School Fundraising Program
The primary goal of a school fundraising program is to help individual classes, athletic teams, or clubs raise money to pay for expenses. For example, a junior class may need to raise money to pay for the junior/senior prom. The students need to find some way to build their treasury so they can rent space, hire a band, and buy decorations. A track team may need to come up with money to help pay the transportation costs to various meets. The National Honor Society members may hold a fundraiser to get the funds needed for a service project. Especially during these difficult economic times, many educational facilities are cutting back on extracurricular activities and expenses. This situation may mean that the students and parents have to be even more diligent and creative in coming up with new ways to fill the class, team, and club treasuries. Church youth groups and other nonprofit organizations, such as 4-H clubs and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, also utilize fundraisers to help meet expenses. In fact, the Girl Scouts have made an annual tradition of selling boxes of popular types of cookies. But though the primary goal of a youth or school fundraising program is to increase the treasury, there are secondary benefits for the participants.
Fundraising events give kids the opportunity to learn important skills. A successful fundraiser requires organization, careful administration and record-keeping, and salesmanship. Though parents often manage the organizing and administrative aspects for younger students, older students should be given the opportunity to help with these tasks. Through hands-on experience, teenagers learn how to evaluate which youth or school fundraising program provides the best opportunity for maximizing revenue. Perhaps one program gives a higher percentage of return for each item sold, but the items are costly and may be hard to sell. Another program may provide a smaller percentage, but the items are popular, inexpensive, and easy to sell. Additionally, teens need to learn how to keep accurate records of sales, understand the difference between wholesale and retail costs, and how to calculate the profits. Children and teens can also learn the basics of good salesmanship for example, how to present oneself to the public, how to overcome objections, and how best to present the item being sold. Since parents and family members are often the seller's first customers, the student's early experiences are usually positive. This can give them the confidence to present the products to neighbors and other family friends.
A nonprofit youth or school fundraising program often encourages children to approach only people they know or to have parents accompany them through their own neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the world has become a dangerous place for children and it's not at all wise for children to be let loose to go door-to-door unaccompanied. This means that many parents take the fundraising catalog or items to their businesses and ask their coworkers to participate in the program. The unsaid agreement is that the parents will purchase from each other as the children participate in these fundraisers. This practice may mean that a child wins prizes or other incentives for having the most sales, but is really an unfair practice. Not only is it unfair to other children whose parents may not want to bother their coworkers, but the child is cheated from learning how to take responsibility for her own success as well as other lessons that can be learned by participating in fundraisers. The organizers of a youth or school fundraising program should research options that allow the children and teens to take the responsibility for raising money rather than pawning that job off onto the parents. The parents need to be careful guardians to youngsters and hands-off but helpful advisors to the teens. The adult motto may be this verse: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).
There are many companies in the business of providing fundraising opportunities to church youth groups, youth organizations, and schools. In addition to providing the products, these companies, depending on the specific program, almost always provide starter kits that include such items as promotional materials, posters, brochures, sample letters for parents and/or local merchants, order forms, catalogs, and perhaps even samples. Some fundraisers are organized so that the purchased item is given to the customer immediately. For example, let's say the cheerleading squad participates in a school fundraising program to sell candy bars. The cheerleaders have boxes of candy bars that they sell to their classmates. Other types of fundraisers give the participants catalogs. The drama team may collect orders for gift items chosen from a catalog. The team sends the orders and money to the fundraising company and then delivers the items to the customers once they are received from the company. The organizers keep track of the profit that the team gets to keep based on the collected orders.
A popular school fundraising program utilizes discount cards that can be sold for a nominal fee to customers, say $10 or $15. The card entitles the cardholder to discounts at local businesses that participate in the program. The card often has the school mascot on the front and the list of participating merchants on the back. For example, the cardholder may get a ten percent discount every time he shows the card at a local pizza place. Or the card might entitle the cardholder to a free dessert at a popular restaurant. A similar program offers certificates or gift cards to popular chains. The youth group or school organization purchases these certificates or gift cards at a discount and then resells them for their face value. Since customers would be shopping at these stores or eating at these restaurants anyway, the group raises money without it really costing customers anything. These can be especially popular to sell at church functions since so many church members go out to eat on Sundays anyway. They can purchase the gift card for their favorite restaurant and support the youth group at the same time without spending any additional money. This type of youth or school fundraising program is a win-win for all involved and only needs someone to take responsibility to coordinate and manage it for the program to be successful.
