This attention is starting to turn toward our schools. With the vast amount of time that a child spends at school each year, this is a very important front in the battle for a building a healthy lifestyle.

Many schools are addressing the issues of soda and candy vending machines in the schools. And although candy sales have long been a successful form of fundraising, some schools are now looking for ways to integrate their desire for good health into their need to raise money to support vital school functions.

Here are a few ideas of physical activities that combine exercise, fun, and the opportunity to generate lots of income.

Golf and Walk
The golf outing has long been a staple in the fundraising world, used by thousands of non-profit organizations. However, many golf outings have focused solely on the golfer. While these events are great at generating camaraderie among those who participate, the very nature of the activity is exclusionary. If you don’t like to golf, you aren’t going to participate, and that limits the amount of money, as well as community spirit you can drum up.

However, there is a solution. The concept of the Golf & Walk event opens up the beauty of a golf course and the fun that comes from enjoying the great outdoors to everyone who wants to support your organization.

I have worked in the past with Champion Events and was very impressed by their customer service and organizational detail. They have great experience with the Golf & Walk. Here is a snippet from their website about this creative and inclusive event:

The Golf & Walk Event is a new event concept that combines a fundraising golf tournament with a unique “walk-a-thon” at the golf course. Walkers walk nine holes on cart paths at a beautiful golf course. They are kept separate from golfers in complete safety. Everyone finishes together at the end for an awards celebration.

All participants raise donations prior to the event. The Golf & Walk Event is planned on a 12-week timeline and mobilizes everyone in your network to raise money for you, not just those 15% of adults who can play golf. Because its foundation is “relational” fundraising in its most effective form, the Golf & Walk Event is currently producing the highest dollar results of the standard Big 3 fundraising events (banquets, auctions, traditional golf tournaments).

“Thons”
One of the most popular fundraising events that promotes physical activity is the concept of the “thon”. I have written about the “Thon” before on TSF, and you can review this information here.

There are so many great physical events that a school can engage in and collect pledges prior to the actual event. Of course, there is a walk-a-thon, but for a younger crowd, a trike-a-thon might be a good idea.

According to the Daily Times in Tennessee, Carpenters Elementary School in Maryville, held a walk-a-thon on May 21, 2008, and raised just under $25,000 for the day! Those are results that anyone would jump up and down about!

Leesa Taylor, a rotating physical education and wellness coordinator for Blount County Schools, and John Dalton, the school’s assistant principal, decided to have a walkathon fundraiser.

The students enjoyed the walkathon and the effort paid off. “We thought (the fundraising) was for a good-cause,” Satterfield said. “It was (also) good exercise for students who wouldn’t normally get much,” she said.

The walkathon coincided perfectly with the school’s physical fitness test and walking works program, Taylor said. The school’s wellness program emphasizes making healthy choices and is about “the total mind set of changing routines, lifestyles and eating habits to stop obesity,” she said.

Flamingo Flocking
Another fundraiser that can be a fun, physical activity is called “Flamingo Fundraising”. I have also previously written on this event, and you can check out the entire article here.

Many groups have used Flamingo Flocking to great success.

West Middle School in Andover, MA, is currently planning their first such attempt. The Andover Townsman newspaper reports on the event, and I have included a few of the highlights from the article below.

West Middle School parents have introduced a flock of 144 of the plastic lawn ornaments to raise money for the school. Local residents can make a donation to have the birds “migrate” to a lawn of a friend or neighbor in town. When the surprised residents wake up to find they’ve been “flocked,” and a group of about a dozen plastic pink flamingoes now reside on their front lawn, they’ll be asked to make a donation to have the birds removed. Or they can pay to send them to roost on another lawn in town.

Folks can also pay for “flocking insurance,” making a donation to West Middle to ensure the pink birds will never show up on their lawn as part of the money-raising effort. A flier explaining the flocking process will be left with the flamingoes at each house.

“It’s all in fun. I think people will be in good humor about it. You don’t see a lot of pink flamingoes around here,” said Tracy Callahan, Parent Advisory Council vice president, with a laugh. “We were looking to try something different that hadn’t been done around here (for a fundraiser), and flocking is popular in other parts of the country. It just looked like a lot of fun. We’re excited about it.”

