If you are responsible for planning a fundraiser for your school, you want to make sure the fundraiser is a success and that you meet your goals, so you only have to have one fundraiser. Running a successful school fundraiser requires multiple elements.

Tip #1: Start the Planning Early

If you want to have a successful fundraiser, you need to start the planning process early. You don't want to wait and rush to get the fundraiser off the ground; that is a recipe for failure.

If you want to do a fundraiser in the fall, start planning for it in the summer. If you want to do a fundraiser in the spring, start planning it that winter. Advance planning will allow you to make sure the fundraiser is well thought out and that everyone involved understands the fundraiser.

Tip #2: Have a Goal for the Money

Fundraisers are a lot more successful when you have a clear goal for why you are raising the money. Teachers, parents, and kids will be more enthusiastic about raising the money when they know how it will benefit them. Donors are more likely to donate when they know what their money is going towards. Being able to visualize what the school will get can really help increase donations.

You need to what you are raising the money for and what your goal is. You should also have a secondary goal, so if you meet your first goal, you can spur the fundraiser on further. For example, maybe your primary goal is to raise money for a new piece of equipment on the playground, and your secondary goal is to purchase new sports equipment to use in P.E. class. You start by focusing on your first goal, and if you meet that, shift the focus to your secondary goal.

Tip #3: Create a Good Team

For a successful fundraiser, you need to have a good team around you. You need a variety of people with different skills to make a fundraiser successful. You need the team leader who will bring people in and keep everyone focused.

You need people who are good at communicating, and who can help bring other parents, teachers, and students on board. You need people who are good at managing money and can keep track of the money you bring in. You need someone who will help motive everyone, and you need someone who will follow through and make sure the funds are spent in an appropriate manner.

If you want to run a successful school fundraising program, you need to start planning early, have a clearly defined goal, and build a great team in order to reach your goals.