Schools often operate on very limited funds. In fact, tuition fees cannot entirely cover all the operating expenses of a school. A school needs to continuously improve its facilities and equipment. They also require maintenance supplies. So, what do schools do to cover such expenses? They organize fundraising for school activities. The success of school fundraising depends on a few factors. The following are some of the best school fundraising tips for success.
Plan Ahead of Time
There is a saying that “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. And this saying also applies to the fundraising for schools. Planning is a very important stage in starting a fundraiser. It helps to create an outline of the steps to be followed during the campaign period. It also helps to predict outcomes and project the possible amount of funds that can be raised. Planning ahead of time eliminates stress and helps keep a smooth flow of activities during the whole fundraising period. This can also be very useful if the school intends to organize a series of fundraising activities during the school year. Ideally, planning shall be initiated a year before the actual fundraising activities. To learn more about the best fundraising methods, you can check out Fundraising Zone.
Organize Separate Teams for Different Functions
Organizers of a fundraiser need to form separate teams for every facet. A team leader shall look over each team. The idea of forming teams is delegation. Delegation helps the team to focus on the specific tasks assigned to them making the whole process of the fundraising campaign more manageable. It is a good thing to consider forming teams for promotion, team for creativity (tasked to create fundraising images for the marketing), finance team, after-activities team (tasked in sending acknowledgments and thank you notes) and an overall fundraiser manager.
Keep up with the Timeline
A timeline is very useful in monitoring the progress of a certain activity. It is highly important to formulate a timeline and follow its schedule. A timeline also helps the organizing teams to have a clear picture of how they are progressing. Additionally, it also keeps them motivated in continuing their tasks until the fundraising campaign ends.
Inform Everyone of your Goals
Fundraisings are often questioned by parents and would-be donors. This happens when an organizer fails to present the clear goals of a campaign. It is highly suggested that fundraisers need to present what the campaign is for and who will benefit from it. Having the students as the primary beneficiaries of a fundraising campaign, parents, supporters, and donors will not have second thoughts on extending their helping hands.
Plan Execution
When everything is planned and ready, the last thing to do is execution. Plan execution is also an important factor for success. Organizers must faithfully follow the plan. If changes are inevitable, everyone must be consulted before executing alternative courses of action. It is always best to have a contingency plan. A contingency plan helps the organizer to have a ready reference in case some changes happen.
Be Open for Feedback
Feedbacks can either be positive or negative so be ready to acknowledge them with open-mindedness. Be humble when praised, and also be understanding when given negative comments. Take feedbacks positively and consider them as ideas for improvement. Maintaining a good attitude when receiving comments will contribute highly to the success of any fundraising activity for schools.
Consult Help when Needed
A good fundraising organizer knows how and when to seek help. Being too proud to ask for other people’s help will do no good for a fundraiser. Many professional consultants specialize in school fundraising activities. However, checking first with the budget team helps in determining if the organization can afford the help of a professional. Fortunately, there are cost-effective ways of consulting professional help – and some even offer a free consultation.
Consider Online Fundraising
Budget is the main reason why schools can’t help but organize a fundraising campaign. Starting a fundraiser may involve upfront costs. If the budget won’t permit extra expenses, organizers will have a very limited opportunity to start a fundraiser that could best meet the school’s needs. Fortunately, many online fundraising platforms require no cost to start fundraising for schools. Better yet, online fundraising platforms provide all the necessary requirements or steps in initializing the campaign. From start to end, organizations operating online fundraisers have your back.
To summarize, the success of every school fundraising activity depends highly on effective management. Plans, teams, budget, timeline, and goals – no matter how well these things were prepared, a failure in management could make a huge difference in the success of any school fundraising campaign.
