Top 3 Reasons Some Groups Don’t Succeed

How to ensure your sale will reach it's goals

Why do so many school fundraising groups not reach their sales goals? Not raising enough money to cover group expenses can prove to be discouraging, especially considering the time and effort that goes into organizing and running a campaign. Of course no one plans to fail, yet many sponsors may not understand why they continue to fall short.

The solution is becoming aware of some simple changes that need to be made. With a little insight and a commitment to doing things differently, achieving your goal can become a reality.

What follows are the top 3 reasons that fundraising groups don’t succeed, followed by some possible solutions that can make all the difference.

1. No Fundraising Purpose

It’s hard to achieve anything without a purpose and yet many organizations are simply raising money for the ‘general fund’. They actually do fundraising backwards because they wait to see how much money they bring in, then decide what to do with it.

You’re much better off rallying everyone behind a common objective. People are more apt to work harder for something tangible that they can set their sights on. Then, once you’ve determined your purpose, decide how much money you’ll need to raise.

2. No Student Fundraiser Goal

Do your students actually know how much they need to sell in order to achieve your fundraiser goal? If you simply tell your students to go out and do their best, some will take you seriously and others may not

So why leave selling to chance? Instead, provide some direction by giving them a minimum item goal to attain, then break it down into smaller daily goals. You can do this by first finding out how much money needs to be raised, then divide that by the number of sellers in your group. For more information see our fundraiser goal setting guide.

3. No Group Selling Accountability

How many of you think your students are automatically going to start selling once you’ve provided them with their sales materials? Many fundraising groups falsely assume this and are often dismayed after collecting the order forms at the end of the sale.

On the other hand, you should look for ways to track your sellers fundraising progress. With high school students you can have periodic check in days that will help your students keep up with their selling. You can also make it fun by incorporating additional incentives.

Learn how to track your fundraising progress

It’s a little more difficult to monitor the sales progress with larger groups, like elementary schools; however there are things that you can do that can make a difference. For example, you can conduct periodic prize drawings that allow you to track the number of prize coupons that are being submitted in exchange for selling.

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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.