A GUIDE TO FUNDRAISING

by Mark Epstein

STEP 1 - Determining what, how much and when

Firstly your committee must determine what they want to raise money for, how much money is needed to achieve your objectives and what time frame is needed to raise the funds by.  For example, do you need some new equipment, repairs to your existing building, new books and toys by the start of the school term or money to upgrade your facilities?  Once you know where the money needs to go and how much you need it's time to decide what fundraising programs are on offer and what effort and time frame is required to start.

STEP 2 - What fundraising program suits us the best

Once you have determined what you are raising money for, how much and by when, you need to sit down with your committee and research what fundraising programs are available in the market place.  When choosing an appropriate fundraising program there are other considerations to take in to account such as...

                    * Is there any financial outlay up front?

                    * What time frame does the program go for?

                    * How much time do we need to give?

                    * How many people are required to run the program?

                    * What profits can we expect?

For example, you may choose a fundraiser for its profit potential only to find there is a lot of time and effort required to make it work and you still don't have any guarantee of success.  Other programs may require participants to outlay large sums of money for little return. Often the simplest and cheapest fundraisers can be the most successful.  Keep in mind your participants, whether it is the mothers from your school, church members, social club members or members of your club or association; they need to be able to afford what you are offering otherwise your fundraiser may not get off the ground. The success of your fundraising program depends on these people. 

The golden rule with fundraising is to choose a service or product that everyone needs and uses on a regular basis not something people feel obliged to buy or do to support your cause.  People in general are not givers unless they see a product or service they need, enjoy or improves their lives.

For example Melbourne Shopping operates Deluxe Shopping Tours for groups and Bargain Bus Tours for individuals which require participants to spend a full day shopping at factory and warehouse outlets.  The profits can be huge however there is a time factor to be considered.  Women love to shop for themselves and their family so Shopping Tours have proven to be a successful fundraiser, a great social event and a lot of fun.

Whereas we also offer Exclusive Closed-Door Sale days which you can do in your own time in your own car and you can raise funds through the sale of entry tickets.  For a closed-door sale people can attend in their own time and are not restricted by the tour times and you get to save well below normal retail prices.

Whatever fundraising program you decide on make sure it is fun, easy to promote, takes up little of your time and is profitable!

STEP 3 - Putting the wheels in motion

Now that you have decided on your fundraiser it's time to put the wheels in motion.  Remember all fundraising programs require work, some more than others.  If you have chosen the right company you should be receiving ongoing advice and assistance and not be left on your own.  Most professional fundraising companies will hold your hand every step of the way.  Besides, your success is their success. 

At Melbourne Shopping we treat our relationship with our customers as more of a partnership considering we both rely on each other to generate income.  Basically we provide the service/products and you get the people and we share in the profits.

At your next committee meeting ask for volunteers to assist you with the fundraiser.  Ask one person to be the brochure gatherer, one can be the co-ordinator and another can be the money collector.  Make sure you keep records of everyone who has shown interest in participating in your fundraiser and any monies collected.

Once you have all the information together spread the brochures out on a table and carefully go through the information comparing 'apples with apples' to find the best value for money service/products.  As the saying goes "you get what you pay for" so be careful not to choose a product or service provider based solely on the cheapest price to avoid being disappointed.  The last thing you want is for a product or service to not live up to your expectations and therefore putting a dampener on any future fundraiser with your members.

Melbourne Shopping is proud to be in business for 22 years and we based our success on the quality of our service and products as well as our high level of customer service and commitment.

Once you have chosen the company you want to deal with try and get everything you need to help you promote your fundraiser such as product samples, posters, tickets plus anything visual so your members can see what they are buying.

STEP 4 - Timing of your fundraiser

A successful fundraiser also depends on the the timing of the event.  Before you start advertising a date or time line check what else is happening within your organisation and community.  The last thing you want is for your fundraiser to clash with another in your area.  Participants will not support all fundraisers so make sure yours doesn't clash with any others to give you the best possible chance of success.

