Cookie dough fundraising is an easy and fun idea that can yield you some decent profits, and best of all, your supporters and your fundraising team will both love the product you’ve chosen. The best way to get started with cookie dough school fundraising is to sit down with the other adults and have an organizational meeting.

The more people you can get to help with this, the better, but clear delegation is important. There are two types of people who show up to fundraising meetings: those who really don’t want to be there and don’t want to volunteer for anything, and those who think they know best about everything having to do with fundraising, and want to control everything.

As the person in charge, it’s up to you to put the enthusiastic people in clear roles with clear boundaries, so that nobody steps on anybody’s toes and every requirement is taken care of. Once you have the adults sorting out, cookie dough school fundraising begins to take on a life of its own.

The enthusiasm of children is remarkable, and this will come across to your supporters, who love cookie dough anyway, but will especially love buying it to help the kids out. For younger children, make sure they have someone to accompany them when they go out fundraising, as they will be collecting and walking around with money as they go.

I recently came across a great article that talks about various strategies to keep that initial momentum going and not suffer from the emotion drop off that can really hurt your overall success.  The following is an excerpt from the article. To read the entire piece, please click here.

How to Keep Your School Fundraiser from Dragging

by Clay Boggess

A primary goal for your school fundraiser should be to reach your money goal in as short a period of time as feasible. The idea that the longer you give your students to sell the more money you will make is not necessarily true. In fact, this philosophy can also work against you. The longer your fundraiser lasts, the lower the sense of urgency that your sellers will have and the more they will tend to procrastinate. Most actual selling takes place during the first 3-4 days of the sale so a two week selling period is usually optimal. Here are some things that you can do to ensure that your fundraiser doesn’t turn into a longer drawn-out experience.

Define and promote your end date

Make sure that your end date is set in everyone’s minds before your fundraiser ever starts. This includes reinforcing the date with you school staff and parents. You will also want to announce it to your students at your fundraiser kickoff as well as promote it throughout your sale. Put your end date in your parent letter as well as publicize it on Facebook. We provide our customers with a school fundraising guidebook which includes pre-made form notices that you can send home reminding parents about your fundraiser end date. The point is, make a big deal about when order forms and money are due by announcing it as often as possible and in as many ways as you can.

Have consequences for late orders and enforce them

You are bound to have stragglers so be ready for them. If you plan to accept order forms after the end date for your fundraiser, let people know that they only have a certain time period to turn them in. We ask our sponsors to mail their order forms to us for processing about a week after their end date. This allows time for them to collect and process late orders. Any late orders that come in after that time can still be faxed in; however, we encourage them to set an additional 2 day deadline date for faxed orders as well. Any orders that come in after that are not guaranteed to ship with the original order but rather will arrive in a separate late shipment.

Follow up with late money as quickly as possible

TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THE ARTICLE, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL

Photo by: ben.ramirez

I was amazed at how many of the kids were wearing those little rubber bracelets with a cause slogan printed on them. You know, like the yellow LiveStrong ones that Lance Armstrong made so popular a few years back.

Among this particular bunch of kids, breast cancer bracelets seemed to be all the rage, which makes sense, since this is breast cancer awareness month.

This made me think of what a good fundraiser rubber bracelets would be for a school. Then, I remembered that FastTrack Fundraising, the sponsor of this blog, actually has these wristbands available on their website at a very reasonable cost.

Custom Fundraising Bracelets

How Bracelet Fundraising Works

	Choose your fundraising bracelet color and font. Need to split up colors? No problem – just mention it in the comments box during checkout.
	We will print and ship your rubber wristbands in 10-13 business days. Need it sooner? No problem! We have a 6-day rush production available.
	Give them to supporters as a “thank-you” for making a donation or sell each bracelet for $2.00 – making up to 75% profit!

Custom wristbands are a fantastic complement to any fundraiser. Either sell the silicone bracelets on their own, or give them as a “thank-you” to supporters for their generosity!

These pure silicone fundraising wristbands are just like the Livestrong cancer bracelets that have become so popular. Now your supporters can show their support for YOUR group!

Your fundraising bracelets are made from 100% silicone - comfort-quality, durable, andfashionable.

We guarantee the quality of the bracelets and your satisfaction. If you don’t like them, we’ll replace them!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

This year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die from the disease. Every three minutes in the U.S. a women is diagnosed with breast cancer. Show your support for breast cancer by creating your own breast cancer fundraising bracelet.

Learn more about Breast Cancer:

» National Breast Cancer Foundation
» National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
» National Institute of Health

What Will YOUR Fundraising Bracelet Look Like?

We can print any standard pantone color!

