Fundraise for any season and any reason with TeamFund Fundraising! 

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Finding the best school fundraising idea for your goals is no small feat. There are a lot of moving parts from planning to promoting to paperwork, however the rewards it brings to your school make that fundraising effort all worthwhile. 

First of all, it is important to know when you need funds raised by and start planning early.

Making rough notes and outlining fundraising timeline is a great place to begin so you know how much time you have to get organized!

If you’re wondering the best times to fundraise, long weekends are a time for family get-togethers, parties, camping, and visiting.

By planning your fundraiser around these dates, you can capitalize on sales as gifts, or try our Fill Your Freezer fundraiser to take advantage of summer barbeques, holiday get-togethers, and other special days of the year. 

80% of schools that run fundraisers through TeamFund return twice a year.

• Once in the Fall (between September to November)
• Once in the Spring (such as for Easter, Summer Break, Mother or Father’s Day!)

Whether you’re part of a parent council, a teacher for a specialized program, or another organizer, we hope this guide will help you have more fun and make a bigger impact in your next fundraising campaign. 

Define Your School Fundraising Goals 

After taking some rough notes, the next important step is to get clear on your purpose. Clarity in your fundraising goals will motivate your supporters because asking for money with no concrete reason is a sure-fire way to have your sales fall flat.

Are you aiming to raise funds for specific educational programs?

Extracurricular activities like sports teams, robotics, bands, or choirs?

Do you have facility enhancements to make? 

People feel good when they know where their money is going. 

Moreover, establishing your fundraising goals will provide focus and direction. Not only for your fundraising committee, but also a reason for supporters to want to buy.  

This is also a good time to consider your budget and financial plan. Take into account both your potential income and your expenses such as upfront costs and printing marketing materials.

Assemble a School Fundraising Committee 

Teamwork means less work! With a team, you have backup, support, enhanced connections, and a bigger group working towards your goal. It’s a great team-building 

Start by recruiting some volunteers, including parents, teachers, or community members, who are willing to help out. Divide tasks based on strengths and interests to optimize efficiency. 

One example might look like this: 

• Someone to research potential fundraising platforms, products, returns 
• Someone to collect funds, organize product distribution, keep an eye on reports 
• Someone to take charge of engaging the community and marketing
• A few extra hands to help distribute your product 

Above all, it’s important you have communication throughout the team. Nothing sabotages a plan as quickly as not having everyone on the same page.

Clarifying goals, assigning tasks, motivating your team are great talking points for your first meeting!

Research School Fundraising Ideas! 

There are many fundraising ideas to choose from: bottle drives, raffles, chocolate, pizza, and more.

You will want to consider the season and community interests to ensure your idea resonates with potential supporters.

As a school fundraising organizer, I’m sure you’ve tried many fundraising products and ideas. But which ones actually stick?

We recommend online food fundraising as a deliciously practical solution! 

Why? We’ll tell you!

1. Food Fundraising is a Year-Round Fundraising Idea with Reliable Profits!

While traditional fundraising options like chocolate bars and poinsettias during the holiday season have their place, food fundraising offers a year-round appeal that can provide a reliable fundraising idea for your school. 

A sustainable idea can make the difference between raising the money you need and hoping the next idea works.

While seasonal items like chocolate, calendars, and poinsettias can be fun fundraisers, food is a practical everyday necessity.

2. Accessible for Busy Families!

As parents and organizers, we understand that organizing busy schedules, extra-curricular, school events, and more is a constant balancing act.

With just a few clicks, supporters can browse and order from your online fundraiser from a phone, tablet, or desktop. 

Better yet, once parents take their first taste and their boxes of food start to run out, they start seeking out those products again! (They’re seriously tasty).

By offering a food fundraiser twice a year allows parents to shop through your school and stock up on their favorites through our trusted platform.

3. A Tasty Variety to Suit Every Palate: 

Food fundraising allows you to sell a wide range of delicious products that cater to different tastes and preferences. 

Our Fill Your Freezer Fundraiser allows parents to purchase burgers, chicken, perogies, cheese, and other favourites. 

We also offer other fun food fundraiser like Bacon, Coco Brooks, Spolumbo’s Sausage, and more!

⭐️ 5-Star Google Review

“The TeamFund platform has always been excellent to work with, quickly becoming an integral and impactful part of the successful fundraising strategy we implemented for our organization.

