FUNDRAISERS THEY WOULD WANT TO ATTEND

GOAL:

TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE CLUB’S ACTIVITY FUND. (FUNDS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND NON-LIONS).

MISSION:

IDEAS TO MAKE YOUR FUNDRAISER ATTRACTIVE AND EXCITING FOR THE PUBLIC.

FUNDRAISING:

This is where dreams come true or nightmares begin.

In this presentation, the word “product” is interchangeable with any “Fundraiser activity, project.”

DO’S

  • What Profit margin makes sense? Lets take it from the largest success based fundraisers, the Parent Teachers Organization (PTO).
  • Kids raise an incredible $30 million per state with a traditional profit percentage of 45%. School groups raise more than $1.5 billion every year selling various products?
  • There are over 2,000 fundraising companies in the United States to look at for ideas and guidance.
  • The single provider on the web is Fundraising.com will lead your club’s leadership.
  • The Association of Fundraisers and Direct Sellers (AFRDS), a trade group for fundraising companies and their lists of products gets longer by the day.
  • Think outside the box. Creative and novel ideas of good quality fundraisers are easier to sell to your customers and members.
  • If a fundraiser was successful, and not broken, don’t fix it.
  • Do an honest and realistic budget review of whatyou need. Raise funds only if your club needs to.
  • Validate your monetary needs, it will be easier to get members on board.
  • Consider a small easy fundraiser to gain confidence in themselves and with leadership.
  • Choosing a quality product and organizing well – leads to a long-term success.
  • For most clubs, a careful, concerted effort around one fundraiser, maybe two, is enough to meet 70-80 percent of the club’s funding needs for the year.
  • Have open and candid discussions on your fundraising proposal, a good rule to follow is the product or activity is (a) of strong quality and (b) a good fit for the members.
  • Choosing the right product at the right price is so important and conferring with a professional fundraiser is the best way to make sure that your product selection is a good fit.
  • Keep in mind, the more successful you are in your fundraiser the more commission the fundraising representatives makes, so he’s in a win-win situation using his best judgment for your success.
  • Before selecting a fundraising product check references, talk to others who have used the product, compare products and service offered. And, always investigate guarantees and return policies.
  • Will the product supplier write and print letters for you. Delivery day?
  • Get their input on methods that work for other organizations.
  • Do be fair on selecting ideas on how to spend your activity funds and not based on ideas coming only from those who raised the funds.

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS

  • Critical to your fundraiser success, is identifying your customers base. Who are your customers and what are their needs?
  • Does your fundraiser fit your customer base profile? Yes, move ahead. No, forget it. Maybe, spend more time thinking, perhaps needs more product analysis.
  • Determine is the base large enough to take on the size of your fundraiser activity to overcome profitability success vs. failure percentage?
  • Realize small customer base equates to “hard sell”.
  • Identify when is the best time of the year or season to sell your product.
  • Consider your competition, school year has students selling products to your customer base. Choose time of the year when students are not in school to conduct your fundraiser.
  • Identify when is the best time to take advantage of product cost; inventory reduction, seasonal slump, annual period of slow sales. Take advantage of product cost to your club.
  • Is cost of product affordable?

DON'T’S

  • Don't bite off more than you can chew. Don't commit to a fundraiser requiring money up front and you get your profit from the sales.
  • Don't take up any fundraiser with less than 45% profit back to your club.
  • Don't lean on your members to sell the tickets or buy them. Don’t over whelm them with volumes of tickets to sell.
  • Very discouraging if the members are told to purchase the unsold tickets themselves or the club will loose money.
  • Don't let the new Lion think that he was sponsored into your club to become a new crop of fundraising salesmen.
  • Avoid implications of members looking down on those members who cannot or will not participate in selling your fundraiser.

BOTTOM LINE

  • Deciding which fundraiser is better is based on many variables. A product with higher percentage of return is not always better.

