How to Market Your Fundraiser

During one of my earliest fundraiser deliveries, I was at a school when a parent walked by and said “You were selling Otis Spunkmeyer? I love Otis! I had no idea you were selling or I would have bought some!” I remember being so disappointed. We had a potential customer who wanted to buy items, and we missed out on a sale! In that moment I vowed to make sure I never heard that comment again…no one would miss out on one of my fundraisers. I would make sure of it!

Since then, I have implemented the 3 C’s of marketing a fundraiser. These are imperative to the success of a fundraiser because communication is the most important part of a successful sale. If people don’t know about it, there is absolutely no way the sale can succeed!

Communication

The first C is fairly obvious but absolutely essential….communication! And communication starts even before the sale by communicating with everyone involved. Prior to the launch, first communicate with the Principal and the teachers to let them know about your fundraiser and make sure everyone is on board and knows the plan. Next, you’ll want to send an e-mail home to the parents the day the sale is launched letting them know about the fundraiser (you should include live links to all your online stores). Lastly, communicate with the students! Live kickoffs, videos, announcements and reminders throughout the sale make a huge difference.

Consistency

The second C is consistency.  Communicate consistently! I recommend sending communication home on the first day of the sale, one week in, and another reminder 48 hours before your sale ends. As a busy mother of three, I am always so grateful for reminders! And not only that, reminders also save you from having to chase down late orders since you will have clearly communicated the end date of your sale a minimum of 3 times. These reminders should be sent out through e-mail in addition to flyers, social media reminders, all calls home, and more.

Creativity

The final C is creativity- have some fun! Studies say that if you market something 7 different ways, people will see it 2-3 times. Although it might feel like you are over communicating when posting about your sale in different places, I promise that isn’t the case. Use all the communication avenues you have available! At schools this typically includes e-mail, the school newsletter, the school’s social media groups, displaying posters, displaying a banner, advertising on the marquee, and posting the information anywhere else you can think of. By marketing through all these different outlets, you are far more likely to reach everyone at the school. Some parents might not be on social media, but they see the banner during pickup or drop off at school. Others may never see a banner or poster, but they received the e-mail and saw the information in the newsletter. By communicating through all available outlets you are far more likely to reach your entire school population.

By implementing the three C’s, you can be sure no parent will show up to your delivery having missed out on the goods you have to offer, AND you can be sure you are maximizing the success of your fundraiser!

-Faye Einspahr

Believe Kids Representative