Between 10 and 12 flocks of flamingoes will circulate on Andover lawns until May 23, and the PAC hopes to “flock” at least 100 different yards in Andover, said Callahan.

Service Projects
Although, this is technically another “thon” type activity, I believe the nature of the event, as well as the overall results, merits its own category on this list.

The phrase “win-win” may be in danger of becoming terribly over-used, but nonetheless, a serve-a-thon as a school fundraiser is certainly an event in which everyone comes out ahead.

Not only can a serve-a-thon raise much needs funds for any school, but it also engages students in a volunteer effort to help others in need.

I have two examples, one large and one small of recent serve-a-thons which can inspire your school to act.

The first is the 15th Annual Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon. This blurb is taken from their website:

What is the Serve-a-thon?
The Annual Serve-a-thon is the largest day of service in the city of Chicago AND the largest fundraiser for Chicago Cares. Thousands of volunteers will come together to improve our city’s schools and raise donations to support the 200+ volunteer programs Chicago Cares manages each month.

Is there a cost to participate?
Yes, a $30 registration donation is required if you are not a member of a team from a Serve-a-thon sponsor company. This non-refundable donation covers the basic cost for each volunteer to participate in the event, which is not only a massive day of service but Chicago Cares’ largest fundraiser. If you are interested in beginning a team from a non-profit group like a church, alumni association, AmeriCorps crew or block club, a donation waiver may be available.

The smaller version of a serve-a-thon is typified by the Sioux Falls Christian School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This information is taken directly from their website:

The Serve-a-thon is a fundraiser where the student body (grades 1-12) and staff serve at various locations in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. This project gives our students and staff an opportunity to put their Christian values into action and to be a blessing to others. Funds are raised by asking friends and relatives to help support this project as a mini-missions trip to the community. The majority of the funds raised are used to help keep tuition affordable for more families desiring Christian education. Ten percent of the funds raised are donated back to a worthy community organization. Some serve projects include: making treats for firemen and policemen, raking leaves for the elderly, collecting items for The Furniture Mission, visiting with residents of nursing homes, offering to help other non-profit organizations and helping with church painting projects.

Car wash

An Exhaustive e-book full of tips, strategies, anything you ever wanted or needed to know about holding a car wash as a school fundraiser.

Erin over at USA Fundraising has some great ideas, as well, for adding a few twists to the average, run-of-the-mill car washes. Especially check out her tops about adding a snack bar to the event.

So says Erin:

On a nice sunny day, people like to get out of the car, stretch their legs, and chat with neighbors at a car wash. Make your car wash an extra special event by setting up a small snack bar for people to buy snacks and cold drinks while they mingle with friends and wait for their shiny clean car!

Here’s an interesting article on how a youth sports team raised $40,000 at their care wash in Utah.

However, there is a serious environmental concern associated with car washes that you should keep in mind and speak to the right local agencies about before you embark on this path. According the website of the Sonoma County (CA) Permit and Resource Management Department:

A car wash is a great way to have fun while raising funds for your school or community group. But did you know that if soapy water enters the storm drain system it will flow directly to the nearest creek? Soap (even if it is biodegradable) is a pollutant that can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life that depend on clean water for their survival. As well as soap, car wash water can carry pollutants such as dirt, oil, and other automotive fluids into our creek.

Conclusion
It seems that in recent years, we parents and educators have been confronted with a growing concern for both our children’s health, as well as their schools’ shrinking budgets. As we work to supplement the school coffers, so that the students have all the opportunities needed for a well-rounded education, we must do this in a way that promoted a healthy lifestyle both now and into the future.

If you have personal experience with running healthy fundraisers of your own, please get in touch. We’d love to hear and share your success!

Therefore, I think you’ve got to come up with creative ideas that will capture the students’ imagination, so that they will badger and pester their parents until they agree to show up.

In this case, I have a few examples of an idea that will definitely get your students’ attention: a Zombie Fundraiser!

This is a perfect idea as Halloween is right around the corner.

