The hardest thing to do when you want to start a fundraiser is to get everyone motivated. Making sure that all of the participants are on board and excited about the fundraiser and that they will take the time and expend the energy necessary to sell is a tall task indeed. But, if you realize that this is a challenge ahead of time it gives you an opportunity to prepare and provide a great fundraising experience for everyone.
Fundraising With A Purpose
The very best way to have a motivating fundraiser is companies that give in-kind donations to raise money for something your groups’ members care about. It is so difficult to get people excited to fundraiser for the general fund. They don’t know what that means. They don’t see an immediate and direct benefit to themselves. This is especially true for PTA fundraisers for the general fund. However, if you have something they want like a new playground or you are doing a church building fund fundraiser, it is something tangible and people get excited. Whatever group you are a part of, if you are taking the time to have a fundraiser, you can find something your people care about enough to be passionate for your fundraiser.
Set Fundraising Goals
Another fantastic motivation technique for your fundraiser is to set goals for your sellers. For most people, just telling them to raise money and sell stuff isn’t good enough. They need to be challenged or at least held somewhat accountable. The easiest and least pushy way to do this is to set a sales goal for each fundraising participant. For example, an average fundraising participant will sell 5-10 items. If you have a large group and think getting everyone involved will be difficult you may want to set the goal at 5 items. If someone can’t sell 5 items, they didn’t really try. If however you have a group that is highly motivated it is not unheard of for a fundraiser to average more than 25 items per participant. This aspect of fundraising motivation is completely up to you and your group but it is a good thing to think about before you get started.
