When you’re the fundraising company it can really be hard to bite your tongue and ask spiteful questions like did you even hand out the brochures or did you do anything other than hand out brochures?

It seems like laziness has creeped up the school fundraising chain and more and more teachers and parents care so little about fundraising they exert zero effort.

But I digress.

The real reason I wanted write this post was to tell these people it doesn’t take much more effort to get good results than it does to simply sleep walk through the process.

So start with choosing a fundraiser. If you’re not excited about the fundraiser or the product you’ve chosen than don’t waste your time. If your not excited how can you expect others to be motivated by you.

Develop some expectations of success before you get started. If you don’t plan for success the odds of achieving it are slim. So before you start set a financial goal you want to raise and explain what each member of your group must do for you to reach or exceed your goal. Don’t be afraid to tell kids they need to get something done.

Spend just a little time motivating your sellers during your sale. When your group members see the least possible effort from the person planning the fundraiser is it realistic for you to expect any more than that from them?

So I hope I have the courage to boldly question people when they call to place ridiculously small orders. Maybe I’ll learn something.

Or maybe I just need to keep my mouth shut.

There are many people in the US now who can benefit directly from your help; all that is required is that you plan out your fundraiser carefully before diving in, and finding the support of other likeminded people in your community to help lighten the load of work.

The best way to find people to help you reach your goals is by announcing your plans at a local social group or church. This will hopefully stir interest in friends and neighbors who otherwise may not have heard about the charities you are supporting.

Once you have a team of helpers, it is time to plan out your event. Now would be a good time to hold a meeting where everybody involved can bring ideas to the table. If you want to get the ball rolling, you might like to suggest selling some great fundraising products.

We have a wide selection for you to choose from, like our Preformed Cookie Dough Fundraising or Journey of Faith Candle Fundraising package, and you will likely find something that will cater to everybody at your group.

Of course, finding the right products is only the start of the work you are going to have to put in to make your disaster relief fundraising event a hit. You should attempt to promote your fundraiser at church or in your community center by putting up banners and posters, and handing out flyers to people around the neighborhood.

With these simple considerations you should find that your next fundraising event runs better than expected.

People are recycling more and taking care not to overuse commodities that previously we wouldn’t have thought twice about using.

Governments are now looking to renewable energy sources to help fuel our homes and vehicles, and many people are also volunteering for environmental programs that help to improve the world’s issues head on.

But what can you do to help? If you want to do something good for an environmental cause in a way that can involve everybody at your church, then why not go with green fundraising to start to make a difference?

Green fundraising is a positive way to raise money for one of the many environmental charities, but it also helps to raise awareness for some of the planet’s more serious environmental issues.

Having everybody in your church group get involved in this cause will help them to change their ways and become more proactive in things like recycling in their daily lives. One way to really make a difference with green fundraising is to sell fundraising products in your church group.

We have a selection of fundraising products that are perfect for a church group wanting to do something good for a green cause. Whether it’s our Earth Candle Fundraising package, which offers a variety of candles in several highly aromatic scents and colors, or our Faith Lollipops Fundraiser, which is great for the younger environmentalists at your church, you are sure to find something on our website that will help to make your next green fundraiser and event to be remembered.

There is the cost of things like clothing, toys, and food that require constant funding, not to mention the cost of education once your child grows older. When a couple decides to adopt a child they need to be sure that they can cater for the child financially, and this will become apparent when the adoption costs materialize.

If you are serious about adopting a child then adoption fundraising ideas may be the best way to go to help pay all of your adoption charges. It is also a good way to show people that you are serious and to gather support for your new family member. It will encourage everybody in your group of friends, colleagues and neighbors to help out for the sake of this good cause, and help you reach your financial targets in no time at all.

But in order to raise money fast, you are going to need some great fundraising products to help you reach your goals. For people in your neighborhood you might like to consider selling from some of our brochure packages. These offer the ease of brochure ordering without the need to carry around large quantities of products door-to-door. Our Earth Candle Fundraising and Flower Bulb Fundraising packages are fun choices to help make sales fast.

I’ve attended trade shows and conferences and have never walked away a single time thinking anything other than that I was in the company of the a bunch of depressed people that had no idea what to do to fix their industry despite the fact that it is still a very large industry.

But the seminars and classes offered to help companies grow offer the same tired suggestions and conversations.

So why am I writing about this?

It occurs to me that the industry to changing in spite of itself. There is actually tremendous growth in fundraising – it’s just not through selling products – although product fundraising still has and always will have a place in fundraising.

So where is the growth?

The growth is cause and support type programs. Some of the fastest growing companies like Rally, Gofundme and others have created systems that allow individuals and groups to bring their needs to friends and acquaintances through social media and other online resources. Now needy organizations can make global pleas for help and donors can offer support online.