We have raised several thousands of dollars through the past few years with TeamFund to help families cover the costs of tours and all kinds of “extras” – all via a slick and easy online platform that takes care of all the tracking and back-end work, meaningful returns, minimal volunteer hours required for distribution and with never having to have our families feel put upon to participate since groceries are something everyone needs!”

 – Friends of Banded Peak Organizer

Looking for other ideas? Read our post here for other fun fundraising ideas to try this year!

Promote Your Fundraiser  

Once you’ve chosen your fundraising idea and made a plan based on your chosen fundraising method, it’s time to promote! 

Craft a compelling message highlighting the fundraiser’s impacts and the benefits it will bring to your school community. 

Initially, supporters will need to buy into your fundraising plan. Try to make it personal and emphasize this fundraiser’s connections to your potential supporters! 

If a supporter you are approaching does not have students in the school, consider selling them on the product (delicious, practical, save money, etc.)  

Utilize every marketing channel you can: social media, email newsletters, posters, and anything else you can think of.

Encourage students, parents, and committee members to spread the word within their networks. 

Have more questions about promoting your fundraiser? Here are some helpful resources:

• Promoting a Fundraiser: Telling Your Story
• How to Promote a Fundraiser
• Using Social Media to Promote a Fundraiser
• Sales 101 in Fundraising with Food 

Express Gratitude & Celebrate Success! 

After the hard work and dedication put into planning and executing your school fundraiser, it’s important to express gratitude to everyone involved! 

Share the impact of the fundraiser with your school community and show how their contributions made a difference. 

School fundraising doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. With the power of online food fundraising and TeamFund’s tools by your side, your next fundraiser can be easier.

The practicality, profitability, and year-round appeal of food fundraising, combined with the convenience of online shopping and promotion, make it a recipe for success.

Food Fundraising is Easy with TeamFund

Our sign-up process is as easy as 1-2-3! 

01 Download a Fundraising Package

Our free fundraising package is meant to be shared with your committee and includes important information, goal calculators, and more!

02 Find Fundraisers in Your Area

Find the perfect fundraiser for your group. We have fundraisers featuring local favourites in Alberta and Winnipeg!

03 Sign Up Your Fundraising Group

Ready to get going? All you need to do is sign up for a fundraiser and start planning! Our online fundraising platform takes care of everything except the selling!

Get your own online store to make sharing your fundraiser and collecting payments easy! You gather the supporters, we’ll take care of the boring spreadsheets and logistics. 

Did you know? Even though we are an online fundraising platform, we are human! Throughout your fundraiser, we are here to answer any questions you have. 

Fundraise for any season and any reason with TeamFund Fundraising! 

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date!

10 Fundraising Best Practices That Will Ensure Your Fundraiser is a Success

Have your leader establish that goal clearly, and help your team see progress towards it.

It will help motivate the team to reach your fundraising goals.

Have your leader set a plan and stick to it.

Fundraising is a process that takes time and coordination. If everyone goes off and does their own thing, a fundraiser can quickly fall apart.

Having a leader with a plan and that can delegate responsibilities will go a long way toward reaching your fundraising goal!

3) Set Fundraising Goals & Timelines

Before anything else, know how much money you need to raise for your fundraiser.

Trips, tournaments, and equipment should all have set prices that set a goal for you to reach.

Do not start fundraising to raise as much as possible; you’ll quickly find your fundraising team and buyers losing interest.

Know your deadline, and don’t go past it.

Every fundraiser should have an established deadline to reach your goal.

Having a deadline motivates people to prioritize fundraising and helps keep your fundraising timeline in check!

4) Organize Your Team To Succeed

Find reliable help for your fundraiser.

Fundraising is a group effort that takes a team of people’s time and energy to achieve their goals.

Finding reliable people to help you reach your fundraising goals will make the process much easier and help you raise more money.

Help volunteers see the value of the fundraiser.

No one wants to be “volunteered” into doing work they don’t understand.

Help your fundraising team understand what the team is trying to achieve and keep that sentiment in mind when the team is going out selling.  

Always remember to delegate. It is easy to get carried away thinking that the fundraiser’s responsibility falls on your shoulders because you are in charge.

But, with a committed team, you can get much more done in a shorter timeframe with less stress to the whole group.

Remember, ten volunteers working for one hour will leave less them less stressed than one person working for 10 hours.

Delegate responsibilities to get the job done quickly and well.

5) Plan Out Who You Are Going To Approach To Sell

The first step is to know your audience.

• Who is would be willing to support your cause?
• Who is interested in what you are selling?
• Who can you easily reach to show your products?