Over the past few months, I have come across a few newspaper articles that have reported on different kinds of zombie-themed fundraisers.  These articles haven’t explained exactly how they would raise money, but that’s ok. That really isn’t the point. The point is that however you are going to raise money, you should figure out a way for people to dress up as zombies while doing it.

Planning a walk-a-thon?  Make it a Zombie Walk-a-thon! Car wash? Zombie car wash. (That could be freaky…) How ‘bout a bake sale? Yep, buy your Halloween themed snacks from zombies in front of the grocery store. You get the picture.

Everyone’s going to have fun dressing up and playing dead. Therefore, you’re certain to get more parents and kids to show up for whatever your event it.

Here are some excerpts from the articles I have found…

Fundraising zombies to roam Michigan communities

IT’S A ZOMBIE FUNDRAISER!

Here’s a great suggestion for a small to medium sized fundraising event. It’s a twist on the old “lock people up in a fake jail, and they have to get their friends to pay their bail in order to get out” fundraiser.

That was so 2000’s. Now, the Artwell Gallery in Torrington, Connecticut, has added a creative touch that plugs into a national preoccupation- Zombies. According to the Republican American online newspaper, the non-profit Artwell Gallery conceived an idea to recruit volunteers to dress up as Zombies and kidnap their town’s mayor. The goal was to raise money to offer scholarships for their summer art classes.

So, the group contacted the mayor, told him of their idea and got his permission to “abduct” him. They then collected pledges from the community for their operation. In all, they raised $1,500 for the scholarships, which the group was very happy about.

Here a few things I really like about the what this group did.

First of all, they did something unique. I can guarantee no other local group had conducted a “Zombie” abduction of a political figure for a fundraiser in recent memory, if ever! These days, in order to get people’s attention and their participation, a non-profit organization needs to do something noteworthy. If a group settles for the same old boring car wash or silent auction, the public is going to issue a collective yawn. But a Zombie abduction? This got people off their couches to see what was going on. Everybody loves a Zombie parade down Main Street!

Second, if you look at pop culture lately, there seems to be a national obsession with Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, and the like. You can’t go down to the local Cineplex without seeing at least a couple of these movies on the screen at any given time- usually in 3D, to boot! So, to add that popular twist to a fundraising twist was a brilliant idea and great marketing of their fundraiser!

Third, due to the creative nature of this fundraising event, it was bound to get serious media coverage. Dozens of zombies parading down Main Street on their way to kidnap the Mayor? That’s a lead story on every television station, radio station, and the front page of the paper. All free. What non-profit wouldn’t want that kind of publicity?

And the last thing that impressed me about this event, was that now, this non-profit has a reputation for serious creativity. Their event has set the bar for every other non-profit in their town- as far as originality and fun. They shot themselves straight to the top of the non-profit heap. This kind of positive attention will pay off for them well into the future.

If you are thinking about ways to hold a creative fundraiser for your organization, be sure to put this kind of creative thought into the planning process.

Zombie photo by: Sheba_Also

While we were standing in line, waiting to get into the auditorium, two women from our local Humane Society arrived and began to set up a table right beside the entrance doors. Everybody walking into the auditorium had to walk past it.

The table was complete with brochures, a stand up display board with attractive photos, and a laptop computer that showed a continuous Power Point presentation. There was a stack of humane society coloring books to hand out to the kids. Pictures of stray dogs being hugged by new owners, that sort of thing. They even thought to bring with them a very handsome and well-mannered black mutt to show off as a living, breathing example of the kind of love families could find at the shelter.

As I watched these ladies unpack their display items and set them up, I thought to myself, what an excellent idea! Here we are, waiting to see the play 101 Dalmatians, and we’re all thinking about adorable black and white spotted puppies. We’re here to support our children, and we’re in a good mood- why not make a donation to the Humane Society?

It was so natural.

This is the stuff non-profits have to do to survive these days. They need to find partnerships, even temporary ones, that are a good fit, like the Humane Society teaming up with the 101 Dalmatians play.

