Who Has Ever Done a Fundraiser?

How many of you have ever been in charge of a fund raising event?  I going to be really honest here and tell you that I try to avoid them at all costs!  If anyone ever mentions needing a "volunteer" to head up a fundraiser or would like ideas I try to run as fast as I can!  In my experience, they are extremely hard to coordinate and even harder to get people on board.  When I used to coach cheerleading I loathed the fact that we had to fund raise while other sports were given money, just because of how complicated it could become.

Working in the school system I definitely see where we have a need for fund raisers.  It is just a necessary evil.  Actually, our neighbor just dropped off a case of cookie dough that we ordered through a school fundraiser.  I truly do not mind helping... but please... don't ask me to organize the thing!  Another thing that I have found to be a drawback with fundraisers is the fact that only a select few students end up with really great prizes because of the high selling goals.  With all of that being said, I was introduced to a fund raising company that looks like they may be on the right track.  The company is called Big Event Fundraising and they have ideas that will allow many students to receive fun prizes instead of just a select few.



Prize Programs
Has your school ever done anything like this?  What Big Event Fundraising does is creates attainable goals for the kids so that they can all attend a fun event at the school.  They have things like a magic show where a student would only have to sell 5 items in order to receive admission.  The show lasts for 40 minutes and even involves the top sellers in various ways.  That definitely sounds attainable and would make me want to sell if I was a kid!  If you are looking to appeal to a really young crowd I think the Super Party would be a fun idea!  I know that Graham really enjoys all of the inflatable houses and games.  If you are dealing with a high school you know that you are going to have to choose something other than a magic show or inflatable bounce houses.  You can choose from the traditional prizes or Sportswear and Cash prize programs.  Typically, high schoolers are going to respond well to cash!

What are you selling?
The last and most important thing that always makes me cringe about fund raisers is what is actually being sold by the students.  Honestly, who wants to buy something that they are never going to use again?  It is always nice when the fundraisers are selling things that consumers would like.  I think it is important to choose a company that will offer you several choices.  Those choices should include items that people would normally buy.  For instance, going back to the cookie dough I just purchased.  I decided to buy this because we always have cookies in our home.  So, if I could buy a large tub of frozen cookie dough, help out the school, and keep my cookie fix going... why not?!  A company like Big Event Fundraising recognizes that and offers seasonal products, frozen food, cookie dough, and many other ideas that will work with a wide variety of people.  Not everyone wants a candy bar or doughnut right?

With all of that being said, I want to know: Have you ever done a large fund raiser and what was your experience with it?  For those of you who are seasoned at this, what are your tips?

This post was sponsored by Big Event Fundraising. These are my honest opinions. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

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