Pricing & Profit – How much do you want to fundraise?

 Each bracelet can sell for $2.00, or give it in exchange for a donation!
 Price includes deboss (imprint), 1 color font, 1 color bracelet, standard 10-13 business day delivery
 6 business day rush production and delivery available

P.S. Order today to receive your bracelets in 10-13 business days. We provide FREE SHIPPING nationwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I split my order up with different colors?

Yes, you can split up the order with different colors. There is a minimum requirement of 200 bracelets per color and the message does need to be the exact same or there would be a charge of $30.00 per additional message that you want put on the bracelet. If you wanted to order different colors, simply place your order online and in the comments put that each of the orders is part of a larger order.

Can I choose a different color from those that are offered?

Yes, all we need is the Pantone color code of color you would like. Here is a sample selection. If you would like the swirl/marble pattern on a color, it’s free! We can also do glow-in-the-dark for an extra 5c per bracelet.

Can I choose a different font from those that are offered?

Yes, all we need is the font file and we can print your desired font.

What sizes do you have available?

Circumference: Standard (adult) is 8.3/8″, children’s band is 5.7/8″.
Width: Standard width is 0.5 inches, extra wide is one inch.

What is the character limit?

We can fit a maximum of 25 characters on you bracelet.

What is the minimum order?

The minimum is 100 bracelets.

How long will it take to receive the fundraiser?

You will receive your fundraiser 10 – 13 business days after it has been processed. For an additional cost, we can get the order to you within 6 business days. The additional rush production cost would be an additional 30% of your total amount due.

Can I put a logo/special character on the bracelet?

Yes, all you need to do is send in the special character or logo to logos@fasttrackfundraising.com. Keep in mind that the logo will need to be in black and white and it needs to be a solid logo.

It can be tough to find an item to sell for your school that meets all of these criteria.  However, FastTrack Fundraising has an excellent solution.  It’s the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Fundraiser.  Read on to find out how this fundraiser works, what kind of money you can raise in your school, and even read reviews of how this fundraiser has worked in other schools.  I think you’ll be very impressed!

Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Fundraiser

Jack Link’s Beef Jerky has produced the world’s finest meat snacks for more than 100 years. Due to popular demand, the eXtreme Stick is finally available for fundraising!

You get quality and nutrition you can count on, with pure beef seasoned to perfection, No sugar and high in protein. As a nutritious snack and quick meal alternative, your supporters won’t stop at just one.

Each X-Stick case contains 360 1.25 oz sticks that can be stored for up to 9 months—no refrigeration needed.
Each Mixed Meat case contains 2 carrier cases that each contain 30 Original Flavor X-Sticks (1.25oz), 24 Beef Steaks (1oz), and 46 Beef Sticks (0.92oz) for a total of 200 items.

Nutrition Information: Original X-Stick | Pepperoni X-Stick

Delivered in 2-9 business days

Pricing Price per Case Profit X-Sticks Buy 1-2 cases $216.00 40% Buy 3-9 cases $198.00 45% Buy 10+ cases $180.00 50% Mixed Meat Buy 1-9 cases $120.00 40% Buy 10+ cases $110.00 45% * Each X-Stick sells for $1, each X-Stick case sells for $360 * Each X-Stick case contains 12 boxes of 30 beef sticks (360 total) Select the type of beef jerky and number of cases: Jack Link’s Pack Cases X-Stick Original Flavor X-Stick Pepperoni eXtra Flavor Mixed Meat Fundraising Kit (1.25 oz. Original X-Sticks, 1 oz. Beef Steaks, and 0.92 oz. Beef Sticks) Total Cases: 0 Total Price: Your Profit:

How Beef Jerky Fundraising Works

	Order a case of beef jerky. Delivered in 2-9 business days.
	Sell each beef stick for just $1.00. Tip: Bring them to events and meetings – they sell super quickly!
	Each case raises a total of $360.00 - up to 50% Profit!

Useful links:

• Download Beef Jerky X-Stick Brochure (331KB PDF)

P.S. We provide FREE UPS SHIPPING nationwide – best prices and highest profits guaranteed!

 Tchs Pep Club raised $594.00 with Jack Links Beef Jerky fundraiser - Sep 12
 Chisum Beta Club raised $594.00 with Jack Links Beef Jerky fundraiser - Sep 9
 Alethia Christian Theater, Inc. raised $432.50 with Jack Links Beef Jerky fundraiser - Sep 8
 Warren Music Boosters raised $1,100.00 with Jack Links Beef Jerky fundraiser - Sep 8
 Bowling World raised $594.00 with Jack Links Beef Jerky fundraiser - Sep 7

Customer Reviews : Beef Jerky Fundraiser

Avg. Customer Review (4.7 Stars): 
Number of Reviews: 24

Jr. Class Parent, May 24, 2011 Reviewer: Linda Thomas from Western Hills High Jr. Class 0 of 0 people found this review helpfulThis is a very quick and easy fundraiser to do. We will do it again when school starts again in August. Was this review helpful to you?

