Deciding on a Fundraiser

It's easy enough to decide that your group needs more funds - that decision is made many times throughout the year! - but it is a harder decision to decide what fundraiser to try this time around to raise those precious funds. You will need to get agreement from as many as possible in your group, so that you can all feel happy with the decision, whatever that is, and feel included in the process. Take into account the age and health of your volunteers. You cannot expect seniors to go on a marathon hike! Nor can you expect preschoolers to wash cars! All this has to be taken into account.

For more ideas, I suggest you take a look at the free fundraising ebook section on this topic.

 Arranging your Fundraiser

by Cassie Kale

When deciding to host a fundraiser for your company or organization there are many fundraising ideas available to you for choosing. The most popular fundraising ideas range from chocolate, magazines and candles to candy and much more!

When picking your fundraising product be sure to pick a product that will have a good mark up and will be an easy sell. Most people like candy as well as most Moms love candles. Who do you think is going to be your biggest target audience when selling your products?

Don't pick the first product you see, make sure to compare prices and see if you can find a company that will offer your organization a greater discount on fundraising sales. How long will it take them to fill the orders once the fundraiser is over?

We suggest collecting all money upfront whenever possible! This will make it much easier for you when the orders come in and you wont have to deal with who still owes money, who hasnt paid, who wants to cancel their order and all those other situations that may arise.

Next, will you deliver the products to the customer or will there be a set location where they can come pick it up? Depending on the number of orders may very well sway how you set this up. Now that you know what company you will use for your fundraiser and you have your products picked out, you next have to decide on the percentage for your organization and how long you will have your fundraiser last. This is a very important factor in your fundraiser, while you dont want it to be too short a period of time, you also dont want it to be too long. People will then loose interest and the need to purchase, right then and there. We suggest a minimum of one week for your fundraiser but not past two weeks.

Will the company supply any order forms or materials for you when hosting your fundraiser? This is another important factor to consider. Most if not all companies will give you this help but always be sure and verify up front.

Following these few tips when setting up your fundraising event and picking your fundraising products will help assure success and help your organization reach its goals!

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