Top 3 Reasons Some Groups Don’t Succeed

How to ensure your sale will reach its goals.

Why do so many school fundraising groups not reach their sales goals? Not raising enough money to cover group expenses can 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 insight and a commitment to doing things differently, achieving your goal can become a reality.

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

1. No Fundraising Purpose

It's hard to achieve anything without a purpose, yet many organizations are raising money for the 'general fund'. They do fundraising backward 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 know how much they need to sell to achieve your fundraiser goal? If you 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 finding out how much money needs to be raised and dividing 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 sales. You can also make it fun by incorporating additional incentives.

Learn how to track your fundraising progress.

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

See our brochure fundraisers.

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.