Making children learn the importance of giving back to the school community

Kids these days are often blindsided daily by the ‘gimmes.’  How many times a day do you hear “Mum, I want that toy I just saw on TV.”  Although we can explain it frequently, kids don’t seem to grasp the concept of the need to conserve money or that there are worthy people and organisations that don’t have as much as they do.  The simple way to teach a child the importance of giving is to involve them in a fundraiser.  

There are many different types of fundraisers that can involve children.   Commonly children are involved in promotion where there is selling of some kind, including raffle tickets, chocolate, or gift-wrap.  Unfortunately it’s not completely safe to go door to door anymore, so be sure that the children are supervised at all times.   Involving children in the sale of products can teach them valuable sales skills as well as giving them an idea as to the work that is involved in raising money.  It’s hopeful that they will gain a greater appreciation for the effort it requires to generate revenue for their school, club or other charity they are raising money for. 

Many schools will allow the children to ‘volunteer’ their time during the school day for special projects.  Children are useful for counting tickets, setting up chairs for events, and manning a table at the door of an event.  Just because they are young, don’t count them out.  Children often take these jobs very seriously, and it’s a good self-esteem builder when they know they’ve completed a job well done.

Involving children in your next fundraiser is a great idea for both the kids and the fundraising volunteers.  Pulling together as a community for the greater good can only benefit everyone involved. 

In much the same way that you need to vary a fundraiser itself through different product options or sales techniques, you also need to vary the overall organization.  Ask different volunteers to oversee the planning and implementation of the fundraiser.  You will eliminate the possibility of a volunteer becoming overwhelmed or bored with a certain program, and bring fresh vitality into your planning.

As you ask different people to organize your overall fundraising program, also get a variety of people to create informative flyers or newsletters detailing your current fundraising plan.  People have different writing styles, and can make your newsletter fresh and entertaining again.

If your organization involves children, involve them in your fundraising if possible.  Children bring fresh life and enthusiasm to everything they do, and can often bring a new perspective.  For example, simply ask them what prizes work best – one school discovered that a high bounce ball was motivating all the kids one year, and it turned out to be the least expensive incentive prize – a win-win!

It’s hard to keep volunteers motivated when repeating the same fundraiser, but the key is to mix it up a bit and not to rely on the same people for the same jobs.  You’d be surprised at how a little variety can improve your end result.

The Fundraising Directory

(c) 2008 Direct Digital

This article can be reproduced without permission for any purpose that is not-for-profit (eg newsletters) as long as it is credited appropriately and a link or reference placed back to the Fundraising Directory website. Please contact us for more information on 1300 653 305.

This article is from the Fundraising Resources website, a product of The Fundraising Directory, your A-Z guide to Fundraising Products and Services in Australia to assist with school fundraising, and club and charity fundraising.

1.    Having too many fundraisers on the go at any given time is actually counter-productive to raising money.  Many schools hope that if they set up numerous initiatives that potential donors will choose the ones they like and the money will come rolling in.  However, this approach can be overwhelming.  If you are a parent and covered with a flood of paper work coming home from the school already, a stack of fundraising information will get tossed in the bin.  Focus on one or two initiatives and promote them as best as you can.

2.    Redoing the same fundraiser over and over can result in declining profits.   If, for example, you are sending out requests to your donors that they purchase gift cards in support of your school, they may purchase them the first time around.  If you send out the same request on a bi-weekly basis, the odds of your donors purchasing again will decrease.  Having a few tried and true ways to generate funds is acceptable, but be mindful of the timing of the requests.

3.    Providing adequate customer service and appropriate information to your donors about any given fundraisers is vital.  If you don’t have the answers when you are asked questions about how quickly the items you are purchasing can be sent or what the reputation of the company is, you are going to lose sales.

It’s easy to make mistakes when you are attempting to raise funds for your school.  You will benefit by being organised, providing variety, and avoiding an excess of solicitations.   Keeping your eye on every aspect of school fundraising will ultimately show an improvement in your bottom line.

Fundraising Directory.

(c) 2008 Direct Digital

This article can be reproduced without permission for any purpose that is not-for-profit (eg newsletters) as long as it is credited appropriately and a link or reference placed back to the Fundraising Directory website. Please contact us for more information on 1300 653 305.

