The Art Of Last Minute Fundraising

The clock is ticking… FAST.  For whatever reason, you’ve found yourself with the unenviable task of putting together a last minute fundraiser for your school, church, club or non-profit organization.  Fear… stress… anxiety  - all emotions that you’re probably experiencing.  

But there is hope!  Last minute fundraising doesn’t have to keep you up at night.  We have seen many groups across the country successfully pull off last minute fundraisers, raising lots of money for their respective causes in very little time. There are two keys when putting together a last minute fundraiser: 1. Pick the right fundraising idea!  2. Effective Communication!  

Let’s start with picking the right last-minute fundraiser.  There are plenty of easy Fundraising Ideas that are highly profitable, hassle-free and can be pulled of in weeks, if not days.  Probably the best last minute fundraisers are Fundraising Cards.  There are many online fundraising companies that offer Discount Cards that can be purchased, shipped and arrive in your mailbox with 2-3 business days, if not earlier with expedited shipping options.  When choosing a fundraising card, keep in mind that you have a limited amount of time (like you could forget…) and choose a card that already has pre-approved discounts/merchants featured on them.  If you are really short on time, you probably don’t want to wait on a fundraising company to sign up merchants for your specific fundraising card.  There are plenty of fundraising cards available that already have merchants secured.  Some of our favorites are Dinner & A Movie Cards, Portrait Cards, and Restaurant.com cards. Fundraising Scratch Cards are also another great choice since they are a fun, unique and easy way to raise money – that and they usually earn your group 80-90% profit (which is the case with most fundraising cards)!  Another tip: when it comes to discount cards, each “seller” can typically sell around 5-10 fundraising cards. 

Lastly, while it’s important to have effective communication among your group during any fundraiser, it’s especially important when you’re short on time.  We recommend creating a group email (include all participants) and using that email chain to keep everyone in the loop on important details.  You may also want to create a Facebook page for the fundraiser and invite all your participants to join as Friends.  This will allow you to post update as well as provide a forum for your group to ask questions or post updates/comments.  Some sort of “ticking clock” also helps keep group members active and selling.  We find that including how many days are left in the subject line of an email or message is an effective way to keep everyone on the same page. 

Regardless of how much time you have left in your fundraiser, remember to breathe!  With the right fundraising company on your side, you will be successful and will come off looking like a fundraising expert.  Just take a few deep breaths and get started!