Many readers at StepByStepFundraising enjoy this monthly peek at articles from our sister site TopSchoolFundraisers.com.
Even if you don’t have anything to do with school fundraising specifically, there is sure to be something interesting for you to check out. Here is a list of article links to October’s posts. I’ve included a short excerpt from a few of the posts, as well.
As always, if you are looking for easy to manage and highly popular fundraising ideas, I urge you to check out FastTrackFundraising, the great sponsor of both this site and TopSchoolFundraisers. They have an outstanding selection of product fundraisers with extensive reviews from satisfied customers.
See you in November!
If You Could Pick Only Three Fundraisers to Have this Year, Which Would You Choose? Part I
If You Could Pick Only Three Fundraisers to Have this Year, Which Would You Choose? Part II
Would You Like to Make More Money at Your Next School Carnival?
Raise Thousands of Dollars through Recycling with FactoryFunding.com
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Here is how FactoryFunding works:
When you recycle your used ink cartridges, cell phones, laptops, and small electronics with FundingFactory, your recyclables convert to cash and rewards that can get your school or nonprofit organization the things you need — for free.
A Conversation with a Frustrated Fundraising Mom
Today I would like to share parts of a conversation I had just a couple of days ago with the mother of two children in a local public school system. Her daughter is in high school, and she also has a son who is in third grade. So, she’s seen the whole gamut of school fundraising in her time as a parent.
She did not know that I write a blog on this topic of raising money for schools, and I wanted her to speak freely, so I did not mention it.
We got on to this topic while our kids were at swim practice, so we had plenty of time to talk in detail. She mentioned that her daughter’s high school was doing a “test drive a car” fundraiser, very much like what I wrote about yesterday. She said that she really liked this kind of a fundraising event, because it was a very low-level commitment, both time and money-wise.
I should say that this is a very involved mother, who does regularly participate in school events, including fundraisers. Therefore, I took what she had to say with a great deal of seriousness.
Here are some of her opinions on the state of modern fundraising in our schools. See if you share any of these beliefs. My guess is that you probably do.
The Drive One 4 UR School Fundraiser by Ford Motor Company
Fundraising Bracelets Very Popular with Students
Is There a Zombie in the House?
Chocolate Fundraiser is Out, Beer & Wine Fundraiser is In!
Back in March of this year, I wrote a blog post here that talked about the dangers of including alcohol for adults at a school fundraiser. I wrote that alcohol can add an unpredictable element to your event, which could possibly spoil what you and your team worked so hard to create.
It’s not that I’m against alcohol in any way personally, it’s just that some people get carried away with drinking, and these few individuals can ruin the event for the rest of the audience. That can negatively impact your school’s reputation as a fundraising entity and make your job much harder.
As evidence, I included in my blog an excerpt from a news article that reported on a school auction that included alcohol sales, and some parents got drunk and started to swear loudly at each other, and they came to blows.
Do You Approach Fundraising Like an Entrepreneur Would?
Recently, Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki teamed up to write a book on the subject of entrepreneurship called “The Midas Touch”.
In this book, they list five attributes that separate successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones. These characteristics are:
- Character
- Focus
- Brand
- Relationships
- The Little Things
No matter what you think of Donald Trump, he has had a long and storied career as an entrepreneur, so it’s worth at least considering what he has to say on this matter.
I’ve stated many times before that I believe that school fundraising is a total sales job. You are trying to convince people to spend their money to buy a better product, namely a better school experience for their children. It doesn’t matter if you’re running an auction for your school, or a carnival, or a walk-a-thon. It could also be a product sale or a direct mail appeal. Whatever form your fundraiser takes, you are engaged in the art of sales.
