Planning a school fundraising event can make a grown person cry. Here are seven things that you can do that will help make your planning job go smoothly.
1.) Plan for a Huge Success
Efficient planning is an integral part to the success of not only your fundraising campaign but any project you might think of. Without a well thought out plan of action chaos will reign and your project will suffer as a result. In fact, you should have a primary plan as well as a secondary and tertiary as well.
2.) There can be Only One Person in Charge!
There can only be one captain of a ship and the same holds true for your fundraiser. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians is a recipe for failure.
3.) Delegate Responsibility
Give specific tasks to people that you have confidence and trust to get the job completed. When you do your planning create a list of tasks that have to be accomplished and choose the right personnel for each task. Ensure that each of your chosen staff understands that accountability for their assigned task and the buck stops with them.
4.) Promotion is Key
Get the word out about your fundraiser. Proper promotion of your event will ensure that you reach your goal. Send out press releases to local media outlets. Don't forget your own school web page is a great way to post your fundraiser and get the word out about it. Depending on the type of fundraiser you are planning will dictate if creating flyers and asking local business to place them in store windows would be helpful. There are many ways to promote an event and you should take advantage of as many of them as possible.
5.) Pre-Sell for a Successful Fundraiser
This tactic will work effectively for any type of fundraising event. If your event is a dance, dinner, guest speaker, or other ticketed type of event you must pre-sell your tickets. Start the revenue stream long before the actual event. When items such as cookie dough are your main product line, start mentioning it to friends, family, and neighbors ahead of time.
6.) Multiple Income Streams
Don't put all of your hopes and plans into one fundraising event. Multiple streams of income have been a part of success in business for many years and you should be conducting your fundraiser just like a business. If all of your efforts are put into only one program, then you are taking a chance that nothing happens outside of your control which will mess things up for you. You might even have another nearby school start the same thing your were planning to do the week before your kick your fundraiser off. Planning several fundraising campaigns is an excellent way to reach your goal as quickly as possible and spread out some of the risk.
7.) Analysis After the Fundraiser
This is not part of the actual fundraiser, but this is something that you should not overlook. Analyze how each of your school fundraising efforts performed when it is finished. Which one raised your school the most money? Which one was the easiest to do? You can use your analysis of your current campaign to enhance future fundraising efforts. It is also helpful to make notes in a journal for the next board to view in case all the faces on the board change next year. This way they don't have to re-invent the wheel like you did.
1.) Plan for a Huge Success
Efficient planning is an integral part to the success of not only your fundraising campaign but any project you might think of. Without a well thought out plan of action chaos will reign and your project will suffer as a result. In fact, you should have a primary plan as well as a secondary and tertiary as well.
2.) There can be Only One Person in Charge!
There can only be one captain of a ship and the same holds true for your fundraiser. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians is a recipe for failure.
3.) Delegate Responsibility
Give specific tasks to people that you have confidence and trust to get the job completed. When you do your planning create a list of tasks that have to be accomplished and choose the right personnel for each task. Ensure that each of your chosen staff understands that accountability for their assigned task and the buck stops with them.
4.) Promotion is Key
Get the word out about your fundraiser. Proper promotion of your event will ensure that you reach your goal. Send out press releases to local media outlets. Don't forget your own school web page is a great way to post your fundraiser and get the word out about it. Depending on the type of fundraiser you are planning will dictate if creating flyers and asking local business to place them in store windows would be helpful. There are many ways to promote an event and you should take advantage of as many of them as possible.
5.) Pre-Sell for a Successful Fundraiser
This tactic will work effectively for any type of fundraising event. If your event is a dance, dinner, guest speaker, or other ticketed type of event you must pre-sell your tickets. Start the revenue stream long before the actual event. When items such as cookie dough are your main product line, start mentioning it to friends, family, and neighbors ahead of time.
6.) Multiple Income Streams
Don't put all of your hopes and plans into one fundraising event. Multiple streams of income have been a part of success in business for many years and you should be conducting your fundraiser just like a business. If all of your efforts are put into only one program, then you are taking a chance that nothing happens outside of your control which will mess things up for you. You might even have another nearby school start the same thing your were planning to do the week before your kick your fundraiser off. Planning several fundraising campaigns is an excellent way to reach your goal as quickly as possible and spread out some of the risk.
7.) Analysis After the Fundraiser
This is not part of the actual fundraiser, but this is something that you should not overlook. Analyze how each of your school fundraising efforts performed when it is finished. Which one raised your school the most money? Which one was the easiest to do? You can use your analysis of your current campaign to enhance future fundraising efforts. It is also helpful to make notes in a journal for the next board to view in case all the faces on the board change next year. This way they don't have to re-invent the wheel like you did.
About the Author:
AIM Fundraising has been assisting schools in their school fundraising efforts since 1988. Over the years we have learned a few things that help to make a fundraiser be the best that it can possibly be. Go to the AIM Fundraising website to learn how to make your next school fundraising project more successful.
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