One Simple Change That Will Double Your School Fundraiser

by: JuanFranco
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Word Count: 543

Education in schools has taken on a broader meaning than I remember it. Today there are a variety of events and activities that students have available to them outside of the classroom that add to their education. These things usually cost money. With cuts in school budgets, principals and PTA / PTO organizations have to turn to fundraising in order to raise the money needed for them.

It is fundraising that many consider to be like the "third rail" in the New York City subway. It is either viewed positively, as the energizer to make things go or it is the thing everyone wants to shy away from. A properly run fundraiser on the other hand is a blessing to all. There really is no reason why the school staff and volunteers, parents of the students and the community at large should dread the coming of the school fundraising drive. If the product that is chosen is right, the incentives for the students and teachers are worthwhile, the entire process will be enjoyed by all.

The fundraisers that are usually viewed negatively are usually the ones that the organizers take little or no consideration for what the participants (and their parents) will be getting out of the fundraising drive, especially if they or their child is not going to be on the bus for the 5th grade field trip. Think about it, even the First grade teachers have been raising money for years for that trip and they never get to go. After a while, that begins to wear down even the most well meaning people.

Have you ever noticed that there always seems to be one or two schools in your district that have better success in fundraising than others. You can even have two schools in very similar neighborhoods that have vastly different results even when doing very similar fundraising programs. What makes the difference? It's not the products being sold or the neighborhood that makes that difference between those schools. It's "How" those schools run their sale that makes more difference than any other factor in the outcome.

A case in point is Howell Middle School in Victoria, Tx. For years they had been having $32-$38,000 sales with their 1000 students. One year, they made a change in only one thing...it wasn't the product, that remained the same. They made a change in how they ran their sale and the year after they had a $34,000 sale they had a $72,000 sale.

They not only raised more money but they also increased participation of parents and teachers when it came time for delivery. They had always had a problem of finding enough volunteers to help when it came time for delivery. This time they had to turn people away! Nothing like that had ever happened at that school before.

By running their fundraiser differently than they had been doing, they created a situation that made more people excited and happy to help. The result was increased moral and increased profit. It is true what Napoleon Hill once said, "You can get everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.

About the Author

You can keep looking for the hottest product for your school fundrasing program and you may have already discovered it! It's not always that product that is holding your school fundrasing program back. The best place to make a change is in how you run your fundraising campaign.  

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