As the season of winter draws to a close, many schools are looking forward to Spring for more than just the warmer weather. Spring is the perfect time to hold a school-wide fundraiser, especially if your Fall fundraiser didn’t live up to your expectations. However, there are three mistakes that every school should watch out for when hosting a Spring fundraiser.

1. Do not wait until the middle or end of Spring to host your fundraiser.

When it comes to raising funds for your school, timing really is everything. Hosting the fundraiser in the first few weeks of Spring is ideal because you face little competion with sport and/or group fundraisers and retail spring sales. By mid-semester students will be busier with papers, reports and final projects. Why add more to their plate by throwing in a late Spring fundraiser? Their parents will appreciate having the fundraiser earlier in the Spring because they will have hadwinter break to rest and become rejuvenated. Starting your Spring fundraiser in the second or third week of the season will maximize your profits, and kick your semester off with a bang!

2. Avoid fundraisers that come with a high risk.

Any time you hold a fundraiser where the risk outweighs the profit, you are in trouble. For example, if you are planning to hold a concert for your Spring fundraiser and you have to pay for the band and their time, you may have to sell 400 tickets just to break even. That is just not effective. Instead plan an event where you can sell a lot of tickets at a cheaper price to ensure the most people come. You could even plan on hosting a Spring carnival where there are several booths that can raise even more money, like a baked goods booth or a games booth. Make the most of your fundraiser by having an event where the whole school wants to come and participate.

3. Do not have more than one Spring fundraiser.

 Having one fundraiser after another creates “fundraising fatigue” and that is something parent groups should avoid at all costs. Do not overuse your resources. Parents already have a lot on their plates by the spring semester of school, do not add to the stress by asking for money over and over again. By making it clear you are only going to have one fundraiser per semester, you will increase participation. Parents will realize that this is the only time they have to support their child’s school so they will be more willing to participate. Communicate this effectively to your parents. Make sure they know what your goal is, how much money is needed to meet that goal, and how if ever parent participates, meeting that goal will be a snap! By communicating the fundraiser in a way where parents see it as a neccessity to participate, the more participation you will have meaning more profit for your school.

By avoiding these three common mistakes associated with school fundraisers, you will get the most out of your Spring fundraiser.