I-SIPC BUSINESS

Saying “thank you” is perhaps the most neglected part of any fundraiser. Now, if you handed out solicitations to different local establishments and parents asking for funds that will allow you to start your salsa fundraiser, then it is just but right that you show them some gratitude for the huge amount of help that they have provided you and your group. If you are planning on doing fundraisers on a regular basis so as to support the different projects and extra expenses in your school then you need to show your supporters that you are thankful for their help. This will allow you to keep them within easy reach in case you’re going to need their assistance once again. Forget to do this and you will surely run out of supporters and volunteers.

If you are currently working on the plan of your salsa fundraiser right now, be sure to include how you can show your gratitude at the end of your campaign to those will be supporting you all the way. Saying “thank you” is pretty easy but the effect that it can have on the success of your fundraiser and future campaigns can be very huge. Trust me; say these two magic words more and you will surely get the opportunity to involve your volunteers more. Bear in mind that showing gratitude should not only be done to those who offered donations or supplies but to those who offered their time and effort to get your campaign up and running as well. By doing this, you will let them know that they have been a huge part of your success and that the help that they offered you has been of great value.

Now, you may be wondering as to how many times you need to say this magic line. Well, try saying it as much as you can. The first time you say this will be for acknowledging them for the donations that they have provided you with. You can do this by giving them a form that contains information regarding the amount that they were able to offer you along with a return envelope. They can use this for tax purposes. Next, you can send them a newsletter containing information about your organization and the school that you are doing the campaign for along with a line showing your gratitude once more. Your newsletter will allow your supporters to follow what you are doing. Third, you can give them a small token of appreciation for their donations along with a short note. Items like shirts, coffee mugs, and pens that have your logos on them can be a good way for you to show them that you are grateful for their help. In addition to this, these tokens will also serve as a reminder for them that they have been part of a really good cause to help students.

Having a plan or strategy is essential to all types of elementary school fundraisers or any type of business endeavor. A fundraising group’s plan basically serves as the blueprint of their business venture. This will tell them the different things that they need to do to make their campaign a huge success and when they should do it. If you have been thinking of setting up a campaign to raise money for school projects, then take note of the tips that I will be discussing below as to how you can formulate a strategy for such.

The first major step that needs to be done when working strategies for elementary school fundraisers would be selecting a theme or an event. Your event or theme refers to what you and your group will be doing during campaign. In addition to this, the theme or event that you get to choose will also tell you the different objectives that you need to achieve for your fundraiser and the ways on how you can achieve them. After selecting a theme or event, you can now jump to building up a team. In here, you will need to recruit people whom you think will be able to dedicate their time and efforts enough to make your campaign work well. Be sure to select persons who will be able to work well together. Aside from selecting hardworking individuals, it would also be good for you to choose people from different backgrounds so that you can have a variety of skills in your arsenal, which you can make use of during the course of your campaign. Having people with different skills in your team will allow you to address the different needs of your campaign well such writing letters; talking to local media; soliciting from local business establishments; and making sales from your actual customers. With this given fact, you get the opportunity to assign the different types of members that you have in their individual specialized areas so that you can optimize your strategy.

Once you get to write up the final list of your volunteers. You can now set up a timeline for your fundraiser. In here you need to decide on the tasks that you and your volunteers need to work on and the ways on how you can do each one of them. Next, delegate the different duties to each of the groups of your volunteers so that you can make it clear who needs to do what. This will make the flow of your campaign smoother. After which, decide on the starting and ending dates of your fundraiser. After this, you can now move on to preparing your budget. Now that you are aware of the things you need to do, you can now decide on the amount of money that you will need to get your event up and running. List down the expenses for the different areas of your event such as the money needed for your products and advertising.

Food items are among the easiest to sell when one is trying to raise funds. One of the best food products that you can offer your customers would be Amigos salsa. Why is food so easy to sell? The reason is pretty simple my friend. People need to eat on a daily basis so if you are going to offer them food, you are actually providing them their needs, which they will more likely be willing to purchase in contrast to stuffed toys and scented candles.

