While there are many different fundraising tools out there and different ways to gain money for a booster club, they all follow a similar pattern.
There are a lot of fundraising methods for nonprofit organizations. With there being so many different ways to have a successful booster club fundraising campaign, the hardest part is choosing which one to do.
The time of the year plays a significant factor in choosing which fundraisers are most successful. For example, a carwash would not be a good winter fundraiser, and a holiday wreath sale would not do well as a summer fundraiser.
Once you figure out which fundraisers are best for the season, then it’s time to decide which type of fundraiser you want. The two most prominent kinds of fundraisers are sales and events.
Popular springtime fundraisers include lollipops and candy bars sales thanks to Valentine’s day, these can often be sold as “candy-grams” and can earn a big profit for an item with low costs.
With summer comes the hot heat from the radiating sun. A perfect time for cash washes, sporting, and non-sporting events. Concessions could do quite well at a sporting event!
Autumn leaves, pumpkin spice and kids starting the new school year brings fall fundraisers to a start. With parents already spending money on back to school supplies, new school photos, and the upcoming holidays, targeting their desire to save money can do wonders for your fundraising.
Consider selling coupon books that offer discounts to local retailers and events, and scratch cards as these might do very well this time of year.
With the cold and unpredictable stormy weather outside, this time of year is excellent for hosting indoor events such as concerts, auctions, gala’s, art exhibits, and concerts. You may even have a thriving indoor garage sale if you can target the frugal Christmas shoppers looking to save money on presents.
While each season may have specific fundraisers that do better than others, some fundraisers are great all year round.
These include:
You can theme the a-thon events, and the fun run’s to fit with upcoming holidays to make them even more unique and enticing. For example, a color run in summer, or a zombie run in October, even a dance a thon could do well around a patriotic holiday if you themed it to a famous time in military history and allowed guests to dress up.
Online fundraisers offer a lot of opportunities for booster club fundraising that make them an excellent choice for increasing booster club revenue.
Some of the benefits of online fundraisers are:
Some online fundraiser ideas for booster clubs include Crowdfunding, text-giving, or selling merchandise like booster club t-shirts. Thanks to Dropshipping, you can design shirts, sell and ship without ever needing to buy inventory or touch a shirt.
Depending on the type of fundraiser that you choose, your booster clubs management responsibilities may differ. Low maintenance task such as drop shipping will require less management than a fundraiser that involves actual sales like candy bars, or hosting an event like a silent auction.
Some examples of things you can expect to do while managing your fundraiser are:
Thanks to delegating different tasks, booster club fundraising can be made much more manageable. With members all taking a portion of the workload, the stress doesn’t all fall on the president’s shoulders.
Promoting a fundraiser is probably the hardest part of booster club fundraising. You can’t have a successful fundraiser and make a lot of money for your school if nobody knows that you are holding a fundraiser in the first place. So proper promotion is key to success!
Some popular ways to promote fundraiser include:
Another great way to promote booster club fundraising is by joining forces with the other booster clubs inside your school. Teaming up for the greater good, means that you can reach more people, have more help in setting it up and make more money for your school. It’s a win-win-win.
While not always the best route, sometimes it’s the most cost-effective. A lot of people want to help support their schools and booster clubs but don’t have the time to drive out to a car wash or gala; they may not even want a candy bar.
There are a ton of different platforms that you can use to accept donations for your nonprofit. Some of these include:
Depending on your booster club fundraising needs, you may find that providing a donation option may increase your booster club revenue.
Another great way to promote your booster club and make money with fundraising is by taking on fundraising partners.
Fundraising partners are businesses (usually local) that help you with your booster club fundraising needs. They can help by:
Here are a few reasons why business support is a good thing:
Firstly, gather everything you need to be able to make a good presentation.
Secondly, call or enter the establishment and speak with the manager on duty or the owner, depending on the situation. Present your information and politely answer any questions that they might have.
More often than not, that’s all that is needed, and you can shake hands and leave.
Thirdly, after the fundraiser make sure to send a thank-you note and update on how the event turned out. They’ll be curious.
Sometimes, a job can come with too many responsibilities for a single person to handle. In these cases, handing off leadership can really help. Delegation is a great asset to booster club membership because it not only helps to release stress on some members, but it also gives non-board member booster club volunteers a chance to participate at a higher level.
Booostr is the first booster club software platform with a connected set of tools designed to help booster clubs and nonprofits better manage their organization. From Communication, to Management, to Fundraising, Booostr's connected software improves booster club efficiency and allow them to focus on surpassing their goals.