Take some time to answer these fundamental questions, and you’ll quickly develop a list of people you want to reach out to.

Know your sales points for your product. People want to know why they should give you money for what you’re selling. Make sure you understand why your product is amazing.

For the meats at TeamFund, we know they are from local vendors, the food is restaurant quality or higher, and some of the foods are organic, to name a few points.

Write down three reasons why what you’re selling is something you would buy.

Outlining these benefits will help customers understand why they want to buy from you.

Communicate with people, don’t sell at them. People don’t want to be sold to but want to be spoken with.

Move away from telling people they need to buy, buy, buy, and instead help them understand why you are selling and what’s in it for them if they do end up buying.

6) Help People Understand What You’re Trying to Accomplish

Tell your team’s story.

Every fundraiser is a gateway to doing something new and awesome for your team or school.

Help people understand what you are trying to accomplish.

People like to be support teams and schools that are trying to help kids do something new. They’re far less receptive to being sold meat over the phone.

People recognize striving for goals and usually want to help.

Let people know exactly what’s happening in your fundraiser and how close you are to your goal and deadline.

You can motivate people to help you simply by showing where you are.

7) Social Media Is Your Secret Weapon

Friends, family, and acquaintances are all on social media these days.

It’s easy to connect with them with a simple message on Facebook or DM through Instagram.

It’s especially convenient for reaching out to people who you may not have their phone numbers. 

You can gauge who may be interested in what you’re trying to do.

Social media is a great place to get an idea of what someone’s interests are. If you’re unsure if someone would be interested in supporting your team, check their Facebook account.

It may indicate whether or not they’d be interested in supporting your cause.

>> Using Social Media to Promote Your Fundraiser

8) Don’t Be Afraid To Talk Up The Product

Have faith in the product that you’re selling. You’re selling someone a product, and they need to have confidence that what you are selling is something they want.

Whatever the product is, own it. Have your sales points ready, be prepared to answer any questions a buyer might have, and help them understand why it’s something that they want. 

9) Find Interest, Make The Sale

Identifying someone’s interest in supporting your fundraising is a critical skill.

Not everyone who listens to you will be a buyer, and not everyone who ignores you will be a dead lead.

A good indicator of someone’s interest is to see if they’re asking questions about your cause and your product. Questions run out fast if someone isn’t interested in learning more. Keep that in mind and help determine who will be a supporter.

Don’t be afraid to cut cold leads. Sometimes, people slip away or lose interest, and that is ok.

Cut the lead and focus your energy on the next potential sale.

10) Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For The Sale

Don’t leave any room for interpretation.

When you have found someone showing interest, asking questions, and wanting to support your team, ask them straight out if they are interested in buying your product.

You don’t need to be aggressive, but you shouldn’t leave room for interpretation. 

Show a buyer that you want them to buy. People want to feel wanted and respond positively to outreach and support. Tell the potential sales that you would value their support.

Try a TeamFund Fundraiser

Our sign-up process is as easy as 1-2-3! 

01 Download a Fundraising Package

Our free fundraising package is meant to be shared with your committee and includes important information, goal calculators, and more!

02 Find Fundraisers in Your Area

Find the perfect fundraiser for your group. We have fundraisers featuring local food favourites in Alberta and Winnipeg! Food is a practical, profitable, and repeatable fundraiser.

03 Sign Up Your Fundraising Group

Ready to get going? All you need to do is sign up for a fundraiser and start planning! We are here to answer any questions you have.

Get your own online store to make sharing your fundraiser and collecting payments easy! You gather the supporters, we’ll take care of the boring spreadsheets and logistics. 

Did you know? Even though we are an online fundraising platform, we are human! Throughout your fundraiser, we are here to answer any questions you have.

Fundraise for any season and any reason with TeamFund Fundraising! 

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date!

Start Your Fundraising Plan at the Beginning

Your school or team needs to raise funds to keep doing fun and amazing things this year. But, where do you start? The key to a good Fundraising Plan starts with great communication and a great team.

Be sure you have a fearless leader and at least a few volunteers to ensure your fundraising campaign runs smoothly.

Here are Five Tools to use to keep your Fundraising Plan on Track

1. Team Work means less Work

First, assemble your team and meet to discuss the group’s needs.

What to consider when you are assigning roles and tasks:

• Decide who is going to be researching potential fundraising platforms, products and returns
• Put someone in charge of collecting funds, lining up vendors, dropping off product, marketing and analyzing data
• Make deadlines for all these things
• Decide who will make the spreadsheets to track all of that information

Above all, it is vitally important that you keep the lines of communication open. Because, nothing sabotages a plan as quickly as not having everyone on the same page.