Fundraising events give kids the opportunity to learn important skills. A successful fundraiser requires organization, careful administration and record-keeping, and salesmanship. Though parents often manage the organizing and administrative aspects for younger students, older students should be given the opportunity to help with these tasks. Through hands-on experience, teenagers learn how to evaluate which youth or school fundraising program provides the best opportunity for maximizing revenue. Perhaps one program gives a higher percentage of return for each item sold, but the items are costly and may be hard to sell. Another program may provide a smaller percentage, but the items are popular, inexpensive, and easy to sell. Additionally, teens need to learn how to keep accurate records of sales, understand the difference between wholesale and retail costs, and how to calculate the profits. Children and teens can also learn the basics of good salesmanship for example, how to present oneself to the public, how to overcome objections, and how best to present the item being sold. Since parents and family members are often the seller's first customers, the student's early experiences are usually positive. This can give them the confidence to present the products to neighbors and other family friends.
A nonprofit youth or school fundraising program often encourages children to approach only people they know or to have parents accompany them through their own neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the world has become a dangerous place for children and it's not at all wise for children to be let loose to go door-to-door unaccompanied. This means that many parents take the fundraising catalog or items to their businesses and ask their coworkers to participate in the program. The unsaid agreement is that the parents will purchase from each other as the children participate in these fundraisers. This practice may mean that a child wins prizes or other incentives for having the most sales, but is really an unfair practice. Not only is it unfair to other children whose parents may not want to bother their coworkers, but the child is cheated from learning how to take responsibility for her own success as well as other lessons that can be learned by participating in fundraisers. The organizers of a youth or school fundraising program should research options that allow the children and teens to take the responsibility for raising money rather than pawning that job off onto the parents. The parents need to be careful guardians to youngsters and hands-off but helpful advisors to the teens. The adult motto may be this verse: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).
There are many companies in the business of providing fundraising opportunities to church youth groups, youth organizations, and schools. In addition to providing the products, these companies, depending on the specific program, almost always provide starter kits that include such items as promotional materials, posters, brochures, sample letters for parents and/or local merchants, order forms, catalogs, and perhaps even samples. Some fundraisers are organized so that the purchased item is given to the customer immediately. For example, let's say the cheerleading squad participates in a school fundraising program to sell candy bars. The cheerleaders have boxes of candy bars that they sell to their classmates. Other types of fundraisers give the participants catalogs. The drama team may collect orders for gift items chosen from a catalog. The team sends the orders and money to the fundraising company and then delivers the items to the customers once they are received from the company. The organizers keep track of the profit that the team gets to keep based on the collected orders.
A popular school fundraising program utilizes discount cards that can be sold for a nominal fee to customers, say $10 or $15. The card entitles the cardholder to discounts at local businesses that participate in the program. The card often has the school mascot on the front and the list of participating merchants on the back. For example, the cardholder may get a ten percent discount every time he shows the card at a local pizza place. Or the card might entitle the cardholder to a free dessert at a popular restaurant. A similar program offers certificates or gift cards to popular chains. The youth group or school organization purchases these certificates or gift cards at a discount and then resells them for their face value. Since customers would be shopping at these stores or eating at these restaurants anyway, the group raises money without it really costing customers anything. These can be especially popular to sell at church functions since so many church members go out to eat on Sundays anyway. They can purchase the gift card for their favorite restaurant and support the youth group at the same time without spending any additional money. This type of youth or school fundraising program is a win-win for all involved and only needs someone to take responsibility to coordinate and manage it for the program to be successful.
School Fundraising Program
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