Then there’s companies like Read-a-thon fundraising company that takes a tried and proven concept like read-a-thons and brought it into the modern era using the same tools and resources that the cause sites offer to groups.

While I hate the fact that product fundraisers are not as popular as they once were, as a member of the fundraising industry, though, I am excited to see the new products being developed that actually make fundraising new and exciting again.

In recent years it seems like the only people considering read-a-thons were librarians. But when you consider the amount of money that can be raised it becomes very clear that read-a-thons should be tops on the list for principals and PTA’s needing to raise money.

Consider the following:

If a school has 1,000 students and each student is willing to read 5 books over a 2 month period can you guess the potential net result of a read-a-thon?

Don’t you think it’s reasonable that each student can get 10 people to pledge $5 per book read?

So do the math. One thousand students times 5 books equals 5,000 books read. The students got $5 pledges for each of the books they read so that’s now $25,000.

BUT 10 different people pledge the $5 per book so the potential for the fundraiser is now $250,000!!!

So you’re first reaction is that you never get 100% participation, right? So let’s say half the students read. That’s still $125,000.

You question whether each student can get 10 people to pledge money for books read? That’s why we were intrigued with www.read-a-thon.com. They provide all of the tools to bring read-a-thons into the digital world. Readers are now no longer limited to family and neighbors. Now they can request pledges from anyone they have an email address for or are connected to via any of the major social media. Now getting 10 people to pledge their support is easier than ever.

Finally consider how reasonable requesting $5 per book is. Don’t you think grand parents, aunts & uncles, good friends, etc will support a student and their desire to read books to raise money?

Now we read where school districts might be rethinking that position. Consider a recent article in the Taunton Daily Gazette. It talks about schools in the town of Norton:

“When the school committee made the decision in June to ban bake sales and candy bar fundraisers during school hours it was under the impression new state standards in nutrition and physical fitness forced it to do so. In light of new information being released from the state that might not be the case. “We were under the understanding that (eliminating) fundraising counted as part of the state standards but now we know that is excluded,” school committee Chairman Deniz Savas said.”

Apparently there was a change of heart.

“We value that these fundraisers are for good causes,” Martes said. Committee members Beth McManus and Phillip Lynch both voted against banning of bake sales in June.

It appears like there has been some back pedaling possibly because the decision makers did not completely think through the implications of their decision. Unfortunately that happens quite often. Most of the time it’s innocent. But in this case decisions were far removed from the people on the ground that do their best to raise money for the schools and students who most need it.

“I think in doing so we are cutting off the PTO (parent teacher organization) at the knees,” McManus said. “They raise so much money to supplement our budget.” Henri A Yelle Elementary School principal Lisa Farrell said $10,000 was raised in sales last year during its candy bar fundraiser.

We are a huge believer in product fundraisers. We’ve been associated with companies that have literally helped more than 100,000 groups raise money over the past 10 years and we know how hard they work to fill in the loose ends that school budgets ignore. So we are so happy to see food fundraisers revisited.

The best fundraisers and easiest fundraisers are usually held by groups that formulate a game plan and execute that plan. It includes pre sale planning, lots of promotion, injecting excitement and making sure there’s good communication on all aspects of the fundraiser including why you’re raising money in the first place.

Of course choosing the best fundraising products for kids is important as well. So here are 7 of our top suggestions:

1. Frozen Cookie Dough Fundraisers

If you’re selling to families with kids then selling cookie dough is a no brainer. Darn near every kid love cookies. They love freshly baked cookies even more. So choose one of the top selling cookie dough product lines and you should have no problem raising a lot of money. Learn more…

2. Snack Fundraisers

We’ve established that kids love cookies. In fact most love snacks in general. That’s why we suggest a new healthy snack fundraiser that we just started offering. The price point is great. The brochures are free. So if you want one of the best fundraising ideas for kids take a look at this one. Learn more…

3. Believe it or not – Coffee Fundraisers

Of course most kids don’t drink coffee. So why are we suggesting a coffee fundraiser? Because most kids have a parent or two and the odds are good that not only do the parents drink coffee, the odds are good the parents know lots of other coffee drinkers. So consider selling a product that so many people enjoy. Learn more…

4. Fundraiser for Church Kids

If you need to raise money for kids at a church then definitely consider our Journey of Faith candle fundraiser. Each candle label has a Bible theme and applicable verse to go with it. It is an absolute natural for church groups. Think about how easy it would be for a kid to raise money for a church group using these candles. Learn more…

