Fundraising Tips
Set an objective:
The objective you set for your group should include a financial figure, as well as a tangible element. For example, a group must raise $2,000 to pay for new band equipment, as well as traveling costs to the Annual Band Competition.
Set a deadline: Your campaign should run a maximum length of 1-2 weeks. Keeping the campaign short will keep your participants motivated and on track.
Know your group:
Knowing how many of your group members will be participating in the fundraiser is important, since it will help you organize a selling strategy. This will help determine which geographic area to be
covered by the participants, as well as the best time to solicit donations.
Motivate your group:
It is important to maintain close and constant contact with your group members, and to motivate and encourage them constantly. Being a positive role model for the group is also important, not only in terms of how much money you raise, but also in terms of how much time and effort you put into your fundraiser to make it a success.
Managing Your Campaign:
Delivery:
Once you have placed your order, allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.
Money collection:
Members should collect money when they take the order. Also, it is easier for the campaign organizer to collect ONE check from each participant for the entire sum of money collected, rather than several checks.
Tallying and packing orders:
It is a good idea to solicit volunteers in advance to help with these tasks. Appoint a chairperson to oversee and coordinate these activities. The chairperson and each participant should ALWAYS check and double-check orders for errors.
Incentive Prizes:
Not all fundraising campaigns need additional incentives to motivate the participants. If a baseball team needs to raise $75 per player to be able to participate in a tournament, the incentive is already there. With many campaigns, however, this is not the case. The following are some additional ideas intended to help motivate your participants.
Best-seller prizes:
Offer a prize to the individual who raises the most money, or sells the most units.
Draw prizes:
Every participant who sells a pre-determined minimum amount is entered into a drawing for cash prizes or other merchandise.
Intangible prizes:
These are often the most effective for the participants, and as a result, create the most incentive. For example, have your coaches agree to coach a game in a silly costume! Being creative in this aspect is important, and can help make your fundraiser a true success.
QUESTION: How long should a campaign run?
ANSWER: Selling over the Thanksgiving week-end is the #1 selling time, second is the first 2 weeks of September, or during the month of November, and any time before March break in the spring. Our fundraisers are run successfully year-round, but these are the prime selling times of the year.
QUESTION: How long should a campaign run?
ANSWER: Most campaigns run for 10 to 14 days. The ideal situation is to start on a Thursday and end the following Monday. This gives your group two weekends of selling plus one full week.
QUESTION: How do I get my group to participate and stay motivated?
ANSWER: We know that your fundraising success relies on high group participation. Try to unite your sellers and get them excited about the campaign by telling them exactly how they will benefit. Show them how much you need to raise and how many candles each person must sell to reach that goal. Most importantly, notify your parents of this. They will be determining factors in reaching your goal. Set your goals higher than you expect, because we’ve found that if you ask more from your group, you often get it. Offer a prize program. Most kids love receiving a small prize just for their participation.
QUESTION: Why should we choose Whiffle Tree candles over other candle fundraising
companies?
ANSWER: Our candles are completely hand made in the United States. We use only food grade
paraffin wax and American made fragrances. All of our wicks are lead and zinc free. We use only cotton and paper core. We are confident that our candle quality is the absolute best in the candle fundraising industry. We burned candles from every candle fundraising company in the industry and made ours look, burn, and smell better. Yes, even better than Y**kee! We encourage you to contact other candle fundraising companies and ask for free samples. If they give you one, smell it and
compare to ours. We think you will see and smell the Whiffle Tree candle difference.
Note: When working with younger groups, (e.g. Elementary Schools, Day Cares, etc.) where parents are doing most of the selling, a “Parent Letter” should be included in the paperwork. The letter will emphasize to your parents the purpose of the campaign, your overall and individual goals, and will stress entire group participation as your main goal.
Approaching a potential supporter:
The manner in which a potential donor is approached may determine whether or not a donation will be made. Try this simple but effective approach:
“Hello, my name is ____________, and I’m raising money for ___________. Would you like to
support our group by purchasing ___________? Thank you for your generosity, and have a nice day.”
Key things to remember:
List as many potential donors as you can before you begin approaching people for support. Start with family and friends, and then proceed to your neighbors and other people whom you feel would be interested in your cause.
Know why your group is holding the fundraiser, and communicate this to potential donors. For example: “Our group is raising money in order to finance our trip to the annual tournament.”
Smile, be polite and most importantly, be enthusiastic about your cause.
If possible, always carry your fundraising products with you.
QUESTION: What happens to the candles when they arrive with our school or group?
ANSWER: Your candles will be shipped in cases of 12. (e.g. 12 Hot Apple Pie per case) Place cases in alphabetical order according to their fragrance. You now fill each sales sheet’s order individually. Only two or three volunteers are needed to sort the orders. One person reads the order as the other person (s) sorts the order. Local orders can be pre-packed and delivered by seller’s name.
QUESTION: Could our school/group have a sample kit on display?
ANSWER: Absolutely! We will loan you a sample set up of all fragrances and jar types for your
display. These must be returned (unburned and unbroken) at the end of your fundraising campaign. You will be responsible for any damaged product. If you are not a local organization and request a sample case, you must pre-pay for your sample case plus shipping. We highly recommend doing this. People need to see the quality of the product they are raising money with. This assurance will increase your total sales and profit.
QUESTION: Should participants sell door to door? To whom should we sell?
ANSWER: Your safety is important to us. We discourage door-to-door fundraising WITHOUT adult supervision. We ask that all children sell to family and friends or have Mom & Dad take the brochure (s) to work with them. If the campaign is being run over a holiday, some people might choose to take orders from relatives at family gatherings. Remember, sell to people you know. Friends, neighbors, co-workers, church members, and other people you trust are those who will want to support you.
For more information please email or call us at WTCANDLE@aol.com or 1-978-663-6346