Dear Willow is a recurring column authored by Classmunity’s support maven, Willow Macy. In it Willow shares some of her most frequently asked about challenges and their solutions.
Dear Willow,
I’m hoping you can help. As superintendent, I am always worried about our community experiencing “fundraising fatigue” or being overwhelmed by “asks”. Have you seen this? What are your suggestions?
Thank you,
Superintendent T. Mannie
Dear Superintendent,
That is a common concern for school districts. They have so many initiatives, teams, and clubs that are looking to meet their fundraising goals. Here are my top 3 tips for avoiding fundraising fatigue in your community.
1. Use a Fundraising Calendar
Make sure that you are keeping track of your fundraising. Are you running all your fall sports fundraisers during the same two weeks? Is the theatre banquet the same day as the FFA plant sale? Utilize a tool such as Classmunity that allows you to make sure you aren’t overwhelming the community with too many fundraisers at once or back to back before you approve a new fundraiser! Plan ahead!
2. Switch Up Your Fundraisers
Make sure to review what fundraisers you are running over the course of the year. Nobody wants to be asked to buy cookie dough or butter braids 12 times in a row. Try to be versatile in the types of fundraisers you offer your community. Donation based, events, and product sales all each have their own benefits.
3. Be Strategic & Personal
Fundraising fatigue is very common in communities where each program is running multiple small fundraisers throughout the year. Keep it simple. Some planning ahead can help programs run larger but fewer fundraisers to help keep the number of times they go back to the community asking for donations down.
Hopefully this helps you combat fundraising fatigue in your community. If you have any questions please email us at support@classmunity.com.
Helpfully yours,
Willow
Co-Founder & Director of Customer Relations
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