By bringing the dog with them, the folks from the Humane Society were able to “break the ice” with the people in line, who might not have otherwise stopped by the table or even made eye contact. But, put a little doggy with sad eyes in front of them, almost nobody can resist. And then the conversation can begin. Brilliant.

If you are a school or a non-profit, take a few minutes to think about how you could replicate this kind of interactive fundraising approach. What assets do you have and what creative ways could they be used to promote your organization?

Ideas? I’d love to hear them in our comment section. Thanks!

Photo by: DougieBoss

This is a guest post written by Nate Jaehnig.  Nate is the owner of AZ Bounce Pro in Arizona, which rents inflatables for school carnivals in his local area.  With his experience in this field, Nate has become very knowledgeable about how many people can actually participate on individual inflatable per hour and how this effects your overall carnival income.  Not all “bouncy castles” have the same earning potential, so read carefully to make sure you are making wise financial decisions. – Jim Berigan

The primary goal of almost every school carnival or fundraiser event is to raise money for a specific cause or organization. Many carnival organizers do not realize one of the best and most effective ways to raise the most amount of money at a school carnival is by maximizing throughput at each ride or activity at their carnival.

What is ride throughput? Throughput is a simple measurement of the number of participants a certain ride, game, or activity can register per unit of time. Throughput is typically measured as a number of participants per hour. It is the single factor that can have the greatest impact on the profitability of a fundraiser or carnival.

You want throughput to be a high number in order to maximize profitability. A high throughput also results in shorter and faster lines at each activity!

When you are assessing which rides or activities to have at your school carnival, throughput should be at the top of your list when evaluating your ride choices. How many participants can you register per hour on any particular piece? Should you go for the inflatable slide or the sumo suits? Throughput will be your guide when you need to make decisions about which activities you want at your event.

There are three things that affect throughput. Participants per play, transition time, and play time are the three factors that affect the throughput number. Participants per play is the number of people per round that can participate on the ride or attraction. Transition time is the amount of time between rounds at the activity. Play time is how long the ride or attraction lasts per play.

Throughput Demonstration

Let’s see how throughput affects carnival profitability by looking at the example of sumo suits and an inflatable slide at a school carnival.

Sumo suits are a popular item amongst older kids at carnivals. It involves two people suiting up in large, over-sized suits and battling each other in a sumo ring. The participant who knocks the other out of the sumo ring wins the game. Let’s examine the throughput of this ride:

-Participants per play: 2 (one in each suit)
-Transition Time: 3 minutes (prior participant un-suits, next participant suits up)
-Play Time: 5 minutes
-Total Time: 8 minutes

Inflatable slides are staples at any carnival. The premise is simple, you climb up the slide and slide down the slide. Let’s examine the throughput of an inflatable slide:

-Participants per play: 1 (this would be 2 for a double slide, 3 for a triple slide, etc.)
-Transition Time: 0 minutes (there is no “suiting up” necessary)
-Play Time: 1 minute
-Total Time: 1 minute

Let’s calculate the throughput for each attraction by using the following formulas:

1. First find the Plays per Hour
(60 minutes) / (Transition Time + Play Time) = Plays per Hour
2. Next find the Throughput
(Plays per Hour) x (Participants per Play) = Throughput

The sumo suit throughput is calculated at 15. The inflatable slide throughput is calculated at 60.

This means that you can get 15 participants through the sumo suit attraction per hour versus 60 participants per hour on the inflatable slide. This shows you that the inflatable slide has a four times greater throughput than the sumo suits! Four times as many people can ride the slide in an hour than the sumo. This makes a big difference in profitability.

How does Throughput Affect Carnival Profitability?

You charge carnival attendees per ride. The more rides that you get during your carnival time frame, the more profit you make. This formula is quite simple! The higher your throughput, the more money you can make on the ride, game, or attraction!

Therefore if the sumo suits have a throughput of 15, and the slide has a throughput of 60, you will need to charge four times as much for a sumo play than a slide play. This will allow you to break even with the slide. Will your guests pay four times as much to do the sumo as opposed to the inflatable slide? If they will not, you will make less profit with the sumo than the slide.

