Fundraising Companies: The #1 Choice for School Sales

Why products raise schools over $1 billion annually

Let's face it. No fundraiser works for every school. However, because there are so many products, most schools can easily find what they need. Type' product fundraisers' into Google search, and you'll see millions of results.

So why all the options? As with anything else, where there's a lot of demand, an endless supply of businesses will step up and meet it.

There are many reasons why many organizations across the United States work with school fundraising companies to help them meet their financial goals. How do you think schools pay for all of those extracurricular activities, like educational field trips and extracurricular events?

We know these funds aren't coming from the school districts. The harsh reality and impact of budget cuts have put an ever-increasing amount of pressure on schools to find ways to raise money. As a result, schools are looking for simple and effective fundraising ideas that will work for their unique circumstances.

And even though schools hire fundraiser companies for many reasons to help them raise money, we will focus on what we believe are the top 3.

1. No Required Fundraiser Startup Costs

Big Fundraising Ideas has helped elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide raise millions since 1999. There are three primary ways that schools can start a product fundraiser for free:

1. Direct Sale
2. Showing a catalog
3. Virtual Fundraisers

Direct sale fundraisers, also called 'point of sale' fundraising, involves ordering and shipping the product to the school before it's paid for. Products are then distributed to the students, who show them to potential customers. Most schools can initiate the process by submitting a purchase order to the company. Some examples that we carry are candy bar fundraiser and popcorn fundraiser products, beef jerky, lollipops, and discount cards, to name a few.

The advantage of this form of selling is that people can see the product before they purchase it. And many products, like candy bars, are impulse purchases that are easy on the wallet. Schools then keep their portion of the profit and mail a check to the company for the difference.

On the other hand, with a brochure, supporters order items that they see inside a catalog. The money is collected with the order and turned in at the end of the sale with the order form to the school sponsor. The sponsor then sends in the order forms for processing.

The company then processes, packs, and ships the merchandise back to the school for delivery to the people who purchased the items.

With either method, the school collects money from the customer and keeps its profit after paying the fundraiser company. There are no startup costs for products or promotional supplies.

2. Easy Turnkey Fundraising System

How much-advanced planning do you think goes into a spring carnival? Ask a PTA board member if you've never been involved in the backend. Carnivals are an excellent way to unite your school community for fun and entertainment. However, there's a lot of thankless hard work and logistics that go into it as well.

And, of course, you may be able to get people and businesses to donate their resources, but there's still some upfront cost and organizational time involved.

On the other hand, a fundraising company provides schools with an easy "ready-to-run" system. Student packets arrive collated inside envelopes, complete with sales materials. Easy-to-follow instructions are provided to the sponsor, and a postage-paid box for mailing in order forms.

The seller and teacher box the merchandise back to the school. As worthwhile a carnival may be, who has the time these days to plan one?

3. Featured Name Brands

There's nothing like being able to sell products that people are already familiar with. These products sell themselves and, as a result, are in high demand.

Otis Spunkmeyer

Celebrating 40 years in business in 2017, groups can sell Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough. They are known for their quality ingredients; who can resist the aroma of a freshly baked Otis cookie? They taste better.

Cinnabon

When you think about that unique aroma when you first walk into a shopping mall, you think of Cinnabon rolls. Everyone loves Cinnabon Sticky Bread with its soft, fluffy dough, cinnamon, and signature Ooey-Gooey> topping of cream cheese frosting.

Little Caesars Crazy Bread

National pizza chain Little Caesars has been rewarding pizza-lover appetites for decades. One of their most famous menu items is their Little Caesars Crazy Bread, a main staple since 1982. It's made with a special dough wrapped around a core of mozzarella. Once baked, they're brushed with a garlic butter sauce and sprinkled with parmesan.

4. Proven Sales Track Record

There's a big reason so many schools work with fundraising companies. The process works. Product sales are probably one of the schools' oldest fundraising methods. Some school fundraiser companies have been around for over 50 years.

And even though some sponsors grow tired of the process and try something else, many inevitably come back because product fundraisers are effective. And with so many choices, there are also new products to try.

Here's the proof. According to PTO Today, school groups raise more than $1.5 billion every year, selling various products. This translates into $30 million per state and $30 for each student in the country. The results speak for themselves.

There's a lot of money to be raised by schools, and selling products offered by fundraising companies happens to be their #1 choice.

See our school fundraising products.