Example:

  • Alpha Bakery offers your club a 45% return and Beta Bakery offers your club a 50% return, your natural inclination will be to run a sale with Beta Bakery.
  • However, if Alpha Bakery product is competitive or has a larger selection of popular items or offers more services or a better package, then you may well earn more from your fundraiser going with the lower percentage choice. Remember, the percentage you receive means very little if your product doesn’t sell or if your customers have a bad experience.
  • The bottom line for fundraising is how many dollars you actually put in the bank.
  • Several things determine that number:

Total dollars sold

Your percentage of the total

Shipping or delivery fees, other fees and costs

SALES TEAM

  • It all ends up on the lap of the foot soldier, your members…your sales force.
  • Realize all your members do not have equal available time to participate in fundraising drives.
  • Realize all your members are not physically equal or fit for all types of fundraising activity. Frail, mobility limitations and handicap will pose limitations. Try to find some other role for these members to make them a participant.

Here are some nine fundamental steps to success.

  • 1.Believe you can. Have the mental posture for success. Believe you are capable of achieving it.
  • 2.Create the environment. Supportive club members, spouse, family and friends will make it a smooth ride.
  • 3.Have the right associations. How successful are the people you associate with?
  • 4.Expose yourself to what’s new. If you’re not learning every day – your competitor is. Spend time to learn about what your selling.
  • 5.Plan for the day. Since you don't know on which day success will occur, you’d better be ready every day.
  • 6.Become valuable. Give first. Become known as a resource, not a salesperson. Your value is linked to your knowledge and your willingness to help others.
  • 7.Have the answers your prospects and customers need. The more you can solve problems, the easier path you will have to sales of your fundraiser.
  • 8.Take action. Actions are the only way to bridge plans and goals with accomplishments. Nothing happens until you do something to make it happen.
  • 9.Willing to risk. This is the most crucial factor. No risk, no reward is the biggest understatement in the fundraising world. It should be stated – no risk, no nothing. Taking chances is a common thread among every successful person. If you want to succeed, you’d better be willing to risk whatever it takes to get there.

Here are four degrees of external failures in sales;

  • 1.Failure to prepare
  • 2.Failure to make contacts
  • 3.Failure to make a sale
  • 4.Failure to meet a quota

Here are five typical reactions to rejection or failure

  • 1.Curse it.
  • 2.Deny it (a nice way to saying lie about it).
  • 3.Avoid it
  • 4.Make an excuse about it (the easiest thing to do).
  • 5.Blame others (the easiest thing to do).
  • 6.Quit.
  • Realize not all members have the personality to be a sales person orsales oriented.
  • Leadership must spend a lot of time on passing onand educating your sales team about product knowledge to prepare them for customer “push back”.

FUNDRAISER EXAMPLES

  • The success of the fundraiser being attractive and desirable are based on a business term R. O. I. “Return on investment. What is the buyer receiving for his money?
  • Value of his return normally is in any sense of the word imagined or tangible but satisfactory nevertheless. Building value in the eyes of the customer is often fleeting however the credibility of the salesperson can breach this divide.
  • Selling talents can make a customer smell the bacon and hear it sizzle and create a desire.
  • The other half of the equation is to produce a solid and quality product and food that satisfies the hunger or craving is always a good choice. So fundraisers involving food items are always solid success stories.
  • Satisfying someone’s ego is often accomplished by involving them in theaters of being around famous or popular people, so fundraising dinners or meals with high profile individuals is a good source of revenue.
  • Contests, tournaments, pageants, and challenges are high on the list of desirable fundraisers especially if the audience is participating and the winner takes home the bragging rights. High monetary stakes or prizes that are highticket items for the winners can be fixed into the entry fee mix adding to the desirability to compete.
  • Sub-contracting to perform duties for carnivals, fairs, conventions, conferences are money makers. Activities such as ushers, Sgt. at arms, inventory and supply management, set up and tear down personnel, and facility management personnel are some of the examples.

Examples:

  • Cookie dough by the pound
  • Dinner and meals with and honoring celebrities
  • Fairs and carnivals
  • Facility management
  • Dinner safari; appetizers and salad, entrée and desserts at different venues
  • Steak fry
  • Annual Luau
  • Holiday meal, Father’s Day Breakfast, Thanksgiving Luncheon
  • Helen Keller’s Birthday Luncheon
  • Imu Turkey cooking and sales
  • Imu Kalua pig cooking and sales
  • Laulau making and sales
  • Seasonal Gift-wrapping
  • Convention staffing
  • Food booths
  • Carnival and Fair clean up and maintenance
  • Carnival and Fair inventory tent
  • Fishing contests and tournaments
  • Golf tournaments
  • Cooking contests
  • Pageants