How to Run a Successful School Fundraising Promotion

Interworld Fundraising has long been a partner to Schools across New Zealand. We have helped Groups achieve their goals with over $80,000,000 raised for good causes since 1971. Over this time, we have documented successful techniques that we would like to share with you.

Ways to sell the Chocolate Carry Packs

A confident student in school uniform asking you to help their good cause by purchasing a chocolate bar has a very high success rate. There are multiple people that would be open to purchasing from students including grandparents, aunties and uncles, door knocking, sports clubs, mum and dad’s work, church, standing on shopping streets and asking people as they walk past, and lunchrooms of business etc.

Motivating the students to sell the chocolate themselves using their own ideas for who to approach is also a great learning experience for each student. However, Mum and Dad taking the carry packs to work and selling them to their colleagues is a quick way of selling through the carry pack.

Organiser

Have one organiser, use tally sheets one per classroom. Follow the Steps for Getting Started

Time Frame

Make it short and sharp. Give the children a date to bring back their money. ie use the 10 day Sales Programme or two weeks selling and third week final tidy up.

Incentives

Motivate your children to be first to bring back their money with prizes. For example, the first set number of children will receive a ball and all children who bring the money back in by the end of the second week go into the draw for a prize. If they sell 2 carry packs they have two chances at winning.

Script

Give the children a script, emphasis that they are fundraising for the school and not just selling chocolate.

ie Hi, my name is ….
I am fundraising for ……….. school
so we can …………………….
will you help me by buying a chocolate.

If you have chocolate left over at the end of your promotion ring your Sales Manager or Interworld 0800 272 473 for some ideas on how finish up.

Prize Giving

Once the fundraising drive is over and all money has been collected have a prize giving at the School Assembly. Invite parents along (especially the top 10 student’s parents) and tell the school how successful the fundraising drive was in relation to the goal. Award the top 10 students with a prize and the top student with a special prize. Take a photo and publish it in the school newsletter. Use the Resources section of this website and download the certificate template. Award each participating student a certificate for the fundraising effort that each put in.

Example

Below is an explanation outlining exactly how a Mum of three organized a school wide fundraiser, this was her first time. It was the primary school’s best fundraiser to date.

Lets see, what did I do.  We put little flyers in each of the boxes with a list of who to sell to and the “blurb” to say if door knocking.  We used the BIG Chunky Pack  but you can use whatever one suits you.

When speaking to the kids at assembly on the day the chocolates went out, the key points were:

– Explaining why we are fundraising – sports equipment, computers, etc.

– Give them all the ways and who they could sell chocolate to – door knocking, sports clubs, mum and dad’s work, family, church, etc.

– If they are going door knocking – make sure they wear their uniform – even on the weekend (I must be a cruel mum!), they must speak to in a loud, clear voice and use the blurb on the sticker on the box – putting emphasis on the “can you please help me by buying a bar chocolate” part (I made them repeat this after me). Remember to take change – they must make it as easy as possible for the person to buy chocolate from them.

– They are to remember that they are fundraising for their school – NOT selling chocolate.

– I took the prize up the front of the assembly and fortunately one kid said “wow, whoever wins that, they must be lucky” I then used this and explained that it is hard work that will earn you the prize, not luck (basically just enforcing that they are all able to do this).

The following week, I visited the classrooms to check how they were going, hands up who went door knocking, how did it go, etc, who rung aunties, uncles, etc. who hasn’t done anything? why not?

Week 2, I pretty much left them alone, as we had the ball per box incentive, this kept them going. I spoke to them again at the next assembly just to keep them motivated and to tell me how they sold their box (one boy went into the lunchroom at countdown and sold his entire box there!) I also got every student who had received a ball to stand up and for everybody else to applaud them for doing such a good job.

Week 3, I went to each class with the numbers of students per class who had not returned money/chocolate (ie., there are 7 people in this room who haven’t returned any money, when are you going to have this in?)

I think this was about it. I hope I haven’t bored you too much! It was certainly a fun experience, I am now known as the chocolate lady or the prize lady!

Jo Stevenson

That was how one school completed their successful fundraiser. Now how will you complete yours?
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