“How long should we run our fundraiser for?” This is a question we hear on a daily basis. Typically, we recommend running a sale for 2 to 3 weeks. But we stress to our groups, that it’s more important to have a firm start date and ending date, the length is a secondary concern. The starting date should be well planned. The last thing you want to do is catch your participants (and customers) off guard. Promote the fundraiser well ahead of time so everyone knows when it will begin. Newsletters, Twitter and Facebook posts, PA announcement, parent letters – whatever it takes to alert your school.
The ending date is just as important, if not more important. The sellers must be aware of the deadline to finish the fundraiser. We have a few groups who have a “loose” deadline and this usually ends in disaster. The sellers will procrastinate and fail to turn in the forms on time. Without a deadline, the motivation is lost. But with a firm deadline, the daily reminders will sink in more: only 4 days left, 3 days left, 2 days left, etc. With all fundraisers, there will be stragglers; those who forget to turn in their forms and collected funds. This is inevitable. But the number of stragglers is greatly reduced with a firm deadline and many reminders. Stay on top of your sellers. Keep them motivated and on target during your sales period and your fundraiser will be a success.
