High School Booster Club Fundraising
Successful efforts at high school booster club fundraising will generally involve a combination of choosing a popular product and a motivated volunteer sales force. A wide variety of products may be offered in campaigns of this nature. Food is often the center of such sales promotions. Cookie dough, candy bars, gourmet nuts, coffee, and popcorn are popular food items that are frequently sold by volunteer groups. Candles, cookbooks, magazines, gift items, and discount cards are also commonly merchandised products. More unusual choices might include custom made items such as apparel and home decor products that incorporate the school's logo or mascot. With schools facing ever increasing economic demands, the need for this type of fundraising is becoming more and more important. It is vital, however, to make sure that a school district does not overdo it. If too many organizations within the district schedule too many of these campaigns, the parent of students as well as the community at large will tire of these efforts and it will be very difficult to sell merchandise. The number of high school booster club fundraising events that can be launched within a given school year should be limited. Otherwise such efforts will not be fruitful and families will grow to resent the frequency of these events.
Most high school booster club fundraising efforts should last around two weeks. Stretching things out much longer can mean that the organization will run the risk of students loosing interest, or worse yet, loosing orders and merchandise. If students understand that they have a limited amount of time to participate and raise funds they are much more likely to stay engaged. A volunteer sales force is not the only type of personnel that will be needed if the campaign is to be successful. Those with a gift for administration will be able to put such gifts to use in high school booster club fundraising. Anyone with a knack for promotions and marketing may also wish to offer such services. A well publicized campaign is much more likely to reach sales goals than one that ignores this vital aspect. The product supplier will generally be willing to offer help and advice on how to effectively stage a fundraiser of this nature. The Bible encourages believers to reach out to others in need and lend a helping hand. "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42)
Another way to increase sales in high school booster club fundraising is to offer gifts and incentives to top selling participants. With teenagers and younger children, motivation can be difficult to come by. But if these young salespeople understand that they will be rewarded for their efforts, sales can be greatly increased. In fact, the increase in sales will usually more than offset the extra cost of purchasing prices. The trick is to select prices that will excite the students and increase participation. In some cases this can be as simple as offering a pizza party or special outing to the class that sells the most. Individual prices to overall top sellers can also work as effective motivators in high school booster club fundraising. A tiered prize incentive program will involve and reward more participants. In a tiered approach there will generally be a very impressive top price for the best seller overall. Additional prices for runner ups can help to reward all students who exerted extra effort during the campaign. A small participation price can also provide needed motivation. In some cases, local merchants may be willing to provide these prices in exchange for the positive public relations message that this will send.
It is also important to watch out for burn out and fatigue within a specific high school booster club fundraising campaign. Establishing a time line for each step of the fundraising process and clearly communicating this time line to all participants is very important. If students understand up front what is expected of them they are more likely to succeed. The same is true of adults who volunteer their services. In many districts a core group of volunteers will step up to the plate time after time. If at all possible these faithful volunteers should be used on a rotation basis to make sure that events of this nature run smoothly. Even the best intentioned volunteers can push themselves too hard and end up frustrated. Keeping all fundraising efforts in perspective is vital. No sales campaign should ever conflict with the educational goals of the organization.
The practical steps that are involved in staging a high school booster club fundraising campaign will usually involve some kind of planning session among staff, volunteers and student leaders. Once the product has been selected and a firm time line has been defined, advance promotional efforts should be carried out. If the community is aware in advance of an upcoming sales event they will be more likely to make a purchase later when approached by a student. This can be accomplished through letters, fliers, posters, and announcements in the local newspaper. Some kind of kick off rally can also be a good way to drum up enthusiasm. During the course of the event it can be important to provide ongoing support and encouragement to participants. With attention to detail and solid planning, these sales campaigns can be effective ways to meet budgetary needs.
Most high school booster club fundraising efforts should last around two weeks. Stretching things out much longer can mean that the organization will run the risk of students loosing interest, or worse yet, loosing orders and merchandise. If students understand that they have a limited amount of time to participate and raise funds they are much more likely to stay engaged. A volunteer sales force is not the only type of personnel that will be needed if the campaign is to be successful. Those with a gift for administration will be able to put such gifts to use in high school booster club fundraising. Anyone with a knack for promotions and marketing may also wish to offer such services. A well publicized campaign is much more likely to reach sales goals than one that ignores this vital aspect. The product supplier will generally be willing to offer help and advice on how to effectively stage a fundraiser of this nature. The Bible encourages believers to reach out to others in need and lend a helping hand. "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42)
Another way to increase sales in high school booster club fundraising is to offer gifts and incentives to top selling participants. With teenagers and younger children, motivation can be difficult to come by. But if these young salespeople understand that they will be rewarded for their efforts, sales can be greatly increased. In fact, the increase in sales will usually more than offset the extra cost of purchasing prices. The trick is to select prices that will excite the students and increase participation. In some cases this can be as simple as offering a pizza party or special outing to the class that sells the most. Individual prices to overall top sellers can also work as effective motivators in high school booster club fundraising. A tiered prize incentive program will involve and reward more participants. In a tiered approach there will generally be a very impressive top price for the best seller overall. Additional prices for runner ups can help to reward all students who exerted extra effort during the campaign. A small participation price can also provide needed motivation. In some cases, local merchants may be willing to provide these prices in exchange for the positive public relations message that this will send.
It is also important to watch out for burn out and fatigue within a specific high school booster club fundraising campaign. Establishing a time line for each step of the fundraising process and clearly communicating this time line to all participants is very important. If students understand up front what is expected of them they are more likely to succeed. The same is true of adults who volunteer their services. In many districts a core group of volunteers will step up to the plate time after time. If at all possible these faithful volunteers should be used on a rotation basis to make sure that events of this nature run smoothly. Even the best intentioned volunteers can push themselves too hard and end up frustrated. Keeping all fundraising efforts in perspective is vital. No sales campaign should ever conflict with the educational goals of the organization.
The practical steps that are involved in staging a high school booster club fundraising campaign will usually involve some kind of planning session among staff, volunteers and student leaders. Once the product has been selected and a firm time line has been defined, advance promotional efforts should be carried out. If the community is aware in advance of an upcoming sales event they will be more likely to make a purchase later when approached by a student. This can be accomplished through letters, fliers, posters, and announcements in the local newspaper. Some kind of kick off rally can also be a good way to drum up enthusiasm. During the course of the event it can be important to provide ongoing support and encouragement to participants. With attention to detail and solid planning, these sales campaigns can be effective ways to meet budgetary needs.
High School Booster Club Fundraising
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