You may consider having your fundraiser around special occasions throughout the year such as Mothers Day, Easter etc providing your fundraiser ties in well with the occasion.  On the other hand, it may be advisable to stay clear of special occasions or events as many families are tied up during these periods so you may struggle to get support from volunteers as well as participation from your members.  You should also think about school holidays as many families go away and therefore limiting the number of people you can approach.  Festivals and events such as the Melbourne Cup in November and AFL Grand Final day in late September are times when many families may not be available. 

STEP 5 - Marketing your fundraiser

By now you would have determined what you want to raise money for, how much money you need to achieve your objectives, what time frame you need to raise the funds by and when it is being held.  You would have volunteers from your committee or group who will help you get everything together and you would have chosen the company that best suits your goals.  Now for the important part...marketing your fundraiser.

How do you promote the product/service to your member or group?

First decide who you are trying to attract.  Like most fundraisers you should have chosen a product or service that will appeal to everyone so your task is to promote it to everyone and anyone.  The more people you get or products you sell the more money your organisation makes!

Some tips on how, where and who to promote your fundraiser to...

• Contact everyone you know or are associated with by either: face-to-face, post, email, telephone or text message! Tell each person to invite their friends, family, neighbours, work and sporting colleagues!
  
• Put flyers up on notice boards, local: supermarkets, restaurants, schools, clubs, shops, everywhere.
  
• Place a notice or flyer in your newsletter, memos or local newspaper.
  
• Distribute flyers via mail box drops.

Make sure that on any posters, flyers or invitations that you place your name and contact details as the co-ordinator of this fundraiser.  You may have people who have questions about the fundraiser and prefer to talk with someone from your organisation rather than the fundraising company direct.  Being accessible to everyone will ensure your fundraiser is a success.

STEP 6 - Collecting the money

By now the money should be rolling in with excited people wanting to take advantage of your fundraiser knowing that a percentage of the product or service price is being donated back to their organisation.  People love being associated with good causes especially if it for an organisation they belong to or are active in. 

Ensure you keep accurate records of monies received.  It would be advisable to keep a separate record of each fundraiser you do.  Simply use an exercise book and head the page with name, contact details, amount paid, monies sent to the fundraising company etc.  Keep a separate page showing your expenses as you may need to report back to someone higher in your organisation to verify the income and expenses of each fundraiser you do.  At the end of your fundraiser you will easily see what money came in, what money went out and the remaining profit for your organisation

STEP 7 - Acknowledging the participants & volunteers

At this stage you have run your fundraiser and it was a huge success!  It's time to give yourself a pat on the back as well as to those who assisted you.  Don't forget to thank everyone because if you miss someone out and they feel they are not appreciated you probably won't have their help next time.  Besides it is very hard to find people to volunteer for no pay.

Now here comes the most important part of your fundraiser and it is probably the most important part of any fundraiser and it is recommended to be done after the fundraiser is over.

Acknowledge everyone who participated

Most fundraising committees believe the work is done now that the product or service has been sold/held.  You have the money and you have made a fine profit.  You must keep in mind that the very people who supported you for this fundraiser will more than likely be the same people who support you on your next fundraiser.  So, don't just assume they will participate next time, acknowledge them!

Send out a nicely typed letter with your organisation letterhead or logo on the top of the page with a heart felt thank you for their participation in your fundraiser.  Point out that by them buying the products or coming on the shopping tour has meant that your organisation has raised $X and by adding up all participants sales your organisation has raised $Y funds.  You must also tell each person what the money is being spent on as everyone will want to know that their participation has resulted in new facilities for your club, new toys and books for the school or has paid for your end of year Christmas party.  Knowing that will make people feel needed and special knowing their contribution has been put towards it. 

You must keep your records of all participants as well as volunteers to give you a head start on your next fundraiser.  This means you can build on your last fundraisers success.

Now that your fundraiser is over and it was a huge success you and the fundraising committee should go out for dinner or drinks to celebrate your achievements for a job well done.

For further fundraising information or tips call Mark Epstein at Melbourne Shopping on 1300 TO SHOP

                     1300 86 7467

Copyright (C) 2007