>> Tips on Motivating Your Team While Fundraising

2. Set a S.M.A.R.T Goal

Next, ensure that you include your overall fundraising goal in your Fundraising Plan.

Be aware that this number should not be a guess. It should be based on the needs of the organization.

How much money will your group need to raise to participate in the activities proposed?

Taking the time to write out your goals is also important.

Ensure that your team will have a document to return to for clarification, revision or inspiration.

When creating your goal document, consider making it S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

>> Learn How To Create a S.M.A.R.T. Fundraising Goal HERE 

3. Your Fundraising Timeline

Further, as mentioned above, having a timeline for your Fundraising Plan is important.

Get out a calendar and assign dates/times to specific actions.

• When does the ask letter need to go out?
• Know when products have to be ordered to have funds raised on time
• Will pick-up and delivery times need to be planned?

Remember, the more specific the better and make sure team members know what tasks are their responsibility and when they are responsible for accomplishing those tasks.

>> Read the Best Times of Year to Fundraise HERE 

>> Wondering how long your fundraiser should be? Read THIS blog!

4.  Tactics and Implementation

Here’s where you get into the nitty-gritty of the Fundraising Plan.

• Prep-It: Research and decide on a platform or product to sell. Make sure it’s not more work than benefit. Don’t try to sell products that aren’t useful or of high quality.

>> Food Fundraising is the Future 

>> Old School vs. TeamFund Fundraising

• Share-It: Craft and organize your communication and marketing strategy. Let your sellers know all of the ways that your fundraising campaign can be sent out to your potential supporters. Write up and send out your Donation Request Letter. Crafting a personal, clear and concise message is key. Likewise, you want to send the information out more than once on several different platforms and link them if you can: Email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

>> Promoting Your Fundraiser for Success

>> Using Social Media to Promote Your Fundraiser 

• Track-It: Lastly, you won’t want to start each fundraiser from scratch. Take stock and determine what made this campaign successful and what aspects you’d like to improve next time. Make sure to write it all down. As a result the next person taking over the organizer role can look back know where to start!
  

>> Exceed Your Fundraising Goals with These Tips

5. Saying Thank you

Finally, a successful Fundraising Plan acknowledges the teams effort. Therefore, make sure to plan to thank everyone that worked hard to get you to your goal. Use social media sites to spread your gratitude. Send out special recognition to your biggest donors and most dedicated volunteers. Ideally, you want donors to feel appreciated and likely to contribute again in the future.

>> Team Building and Fundraising (+ How To Thank Your Supporters) 

Keep these tools in your pocket the next time your organization needs to make a Fundraising Plan!

Fundraise for any season and any reason with TeamFund Fundraising! 

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date!

How to Fundraise

Youth sports clubs and non-profits are made possible by fundraising, but how do we ensure we are doing our best to raise money for our cause?

Maybe you’re a new board member for a minor sports team or the fundraising director for a non-profit and have been put in charge this year.

We hope this ultimate fundraising guide gives you the answers you’re looking for – we have filled it with our best fundraising tips!

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

How Does Fundraising Work?

Why Fundraising is Better Than GoFundMe or Cash Calls

Online Food Fundraising is the Next Best Fundraising Idea – Here’s Why…

How To Motivate Your Team

Fundraising Sales 101

10 Fundraising Best Practices to Ensure Your Fundraiser is a Success

More Resources

How Does Fundraising Work? 

Across Canada, teams, schools, and minor sports clubs are looking for ways to raise money so they can attend tournaments/competitions, afford new equipment, or assist with overhead costs.

Fundraising isn’t the most attractive role (did you know the most vacant position in clubs is fundraising?). However, fundraising is critical to ensure youth sports remain affordable and youth have the opportunity to compete at a higher level without immense financial burden.

Every year, selfless parents volunteer their time to help fundraise for their child’s minor sports teams. These committed parents help by going out and selling all types of products: foods, raffle tickets, calendars, poinsettias, coupon books, and more.

Through effective fundraising, their kids can get the most out of their school or minor sports team.

School fundraising and fundraising for non-profits and sports teams can be a challenge.

After making a clear goal for what they want to accomplish, the school or team needs to decide what fundraiser they’re doing that year.

