Fundraiser Best Practices

Motivate & Incentivize

Let the volunteers know how important the funds being raised are, and what they are going towards, hopefully something tangible to them, like a school field trip or new playground equipment.

Get them involved with a group brainstorm on who might be interested in magazines. Parents, neighbors, relatives, and family friends are the staples. Parents are sometimes reluctant to take it to work with them, but when they do, it usually makes all the difference, your results will go from good to great. For older volunteers, they can visit main street businesses with waiting rooms like doctor’s offices and salons.

Treat the $50 iTunes gift card for selling 200 magazines like a top prize, and offer additional incentives. Have prizes for different levels of success, like selling 3, 5, or 10. Try snacks, toys, restaurant gift certificates, etc. It doesn’t need to be expensive, just something you can get them excited about. Also, you could put them into teams, and have them compete, winners get pizza, losers get sour candy. Get creative!

Communicate & Set a Clear Timetable

Setting expectations and solid dates is good for the participants, parents, supporters, and you! Uncertainty hurts participation, and could lead to tardy hand-ins.

Let volunteers and parents know ahead of time when the fundraiser is going to start, end, and about when the magazines should begin to be delivered. View our ‘Fundraiser Letters’ and use them for reference, or as a template by copying and pasting them into a word document.