Remember, profitability should guide your decision making and planning for your school carnival. Don’t forget the formula for throughput is a major determinant of running a highly profitable and successful carnival or fundraiser.

Photo by: The National Guard

This idea comes from an article I read about a fundraiser held at the University of Maryland. However, with a few minor tweaks, it can be utilized in a middle or high school setting, as well.

Here’s the excerpt from the article:

Student organizers launched an “Ask Ryan” campaign last semester, where they chalked the phrase all over campus sidewalks, leaving students to wonder who Ryan was.

A few days later, those working with [the fundraising group] wore shirts that read, “I’m Ryan,” to get curious students to ask about the event.

So, for the cost of a box of sidewalk chalk or a few sheets of poster board, plus some cheap t-shirts you could really create some buzz in your school about your upcoming dance-a-thon, carnival, or auction- whatever event your school is holding.

Of course, the people who are organizing the “Ask Ryan” campaign will need to keep their information totally to themselves for the few days the buzz is growing.

And when they put up the poster boards or write “Ask Ryan” on blackboards, white boards, bulletin boards, bathroom mirrors, etc, they’ll need to do it before school starts, so no one sees them do it. Of course, the school administration should be informed, so they don’t accuse some poor kid actually named Ryan of vandalism.

This is a great way to get word of mouth advertising going for your event. And in this day and age where kids are hit with so many marketing messages each day, anything that will legitimately catch their attention and pique their curiosity is golden.

Photo by: o5com

Click here to enroll in Jim Berigan’s FREE year-long school fundraising e-Course!

One of my favorite websites is the PTO Today Message Board. Every once in a while, you come across a fantastic post that is incredibly useful. Just today, I found an excellent post that lists nine tips for holding a school garage sale. I’ve included the first three in this article, but please click here to read the remaining six tips.

Our PTO does one every year. For us, it works this way:

1. We do it the first weekend in March annually. People around here have come to expect it. Because it’s the first weekend, people have money to spend. March is a time when we at least want to think about spring/summer, even though there is typically cold weather for another few weeks, so clothing for all seasons sells (for now or later).

2. We have set prices for as many things as possible. Jeans for adults are $4, kids jeans are $2, hardcover books are $2, paperbacks are $1, clothing (unless otherwise marked) is $.50, etc. Pricing exceptions only saves a lot of time.

3. Have one person in charge per work shift. That person should be comfortable with garage sales in general and understand that this is a fundraiser.

For tips four to nine, click here.  As always, I highly recommend that you become a regular visitor over on the PTO Today message boards!

Photo by: Eastlaketimes

One of the most popular posts on this blog over the past two years has consistently been “You’ve Been Flocked by the Famous Flamingo Fundraiser”.

In case you haven’t read this article or you are unfamiliar with what a flamingo fundraiser is, the concept is this: a non-profit, many times a school group, will purchase several pink plastic flamingo lawn ornaments. (By several, I mean, like, well over 100.)

Click here to enroll in Jim Berigan’s FREE year-long school fundraising e-Course!

Then the members of the group will place these flamingos in the front yard belonging to a family in their organization. This is usually done under the cover of darkness, so that when the family wakes up the next morning, they are surprised to see the new flock on their lawn.

The group will also leave the family a “ransom” note, which makes clear the details of the fundraiser once again. The letter also explains that the birds will be removed for a fee/donation of $20 (or whatever affordable amount the group chooses). This money will be passed along to the school or the charitable organization. Along with the ransom note, the group includes a donation envelope that can be picked up when they return to collect the flamingos.

This process is repeated for several nights in a row. All of this is done in good fun, and if a family really doesn’t want to pay up, the group will remove the flamingos without charge, but with frowns on their faces, of course.

Many non-profit groups have tried this novel fundraising event with terrific success. Not only do they raise a lot of money, but they also have a great time planting the flamingos, which builds up a wonderful community spirit.

So, if your school would like to try Flamingo Fundraising, here are ten helpful hints to make it safe, enjoyable, and profitable.