With hundreds of products and fundraising systems available across Canada, there is a lot of variety. Once you’ve decided on your product of choice to sell, typically, the team buys as much inventory of the product they need to sell to reach their fundraising goals.

After that, it’s up to the parents and kids to get out and get selling.

Need help landing the sale? Check out the Sales 101 section!

Orders and money may need to be tracked manually so that each dollar is accounted for, and the products usually end up split up into a couple of parent’s garages to accommodate the volume. Parents and kids can now take these products out into the world and hopefully sell enough to reach their fundraising goals.

Want to stop tracking manually and carrying inventory?

Try online fundraising with TeamFund – you promote to supporters, while we take care of the rest!

Why Fundraising is a Better Option Than GoFundMe or Cash Calls

Technology has moved forward over the years, and so has fundraising. The advances of the internet and social media have provided great options to fundraise for teams and schools!

One of the newest ways teams are approaching fundraising is through GoFundMe.

GoFundMe is a centralized online platform that allows people to accept donations for their cause. People have used GoFundMe for all manners of fundraising: from startups raising money for developing their products to helping people in need to raise funds for hospital bills. As a fundraising platform, GoFundMe brings a lot to the table for accepting donations.

While GoFundMe is set up exceptionally well to take donations, when it comes to delivering the goods to people you’re selling to, you’ll need to take care of that yourself.

Cash Calls are another great option to raise funds for your team. It’s fast and straightforward, just request the cash upfront for all your team’s needs directly from the parents.

The drawback to cash calls is that parents who may not be as economically secure immediately feel the pressure when cash calls are announced. It may not seem like much money, but when you’re counting on a few extra dollars around the house, it can be a cause for stress for parents.

Fundraising by selling products brings a lot to the table that GoFundMe and Cash Calls cannot offer.

Putting yourself out there to sell products to your friends and family can be daunting (and even feel a little awkward) if you’re not used to it.

However, it allows you to connect with your community, gain a sense of accomplishment, and raise the money you need!

The top reason people like fundraisers over donations and cash calls is because buyers get something back.

With cash calls and donations, minor sports teams are just asking for money. While it can be effective, it can also drive a wedge between parents who may not have the cash to spare or aren’t interested in donating.

Fundraising puts something of value into the buyer’s hands that they can enjoy or use while still being able to contribute to their child’s team.

Fundraising also gives parents the option to use their time to raise money for their team. When cash is tight, having the opportunity to volunteer can alleviate a lot of stress, and allow parents to still provide a significant contribution to the team.

Online Food Fundraising is the Next Best Fundraising Idea – Here’s Why… 

At TeamFund Fundraising, we are massive advocates of using food as your fundraising product. And there is a couple of reasons for that:

Food Is Something Most People Will Actually Use & Enjoy

When was the last time you received or purchased a coupon book or a gift card? Did you use it?

While there are many items you could sell for your fundraiser, not all of them are things people are actually going to use.

In 2015, over $970 million in gift cards went unused, with a percentage of them being sold through fundraisers. It’s similar to items like wrapping paper or carnations: people feel compelled to buy the products to help support the team even if they don’t need the item.

Online fundraising with food is effective because it gives buyers something they are going to use and makes selling the product much easier. Everyone needs to eat!

People no longer feel guilted into buying for a fundraiser each year, and instead, look forward to restocking their freezer with products they’ll use or buying bacon for less than the cost at the grocery store!

20%-25% Profit Per Sale

Outside of straight donations, food fundraising is one of the highest profit items you can fundraise with.

Different foods in our Alberta and Winnipeg fundraisers tend to have somewhere in the range of 5%-25% markup in any supermarket. By dealing directly with the wholesaler, those profits are transferred directly to your team.

In fundraising, every dollar counts. Using a bigger ticket item that can bring in more money per sale can go a long way to making your fundraiser faster and easier.

Learn About TeamFund’s Online Food Fundraisers:

How to Motivate Your Team

Fundraising is a team effort that requires everyone to band together and do their best to reach your fundraising goals.

But how do you even get your team motivated?

Get Together To Get Motivated

Your first meeting with your fundraising team should help your group get excited about your fundraiser.

It’s an opportunity to introduce the plan and explain how it’s going to work. Be sure to note the purpose of your fundraiser and help everyone recognize the benefits of the fundraiser you’ve chosen.

Also, try to make it fun! Here are some ideas:

• Try to come up with strategies to spread the word to friends and family members
• Think of a cheer or slogan for the fundraiser
• Share motivating quotes
• A motivational meeting could also be held mid-way through the fundraiser to review results so far and boost enthusiasm before the fundraiser ends.

