Lollipop Fundraising

Buy For Charity has a great customer service team that is determined to help your organization meet its fundraising needs.  They're easy to get in touch with, respond quickly to all forms of communication, and always put the customer's satisfaction first.  There are many fundraising companies out there, but Buy For Charity's dedication to quality customer service makes fundraising projects painless and profitable. Read more

We have all been very impressed and will definitely be working with your company again in the future. I have also told friends and family involved in other organizations about our wonderful experience. Thanks again for all of your help and please pass on our compliments to everyone involved with your company. Everything (website, brochures, shipping, products, etc) was easy, seamless and professional. You have exceeded our expectations in every way. Read more

15 Tips For First Time Fundraising

1. Decide how much money your group needs to raise  
This will help you evaluate fundraising products and fundraisers that will be ideal for your group.
 
2. Watch for hidden costs 
Don't let your group's fundraising profits disappear because of hidden costs (ex. shipping, prizes).
 
3. Give yourself & your group lots of time to prepare 
Select your fundraiser early. This will give you lots of time to plan. Include your fundraiser on the
school or community calendars and newsletters.
 
4. Timing 
Make sure to stagger the various fundraisers to avoid flooding your potential consumers and to avoid
competing with other fundraisers.
 
5. Set up specific dates & stick to them 
If you avoid setting clear target dates the campaign tends to drag on and often without direction.
 
6. Try to conduct fewer & more effective fundraising programs 
This will help maintain motivation and avoid "fundraising fatigue".
 
7. Rely on your fundraising company's expertise 
Ask lots of questions & use your fundraising company's suggestions & advice.
 
8. Stay motivated throughout the fundraiser
Some organizers tend to lose interest once the program is underway. Put a 10-12 day time limit on order
taking. It's easier to stay motivated with clear goals and deadlines.
 
9. Communicate clearly before, during & after the fundraiser is put in place 
Keep energy levels high by reminding parents, teachers and other volunteers of the fundraising goals and
deadlines.
 
10. Avoid shipping and ordering problems 
Work closely with your volunteers and assure their order forms are legible and filled out completely.
 
11. Keep copies of the order forms 
Always keep copies of the order forms before you send them to your fundraising company.
 
12. Recruit adult volunteers ahead of time 
This will make the distribution of the products to the volunteers more efficient.
 
13. Double-check products received against your order forms 
This needs to be done before the products are given to the volunteers to ensure that nothing is damaged or
missing.
 
14. Keep absent volunteers informed 
Don't forget to communicate the fundraiser's kick off and other important meetings to absent volunteers.
 
15. Have Fun! 
A good attitude = better success.

6 Ways To Motivate Your Group

Motivate your group with prizes, prizes and more prizes. Here are a few ideas to help you motivate your
members and maximize your fundraising sales.
 
1. Intangible Prizes:
These ones have no cash value but are proven motivators and provide great entertainment. A few examples
include:
 
a) allow the participants to throw cream pies at the organizers' faces if the fundraising goal is reached! (not sure if you'll
like this one but it usually gets the money raised)
b) have the principal sleep on the roof of the school or the group leader(s) sleep somewhere awkward if the
goal is achieved. Set an even bigger goal to extend the number of days they must sleep there.
c) let the group have an activity of their choice instead of the normal schedule (for example: a free
afternoon of sports activities in the school yard instead of class)
 
2. Raffles:
For each achieved mini goal (ex. for every 10 units sold or $100 in sales reached) the participant gets their
name put in the raffle for various merchandise. The more they sell, the more times they can have their name
put in the raffle and the more chances they have to win.
 
3. Top Seller Grand Prize:
Give a Grand Prize to your top seller. It may be a computer, a bike, movie tickets, cash or anything else that
inspires your group members. Don't get carried away and offer something your group can't afford.
 
4. Top Class or Team Prizes:
This is a great way to motivate the kids and get them working as a team- perfect synergy! If you're a small
group, you can create teams by putting your members in groups of twos, threes or fours. If you're a school
you can do it by class and if you're a league simply do it by team. You can offer the best selling group a free
pizza party, a field trip outing to the place of their choice...ask them what they'd like.
 
5. Individual Completion Prizes:
Individual completion prizes are very good because they are risk-free for your organization. Once your
member raises a certain amount THEN they receive their incentive gift. For example: Receive $10 cash for
every $100 of product sold. Other completion prizes may be a gift certificate to a music, video, book, or
sports store.
 
6. Early Bird Prizes:
You can offer early bird prizes to the first, second and third person who reaches a specific objective by a
certain deadline. For example: if you launch the fundraiser on Monday, you can say the first three people
that generate $100 in sales or more by Friday will receive a $15 gift certificate.
 
Also Remember:
Solicit Sponsors for Prizes
You can get many prizes for free by simply soliciting the local restaurants, sports, book and music stores, as
well as other local retailers. Tell them what it's for and offer to mention their name in the parent letter and at
the campaign launch.
 
Get the Right Prizes
What could be worse than no incentive prizes? Investing in incentive prizes which simply don't motivate your
members! Make sure the prizes you get are relevant to your member's age group and interests. Ask them
what they'd like to receive as incentives given a certain budget.