A Spring Brochure Fundraiser or a School Carnival?

What to consider when planning your spring sale.

Many schools are uncertain when choosing their fundraiser for the spring. Fall is typically the time most groups focus on raising money, but some don’t reach their financial goals unless they also have a spring sale.

Elementary schools that have grown tired of the same company brochure may be experiencing some apathy or even complaints from parents. Plus, many schools already do a brochure sale in the fall. As a result, your sales may even be stagnant or trending downward, making trying something new somewhat appealing. So, should we run a spring brochure fundraiser or have a school carnival? Here are some of the pros and cons to consider:

Spring Brochure Fundraiser

  Pros:

• Requires less planning.
• Requires no upfront money.
• Requires fewer people to run.

  Cons:

• Only offers a certain percentage off of the proceeds.
• It pressures people into buying items that they may not need or want.

School Carnival

  Pros:

• Bring the school and community together.
• Help remove the pressure to buy something.
• Allow people to incorporate their ideas.
• Offer a higher profit margin if organizations can receive donations from the community.
• They are over in a matter of hours.

  Cons:

• Requires a strong vision as well as a lot of work and planning.
• You need several people to become involved and learn to work together.
• It may require upfront money for supplies and materials.
• Must be appropriately promoted to be successful.

See our spring fundraising brochures.

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.