Celebrate Progress

The right incentives can be very motivating to team members. A big part of building enthusiasm will involve giving regular updates on how the fundraiser is going and providing positive feedback on minor and major wins.

There are many creative ways to show and celebrate progress:

• Post up a goal thermometer, use a hockey stick or swimming lane as a visual (Get creative here! What is a shape you can use that relates to your organization?)
• Chart the progress and cheer each other onto the next level.
• Think about having a fun activity planned for each target reached. Maybe, once they reach 50% of their goal, the team gets to pick their own drills at the next practice. What about letting the team make the coaches do the exercises once they reach 75%?

Whatever you decide, make sure that it doesn’t pit one member against another, but instead rewards everyone. After all, you are a team that is in it to win it together.

Keep the Fundraiser Fresh In Their Minds & Encourage Participation

Always remember to keep the fundraiser in mind for all the volunteers, parents, and supporters. It can be easy for people not directly involved in raising money to forget that the team is fundraising.

Be sure you have access to the team social media or email list to ensure you can keep everyone in the loop.

Be sure to take opportunities to remind and encourage everyone regularly.

• Let everyone know when you reach each milestone or target.
• Share updates such as how much more you need to reach your goal.

It’s possible that just knowing how close they are to success will motivate them to find those last few supporters. Building enthusiasm will get more people interested and excited to be involved.

Stay Positive & Avoid Comparison

Maintaining a positive attitude is essential to building enthusiasm during a fundraiser.

You’re going to run into roadblocks along the way, and sometimes it may feel like you’re not going to reach your goal. However, keeping focused on how far you and your team have come is essential.

Make sure that parents and volunteers concentrate on being supportive and avoid unhealthy competition or comparisons.

Keep upbeat about your progress, and others will mirror your enthusiasm.

Give Others Skills & Let Them Lead

To maintain and build enthusiasm, you might need to teach your team some new skills so that they can lead the charge.

Many people might be unsure or uncomfortable about the idea of selling or pitching the team’s fundraiser, so offering a little helpful insight can go a long way.

Teaching your team:

• Communication skills
• How to recognize interest
• Benefits/features of the product you’re selling
• Confidence in the team and your goals

encourages potential buyers.

Clear, concise, and confident language can go a long way to helping people understand what you are trying to accomplish and why they should buy from you.

These new skills will help your team to push your fundraiser forward.

Seeing how their unique talents and personal involvement can help the team reach their goals can be rewarding and motivating.

Fundraising Sales 101: Getting Supporters to Buy!

Reaching your fundraising goals comes down to making sales. But how to do you crush out those numbers and land the sales that you need to raise money for your team?

Plan Out Your Sales Approach

The first step to any sales plan is planning out who you are going to approach to sell.

Think through people you know who are likely to want to support your team or who would be interested in the products you are selling.

Chances are, a few names will spring to mind. Trust your instincts and follow up with those names.

Help People Understand Why You’re Selling

One of the keys to getting people on board with buying your product is understanding why you are doing it.

Think through the story of achievement you are setting out to accomplish by raising money, and how it will benefit your child’s minor sports team.

Learn more about telling your story for more sales

People will be much more willing to support a minor league hockey team raising money to go to the big local tournament rather than an old friend calling them up out of the blue and asking if they want to purchase a product you’re selling.

Social Media Is An Excellent Way To Get The Message Out

It’s 2023, and sometimes that means it’s hard to reach people you know by phone. However, the rise of social media has become an effective secret weapon for people-savvy fundraisers.

Reach out to the people you’ve identified on social media and send them an honest message. Most of the time, people will be receptive to you if they understand your cause.

Currently, Facebook is by far the easiest social media platform to identify and find people that you are looking for.

Don’t be shy, get out there, and connect to make that sale!

For more on social media, check out our article how to use social media to promote your fundraiser

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For The Sale

One of the hardest parts of sales is closing. You can get someone interested and excited about your product one day, and the next, they’re on to the next thing. Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale when people are showing interest.

It doesn’t need to be aggressive, but you do need to make your intentions clear. If a potential sale is showing interest and asking a lot of questions, simply ask them, “would you like to buy this right now?”

Be clear and confident, don’t push someone into buying, but allow them to decide on whether they’d like to buy. You’ll find your sales rate increases dramatically when you simply ask for the sale.

