Looking for some tips on improving your youth sports fundraising? Every youth sports league must fundraise to cover expenses and keep fees low. So, how do you raise more funds? Focus on these seven factors and you can easily double your results.

Product Selection
In youth sports fundraising, it’s so important to select the right products to sell. The right selection is one that has mass appeal, an above average price point, and good profit margins.

Don’t sell what’s always been sold every year. Consider choosing items that meet the criteria below.

Product Price Point
Your product offering should be at an attractive price point. This means it should be neither high nor low, but rather right in the comfort zone that encourages people to open their wallets.

If you’re selling a low-priced product, you are at a disadvantage because you aren’t maximizing your revenue from each prospect. In this situation, try bundling a small quantity together and ask for more dollars.

For example, if candy bars are being sold for $1 each, put together variety three-packs or a family ten-pack. Get your prospect thinking bigger numbers. Many of them will step up to the bundle.

Product Profitability
It’s important that your fundraising product has a high profit margin. Ideally, you’d like to make 80% or more if you can. This would be products like discount cards for two-for-one deals at fast food places.

Many standard items have a profit margin of 50% and that’s OK. It just means that you’ll have to pump up the volume to make the same net that you would with higher profit items.

If the product chosen is one with a lower profit range of say 40%, then it needs to either be a higher-priced item or it needs to be likely to inspire quantity orders from each prospect. For example, cookie dough is often in this range, but price points are $10 & up. Many families will buy two or three units.

Sales Script
Don’t send your sellers out unprepared. Part of youth sports is teaching and helping kids with their sales skills goes a long way toward building self confidence.

Here’s what to tell them:
1 – Make eye contact, smile and introduce yourself.
2 – Say one sentence about why you are raising funds.
3 – Say second sentence that asks for their help.
4 – Make sure that sentence includes the word “because”.
5 – Extend sample item, catalog, or order sheet.
6 – Suggest a personal favorite item or bundle.
7 – Always ask for the order.

Prospect, Prospect, Prospect
Now that your kids know what to say, they have to have prospects for their sales pitch. You can’t set sales records without having a large supply of prospective customers.

Have everyone make a list of their potential customers. Have them do it as a team exercise and make sure they write them down. It’s very important to do this and to have each seller commit publicly to doing their part.

Have each seller stand up in front of their teammates and state how many prospects they have. Then have them make a commitment to raising a certain financial amount. Set minimum amounts and encourage competition by offering prizes for various achievement levels.

Location, Location, Location
Another way to boost your youth sports fundraising is by going where the prospects are. Your group can reach incredible numbers of people just by setting up fundraiser sales tables at entrances to high-traffic retail locations.

Grocery stores, home improvement stores, and mass merchandisers are all places where hundreds of prospects are available. Get permission well in advance from the store manager.

Set up a small table to display your fundraising product items. Staff your spot with two adults and two kids for each 90-minute shift.

Decorate the area with league banners and large-lettered signs explaining your offer. Your signs must inform them well in advance of reaching your display and sales table. That way, those interested in helping your sports team will be primed to stop and will be more receptive to hearing each youth’s sales pitch.

Example:
“New Uniform Fundraiser”
“Tasty 3 lb. Cookie Dough – $10″

Imagine how many potential prospects there are at those locations who are completely outside your normal range of contacts. Now, go out there and sell them something!

Have Fun
Always make raising funds fun for the kids. Their emotions are subconsciously communicated to each potential prospect.
Read more…

Looking for some tips on improving your youth sports fundraising? Every youth sports league must fundraise to cover expenses and keep fees low. So, how do you raise more funds? Focus on these seven factors and you can easily double your results.

#1 – Product Selection
In youth sports fundraising, it’s so important to select the right products to sell. The right selection is one that has mass appeal, an above average price point, and good profit margins.

Don’t sell what’s always been sold every year. Consider choosing items that meet the criteria below.

#2 – Product Price Point
Your product offering should be at an attractive price point. This means it should be neither high nor low, but rather right in the comfort zone that encourages people to open their wallets.

If you’re selling a low-priced product, you are at a disadvantage because you aren’t maximizing your revenue from each prospect. In this situation, try bundling a small quantity together and ask for more dollars.

For example, if candy bars are being sold for $1 each, put together variety three-packs or a family ten-pack. Get your prospect thinking bigger numbers. Many of them will step up to the bundle.

#3 – Product Profitability
It’s important that your fundraising product has a high profit margin. Ideally, you’d like to make 80% or more if you can. This would be products like discount cards for two-for-one deals at fast food places.

Many standard items have a profit margin of 50% and that’s OK. It just means that you’ll have to pump up the volume to make the same net that you would with higher profit items.

If the product chosen is one with a lower profit range of say 40%, then it needs to either be a higher-priced item or it needs to be likely to inspire quantity orders from each prospect. For example, cookie dough is often in this range, but price points are $10 & up. Many families will buy two or three units.

#4 – Sales Script
Don’t send your sellers out unprepared. Part of youth sports is teaching and helping kids with their sales skills goes a long way toward building self confidence.

Here’s what to tell them:

1 – Make eye contact, smile and introduce yourself.
2 – Say one sentence about why you are raising funds.
3 – Say second sentence that asks for their help.
4 – Make sure that sentence includes the word “because”.
5 – Extend sample item, catalog, or order sheet.
6 – Suggest a personal favorite item or bundle.
7 – Always ask for the order.

#5 – Prospect, Prospect, Prospect
Now that your kids know what to say, they have to have prospects for their sales pitch. You can’t set sales records without having a large supply of prospective customers.

