School fundraising may never really end. That’s just the truth. Students are introduced to fundraising early on and fortunately or unfortunately it may last through college.

There are lots of groups on campuses that need to raise money and there are even quite a few students who occasionally need to raise money. Hopefully we can help.

Where Do I Start?

You would think that college students would understand the money raising options available better than at any time in their lifes but the fact is that college may be the first time a student really needs to do the research and implementation of a fundraising campaign on their own.

So the starting point is usually the research stage and we’d like to suggest you get our Free College Fundraising Catalog. It’s a great starting point for choosing the right path. The catalog gives you the basics on the major product fundraising categories. In other words it gives you a great starting point.

Do I Need to Part of a Group?

One of the first questions we get from college students is whether they need to part of a group to hold a fundraiser. The answer is no you don’t.

There are many products and programs that are designed for individuals and smaller groups. The key to choosing the right option is to determine what your real needs are and how you would like to meet those needs.

How Much Will it Cost?

There are a couple of major categories within product fundraising. One major category, luckily, doesn’t cost anything to try. Interestingly lots of college students seem to choose higher profit fundraisers like discount cards, though cost money which can be a stumbling block.

If you’re asking about the cost to start we will assume you don’t have much if any money to purchase products. In that case you should choose a brochure fundraiser such as cookie dough fundraising. There are lots of products available like that. And they all work the same. You get brochures and order forms and go sell products by showing the marketing materials to friends and family. You should collect payment when you take orders and then you use that money to pay for your bulk order at the end of your sale.

By pre selling and collecting money as you go you accomplish two things. First you now have money to buy the products and two you know exactly what you need to purchase.

How Much Can I Make?

All conversations about college fundraising lead to this question. And unfortunately it’s a difficult question to answer. We’ve helped groups of students raise tens of thousands of dollars and they’ve done it with various products.

Instead of asking how much you can make the better starting point is identifying exactly what your needs are. We suggest you take your need number and pad it by 20% and set that as your fundraising goal. Once you know how much you are now trying to raise you can choose the best path to attain your goal.

Choosing the Best College Fundraising Ideas

There are lots of ways to raise money. We believe strongly in product fundraisers. In fact we offer a Free College Fundraising Catalog. It’s an easy reference if you are in research mode and looking for the best way to raise money. We would love to send you one. It’s free and it covers the top fundraising products available.