Fundraising: Ideas to engage busy parents

As school budgets feel the pinch, the same conditions are putting the squeeze on the resources families have at their disposal - both financial and otherwise.

Schools may be feeling the sting of a dearth of support from the school community, as a only straggle of one or two parents answer the call for volunteers. Yet, the answer is to select fundraisers that off er easy ordering, a product that people want to buy, and/or no risk arrangements where you pay for what you sell and return the rest.

More families than ever have two parents working and any fundraising aspirations have to take this into account, but according to one high school staff member, the key is to make it easy on the parents.

The good news? Companies are coming to the party with ideas that take the headaches out of fundraising and allow parents to be involved without spending hours baking cakes.

Parents really do want to help, she says, and the key is to let them know what you need in plenty of time: “Issue a steady stream of communications through whichever channels you have - the newsletter, Facebook page, assemblies and so on. We need to remind families that help is needed.”

Parents want to contribute, but they need the fundraising to be straightforward, not too timeconsuming, and profitable enough to warrant their time.

Choosing a provider that makes the process simple is paramount, as is aligning the labour requirements to your specific school community – and don’t forget to involve the kids!

Your student body is fantastic resource of motivated, energetic fundraising operatives and depending on the age of your students, they may be able to leave the parents entirely out of the labour equation. The realism must extend to the age of your students: “Primary schools can run fundraisers that use children’s creativity, such as volunteer card-making workshops at lunchtime leading up to Christmas and Easter, while high school students can probably be trusted to sell chocolates outside the local supermarket after school – depending on your school’s location.”

Mobilising the student body is the domain of school staff , and not something the school can do without you.

All school leaders will have examples of times their students showed amazing determination and creativity in reaching a fundraising goal.

With the guidance of a tenacious staff coordinator, the culture of service and self-responsibility can engender both a sense of accomplishment, and an uplifting atmosphere of school pride.

By Suzy Barry, Industry Reporter

“It was easy and we made $1,200 out of it which was a good start. People liked it because it was healthy. The lady we ordered from was great to deal with and made it all easy. For us, it was brilliant and we will look at doing another one in summer.” - Kim, Manawatu

www.juicies.co.nz Freephone 0800 148 276

Juicies for a healthier fundraiser

Tasman Bay Food Group managing director Marina Hirst Tristram says fundraising products for schools need to be easy to manage, off er good profitability and be good for kids.

“We’re hearing from Marina Hirst Tristram schools (and parents) that they’re looking for healthier fundraising food options than the traditional lollies, chocolate and cookies, which is why schools appreciate that the Juicies in our fundraiser packs are 100 percent natural and are made from real fruit, with a five-star health star rating.” Fundraising can be stressful. With parents’ lives already at capacity, Ms Hirst Tristram suggests “organisers should also look for fundraising products that can be sold through a preordering system or on a sale or return basis so they’re not left with unsold goods.” “Look for fundraising products that fit with your school values, such as being made from simple, natural ingredients, and made in New Zealand. It’s also worth selecting products that kids already know and parents would purchase anyway,” she advises.

Cookie Time tips for fundraising success

For busy New Zealand schools, fundraising needs to be simple, fast and profitable. A high-profile brand and admin support can also help schools more easily reach their goals.

Cookie Time, a Reader’s Digest trusted brand, which already works with children through Cookie Time Charitable Trust and Dyslexia Foundation, has developed a fundraising starter kit that ticks all the boxes.

Cookie Time fundraising manager Linda Paluc recommends aligning fundraising with existing gifting occasions, like Easter and Christmas. “Treats are a perfect addition to any gift, so at festive times sales really boom.”

Ms Paluc says Cookie Time takes the admin out of fundraising, leaving plenty of time to generate sales.

“We have an amazing variety of exclusive products, with promotional and ordering material, credit facilities and quick delivery, plus a team available to answer questions anytime.”

Participating in fundraising can provide real-life learning for students. Backed by a reliable system, their energy, passion and honesty translates into “the most enthusiastic and successful mini sales force there is,” Ms Paluc says.

Fundraising that really works

School fundraising can be a daunting exercise, but The House of Fundraising has partnered with a famous family of chocolatiers to deliver sweet relief to your school community.

The House of Fundraising co-owner, Deb Bennett, says delivering top quality, New Zealand-made Whittaker's chocolate that people love and trust - with exceptional service – takes the sting out of the often-stressful task of managing a fundraising drive.

New Zealand owned and operated, The House of Fundraising saves schools time while they raise money for much needed school projects.

“We understand you're busy so we provide expert assistance and fundraising ideas right from the start to make your fundraising drive hassle-free,” Deb explains.

She says fundraisers, done well, can be both profitable and enjoyable. With a fair percentage of chocolate lovers in every community, the sweet simplicity of chocolate means there may be no finer way to fundraise: “Thirty years' experience means we've got plenty of fundraising ideas and hints to ensure that's exactly what happens.”

Reliable sales plus streamlined service equals fundraising success

What does the modern school community require? A fundraising option that is simple, low-stress in the admin department, and with reliable sales.

Tim Marshall of Packaging Plus says the launch of their new platform, Fundraise Plus, does just that.

“The new online platform will make it easy to raise funds from items commonly used in the home like baking paper, foil, food wrap, toilet paper, bin liners and much more,” he says. “We have invested in a platform that will create a fundraising site using the school’s own branding.”

Mr Marshall says fundraising with the Fundraise Plus platform will be easy: “We have made it that way because we know from first-hand experience it needs to be.”

“We are also off ering a launch promo to schools where we will personally help fundraise an additional $6850 (minimum) for the school in 2018. “With schools and charities raising more than $10,000 in some campaigns, it’s no wonder we have schools coming back, for simple, eff ective fundraising solutions.”

Light up your disco fundraiser with glowing smiles

While glowsticks for the school disco is a timehonoured tradition, Graeme Le Roux, from MISH Fundraising, says that “schools are starting to move away from traditional cheap glowsticks - and instead off ering a higher value LED product that can be reused at home or at another party or sleepover”.

He says this is where the MISH ‘no risk returns’ policy shines: “Schools only pay after the disco for sold stock and return unsold products. This enables maximum sales for maximum profit, with no risk.”

For top notch school disco advice, Graeme says MISH has been in the business of making people smile with glowing and flashing items for more than a decade. To capitalise on children’s natural love of sparkle and light, he recommends displaying them “glowing at the start – when the kiddies see them glowing they’ll want them!”

His parting advice is to encourage the selling team to wear the products so it’s easy for the kids to see where to get their sparkling disco-wear on the night.