Four Steps to a Successful Fundraiser

In between curriculum development, running after-school groups, department management, and individual student considerations, music teachers and department leads are increasingly needed to fill in the blanks where funds are missing from annual music department budgets. Enter…the annual fundraiser.

It’s a necessary evil – so you may as well make sure that you’re going to make it as easy on yourself (and your students) as you can. Here are 4 key items to consider as you’re planning your fundraiser:

When should we start? There are two big factors when it comes to timing.
  1. The earlier, the better. Bottom line, it’s best to fundraise in the Fall. Think about it – your band or chorus isn’t the only group stretching their budget – so do sports teams, competition groups, and clubs, with tens and tens of fundraisers happening each year, nationally. Each of them is going to be asking the same population – parents, grandparents, neighbors – that you’re targeting to contribute to their annual goal as well.
  2. Avoid conflicts. It’s also important to check the school calendar to ensure there are no major conflicts during the key weeks you’re targeting to get orders, or for order delivery week. You want this to be everyone’s top priority, and that includes parents. For delivery week, make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to work with your rep and the kids have time to pick up their orders.
Why are we fundraising?

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