What are the elements of a successful fundraiser?
Short Answer: (See the chalkboard, below.)
Long Answer: A lot of people think that selecting the right product to sell will determine how well a fundraiser does. While offering your community good quality products is important, you should never underestimate the importance of motivation. Starting your fundraiser as early as possible—and certainly before your regular-season competition begins—is important because that is when your players will have the most enthusiasm for their sport and are most willing to participate in your fundraiser.
Offering appropriate “must have” prizes—especially items that your players cannot purchase outside of the fundraiser—will get your players’ attention and give them a goal. However, getting in front of the players and giving them a brief motivational presentation will not only get them excited about participating, but it will give them a chance to feed off of each other’s enthusiasm. This will give your fundraiser an all-important fast start. Finally, getting your coaches to verbally support the fundraising effort by asking for their players’ and the players’ parents’ support will give your fundraiser an added and sustaining boost. Running a fundraiser is like running a business and, even though you run a fundraiser for only a few weeks, it will be a success if you start it at the right time and get people motivated to make it a success. Champion can help. We believe that a youth sports organization should only have to do one fundraiser, and we believe that if you do the first fundraiser of the season right, you won’t have to do any others.
Next FAQ: How much profit can we make?