Choosing appropriate school fundraisers for your school community is an important decision. What are your fundraising options? This article has information and resources for organizing a school fundraiser for your public or private school.

Here are some questions to consider as fundraising options are reviewed:

Long-term Goals 

• How does fundraising fit into the school's overall economic plan? 
• Is there documentation that clearly identifies the role of fundraising for the school community? 
• For what types of expenditures can/will fundraising be used?
• Does the fundraising plan cover more than a school year?

Coordination 

• Is there an approval process so that fundraising events have oversight? 
• Is there overall coordination so that different classes/teams/projects don't end up with overlap in fundraising efforts (e.g., doing a similar fund-raiser at the same time)? 
• Is there overall coordination so that the people involved (whether staff, faculty, or students) are not overtaxed with responsibility? 
• Is there overall coordination so that the community (and especially parents) are not asked for support at too frequent intervals? 
• Is there a liaison with neighboring schools and organizations to avoid duplication?

Short-term Goals 

• What particular goal(s) does this fundraising campaign have: 
  • Who will receive the funds raised? 
  • What are the funds ear-marked for? 
  • How much money is needed? 
  • What will be done with a surplus, if any? 
  • What will be done in case of a deficit, if any? 
• How do the goals for this particular campaign fit in with the larger fundraising picture?

Fundraising Options 

• What are the fundraising options available for the particular goal?

For each option, consider the following:

Resources 

• How much time will it take? 
• Is there any monetary outlay required to begin? 
• Does it require use of the school facility? 
• Does it require time spent outside of normal student hours? 
• How will word of the fund-raiser reach the target audience? 
• Are other materials needed, such as: 
  • tables for a bake sale 
  • soap, buckets, sponges, hoses for a car wash 
  • merchandise for a school store 
  • a phone tree for unscheduled changes of plan and/or emergencies

Personnel 

• How many people will it involve? 
• Who are the people who will be involved? 
• Are any special personnel needed such as: 
  • chaperones for a dance 
  • an advisor/accountant for a school store 
  • clean-up crew for after a bake sale 
  • money counters and receipt collators for gift-wrap sale 
  • unloading a delivery truck/boxes and sorting items from a company.

Safety 

• If on school property, is the fundraising activity covered under the school's insurance policy? 
• If students will be interacting with strangers, have guidelines been determined and issued (e.g., for parent chaperones, students traveling in groups, etc.)? 
• If students are involved with sales, have arrangements been made to collect money periodically so that students are not responsible for large sums?

Meeting Goals 

• Will this option raise the needed money? 
• If an item is being sold: 
  • is it of high quality? 
  • is it timely? 
  • is it likely to be of interest to a large enough number of people? 
  • will it draw funds from people outside those who are usually asked (e.g., parents, neighbors)? 
  • will it build school/community spirit? 
  • is it in keeping with the school's mission, policy, and teachings (e.g., if the school is famous for its anti-drug stance, selling coffee may raise an issue because of the caffeine; similarly if the school focuses on nutrition and then sells candy)? 
• If a company is supplying a product, what is their policy on: 
  • quality issues? 
  • returns? 
  • rewards for high sales? 
  • students/client mistakes on order forms?

Choosing a School Fundraiser Resources:

• school-fundraisers.com