Beef Jerky Sales, February 16, 2011 Reviewer: Mrs. Bird from Linda Elementary School 2 of 4 people found this review helpfulOur Beef Jerky fundraiser is going very well. The kids really like the taste and the price is right. The only thing I would recommend is the speed of the shipment. It would be nice to get the product right away and receive a bill, rather than sending payment first. We have had to wait quite a while in the past for our Jerky. Was this review helpful to you?

Quick and Easy, February 16, 2011 Reviewer: Todd kirschbaum from Tomah Middle School Team 6-1 0 of 0 people found this review helpfulThe Beef jerky fundrasier was very easy. I like the how quickly I recieved the product once it was ordered. And how fast the items sold. My students earned their money in the matter of days. Thank you for you help. Was this review helpful to you?

Easiest item to sell!, February 15, 2011 Reviewer: Sandy from BSA troop 787 0 of 0 people found this review helpfulWonderful response to sales. Product sells itself. We are even below Walmart’s everyday low price and people are helping out the scouts by our fundraising efforts. WIN WIN Was this review helpful to you?

Aztec Cross Country, February 15, 2011 Reviewer: Rich Bradarich from La Quinta High School (CA) Cross Country 0 of 0 people found this review helpfulThis is the third Beef Jerky Fundraiser we have held in the last year and a half or so. All fundraisers have been successful. We have sold increasing quantities each fundraiser the most recent fundraiser being 5 cases (12 bags of 30 sticks each bag in a case). Fundraiser takes less than two weeks to complete. Easy sell, kids enjoy selling to their friends. Minor issue is delivery after placing order sometimes 10 days or so. All in all we will continue using this fundraiser. We raised approximately $900 on this last fundraiser.

I regularly tell you readers to make sure you are offering a variety of fundraising options to your students and their families. Not everyone is going to be fired up for a walk-a-thon or an auction. Therefore, in order to get as many people as possible participating in at least one kind of fundraiser, make sure you cover all the bases.

Fast Track Fundraising is a great place to start. They offer all sorts of items you can sell very quickly and for big profits. Most importantly, these are products that have already proven popular in many schools around the nation. You’re not going to have to wonder if your fundraiser will be popular with your families or not.

I urge you to spend some time reading the reviews of their individual products. This will give you valuable insight into how a particular fundraiser worked.

Fast Track also has great customer service. If you have any questions, you can call them for quick and pressure-free answers.

Below, I have included just a fraction of what you’ll find on the FastTrack website. Go check it out!

Thanks!

Jim Berigan

Donation Fundraisers

• Unique ways to collect donations
• Easy online ordering
• Guaranteed highest profits

Fundraising Bracelets Sell custom awareness bracelets for a $2 donation	Spinners Fundraiser Supporters spin and give the amount the arrow lands on.	Scratch Card Fundraiser Supporters scratch and give the amount revealed. Raise $100 per card!

Bigs And Littles–campus Ministry raised $800.00 with Cookie Dough fundraiser – Apr 14
Rosamond Red Racers 4h raised $432.00 with Lollipops fundraiser – Apr 13
Hazelwood Christian Church raised $2,087.40 with discount card fundraiser – Apr 12
Mcgill-toolen Softball raised $480.00 with Popcorn fundraiser – Apr 11
Cub Scouts raised $850.00 with Jack Links Beef Jerky fundraiser – Apr 11

TESTIMONIALS

Good discount cards, easy to assemble, someone is always available to answer questions
- Ginger Thomas (Antietam Class Of 2012)

Fast Track was quick about getting my orders delivered. Since we only had a few days in which to go out selling, we were thankful for the quickness in the delivery. Also, having the 10 day delay in payment helped out. I will definately do business with this company again.
- Tammy (New Hope Volleyball )

I must say that I am completely impressed with Fasttrack and your “above & beyond” customer service. I can’t remember the last time I have received such impeccable care.
- Judy Rayls (Pleasant Hill Pto)

Need More Information?

Call us toll free at 1-888-778-2580 or email us at info@fasttrackfundraising.com. We’re here 24/7 to help you with fundraising ideas!

I have even gone so far as to suggest that you conduct a survey of the teaching staff, the administration, and the parents before you ever think of actually starting a new fundraising campaign.