This article is from the Fundraising Resources website, a product of The Fundraising Directory, your A-Z guide to Fundraising Products and Services in Australia to assist with school fundraising, and club and charity fundraising.

The School Volunteer Sign up board – Making it more likely that your volunteers help frequently

It’s difficult to keep people motivated enough to volunteer for your school projects on a regular basis.  Family commitments, work schedules, and the general busyness of our daily lives contributes to a lack of free time, and often people would rather relax than offer up their services to assist with your next fundraiser.    You can ease volunteer burnout and make it more likely that your volunteers return time and again by implementing a volunteer sign up board.

A volunteer sign up board is usually put together on a large chalkboard. Posted on the board are the fundraisers, projects, and school events throughout the year.  Below each event is a space to sign up, as well as more detailed information on what the volunteer would be responsible for as well as a timeline of events.   The benefits of a board such as this are twofold:  You are providing your volunteers with as much information on timelines as possible prior to the event, thus making it more likely that they can plan around your project.  As well, you are stating clear objectives for the year, which removes the element of being overwhelmed by a barrage of fundraisers. 

Volunteer sign up boards are an excellent way of keeping appraised of who is supposed to be where and when they are supposed to be there.  I recommend creating an excel spreadsheet for your own records as well as having the board placed in a public spot in your school.  Your volunteers can look at it often and sign up for projects if they find they have time at the last minute.

Avoiding volunteer burnout is a difficult problem that plagues most schools attempting to raise funds, but a volunteer sign up board can not only ease the burden slightly, it can bring a cohesiveness to your projects and events for the rest of the year.  The Fundraising Directory

(c) 2008 Direct Digital

This article can be reproduced without permission for any purpose that is not-for-profit (eg newsletters) as long as it is credited appropriately and a link or reference placed back to the Fundraising Directory website. Please contact us for more information on 1300 653 305.

This article is from the Fundraising Resources website, a product of The Fundraising Directory, your A-Z guide to Fundraising Products and Services in Australia to assist with school fundraising, and club and charity fundraising. 

You’d be surprised to find out that in the current age of technology, it’s more difficult than ever to receive good press attention for your fundraiser.  Why?  Simply because of competition.  Although there are thousands of places you can submit your information, there are also hundreds of thousands of people submitting theirs.

How do you make your event stand out so editors and journalists pick your information out of the bunch?

Media releases are a must have when attempting to get press attention.   A well-written press release can catch the interest of someone far better than a quick email about your fundraiser.  Media releases address the who, what, where, and how of your initiative. 

Although a high quality media release will assist you in getting attention, the simple launching of a new fundraiser isn’t always news worthy.  An example of a good time to send out a media release is if you are providing a much needed service for your community and raising funds at the same time.

Media releases and the types of fundraising events you host factor in to how much attention you will receive from the local press.  If you find you do not write well yourself, consider hiring a content writer to assist you in writing your release.   Alternatively, ask amongst your supporters for somebody who works in PR that can contribute a media release for nothing.

Another important consideration is to build up a good relationship with your local paper.  The local paper is the most likely source of publicity for your fundraiser or event.  If you are familiar with the editorial staff, they will be more likely to run an article for you.

A well-written media release will do wonders for raising awareness and bringing people into your next fundraiser.  See our article in next month’s newsletter for your step-by-step guide to constructing a media release.

The Fundraising Directory

(c) 2008 Direct Digital

This article can be reproduced without permission for any purpose that is not-for-profit (eg newsletters) as long as it is credited appropriately and a link or reference placed back to the Fundraising Directory website. Please contact us for more information on 1300 653 305.

This article is from the Fundraising Resources website, a product of The Fundraising Directory, your A-Z guide to Fundraising Products and Services in Australia to assist with school fundraising, and club and charity fundraising.

The foundation of a successful fundraising initiative lies with the volunteers behind the project.    The better connected and informed the volunteers are, the better it is for your fundraising in the long term.

In the past coordinators have relied on meeting in person and telephone calls to connect to their volunteers.  The telephone may have been a quick way to grab someone’s attention and give out information, but we now live in a day and age where people have busy lives and prefer our information at our own pace and on our own time.   Online and mobile phone technology has made it easier for all involved to be updated and stay connected to fundraising programs.