1. Clearly communicate to your group what a Flamingo Fundraiser is well before you actually plant the birds in someone’s yard. You don’t want unsuspecting homeowners thinking they are being vandalized or robbed when the kids show up to set out the flock. This method of fundraising might still not be widely known to most people, so you’ll need to clearly spell out for them in the letter how your fundraiser works. Put all this information in a letter, on your website, on flyers posted at the school, and be sure to tell all the kids about it. They will help tell their parents.

2. Buy a lot of birds to plant. The more flamingos you have in play, the more money you will make. Although you will have to pay for the birds the first time, they quickly pay for themselves and the profits start rolling in. Let’s do some  math: If you had 10 flocks of 12 birds each and you received $15 per day to remove each flock you planted, and you did this for 30 days, you’re group would raise $4500 in one month!

3. Create two different flock sizes- one for residential homes, which would be smaller, and a larger size flock for businesses. Of course, you can get away with asking for a bigger donation from the businesses. Good business targets are doctors’ offices, lawyers’ offices, and accountants’ offices.

4. Coordinate the timing of your flamingo event with a holiday, like Valentine’s Day. This is a good idea for a couple of reasons. First, most people are in a good mood around the holidays, so the “grump” factor is much lower, so you’ll probably encounter less people refusing to pay. Second, for an extra fee, you can add on to your fundraiser by offering to deliver a holiday card along with the flamingo flock.

5. When you plant the flock, you should also plant a yard sign (you’ll have to get these made up separately) that says something like, “You’ve Been Flocked by the Lincoln High Volleyball Team!” This will give your group an extra shot of publicity when people drive by the flock.

6. When you announce the ground rules of the event to your community, tell them that once they have been flocked, for an extra fee, they can choose the next family to get the treatment. In addition, this family can purchase “Flamingo Insurance” which will protect them from retaliation.

7. You can also sell flock insurance ahead of time for any families that don’t want their lawn to be invaded by flamingos or the people who plant them there.

8. Make sure you inform your flocking teams to be ultra-polite and courteous of the families they are flocking. If they encounter the targeted family during the raid, they should be friendly and explain what they are doing. There is nothing malicious about this fundraiser, but sometimes young people can get carried away in the “undercover” nature of the mission. Along these same lines, anyone planting flamingos must promise to be 100% respectful of the people’s property while they are on it. Any damage to property, even inadvertently committed, can spell the end of this fundraiser for your organization, along with a negative reputation in your town.

9. That being said, make sure the groups have a good time doing this. They can dress up in camouflage gear and wear face paint.

10. When recruiting volunteers for this fundraiser, you should split the overall group into smaller teams, each one responsible for managing an individual flock of 12-15 birds. There must be a RESPONSIBLE adult assigned to each group who will enforce the rules, keep the kids safe, and protect the homeowners’ property. There should also be an alternate or back up adult for each group in case the primary parent can’t make one night.

11. You should also set a specific time limit and hours of operation window for the flamingo planting missions. This will depend on the time of year (when it gets dark) and the age of the kids on the raid. Take into account safety, local curfews for youth, and just the general level of comfort parents would have with their kids being out of the house. Once your organization has established these time policies, make sure all the individual groups are aware of them and promise to stick to them. Any group caught plating outside of these time frames should be suspended from participating in the fundraiser.

12. The overall coordinator must keep in good contact with the adult from each team and make excellent record of who has already been flocked, who has purchased insurance, and who absolutely doesn’t want to participate. The coordinator will also collect and keep track of all the donations that come in during the span of the event.

13. Create a press release about the flamingo event you are running with all the important information about your group and their goals. Write a little about the nature of this kind of fundraiser, as well. Then send it out to all the media outlets in your community. A flamingo Fundraiser is a fun, light-hearted story and they might pick up on it. That could result in people calling your directly and requesting to be flocked or to send a flock along to someone else. That’s more money for your group, so spread the word!

According to The Advocate (Stamford newspaper), the students at Stamford High School have taken to operating a bake sale every single day. It takes place in the time before school starts each morning. There are over 70 different student groups that sign up for the time slot on different days. An average morning of bake selling can bring in upward of $200.

The article is quick to point out that in addition to all the sweet morning treats, there are often healthier options, such as bottled water and mandarin oranges. Some groups even bypass food altogether and collect money in other creative ways.