In here, I am going to show you how you can plan your Amigos salsa fundraising campaign so that you can make it as effective as possible. What I’m going to show you here is a bit different since we are going to do something out of the usual as compared to other product fundraising campaigns that only do booth and door to door sales. We are going to do that as well but we will pair that up with an event where you can gather lots of customers. In this event, you can offer snacks that can be paired up with your salsa products such as nachos. In addition to this, you can have games and movies for your customers to enjoy. The first thing that you’re going to need for this campaign is a set of volunteers. Be sure to choose volunteers that will be willing to work hard and for long hours. It’s not like you’re going to drive them to forced labor but you want people that will be willing to dedicate their time and efforts for the success of your campaign. When you get to accomplish your list of volunteers, you can now move on to planning. During planning, be sure to go over all of the aspects of your fundraiser such as the budget that you’re going to need; the venue where you can host your event; the fundraising company that will supply your merchandise; and the advertising materials that you will need to spread the news about your campaign.

Let’s start with the budget. In here, you need to go through all of your expenses such as your advertising materials and products. Add all of your expenses so that you can have an idea as to how much money you are going to need to start your campaign. Next, look for an open place that will be able to cater to a huge number of people for your event. When choosing a venue for your event, you can ask one of the establishments in your community to lend you their place for one day. Next, choose a good company that will supply your products. Be sure to choose a company that offers a large profit margin. A company that offers a fix profit margin regardless of the number of items that you get to sell will be an ideal choice. Lastly, promote your campaign by asking for help from your local newspaper and radio stations.

Organizing successful fundraisers need a bit more than good intentions and genuine cause. To encourage people to donate is an extremely challenging task. To ensure that your fundraiser is a success you need to plan every stage of your event. First of all, fundraisers need a team of highly enthusiastic volunteers to promote and organize the event.

Promotion is one of the key factors contributing towards the success or failure of any fundraiser. You should motivate the team to focus on the promotion of the event using as many modes as possible. Internet can be of great help for you in reaching maximum number of prospective guests. You can start the promotion using social media websites such as Face book, Rout, etc. Ask your team to invite all their contacts to the event. You can also blog about the event with details about the cause of the fundraiser. Other methods to promote the event include e-mails, post-cards, posters, etc.

After promotions, fund raising ideas should be decided for the event. When selecting fund raising ideas, you should always consider the interests of the probable guests. If the place you want to organize the fundraiser at has a specialty of any sort, you should try and include that in your event in some way. This makes the guests relate to the fundraiser by giving them a sense of belonging. You can set up stalls to sell various types of items such as eatables, accessories, funky jewelry, handicrafts, etc.

If you are planning the fundraiser for your school, you can also include different competitions and shows like dance competition, singing competition, fancy dress competition, music shows, magic shows, fashion shows etc. You can set a nominal price for the tickets to such events, further adding to the revenue generated.

Hospital lotteries and sweepstakes raise millions of dollars for good causes but they do more harm than good. Here’s why.

1. Hospital lotteries are unethical

Hospitals and healthcare charities are in the business of treating and preventing illness. Gambling is addictive. Gambling hurts gamblers and their families. Gambling addiction is a mental disorder that requires medical intervention in most cases to overcome. For hospitals to raise funds using a method that hurts the person giving the money is unethical.

2. Hospital lotteries harm a hospital’s reputation

Why does the Canadian Cancer Society require that its employees be non-smokers? Because smoking causes cancer. A charity that fights cancer cannot afford to also condone an activity that causes cancer. Their reputation would suffer. When the public perceives your organization as a major promoter of gambling, an activity that harms society, the shine comes off your reputation. Close ties to any activity that causes harm to people tarnishes your brand.

3. Hospital lotteries confuse donors

Buying a lottery ticket is not a philanthropic act. Gambling is not an act of charity, regardless of who is organizing the sweepstakes. Lottery ticket buyers do not receive a charitable tax receipt. According to the Canadian Medical Association, “The fuzzy line between gambling and giving gets even fuzzier when ticket buyers are treated like donors. In March 2008, for example, the Princess Margaret Hospital hosted a series of lectures on cancer research for 700 lottery participants, something once done only for large private donors.”

4. Hospital lotteries are risky

Lottery prizes are purchased, not received as gifts, which makes for a high break-even mark. Some charities have failed to reach it. Australian hospital operator Southern Health lost $590,000 on its lottery in 2006 when it sold only 60% of tickets.

5. Hospitals become addicted to gambling

Some hospital lotteries are so successful that the hospitals that run them can’t quit. The Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada, has risen over $170 million with its lottery over the past 13 years. According to the Canadian Medical Association, lotteries account for 30% of all private hospital funding, and, without them, hospitals would suffer. Hospitals are addicted to gambling revenues.

To read a fuller treatment of this topic, read “Hospital lotteries not always the best bet,” by Roger Collier in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. This article draws heavily from that article.