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Casino nights

There is nothing that opens up the wallet at a fundraiser more than a bit of fun! 

Although there are always plenty of fundraising ideas that one could put together to create a good time for kids, parents do enjoy a nice night out occasionally.  Treat your community and yourselves to a casino night fundraiser.  Not only can they be more profitable than your average event fundraiser, they are a lot of fun as well.

A good first step is to assess the equipment you already have on hand, as well as the space you require to host the event.   If you have existing tables, chairs, and a large gymnasium or auditorium, you can save a lot on overhead costs.   

Once you have the area of the event mapped out, you can get to work on the types of activities you will be providing for your guests.   At a casino night, it’s a good idea to rent several gaming tables such as blackjack, poker, or roulette.  There are many party supply companies that will rent such equipment, and they will often have staff available to assist you with dealing or managing the games.  The Fundraising Directory has a ‘Casino Night’ category on its website, so take a look at the reputable providers we have listed there.

Casino nights are run with ‘funny money’, and so no actual gambling takes place.  As a part of the ticket price, each guest receives a certain number of tokens to play with at the tables.  Further tokens can be purchased throughout the night.

Prizes are given out at various points in the night – a ‘high roller’ prize – the ‘first to lose their money’ prize… Silent auctions are another part of a casino night that can generate a lot of income for your fundraiser.   Ask your volunteer base to contact local businesses to solicit a donation of some kind.  If you find you are receiving small donations, package them together into a gift basket.  For example, if you receive donations of hair care products from one business and a tea gift set from another, package them together as a “Mum’s relaxing kit”.  With innovative packaging and catchy titles, your silent auction items will be very popular at your casino night.

Sell casino night tickets to the community.  Ticket sales will produce a large proportion of the event’s income.   Set up a buffet dinner or finger food at the event so that people can mingle while eating and drinking.  Try to play some mood music to get people in the spirit of the evening, and if possible have a semi-formal theme.  Nothing gets a stressed out mother of three more excited than a dressy evening out.

With a solid band of volunteers and a well-thought out plan, a casino night as a fundraising project can not only generate much needed revenue, it can be a feel-good night of bonding for your school or group’s community.    

The Fundraising Directory

(c) 2008 Direct Digital

This article can be reproduced without permission for any purpose that is not-for-profit (eg newsletters) as long as it is credited appropriately and a link or reference placed back to the Fundraising Directory website. Please contact us for more information on 1300 653 305.

This article is from the Fundraising Resources website, a product of The Fundraising Directory, your A-Z guide to Fundraising Products and Services in Australia to assist with school fundraising, and club and charity fundraising.

There are lots of helpful lessons for all fundraisers in this nice little tale. The fundraisers saw a need, and cast about for something to sell and hit upon the surplus of beef cattle in the district at the time. Their solution was creative and well marketed, so it received lots of attention from national newspapers, television and radio. Also, they have a target in mind, which helps them to sell promote  story and focus on a goal – something we at Fundraising Directory are always pushing. We hope they will achieve the success the venture deserves.

You probably don’t have a thousand head of cattle sitting around in the back yard. But ask yourself a question: what do you have in your local area that could serve just as well? Be creative in your fundraising. The rewards for your favourite cause could be huge.

Glen Howard

(c) 2008

Fundraising Directory 

Of course we hear it all the time, and by the end of school holidays it has become a constant refrain, like a chorus of cicadas – ‘I’m bored’. And if you believe what advertisers would have you believe, then allowing your kids to become bored means that you have failed on some level as a parent. Don’t you believe a word of it.

It’s very tempting to take on your kids’ boredom and try and solve it for them. The natural inclination for the loving parent is to look for ways to fill their days – swimming lessons, footy training, trips to the fun park, music lessons. And there’s no doubt that a sensible amount of structured extra-curricular activity is a great thing. But to try and cater for every hour of every day of their lives is doing them (and you) no favors in the long run.

And here’s a refreshing view: your children have the right to be bored, leave them to it. By this I mean you need to allow them time to organise things for themselves, to take some responsibility for their own interests and show some initiative. As necessity is the mother of invention, so boredom could be the stimulus for new and interesting hobbies.

Next time your little angels complain about being bored, leave them to their own resources and get on with your day. After all, us parents NEVER have time to be bored!

Glen Howard

2008

Fundraising Directory