Double Your School Fundraiser By Making One Simple Change
Going to school is not just about learning the three “R’s”. It includes many other fun-filled activities and events as well. But these extra curricular events cost money. There are really only three options to pay for them. It can come out of the school budget, it can be paid for by the parents or admission fees or the school can raise the money in some sort of fundraising event.
It is fundraising that many consider to be like the “third rail” on a subway system. It is either viewed as the power source to make things go or it is viewed as the thing everyone wants to stay away from. However, a properly run fundraiser is a blessing for all. There really is no reason why teachers, volunteers, students, parents and the community should dread the start of the school fundraising drive. If the product is right, the incentives are worthwhile, the rewards will be enjoyed by all.
The fundraising programs that are generally viewed negatively are more often than not the ones that the organizers don’t take into account what the participants will be getting out of the fundraiser for themselves. This is especially true if their child is not one of those on the bus for the 5th grade field trip. Consider that even the First grade teachers have been raising money for that trip and they never get to go. After a few years that begins to wear down even the most soft hearted staff.
Have you ever wondered why some schools, while all else is equal, will have a $50,000 sale and another of the same size has a $20,000 sale? They could even be selling the same product, at the same time and still have that much difference in their sale. The answer to that is really pretty simple. It’s “How” they run the sale that makes all the difference.
A case in point is Fern Bluff Elementary in Round Rock, Texas. For years they had been having $25-$29,000 sales with their 700 students. One year, they made a few changes in only one thing…it wasn’t in what they picked for their fundraiser, that remained the same. All they did was make a change in how they ran their sale and the year after they had a $29,000 sale they had a $68,000 sale. They actually made as much that year as they had sold the year before!
What was even more interesting than the jump in their fundriaser profits was that this school had always had a problem finding volunteers to help with the fundraiser. The teachers at the school had never offered their help on any aspect of their fundraiser. That year, they had to turn away teachers and parents who volunteered on delivery day because they had more than enough to handle it.
By running their fundraiser differently than they had been doing, they created a situation that made more people excited and happy to help. The result was increased moral and increased profit. It is true what Napoleon Hill once said, “You can get everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.
Filed under: Business