It’s More than a Fundraiser – It’s a Fundraiser You’ll Be Proud Of

When determining how to raise money for your school or program, you probably did hours and hours of research, combing through tons of different fundraising sites, looking at different products and evaluating events. It turns out that your message may actually be the most important thing to research and promote.

“Fundraising success is 95 percent about your good work and how much you’ve connected with your supporters and how well you’re communicating why your group is fundraising at all. The why matters so much more than the what.” Tim Sullivan, PTO Today, “How to Raise More Money”

Tim goes on to say “Don’t get me wrong – selling a high-quality, popular product at a good price is far more effective than selling a low-quality, unpopular product at an inflated price.”

So, where do you go from here? How do you find a great product and craft an even more compelling message? First, you’ll need to determine what products your families need and can afford to buy. Do the products span a wide range of prices? Will the company send you samples so that you can ensure that they are just as great in person?

Next, you can move onto the message. It’s best to keep it short, sweet and sentimental. You’ll want to tell parents what the money will go towards and why it is beneficial to their child/children. The more they understand that this fundraiser is for them, the more they’ll be compelled to buy.

Finally, promote your message, promote it again, and then promote it once more. Most people need to see a message a minimum of three times to remember it; you’ll need to continually remind the parents. And it’s probably safe to assume that most parents won’t see or read every piece of communication that you send out. So you’ll want to send out messages multiple times in different ways (letter home with each student, email messages, posts to social media, a note in the school newsletter, set up a display at school.) Try to take advantage of any forum that your parents may be on. Don’t be afraid to send out several messages right before the order due date as well – everyone is so busy and they’ll appreciate the last minute reminders.

Fundraising for your school can be a really enjoyable process when you do the research to pick a product that will get your parents excited, craft a compelling message and continually communicate the message to your parents during the process. And, if you choose a fundraising partner like Art to Remember, A Fundraiser You’ll Be Proud Of, they’ll help you every step of the way with promotional tools, messages and reminders to make it the best experience yet!