Save the Parents! How to Run a Fundraiser Without Breaking a Sweat

Every parent fears the dreaded words at the PTA meeting: “Would you please head our fundraising committee?” The parent agrees, because it’s the right thing to do, and then it turns out exactly like the nightmare they had in mind.

The silver lining of this universal sacrifice (of time, patience, and goodwill towards the education system) is that there are people invested in practical solutions, where your project can produce results without you washing a single car. School fundraiser companies are specifically designed to remove a months-long migraine and help you to be successful.

Get a head start on your kid’s fundraiser (you know it’s coming) with these tips:

• Go after the sweet tooth

Whereas sane human beings are tired of plastic knick-knacks and coupons they’ll never use, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a demographic that won’t go for treats. That’s why food fundraisers are the most successful.

Of course, make sure to pick the right sweets to sell. Candy bars are fun because most people have $2 in their pocket for the impulse buy, but then the fundraiser gets only a tiny amount of money per transaction. While every penny counts and it’s thoughtful of people to be generous for the kids, the better route is bigger-ticket items. Items like Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough and Red Wheel Pies tend to be fantastic, especially in holiday seasons. They make it easy to entertain company!

• Pick a Local School Fundraiser Company

Think logistics- you’re basically starting a business partnership. By nature, local outfits get the product way closer to its final destination, which facilitates the delivery of the goods to your school.

On top of being a breeze to work with, locals with community roots run local companies, so they want to help you in every way possible to have a successful fundraiser. Think: who wants to fix the baseball diamond as much as you do? Corporate headquarters 50 miles away, or the family who drives by that eyesore at least once a month?

Plus, an operation that serves your area will know it well. The owners will help you pick which products will sell best and avoid accidentally competing with fundraisers from sports organizations or other schools.

• Delegate

You are a busy (exhausted) parent, and it’s time for someone to treat your donated man-hours with respect. To that end, don’t do work that you don’t have to do!

It may seem attractive to put together a zany DIY fundraiser, cut out some of the middlemen by working directly with wholesalers or put together an event like a walkathon, but these almost always backfire, turning into black holes for your time.

Go with a company that has everything ready to roll: downloadable media packets, helpful catalogs, and all the prizes and incentives to drive friendly competition (procuring those laser tag parties turns out to be the best-kept secret time-suck in all of PTA history).

There are experts for school fundraisers. Don’t waste time trying to become one- just hire them instead.

Get a jump on the school fundraiser that you know is just around the corner by lining everything up with your local fundraising company.