Wow. Can you imagine being faced with fundraising efforts every single morning? I mean, who do they think they are? It would be absolutely unbeara- …wait a second. Going into a place each morning where they sell muffins, bagels, coffee, juice, etc. and paying money in exchange for these goods. Hmmm. Where have I heard this idea before? Oh yeah, it’s called a gas station or a Starbucks, or one of those little drive-thru shacks. Except, instead of making the gas station owners rich, I’m giving it to a school-related cause.

I think this is a brilliant idea! Here is a school that knows it needs to raise money to support all of these extra activities and it allows its students to really get involved in helping themselves.

Could this idea work at your school for your group? People, especially high schoolers (and teachers!) spend their disposable income on food like this anyhow. Why have them spend it at some store down the road?

If a typical student spends just $5 a week on these bake sale items, by the end of a 36 week school year, he’s made a total gift of $180. Does this exceed what he might raise if you only hold a couple of fundraising events a year?  Which are you more likely to get close to 100% participation in- a product sale or a bake sale?  Also, what percentage of the profits do you get to keep from a product sale?  40%? 50%?  In a bake sale the group keeps 100%. 

Granted, a product sale can raise much more money in a condensed period of time.  However, with more and more parents balking at the idea of their children becoming candy bar salesmen, this daily bake sale approach may be growing in its appeal.

(For more outstanding reasons to hold a bake sale, please visit my previous post “9 Ways to Rake in the Dough at Your Next Bake Sale“)

Think about it.

Sometimes, I wish I weren’t so terrified. I see people have all sorts of fun putting their cash on the line. From the high stakes poker tables in Vegas to lottery tickets at the gas station, it looks like I’m really missing out on something.

But, no longer! Now, I get to experience the massive endorphin rush that gambling offers without any of the risk. And, everybody’s a winner!

“How’s that even possible?” you ask with shock and disbelief.

Well, there’s great news! The wonderful folks over at FastTrack Fundraising have two styles of discount scratchcards and these looks like fun way to raise money for your school.

Honestly, I never used scratchcards as a fundraising tool when I was an elementary principal, only because I was unaware of this great opportunity. However, now that I have learned all about them, I would definitely have added this nifty little trick to my bag.

For those of you who haven’t ever traveled down the scratchcard path, here’s what you need to do:
1. Read this article from top to bottom
2. Go to the FastTrack Fundraising and read all the details
3. Order a FREE sample scratchcard from them by calling 1-888-778-2580

Really, it’s that easy. 1-2-3.

A brief description of how discount scratchcards work:

Scratchcards are a different kind of school fundraiser that can earn your school group up to 90% profit.

Basically, a scratchcard is a small tri-fold booklet that contains a card of colored “scratch-off” circles- you know, the kind you use a nickel on. (I love to scratch those things off, and now I don’t have to gamble to do it!)

FastTrack Fundraising has two styles of scratchcards.  There is one with 30 scratch off dots and one with 60.  The donation amounts on the 30 dot version range from $1 to $5.  The 60 dot card starts at $0 (free) and tops out at a whopping $2.50.

Both versions of the scratchcard have the same object and work the same.  Both also have identical “complimentary”coupon sheets (more about the coupons in just a minute…).

Here’s how the process works:

Let’s say your Uncle Joe agrees to donate to your school. You hand him the 30 dot scratch card, and he uses a coin or his thumbnail to scratch off one of the colored dots. Under the scratch off stuff, he’ll find a dollar amount. With this 30 dot version, the maximum amount he could find would be $5.00. However, he could get lucky and get one of the $1 circles.

Of course, the card (Just like “the house”) is stacked against poor Uncle Joe, as there are far more max amounts than the minimum. (Get over it! This is a fundraiser…)

As a “thank-you” to Uncle Joe for playing, you collect the amount he owes you and you hand him a valuable sheet of coupons for businesses that most people shop at everyday (including, most probably, Uncle Joe.)

