"What I've always found is that people will respond to meet a need ... if they know what to do. You give people the opportunity to be part of something that will make a difference, and they will step up."
James Lee Witt, FEMA Director 1993-2000
How to motivate fundraiser participants
Wouldn't it be great if successful fundraisers were as simple as sending home a box of candy and collecting money? It may have worked that way at one time, but times are not so simple now. With the sheer volume of fundraising activities for many genuine needs, the competition is tough and time is short. Every fundraising effort needs to stand out in the crowd and differentiate itself.
A first word of advice to organizations that use products to fund-raise, is 'less is more.' Multiple fundraising activities and projects do not necessarily translate in to bigger dollars. In fact, saturation in the community, participant burnout and volunteer fatigue are all very real concerns. Our most successful customers create a tradition out of their sales and align themselves with particular products at specific times of year. Asking once, and asking well, can be the best solution for motivating participants and reaching profit goals.
Express the need
Send out a cover letter with your kickoff materials and make sure it includes a clear, concise description of what the fundraiser dollars will be used for. DMI provides this service, free of charge.
What is the need? How will this fundraiser make your school better? Tell the participants, parents, teacher and community. Include a quote from your principal or PTO president about why the project is important. Press releases, e-mails, facebook posts, newspaper interest stories ... any method will help your cause.
Give clear instructions
Make sure the cover letter includes simple, easy-to-follow instructions for how to participate in the sale. Include the name, number and email of a contact person who is available to field questions. Tell everyone how to turn-in orders and money, how to reorder, how to make payment and when to expect delivery. DMI provides the drafting, printing and collating of kick-off letters. The service is free and included with most products.
Reward participation
Acknowledge participation, commend it and even reward it. Sales awards can be tailored to the age and tastes of the primary sellers. DMI offers an accumulating prize program, promoted with a flyer included in the kickoff sales kit. If material prizes are not quite right for you group, a custom program, with flexible combinations of cash and awards, can be created for you. Just talk to a DMI rep.
Get attention & create buy-in
Kiss-A-Pig
Principal-For-the-Day
Put-the-Principal-on-the-Roof
Tape-A-Teacher-to-the-Wall
Pie-in-the-Face
'Contingent' events all are great ideas to help grab the attention of your sellers and community, motivate participation and ultimately boost profits when tied to a set profit goal that is communicated prior to the start of the sale! Try one for your next campaign.
For the most successful sales, use a reputable, full-service fundraising company. DMI Fundraising, family-owned and operated, has been helping schools, clubs and leagues raise money for their program since 1980. Contact us today to plan your next sale. Tell us your goal, we'll make it ours!
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