Is It Too Early to Start Thinking About 2008-2009? Five Items to Keep in Mind.

Having just pushed our clocks ahead one hour and realizing that the official start to Spring is less than two weeks away, I am starting to think seriously about Summer. Living in northern Lower Michigan, we keep our snow well into April, so I am definitely dreaming of mowing my lawn, going canoeing down the AuSable River, and hiking through the Jordan River Valley with my kids.

However, there are a few very important items that anyone who works as a school fundraiser should start thinking before we slide into summer vacation mode. Here is a list to consider.

1. How Have You Improved Your Own Skills And Knowledge Base This Past Year?
Even if you serve as an unpaid volunteer, it is always wise to push yourself in constructive ways. Over this past year, what sorts of books have you read regarding school issues? Have you subscribed to school-issue newsletters like PTO Today or Top School Fundraisers? Have you attended any local conferences or networked with people in your position at other schools?

If you are going to continue serving in the capacity of a school fundraiser, you should constantly be on the look out for new ideas, new strategies, and new inspiration. In the long run, your efforts to stay current will not only benefit the school, but it will also keep you excited and engaged in your own daily pursuits.

If you find that you haven’t actively engaged in this kind of knowledge acquisition in recent months, however, I would strongly suggest either finding ways to “plug in” to the greater world of school fundraising or start to consider if this is really a calling for you.

2. What Are Your Personal Time Commitments For Next Year?
I’ve never been much of a believer in January being the first month of the year. To me, the start of the school calendar has always been much more of a significant beginning. But regardless of when you start your internal calendar, life changes from year to year. Children grow up, families move, jobs change, and responsibilities shift. Even though September of 2008 seems like a long way away, right now is the perfect time to start assessing if you will be able to commit to the school in the coming year.

If you are not going to be able to put in the same or greater time and energy on your fundraising activities, you need to start finding replacements in the very near future. Once summer arrives, it becomes more difficult to get commitments out of people.

So, in fairness to the school and to you, I recommend spending a few minutes thinking about where you plan to be in the next six months and whether those plans involve your child’s school.

3. What Will Your Team Look Like Next Year?
If, after your own personal assessment, you decide that you will be able to give of your time and talent for the upcoming school year, you should start lining up your team. First, you need to give them the same opportunity you took in determining if you would be re-committing. So often, people forget to do this kind of self-assessment and therefore fail to plan accurately. You don’t want to “think” you’ve got your main assistant all lined up and then she bails on you in mid-August. As the leader, you can remind your core volunteers to avoid this potentially troubling scenario.

Second, if you find out that you are losing parts of your team, you need to act soon to fill those empty spots. Again, waiting until the summer is a risky gamble, as many people kind of “check out” during the June, July, and August. Planning now will allow you to enjoy your own summer holiday and not worry about scrambling at the last minute to fill key vacancies.

Third, you might find yourself in a position where some of your volunteers are ready to take on more responsibility. By building upon their experience this year, they may be able to head-up their own events next year. As the leader, you must be ready to delegate effectively.

4. Which Fundraisers Worked/Didn’t Work?
I think it is wise to keep a journal for yourself with notes regarding the details of each fundraising activity. Even though you tell yourself you’ll remember to bring extra duct tape next year to the carnival set up, it is very easy to forget as the events slip into the fog of time. Remind yourself that the caterer overcharged for table delivery and that the mashed potatoes were cold. All of these little items are important in the planning process for the next year.

So, as you prepare to commit to your fundraising events for the next school year, you should be prepared with what you’ve learned from this past year’s events. Don’t get caught in a situation where you’re scratching your head because you know you wanted to change something about the golf-outing, but you can’t remember what it was.

5. What Needs Are Not Going To Be Addressed By The School’s Operating Budget?
In the process of deciding what fundraising events you will tackle in the new year, you should be in touch with the school administration to learn what their funding goals area. Make sure that your efforts don’t duplicate their efforts and that your goals line up with theirs. Remember, you are a team. Work together to maximize your ability to raise all of the needed dollars.

Again, this is a very good time to start thinking about what your targets are for the next year, as you still have everyone’s attention and everything that’s happened this year is still relatively fresh in their minds.

Conclusion
Like most people, I find it incredibly difficult to look way into the future, especially when I’ve got so much going on in the present. I know this is not an easy task. However, if you can start playing around with a few of the above suggestions, you are going to find yourself ahead of the curve as the school year starts to wind down and people get geared up for their vacation. A little planning now will save you time, energy, and potentially headaches over the summer.

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