You then repeat this process until all of the colored dots on your scratch card are revealed. If your card has 30 dots, that’s 30 people you can approach. (Or, you can approach the same person thirty times, but as a professional, I don’t recommend that.) Each card raises up to $100, and your students can have multiple cards, so it can really be an effective fundraiser.

New Custom, Personalized Cards

The new personalized cards have three big advantages over the original cards: first you get your group’s picture right on the front of the card.  These cards only have 30 dots, with amounts ranging from $1 to $5 so you don’t have to ask as many people.

Top 6 Reasons to choose the new Personalized Scratchcards

1. Each card raises up to $100
2. With only 30 dots per card, it’s fast and easy
3. You get 10% free bonus cards
4. Cards come with free coupon sheets for supporters- up to $75 in savings on stuff they buy every day.
5. For an extra touch of team spirit, you can get your group photo printed on your cards!
6. You raise up to 90% profit

Seriously, go to FastTrack Fundraising to see for yourself the difference with these custom scratchcards are and order yourself a free sample.

Call for your Free Sample – 1-888-778-2580

High Profit Margin

After all, the whole point of a fundraiser is to earn money for your school, and with scratchcards, up to 90% of the money brought in is pure profit.

This has several advantages. First, those who donate can feel confident knowing that almost all of the money they give goes directly to help your school. It also shows that you appreciate their support and respect their decision to donate.

Save Money and Reward your Sales Force

Since there is very little overhead, a portion of the funds available could be used to provide prizes to the people who sell the cards. Another option would be to request prize donations from area businesses, putting more money raised directly back into the school. The prizes could be something as simple as a coupon for a free round of miniature golf or a pizza party.

Consider offering a lot of small prizes to award those who get the cards done the quickest. It’s always better to reward many of your group members, rather than just a select few. That way they will be more open to take part in your next fundraiser.

Conclusion

Discount Scratchcards are a great way to add a little variety into your fundraising calendar. If you’ve been doing the same old product sale year after year, here’s a great way to liven things up. The profit margin is high, they’re easy to sell, they’re cheap to buy, and people absolutely love scratching off those little circles. This is the closest I’ll probably ever come to Vegas again!

When you are developing an investment portfolio, it is wise to diversify. It’s good to have a little of this and a little of that, so that if one industry falls down, your entire portfolio won’t be negatively affected.

I think that you should approach your school fundraisers in a similar fashion. You’ll have one or two major events that are time intensive, like a golf outing or auction, but you’ll also have the comparatively less intensive ones, like selling cookie dough or chocolate.

I want to draw your attention, however, to one fundraiser that is so easy, all you have to do is tell people about it and then deposit the checks.

eFundraising, which is a division of Readers Digest, has an amazing program for magazine sales. The concept is very simple.

The first thing you have to do is sign up for your own online magazine shop. The “wizard” on the eFundraising site helps you with this very simple process.

The next thing you do is email all of the people in your community with the link to the online magazine store. There are over 700 magazines available, with many of the most famous periodicals available today. Prices are up to 85% off the cover prices, so your families will get a great deal on something they would have bought on their own anyway.

And that’s it! Once the families purchase the magazines, your school will get a check for 40% of the subscription price.

In the past, I’ve written that non-profits should strive for at least 50% of the profits from a product sale, but I will make this exception, because the process is so simple and automatic. The requirement of time and effort on your part is so minimal that 40% is actually incredibly generous.

The other advantage to this magazine sale is that it can run all year long! You aren’t confined to a two week sale, for instance. You can start this magazine fundraiser at the beginning of the year, and it can run all the way until June. Whenever a family orders a subscription, you get a check. Not a bad set up, huh?

And, it gets better. eFundraising is giving away incredible incentive prizes for top sellers each month. For the months of July to December of 2008, they are giving away an Apple iPhone ($400 cash equivalent) to the person who sells the most subscriptions of all participating groups! Click here to learn how to enter the contests.

Having been the principal of an elementary school, I know how exhausting fundraising can be. The amount of labor that can go into raising money is astronomical. Therefore, I absolutely love any method of fundraising that requires so little from me, yet the money keeps rolling in. I strongly urge you to take a closer look at the magazine program through eFundraising. It is well worth your time and effort!