Best Practices to Make Your Fundraiser Successful

Remember when fundraising meant a cardboard sign that read “Car Wash” and some of your mom’s dish soap?  Or some pies and cookies sold in the school lobby on Saturday?

These days, we have to get organized, set up meetings and have things like “best practices.”

And we do.

When fundraising right, it can be fun and profitable on a scale far beyond car washes and bake sales.  But these fundraisers do take planning… a lot more planning than finding an old piece of cardboard and some dish soap.

Here are some best practices that will get you started:

1. Start with a plan. This may sound simple, but try to strategize with your end financial goals in mind.
2. Pick an appealing product. If you use products that people in your community want, then your fundraising won’t be as difficult.
3. Consider your customers/donors. How will you approach them?  How would you like to be approached?
4. Start with people you know and advise parents and students to do the same. This promotes safety and strengthens the community’s relationship with your group.
5. Set a framework for talking about the fundraiser. You don’t need to write a word-for-word speech for students to memorize, but some guidelines will help them understand the information and feel comfortable explaining it.
6. Hold a meeting to map out the goals and timeline. This will help get people excited, show everyone what they can expect and provide specific guidelines and goals.  Be clear and repeat the most important points.

With proper planning and involvement, fundraising can be so much more than just raising funds.