sold these products to their friends, family and work colleagues. This translates into roughly 80% of the total dollars raised by schools.

With a seemingly endless selection of products to choose from, how do you find the right product to sell?

One way to narrow down you choice is to understand how product sales work. We offer 2 popular options:

  1. Collect orders and money up front by showing people products in a brochure.
  2. Order the product first, then sell it.

Brochure Fundraising

First, select a brochure from one of our 5 categories. We offer fall and spring shoppers, cookie dough, frozen food and specialty catalogs.

We’ll send you enough brochures for everyone in your group. You’ll also receive order forms, money collection envelopes, and a prize flyer to help motivate your students to make sales. After 2 weeks of selling, send in your order forms for processing.

Your merchandise then arrives prepacked by seller to help make distribution easy.

Selling a Product

Some schools prefer to have their students show an actual product rather than items in a brochure. One advantage is that people get to see it before they buy. And once the sales are complete, the students simply turn in the money and the sale is over.

You can choose from a wide variety of products, including beef jerky, candy bars, discount cards, popcorn and pretzel rods.

Why Choose Our School Fundraising Program?

  • 100% Product Guarantee – We make this offer because we carry the highest quality products in fundraising. If your customer doesn’t like an item, everyone gets their money back.
  • Huge Product Selection – We make it easy for you to find the right fundraiser from our many options. Just choose the category that you’re interested in, then pick your product.
  • No Upfront Payment – You only pay us after you’ve collected your money.
  • Low Minimums & Free Shipping – We make raising money easy. Be sure to check out our free shipping link available on each product page.
  • Exclusive ‘Calculate Your Profit’ Tool – Determine how much money you can make before you start your fundraiser. This tool will also help you find out much product to order based on your specific goals.
  • 5-Star Customer Service – Our customers tell our story for us. Just check out our reviews. We’re obsessed with your complete satisfaction.

School Fundraising Questions

  1. Do we have to pay anything to start a school fundraiser? You only pay us after you’ve collected your money. We’ll send you your brochure supplies or product for free.
  2. Do we have the option to only sell online? Yes, we offer this option year-round.
  3. How does school fundraising work? Simply select a product or brochure and well send you what you need to start. Once your sale is over, you pay us the difference between what you collect and your invoice.
  4. Are your customized school tumblers dishwasher safe? It depends on the tumbler. We don’t recommend putting our stainless tumblers in the dishwasher. The reason is that if it’s scratched and has been wet for a period of time it will rust. All of our Tritan plastic tumblers are top rack dishwasher safe and come with a lifetime guarantee.
  5. Are any of your fundraising products gluten free? All of our popcorn and lollipops are gluten free, and we offer a gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough flavor. For more information click on our nutritional links associated with each product or brochure.
  6. How much profit does the school make? You make 40% profit on brochure sales and with product sales, it depends on how much you order. You can make as much as 90%.

School Fundraising Ideas & Tips

  • Tell your students to approach a potential customer with a smile. It can make a big difference in the outcome.
  • Be polite. Remind your students to always thank people for their time, regardless of whether they buy or not.
  • Be prepared. Your students should have their brochure, order form, pen and money collection envelope with them.
  • Only have your students approach people that they’re already familiar with.
  • Teach older students the ‘NOW Selling Method’. Have them introduce themselves by sharing their Name, Organization, and Why they’re selling.
  • Any checks are made payable to the organization.
  • Encourage students to contact family and friends who live out of town to order online.
  • Have fun and be positive. This will translate into more sales.

Catalog Fundraiser Options

Brochure sales offer an abundance of options and can thus yield some of the best results. While item-in-hand-fundraisers require some marketing and promotion, catalogs present the opportunity for beneficial communication between those doing the selling and those supporting the cause. If you’re looking to really talk with people about the reason for your campaign, for instance if it’s for a charity close to your heart, then a brochure sale will work best for you.

Classic Catalog Fundraisers

Engaging with friends, family and the community for a catalog sale can be intimidating, but with our brochures and the right techniques you’re likely to hit your sales goals! One of our favorites is cookie dough, which is a tried and true classic brochure fundraiser. Or, if it’s summertime, try a pie brochure! Gourmet Pies offers a classic Key Lime Pie that would be easy to slice up for a poolside treat.

Another option for traditional catalog sales is holiday gift wrap. Almost everyone will need it, and if you can position this essential item alongside a compelling mission for your fundraiser, people will be thankful that you just saved them a trip to a crowded department store. Pro tip: make sure to remind them that the gift wrap is double-sided! This is a huge value-add, and customers will appreciate getting more options for their money.

Catalog Fundraising Benefits

The major benefit to doing a brochure fundraiser is that you won’t ever run the risk of buying more than you can sell, meaning that no matter the results you will always be profitable. Brochures are free and ensure that no funds or product will go missing.

Sometimes with fundraisers like candy bars or pretzel rods, kids may accidentally lose an item or two, resulting in an imbalanced spreadsheet of purchases. Selling out of a catalog nearly eliminate this risk. With brochures, everything is documented and will be ordered according to what the customer writes down.

Additionally, catalog fundraiser sales are generally face-to-face with ample opportunity to converse. This benefit can make the entire process very personable. Delivering products purchased by friends and neighbors is a great way to remind them of the reason they supported you in the first place, and it’s a surefire way to really connect with people in your community!

Building these kinds of relationships can create a sustainable customer base that is willing to support you year after year in reaching your sales goals. Be sure to thank customers again once they receive their product.

Choosing a Catalog

If you think brochure fundraisers are for you, check out some our favorites, like Spring Flowers and Ultimate Coffee Collection. The diversity of offerings; consistently high-quality items; and appealing price points have made this type of sale an enduring favorite for many sponsors.

And don’t forget to select a prize program to compliment your brochure; students will be extra motivated to sell from these outstanding brochures if an appealing prize or fun experience awaits them at the end!