10 Fundraising Best Practices That Will Ensure Your Fundraiser is a Success

1. Start Early

Fundraising takes more time than you think. On average, TeamFund’s fundraisers take less than a week to get organized, however, TeamFund has everything you need already prepared.

For other fundraisers, you may want to start getting organized at least a month in advance, depending on how much you’re looking to raise.

Research & pick your fundraiser as early as possible. Fundraising is an exciting proposition because it means getting the cash to help your team do what they want to do. However, not every fundraiser is right for every minor sports team or school event. Start your research early and find the right fundraiser for your group.

2. Pick A Fearless Leader

Fundraising can be a daunting task that requires a clear head and unwavering motivation. Picking a leader who knows the fundraising drill and has the gumption to reach the goal is invaluable to your fundraising efforts.

Have your leader plant the flag and set your goals. When you are fundraising, you’ll have milestones, achievements, and an ultimate goal. Have your leader establish that goal clearly, and help your team see progress towards it. It will help motivate the team to reach your fundraising goals.

3. Set Fundraising Goals & Timelines

Before anything else, know how much money you need to raise in your fundraiser. Trips, tournaments, and equipment all should have set prices that set a goal for you to reach. Do not start fundraising just to raise as much as you can, or you’ll quickly find your fundraising team and buyers losing interest.

Know your deadline, and don’t go past it. Every fundraiser should have an established deadline to reach your goal. Having a deadline motivates people to prioritize fundraising and helps keeps your fundraising timeline in check.

Read more about setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals for your fundraiser

4. Organize Your Team To Succeed

Find reliable help for your fundraiser. Fundraising is a group effort that takes a team of people time and energy to achieve their goals. Finding reliable people to help you reach your fundraising goals will make the process much easier, and help you raise more money.

Help volunteers see the value of the fundraiser. No one wants to be “volunteered” into doing work they don’t understand. Help your fundraising team understand what the team is trying to achieve and keep that sentiment top of mind when the team is going out selling.

Always remember to delegate. It is easy to get carried away thinking that because you are in charge, the responsibility of the fundraiser falls on your shoulders. But, if you have a committed team, you can get much more done in a shorter timeframe with less stress to the whole group. Remember, ten volunteers working for one hour will leave them less stressed than one person working for 10 hours. Delegate responsibilities to get the job done quickly and well.

5. Plan Out Who You Are Going To Approach To Sell

The first step is to know your audience. Who is would be willing to support your cause? Who is interested in what you are selling? Who can you easily reach to show your products? Take some time to answer these fundamental questions, and you’ll quickly develop a list of people you want to reach out to.

Know your sales points for your product. People want to know why they should give you money for what you’re selling. Make sure you understand why your product is amazing.

For the meats at TeamFund, we know they are from local vendors, the food is restaurant quality or higher, and that some of the foods are organic, to name a few points.

TIP: Write down three reasons why what you’re selling is something you would buy. Outlining these benefits will help customers understand why they want to buy from you.

Communicate with people, don’t sell at them. People don’t want to be sold to, but people do want to be spoken with. Move away from telling people they need to buy, buy, buy, and instead help them understand why you are selling and what’s in it for them if they do end up buying.

6. Help People Understand What You’re Trying to Accomplish

Every fundraiser is a gateway to doing something new and awesome for your team or school. Help people understand what you are trying to accomplish. People like to be support teams and schools that are trying to help kids do something new. They’re far less receptive to being sold meat over the phone.

People recognize striving for goals and usually want to help. Let people know exactly whats going on in your fundraiser and how close you are to your goal and deadline. You can motivate people to help you simply by showing where you are.

7. Social Media Is Your Secret Weapon

Friends, family, and acquaintances are all on social media these days. It’s easy to connect with them with a simple message on Facebook or DM through Instagram. It’s especially convenient for reaching out to people who you may not have their phone number.

You can gauge who may be interested in what you’re trying to do. Social media is a great place to get an idea of what someone’s interests are. If you’re not sure if someone would be interested in supporting your team, check their Facebook account. It may give some indications that they’d be interested in supporting your cause.

8. Don’t Be Afraid To Talk Up The Product

Have faith in the product that you’re selling. You’re selling someone a product, and they need to have confidence that what you are selling is something they want. Whatever the product is, own it. Have your sales points ready, be prepared to answer any questions a buyer might have, and help them understand why it’s something that they want.

