Raising extra money for your school is difficult in our current economic times.  Although most who raise money for schools are volunteers and not paid school employees, the business of raising funds must be treated carefully.   Not unlike any profession, there are mistakes to be avoided while fundraising for your school.

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.

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