How to Start a Fundraiser
You're new to fundraising, or your need a refresher on fundraising. Let’s look at someone who is new to fundraising and needs some guidelines.
Where to start? The first thing is to set a goal. What do you need to raise funds for? How much is required to achieve this goal? How many individuals are selling on the team? When is the best time of year to hold a fundraiser? What product or products are best to sell?
How long should a fundraiser be to be successful? What is the best way to keep records? How do I get the word out about my fundraiser? What do I need to do to close my fundraiser?
Step 1-Where to Start?
The first step in fundraising is deciding why funding is required. A school might need new equipment, a club might require traveling fees, while a church might want a new addition.
You need to know how much funding is necessary to reach your goal. How many individuals are on the team? The formula is once you know how many are on the team. Take the amount you want to raise and divide it by the number of team members. The number that each team member will have to raise is figured this way. An example: $2000.00 / 40 = $50.00 per person.
Step 2-Keep It Simple!
The next thing you should think about is when you would want to hold your fundraiser? The start of the school year is a great time to sell trash bags. Around the holidays is a wonderful time to sell other merchandise. Such as food items can be served to guests that drop by.
For those that are sports enthusiasts, popcorn could be an excellent seller and baseball finishes in the fall, football after the first of the year. We also have socks for those that want to show team support.
Don't forget to call Dollars For U now that you have an idea of how much you need to raise, what the funding is for, and when you want to hold your events.
STEP 3 – Set Your Dates
The ideal target length of a fundraiser is 2 weeks. Now that you know your goals, you can now set a start and finish date to be successful. Your organization might also think about doing some things before kicking off your fundraiser.
You might have a kick-off party to get your team excited about raising the money required for your goal. You can provide your team with details about the items you are selling, make flyers and send out emails.
Be sure to include your beginning and end dates so that your team is well informed. Allow a week extra for late purchases. Finalize all sales and closeout your fundraiser.
STEP 4 – PUT IT IN WRITING
DOLLARS FOR U helps your organization keep records with our online store, add your paper sales, tally what's collected, and submit all orders with payment. If your fundraiser received late orders and you need additional help, DOLLARS FOR U is here to help.
Double-check items sold with money collected. Before submitting your order, it never hurts to check the numbers one final time. You can still use old-school paper sales, but using our online store takes some of the work out of selling. DOLLARS FOR U provides your team with a link to your online store that can be emailed to friends and family and post on Facebook.
This allows you to see when your fundraiser will be delivered, and you can notify your clients of the delivery date.
STEP 5 – SPREAD THE WORD
Now you know the who, your team. The what, the fundraiser is for. The when, you have your start and finish dates. You know how you are going to keep records of your sales. Now you get to tell everyone about your sales event.
Be creative using DOLLARS FOR U store portal will help you keep track of sales. Your customers can shop at their convenience, and you can track real-time sales.
If your fundraiser group involves children, get them involved. Let them be creative, and each class creates a poster for the fundraiser. If done before the sale beginning, maybe hang the winner from each classroom in the hall, and everyone can vote for their favorites.
Send out emails to all the parents and get them excited about the fundraiser. Let them know the goal, what the money will be used for, and the beginning and end dates.
A well-advertised sale is a successful sale. Put posters up at local stores, send out announcements in newsletters, get your parents involved. Have fun!
STEP SIX – THANK YOUR VOLUNTEERS
When your organization meets its goals, take the time to thank those that help you reach your goals. Be creative. DOLLARS FOR U can provide a sheet for the kids in your group to choose from. You can add an assembly for the top sellers to be recognized. If your team exceeds your goal, maybe add a gift card for the top three sellers. If your goal was playground equipment (or equivalent) have a public unveiling. Send out thank you emails or letters. A small Thank You can go a long way.