5. Earth Friendly Kid Fundraisers

We started offering flower bulbs for fundraising a few years ago and the program has grown every single year. More recently two driving forces made this an even more attractive fundraiser for kids. Lots of schools decided they didn’t want to hold candy fundraisers any more and lots of people have a keen sense of wanting to help environmentally whenever they can. So check this one out. Learn more…

6. Home Delivery Cookie Dough

This is the newest way to sell cookie dough and it sure makes things a whole bunch easier. Now, instead of selling cookie dough and then delivering frozen tubs a couple of weeks after your sale ends, you can offer e coupons which allow your customers to purchase cookie dough online that is shipped directly to their home or office. It’s an idea gaining more and more fans. Learn more…

7. Candle Fundraisers

Candles are one of the other products that are extremely easy for kids to sell. Most homes burn candles now and then so darn near everyone a kid talks to is a potential customer. In fact the sales of fundraising candles has grown every year for the past 10 years. With our programs you make 50% profit on every candle you sell and can even earn free shipping.
Learn more…

8. The Latest and Greatest

Some parents feel like they want to change fundraising products every year. They look for the newest and latest and greatest program. For those parents we wanted to share a new candle fundraiser we just added. In its first season sales far exceeded our expectations so it might be worth a look. Learn more…

Other Easy Fundraising Ideas for Kids:

There are lots of easy fundraising ideas for kids available. That’s the good news. Here are a couple of links if you want some more information:

Top 10 Fundraisers: Click Here

Best Fundraising Ideas: Click Here

Easy Fundraising Ideas: Click Here

That’s a much more difficult question than you’d think. Aesthetics alone are not good barometers. In other words just because a site looks good doesn’t mean it’s trustworthy. In fact there is one particular fundraising website that we know well that is run by people we would describe as less than respectable. Their website looks fabulous though. It’s a shame that you can’t necessarily tell a book by its cover.

So here are some things you might look for to determine if you can trust a fundraising website:

1. Are the reviews on the site? If so does it appear like they are legitimate reviews or just content created by the site owner. How can you tell? Read a few reviews and see if they read like the same person wrote them all. We have seen lots of reviews and if they are legit you should find some typos and mispellings along with different writing styles.

2. Is there anything to the site other than a shopping cart? The better fundraising sites offer more information. In fact the best ones offer lots of information including product descriptions and articles about the products. Look for depth. People looking for a fast buck won’t typically spend time on content.

3. Look for unique information. Lots of second tier companies copy a lot of their information from better sites. That’s true not only in fundraising but in all industries.

We like to think of ourselves as one of the top tier websites dedicated to fundraising. We have thousands of topical articles on a wide assortment of fundraising issues. In fact it wasn’t until recently that we changed our model to one that directly offered some fundraising products. You can find the products we offer at the top of the left navigation menu. For years we simply told you about other fundraising websites.

There are a few websites, though, that we will suggest if you don’t find what you are looking for here.

Easy Fundraising Ideas has been around more than 10 years and offers one of the most complete selections of fundraising ideas. Click here to visit their website.

Fast Track Fundraising is another website. The most attractive thing about this company, we feel, is their discount card program. Click here for more info.

Between our site and these others we know you will find the best information available.

It doesn’t happen often. That’s the good news. But a few times a year we hear from groups whose fundraising coordinators have stolen the money collected when selling fundraising products. Here’s how it usually plays out:

We will get a call from an inquisitive parent wondering where their fundraising products are. So we look up their group in our database to get their order status. In these situations we find one of two results. Either the group placed their order but have not submitted payment or the group never submitted their order at all.

When we tell the parent their first reaction is surprise and they usually say they’ll call the person in charge but you can tell they don’t quite believe what they are being told. Often we hear from a few parents or customers.

Here’s where it sometimes gets interesting. When the parents call their group leader ro ask what’s going on they will either learn the truth or the coordinator will attempt to lie to cover their tracks. If they are lying they’ll say one of a few things including that they have sent the check, that they’ve placed the order and that they’ve been talking to the fundraising company. That’s when we get the second phone call.

The second call is more interesting because the parent now assumes the fundraising company is up to no good. Our response is always the same. We apologize if we made a mistake but we ask the parent to request a copy of the group’s cancelled check so we can verify that the order was in fact placed and paid for. In 12 years we have never received a copy of a cancelled check for an order that was placed and never paid for.

Typically the police get involved at this point and the truth begins to come out.

So why are we sharing this story? For your protection. The percentage of groups that fall victim to this crime is extremely small. But it happens. So we suggest that you carefully screen anyone handling money for your group. Equally important is to make sure that there are always a minimum of two people responsible for handling money at all times.

Be careful and you can completely eliminate this nightmare.