9. Find Interest, Make The Sale

Being able to identify someone’s interest in supporting your fundraising is a critical skill. Not everyone who listens to you will be a buyer, and not everyone who ignores you will be a dead lead. A good indicator of someone’s interest is to see if they’re asking questions about your cause and your product. Questions run out fast if someone isn’t interested in learning more. Keep that in mind and help determine who will be a supporter.

Don’t be afraid to cut cold leads. Sometimes, people just slip away or lose interest, and that is ok. Don’t waste your energy on people who are not interested and focus your energy on the next potential sale.

10. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For The Sale

Don’t leave any room for interpretation. When you have found someone that is showing interest, is asking questions, and wants to support your team, ask them straight out if they are interested in buying your product. You don’t need to be aggressive, but you shouldn’t leave room for interpretation.   Show a buyer that you want them to buy. People want to feel wanted and respond positively to outreach and support. Tell the potential sales that you would value their support.

Fundraise for any season and any reason with TeamFund Fundraising! 

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How to Analyze Your Last Fundraiser and Exceed Your Fundraising Goals!

Wouldn’t it be great to exceed your fundraising goal?

Think back to the last time that happened; remember the feeling? You can’t deny that it feels great and also helps boost confidence!

Let’s talk about how you can meet and exceed your fundraising goals. Because we are obsessed (in a good way!) about improving, we also dissect every chance we get!

Here are some straightforward tips to help.

Review & Revamp

First, look back at how the last fundraiser went.

What were the biggest stumbling blocks?

Frequently, many organizations struggle to find enough volunteers to help plan, organize and follow up on a fundraiser plan.

Therefore, it might be necessary to scrap the old ways and find new, more efficient ways to reach your fundraising goals.

Perhaps, new technology could make it easier for everyone. Consider using an online fundraising platform that keeps track of sales and profits per participant in real-time.

One that handles all the logistics and online payments and can distribute or collect order forms, cash or cheques.

Really, anything that can streamline that whole process will be greatly appreciated.

Maybe it was your message?

Perhaps your supporters were unsure of how soon you needed the money or where the funds would go. In that case, you should ensure your next fundraiser has defined goals and objectives. (More on this in a minute).

With this in mind, make sure the new plan is specific and inform supporters where their donations will go and how it will help.

Perhaps the products or services weren’t useful or of good quality?

Obviously, even the best supporters don’t want more crap in their cupboards or fridges. Using quality businesses with quality products is key.

Set Clear Fundraising Goals

Next, ensure your fundraising team sits down and writes a detailed fundraising goal.

• Specifically, detail how much you need for this and future fundraisers
• Make sure you have ways to measure and report what you have achieved
• Break it down into actionable parts with deadlines
• Be ambitious but not unrealistic
• Use clear language

Be Accountable

Make sure you can justify your goals and how you plan to achieve them. Specifically, ensure that there is an adequate reason for having the fundraiser.

Include how the funds will benefit the team or organization members specifically. Particularly, plan to detail where the funds will be going once raised.

Also, ensure you have researched the best fundraiser options for your group.

Check out: Old school vs. New Fundraising options.

Be Open and Transparent

Announce your goals to everyone involved in your team or organization. Be sure to discuss how you plan to reach your target numbers openly.

Everyone in your organization needs to know how (and why) they will be expected to support your fundraising goals. This will help to inspire your organization from the inside out.

Additionally, make your goals known to all potential supporters.

Once the campaign has started, giving regular updates on how the fundraiser is doing is helpful.

Equally important is letting supporters know what will be done with the funds once raised. Consequently, keeping them engaged for future initiatives.

Celebrate Success

Share and celebrate along the way!

Let your team and supporters know when you are “halfway there” or “just about at our GOAL.” For example, think of a fun way to cheer each other on during the fundraiser.

Have a special bell to ring or a horn to sound for every milestone. Maybe, think about giving out a token award (tiara, helmet, necklace) to the big supporter of the week. This will help to keep up the momentum of the campaign.

Say Thank You

Finally, ensuring you meet or exceed your fundraising goal is a team effort.

Therefore, thank everyone who worked hard to get you to your goal.

Here are some ideas on how to thank your supporters after a fundraiser:

• Use social media sites to spread your gratitude.
• Send out special recognition to your biggest donors and most dedicated volunteers.

Ideally, you want donors to feel appreciated and likely to contribute again in the future.

In the end, it’s important to take the time to clearly define your fundraising goals, openly communicate them both inside your organization and outwardly to donors, track your progress, celebrate your victories, say thank you and stay positive.

Fundraise for any season and any reason with TeamFund Fundraising! 

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