Church Fundraiser: A Business-Like Approach

In a small non-affiliated congregation church fundraiser is life. In a large denomination you still need fundraisers to finance outreach ministries that are not part of the budget covered by the leadership. Every fund raising chairman knows that. People begin to stumble over two points: what to do and how to organize it. Whatever type of fundraiser you decide to go with, it will have to be well organized. Here are three tips to help you apply a business-like approach to your church fund raising event.

Keep Accurate Records

This is to help you and future fund  raising coordinators keep track of what works and what doesn’t. You only get one shot at each fundraiser each year, so you have to make the most of it. By knowing what parts of each fundraiser were most successful, you will be able trim deadwood and add new aspects to optimize your income potential. Thorough records will include where materials were purchased, who donated time, who can be relied upon for cash donations to help move things along, and how much money was made at each station or booth.

Evaluate Past Sales

Every businessperson spends some part of each month evaluating the company’s sales compared to the previous year and determining any factors that affected those sales. You will have to look over your church fundraiser event’s records from the previous year, or years, in just the same manner. Not every part of a fundraiser will make money. Some will be a drain on the fundraisers income. These booths or stations will have to be trimmed and replaced. By applying an income to debt ratio evaluation you will be able to tell what stays and what goes.

Fill A Need

The worse the economy gets the more you have to fill a need with your church fundraiser events. When things are bad the usual bake sale or carnival may not work. What can people afford, want, and need all at the same time. One possible answer to all three of these questions is a family portrait session. Every family wants to have memories of each other and a family photo provides that.

Church fundraiser can be difficult at any time. Good organization is every bit as important as what event you put on. You should always fill a need and good record keeping will help you evaluate if past events have done just that.

Make The Most Of Your Church or School Fundraising Ideas

It’s the same old story you have been hearing for the last couple of years: the economy is bad, revenue is slow, people are not donating money the way they did a few years ago. But you still have fund raising needs. So here are a few ideas for your fundraiser, which should help you to make the most of your school fund raising or church fund raising efforts. Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

Approach It Like A Business

People often make the mistake of not being organized enough when they are planning a church fundraiser. If it is a repeat or yearly fundraiser, the basic structure may be in place, but some details are lacking. Maybe you sold pizza last year, but no one recorded where it was purchased or how much was paid. You remember that there was entertainment, but you do not seem to be able to find out who appeared. A record of these little details has to be kept to insure a continuity for the fundraiser. A second aspect in this category is branding. Every business has a logo or product name that it wants to be associated with. Think Pepsi®and you get the idea. The people running Pepsi® used signs, commercials, and repetition of the product name to get recognized. Your committee will have to use the same approach. Signs, signs, and more signs. Every where someone may look in your community, they should be able to see a sign advertising your event.

Be Flexible And Innovative

School or church fundraiser ideas do not have to be the same stagnant ideas the your parents had. You can put a new spin on an old stand by as easily as you can develop a whole new idea. Look around at what is working in other cities or for other schools within your district. You could even add something like a family portrait opportunity as a small fundraiser for a club. The main idea here is to go into a fundraiser with an open mind so that you can be open to all types of ideas.

By remaining flexible and keeping a business-like attitude you can make the most of any fundraising event that you may decide to tackle. The right attitude mixed with some smart marketing will insure success for your school or congregation.