Why Schools Don’t Set Fundraiser Goals

Your goal-setting guide to sales success.

Should sponsors set sales goals? To be successful, every project should have a well-thought-out purpose, a plan to help carry it out, and a projected fundraising outcome. This may be based on previous experience, but it doesn't always have to be. One would think that building a house without a blueprint would be very difficult to accomplish.

Yet surprisingly, many school sponsors don't set fundraising goals for their students to aim for. Why is that?

Here are three reasons why so many school sponsors don't bother to set goals:

1. The Wait and See Approach

A goal requires a purpose; therefore, many schools find it easier to wait and see how much money they make before deciding where to spend it. After all, it's easier when you don't have to commit to any expectations beforehand.

Some groups even inform their students that they will receive their reward only if the group brings in enough money. Other groups feel that as long as they do as well as last year, they are happy. They fail to realize that they could do even better if they looked at their sales numbers more closely. For example, a particular school may consistently bring in $15,000 in sales; however, only 25% of its students participate. $15,000 sounds like a lot of money, but if they could find ways to increase participation by another 10-15%, they could perhaps make an additional $10,000.

2. Sales Objectives aren't Subjective

Having a goal for your fundraiser requires drawing a line in the sand. This means you either succeed if the goal is reached or fall short if you don't. As a result, many groups don't want to be so absolute. It's never easy for some students to receive certain prizes because they have reached a specific goal while others don't.

3. Fundraising Goals Are Hard Work

Goals require committing to a purpose, which requires knowing how much money it will take to achieve it. Research may be needed to learn how much something will cost. Then, based on the number of students in your group, you would need to determine how much each student would need to sell. Finally, to ensure your students reach their goals, you must track their progress.

The most successful sales have a purpose and strategy to help them achieve it.

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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.