The reason for this survey would be to make sure that everyone, or at least a majority of the people, are on board with what you’re trying to raise money for. If you don’t have “buy-in” from the people who are supposed to be writing the checks, the following will happen:

• Your fundraiser will fail to raise the money you need
• You, as a fundraising volunteer or employee, will look dumb for putting out a half-baked idea
• You’ll get parents all riled up and risk losing their support for future fundraisers
• You’ll make the school look like it’s out of step with the wishes of the families

Well, all of this hoopla is currently going on at an elementary school I just read about. According to Amy, a blogger at the Cincinnati branch of the MomsLikeMe.com blog site, her child’s school just sent home the details of a catalog fundraiser that would raise money to put a Nintendo Wii video game system in every first and second grade classroom in the school.

Amy is asking the same questions that many parents at the school are posing to the school administration, namely:

“Why not use the resources for additional textbooks or library books? for an educational fieldtrip? to help the teachers with the things they need in their rooms that might otherwise come out of their pockets?”

Amy’s blog post received much interest and many comments. This one was typical of the responses,

“I personally would not support this fundraiser. Furthermore, I would return the information to the school with a note attached expressing my dislike.” (From TheMeanMom)

As if this weren’t enough damage, it seems that this school has also committed another cardinal sin, according to my rules for smart school fundraising. Amy writes that,

“I think I was even more bothered by this particular fundraiser because it was not only expensive (insanely so!), but is in direct competition with “Market Day”, which is a big form of PTA sponsored fundraising that our schools have been involved with for years and years.”

So, not only did the school fail to get parental input on what they would be raising money for, they started competing against themselves by using a rival catalog seller. This could definitely hinder other fundraisers at the school in the immediate future. I know, personally, that I would only give to one catalog sale if two came at me, one right after another. This is really poor planning.

So, the moral of this cautionary tale is to always make sure you are plugged into the wants and needs of the people you are asking to donate to your cause. A second moral would be to not step on the toes of other well-established fundraisers, unless you have a very good reason for doing so.

This whole situation just seems to me that the school, or the fundraising arm of the school, did a very poor job in long-range planning. I hope that you take this advice to heart.

Photo by: SecondPrint Productions

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!

Are you concerned about losing too high a percentage of your fundraising income back to the company you’re working with?

Are all the other organizations in your community doing the cookie dough and the candy bar fundraiser, and you want something that will set you apart?

Are you getting the message from your school families that they want to buy something that they will actually use?

Well, FastTrack Fundraising has a great solution that will answer all of the above concerns and will get your school earning right away!

The product is called Spinners. Here’s how it works:

• Order one customized Spinner with your group’s name and logo printed on the cover (logo must be black and white). Each Spinner is the size of a standard DVD case and contains a spinning arrow which when spun, will land on various donation amounts ranging from $1.00 to $4.00. Order today to receive your Spinners Fundraiser in 2 to 7 business days (refer to map), free shipping.
• Invite friends, family and neighbors to spin the arrow two or more times for their donation amount.
• Give supporters a sheet of coupons worth over $100 from our national corporate sponsors as a “thank you” for their fundraising contribution. Each coupon sheet contains 12 coupons.

• Spinners® is the World’s First Re-Usable Fundraiser.
• Earn an Average of $210 Per Group Member!
• Earn up to 97.6% profit
• No Money Up Front Needed
• Supporters love it because they get $100 of coupons!

About the Coupons:

• Each Spinner contains 50 sheets of coupons – 1 for each donor who spins a minimum of 2 times.
• After the 2 spins, the fundraising member tears off 1 full sheet of coupons on the perforated edge and writes the donor’s name and the amounts that were spun on the receipt portion that is left behind in the Spinner.
• The fundraising member then collects the total due in cash or a check made out to your group. The average donation is about $4.
• When your fundraiser is completed each member of your group will turn in their collected funds along with their Spinner and receipts. If all the coupons have been given out your Spinners® will produce an average of $210 in donations!

Parents, families and students just go online to order their favorite magazines and 40% goes to the school. These magazines are all offered at discounted prices – up to 95% off newsstand prices – so it’s a great deal for everyone.

Parents or students simply enter email addresses of friends and family into the online system.  A personalized email is then automatically sent out inviting them to order magazines through your group’s customized website. The magazine company processes and sends all the orders.  Your students or parents do not have to handle money or fulfill these orders!

Just be sure to promote your fundraiser with publicity efforts, making sure all the families in the school know about the discount magazine subscription fundraiser.  Remind them several times throughout the year, especially before gift giving holidays, about the program to increase your success.

Find Out More About a Magazine Fundraiser