School Fundraising Made Simple
The world of school fundraising can actually be much more complicated—and even more competitive—than one would think simply looking in from the outside. It’s great that parents want to take an active part in these types of activities to benefit their child’s school, but proper organizational structure is absolutely imperative to ensure the success of school fundraising, no matter what type. Here are a few tips to take the stress out of school fundraising and ensure the project’s success.
1) Leader of the Pack
Any school fundraising project needs a leader. Not a bunch of leaders; ONE leader. While there may be several enthusiastic parents willing to step up to the plate and take on the responsibilities, when you have too many people in charge there is sure to be chaos and confusion. It’s like that with most things in life, really. Too many cooks spoil the broth, as the saying goes. Choose a leader for your school fundraiser who not only shows the necessary enthusiasm for the project, but also realistically has the time to devote to seeing the project through to successful completion. The primary person in charge of your school fundraiser should be trustworthy, reliable and organized. When you have this primary point of contact in place, the rest of the pieces fall together much more easily.
2) Delegation
Okay, now you know the importance of establishing a strong and organized leader for your school fundraising project. But let’s be honest…your leader cannot carry a project like this from start to finish on their own. Here is where the rest of the enthusiastic parents find their place in the world of school fundraising. The project will need to be divided into several different categories of responsibility. You may need to have specific people designated to be in charge of things like orders, money, deliveries, promotions, recruiting…and the list goes on. Delegate specific responsibilities, including time deadlines, to responsible parents willing to help out.
3) Kids
Obviously, the kids themselves are an important driving factor in the success of your school fundraising project. Don’t just send them home with catalogs crumpled up in their backpacks which may or may not be discovered by their parents. Find ways to rev up their enthusiasm. Hold a fundraising rally to get them excited. Trigger their competitive nature by offering prizes for specified sales goals or blocks of volunteer time. When the kids get excited, the money comes rolling in!
4) Finish Strong
Many school fundraising projects fall flat at the end simply because students forget about their deadlines. Make deadlines clear from the beginning, but then follow up with frequent reminders of upcoming due dates to make sure none of their efforts are wasted by forgetting to turn in the required materials at the finish of the event.
Raising money is an important factor in securing a quality education for our children. Ensure the success of your school fundraiser and keep it fun by following these simple school fundraising tips.
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