Organizing a fundraiser can be tedious to say the least. There are many things to consider your goal, organizing your volunteers, and scheduling your event are but a few of the concerns.
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Setting up a new fundraiser can be a very trying experience. There is so much to consider that will affect your end result.
One of the most important things to decide is what you will do for your incentives for your new fundraiser. Incentives can literally make or break your campaign. One of the easiest ways to ensure that you have all of your ducks in a row is to use the services of a professional fundraising consultant or firm. They do this kind of thing professionally and will guide you in your decisions.
Here are 7 useful tips to use when deciding which products, incentives and fundraising consultant to use in your fundraiser.
1.) Quality
Does your consultant firm offer a high quality line of products? Value is extremely important to your target customers. In order to succeed your customer must feel that they are getting a good value for their investment.
2.) Support Materials
When choosing a fundraising consultant it is important that you take a good look at any support materials that they offer such as product catalogs. A well developed catalog will increase your sales dramatically.
3.) Hidden Costs
Hidden costs can sometimes be overwhelming. Make sure that you understand and have taken into account the cost of catalogs, brochures, and shipping. Any costs that you may have are going to come out of the final profit that you end up with.
Keep in mind that not all cost are "bad" cost for your group. For instance if you are pitching in on the cost of a particular prize or two in order to offer it at a lower prize level than it would normally be offered, those cost will come back to you 10 times over in the form of extra profit.
4.) Free Sample Pack
Does your fundraising consultant firm offer a free sample pack? If so use this to evaluate the quality of your fundraising product line before placing an order.
5.) Policy
Inquire up front as to the policy of your fundraising consultant with regard to replacement goods in the event of product damage during shipping. Discover what the terms of your fundraising company's return policy is as well.
6.) Special Delivery
Will your product require special delivery methods such as refrigeration? Spoiled products are always a big concern when dealing with foodstuffs, especially frozen items.
One good thing about frozen cookie dough however, is that it does not require refrigeration like raw breads or cheesecake do. As long as care is taken to have a delivery area that is at room temperature or lower and is away from direct sunlight, certain brands of cookie dough like Chippery or Otis Spunkmeyer can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days without worry. That is because sugar is actually a preservative in it's own right and these particular brand have the lowest water content of other fundraising cookie dough brands.
7.) References
What is the reputation of your fundraising company? Ask for a list of past customers and contact them regarding the performance of your fundraising company. You might also ask what items were best sellers.
Choosing the proper fundraising company is very important to your fundraising efforts. These Seven tips will help you to choose a professional fundraising company that will work with you to ensure that your fundraiser is an overwhelming success.
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Because there are so many students at a school, it can be hard to motivate, organize and control the results of such a large school fundraiser. There are three key elements to a school fundraiser that if kept in mind while planning for it, will almost guarantee that your school fundraiser will be a huge success.
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