Have everyone make a list of their potential customers. Have them do it as a team exercise and make sure they write them down. It’s very important to do this and to have each seller commit publicly to doing their part.

Have each seller stand up in front of their teammates and state how many prospects they have. Then have them make a commitment to raising a certain financial amount. Set minimum amounts and encourage competition by offering prizes for various achievement levels.

#6 – Location, Location, Location
Another way to boost your youth sports fundraising is by going where the prospects are. Your group can reach incredible numbers of people just by setting up fundraiser sales tables at entrances to high-traffic retail locations.

Grocery stores, home improvement stores, and mass merchandisers are all places where hundreds of prospects are available. Get permission well in advance from the store manager.

Set up a small table to display your fundraising product items. Staff your spot with two adults and two kids for each 90-minute shift.

Decorate the area with league banners and large-lettered signs explaining your offer. Your signs must inform them well in advance of reaching your display and sales table. That way, those interested in helping your sports team will be primed to stop and will be more receptive to hearing each youth’s sales pitch.

Example:
“New Uniform Fundraiser”
“Tasty 3 lb. Cookie Dough – $10″

Imagine how many potential prospects there are at those locations who are completely outside your normal range of contacts. Now, go out there and sell them something!
Read more…

Everybody wants easy fundraisers. The problem is that you also want good results. So, how do you get the best results
from an easy fundraiser?

Three things to consider in evaluating easy fundraisers:

Effort Involved
Resources Needed
Duration of Fundraiser

EFFORT INVOLVED
An easy fundraiser shouldn’t take a lot of effort, but let’s be honest. It is going to take SOME effort.

The level of effort is often directly proportional to the size of your group’s monetary goal, but not always. That’s why you are considering an easy fundraiser in the first place – you’re looking for less effort, not more.

RESOURCES NEEDED
Resources are always a problem in small group fundraising. You can never have too many volunteers and you usually never have enough.

For an easy fundraiser, you want programs that don’t require an excessive time commitment from a large number of people.

You want either a single weekend-only activity or a program that takes only a small amount of time each week. It’s easier to get people to help with something that doesn’t require more than a two-hour commitment from them.

Conserve your resources with an easy fundraiser and you’ll have more folks to draw on later when you really need help.

DURATION OF FUNDRAISER
Duration is important. An easy fundraiser that lasts more than a single weekend should not require a lot of attention to keep it productive.

Those that only last a single day or weekend shouldn’t require a tremendous amount of prep time.

So, which easy fundraisers only take a little effort, few resources, and have the right duration?

Three simple easy fundraisers:
Printer cartridge recycling program
Onsite or Online Yard Sale
Seasonal Specialty Item Sale
Recycling Program

A recycling program for collecting used printer cartridges costs nothing to put together. All collection boxes and shipping needs are covered by the supplier. We recommend FundingFactory.

Your effort involves finding businesses to participate in the program, leaving pre-labeled boxes with a site representative, and providing directions on calling UPS to pick up a full box.

A used cartridge is worth between $1 and $20, depending on the popularity of the printer and the cost of a new cartridge. Many businesses encourage recycling efforts. For good prospects, check with the leasing manager of large office buildings that house multiple companies.

Another good location is an electronics store or office supply retailer. Customers often bring in their old cartridge when shopping for a replacement. You are doing the retailer a service by providing them with an environmentally safe way to dispose of these leftovers.

A good recycling program will cover a couple of dozen sites and not require much work after the initial placement. Over time, working this many sites can produce a considerable amount of funds for your group.

One good source for a complete turnkey cartridge recycling setup (at no cost to your group) is the Funding Factory. They recycle inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges, and old cell phones.

Mega Yard Sale

A big yard sale is another easy fundraiser to pull off. It’s short in duration, usually just a Saturday sale with some prep time the night before.

Choose a nice high-visibility location like a school or church parking lot. Advertise in the local paper and put up signs for the cagey veterans who troll around on Saturday mornings looking for bargains.

Group your items together by category – kids clothes, tools, toys, books, pictures, music, etc. Place general price signs around items instead of pricing everything individually.

For example, “$5-$10 Tools” or “Books: $1-$3″ are signs that allow people to haggle and help you avoid putting price stickers on hundreds of items.

Resources are needed most for helping to sell. Recruit outgoing types who can be enthusiastic about these odds and ends. Make it a fun time with some helium balloons for small children and have coffee and doughnuts available for adults.

By grouping items together from multiple households, you create a bigger draw as well as a bigger workforce.

If you attract enough shoppers along with enough donations, you can raise as much as $500 per participating household.
Read more…

Wreath making and selling can be a fun project and a money maker for almost any organization; however it is going to take some careful planning to make sure that everything runs smoothly. You’re weekly get together group may be all in favor of making wreaths, but as with any group project, you will have members who will be at different levels of capabilities. Some members may already be proficient wreath makers, others may be rank beginners.

You will also want to decide if all of the wreaths will be alike or will they be different? If you decide to make five different kinds of wreaths, you will want to have your members divided into five different groups. You will also want to have a leader or leaders for each group, a person or persons who know how to make the wreaths that their group is going to make and are willing and able to share this knowledge with others.

Printing out descriptions and directions for each type of wreath is a good idea also and will give those who have never made wreaths before a basic idea of what this entails.

You will also need a committee to buy or procure materials. Possibly more than one. You may need one group to be in charge of gathering natural supplies while the other group will be in charge of buying the embellishments which will be put on the wreaths.
Read more…