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Selecting The Right Fundraisers

 


Selecting the Right Fundraisers

How to Choose Fundraising Activities That Fit Your Goals and Community

Introduction

Fundraising plays a crucial role in supporting schools, nonprofits, and community organizations. However, not all fundraisers are equally effective for every group. Choosing the wrong type of fundraiser can lead to low participation, limited results, and volunteer fatigue.

Selecting the right fundraisers requires thoughtful planning, clear goals, and an understanding of your community. When fundraising activities align with your organization’s mission and resources, they are more likely to succeed and create a positive experience for everyone involved.

This article explores how to select the most suitable fundraisers, factors to consider, and practical tips for making informed fundraising decisions.

Why Choosing the Right Fundraiser Matters

The success of a fundraising effort depends heavily on how well it matches the organization and its supporters. The right fundraiser can:

  • Increase participation and engagement

  • Reduce stress on volunteers

  • Improve fundraising outcomes

  • Strengthen community relationships

On the other hand, poorly chosen fundraisers may result in wasted time, resources, and enthusiasm.

Key Factors to Consider When Selecting Fundraisers

Fundraising Goals

Start by defining how much money you need to raise and what the funds will be used for. Clear goals help narrow down suitable fundraising options.

Target Audience

Consider who will participate and donate. Parents, students, alumni, and local businesses may respond differently to various fundraising approaches.

Available Time and Resources

Some fundraisers require extensive planning, while others are simple and quick. Choose an option that fits your timeline and volunteer capacity.

Budget and Startup Costs

Evaluate upfront costs carefully. Low-cost or no-cost fundraisers often provide better returns, especially for smaller organizations.

Age and Skill Level of Participants

Ensure the fundraiser is age-appropriate and safe for students or volunteers involved.

Common Types of Fundraisers to Evaluate

Product-Based Fundraisers

Selling items such as food, merchandise, or crafts.

Best for: Large groups and familiar communities
Considerations: Inventory management and upfront expenses



Event-Based Fundraisers

Organizing activities like concerts, dinners, or fun runs.

Best for: Community engagement
Considerations: Planning effort and logistics

Service-Based Fundraisers

Providing services such as car washes or yard work.

Best for: Hands-on participation
Considerations: Weather and scheduling

Online and Digital Fundraisers

Using crowdfunding platforms or online donation campaigns.

Best for: Reaching a wider audience
Considerations: Marketing and online visibility

Matching Fundraisers to Your Organization

The most successful fundraisers reflect the values and strengths of the organization. For example:

  • Music programs may benefit from performance-based fundraisers

  • Sports teams often succeed with physical activity events

  • Academic clubs may prefer educational or service-oriented fundraisers

Alignment increases authenticity and participation.

Avoiding Common Fundraising Mistakes

  • Choosing fundraisers based solely on trends

  • Overloading families with too many events

  • Ignoring community feedback

  • Failing to communicate goals clearly

Learning from past experiences can improve future decisions.

Involving Stakeholders in the Selection Process

Including students, parents, teachers, or volunteers in the decision-making process can:

  • Increase buy-in and motivation

  • Provide valuable perspectives

  • Improve overall participation

Surveys or informal discussions can help identify preferences.

Measuring Fundraiser Success

Success is not only measured by money raised. Consider:

  • Participation rates

  • Volunteer satisfaction

  • Community response

  • Long-term support potential

Evaluating outcomes helps refine future fundraising strategies.

Planning for Long-Term Fundraising Success

Organizations should aim for sustainability rather than short-term gains. Building a balanced fundraising plan that includes a mix of activities can prevent burnout and maintain community support.

Conclusion

Selecting the right fundraisers is a critical step toward achieving fundraising success. By considering goals, audience, resources, and community values, organizations can choose activities that are effective, engaging, and sustainable.

Thoughtful selection leads to stronger participation, better results, and a more positive fundraising experience for everyone involved.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the most important factor in selecting a fundraiser?

Clear goals and understanding your audience are the most important factors.

How many fundraisers should an organization run each year?

Most organizations benefit from one or two major fundraisers per year.

Are low-cost fundraisers more effective?

Often yes, especially for smaller groups with limited resources.

How can organizations avoid fundraising fatigue?

By rotating fundraiser types and limiting the number of events.

Should students be involved in choosing fundraisers?

Yes. Student involvement increases engagement and ownership.

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Summary:

How to advice on selecting the right fundraiser for school, church, or youth sports fundraising. Evaluation criteria and decision factors are provided to help you select the right fundraisers for your group.



Keywords:

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Article Body:

Selecting the right fundraiser is the most important decision you�ll make. Among the key factors are the timing of your fundraisers each year, the quality of the merchandise, selling considerations, delivery considerations, and ultimately, the net profit to your organization.


Think of yourself as running a small business building a reputation for innovation and quality products. What are your financial goals versus expected unit volume numbers, sales revenue versus profit percentage, quality of goods versus cost, acceptable market price points, etc?

 

If you think like a business leader, then you�re on the right track.


First choose a type of fundraiser

There are different types of �best� fundraisers and you have to select what�s best for your organization at this particular time.

 

Your fundraising choices are:


1 - Event-based fundraisers

2 - Direct donation fundraiser

3 - Fundraisers with immediate product delivery

4 - Fundraisers with delayed product delivery


The first decisions you have to make are on the fundraiser category, selecting a fundraising company or distributor as your supplier, and then the actual fundraiser itself.


Decision factors

How do you make that decision? A professional fundraising consultant can often be a big help. You can also check the web, use your personal contacts, review your group�s past records, etc. Most importantly, take some time to gather the information you need to make the right decision.


You can design a simple survey that you can give to past organizers and other key influencers such as local merchants and organizational leaders. Offer clear choices to ease evaluation of replies. Print it out and get quality feedback from within and without your organization on what�s worked well before and what needs improving.


Then, put together a spreadsheet for evaluating and ranking fundraisers. Break the ranking criteria into categories with sub headings in text boxes across the spreadsheet. Numerical rankings should be assigned to what criteria are most important to your group at this particular time for this fundraiser. 


Things to consider when evaluating offerings:


1. Quality of the merchandise items offered

2. Quality of support materials provided such as catalogs

3. References of supplier

4. Availability of free samples or catalogs

5. Service level of supplier such as pre-sorting goods, etc.

6. Hidden costs such as freight, paying for brochures, etc.

7. Hassle factors like replacement goods and refunds policies

8. Special delivery needs such as refrigeration for some foodstuffs

9. Specific needs of organization

10. Previous vs. projected financial performance


Seek wisdom from past experience

Results will vary with the amount of fundraisers done previously, number going on at same time (yours and others), time of year, etc. Look at this fundraiser in context of others � done this one before, done it every year, competing group just did it, or our cheerleaders did this one before and it was a big hit. 


Successful past fundraising ideas could and should be repeated, but remember that your customer base is often close to eighty percent the same customers from year to year. Spice it up; try something new and different that will increase your revenue.