Best Time to Start a Fundraiser

There's no doubt about it! Early fall is where it happens! With our years of experience, we're eager to share that campaigns launched in August and September achieve the highest sales. As the season heats up, competition increases, but by launching early, you'll enjoy greater participation and higher average sales per seller. Don't wait until the holiday rush – families are busy, and budgets get tight! By getting ahead of the game, you'll keep your supporters high and fatigue low. Overall, we see the highest sales in September, followed by October, then November, with the lowest in December. Although most fundraisers close in November, their sales and participation are lower than those of fundraisers that start and close earlier in the fall.

 

If your organization can begin your nonprofit fundraiser earlier in the fall, you will likely see higher participation rates and higher average sales per seller. As the season progresses, competition for fundraisers intensifies among schools, sports teams, and churches. Families with children are asked to participate in several fundraisers, and supporters have been asked to make multiple purchases. As a result, participants and supporters start getting "burnt out" on fundraising as the holidays approach. 

 

Please note that many organizations mistakenly believe they can increase sales by waiting to fundraise closer to Christmas. Unfortunately, that is not true. In addition to competition from prior fundraisers, you will face the highest sales competition in November, when the most fundraisers are held. Also, remember that families are busier as the holidays approach, resulting in less participation, and those who do sell have less time for selling. Plus, budgets get tighter as you approach the holidays, and people are less willing to place an order. Families who have been asked to participate in school PTA or PTO fundraisers are also often asked to sell for sports fundraisers, cheerleading fundraisers, church fundraisers, dance fundraisers, and other similar events. Eventually, they will reach a point where they will stop participating. Beat the rush! Beat the competition. Start your fundraiser early while your participants are excited to sell and eager to help you raise money for your organization!

 

Are you considering offering one of our Christmas fundraising ideas or food fundraising ideas, such as cookie dough, cheese, or sausage? Be attentive to the timetable to run your sale, submit your order forms, and pack, ship, and deliver the order! Most of those programs take significantly longer to deliver the merchandise than programs like candle fundraisers, Snackin' in the USA, and virtual fundraising ideas, which ship very quickly. Organizations that choose a Christmas fundraiser, cookie dough fundraiser, etc., should be submitting their order forms by early to mid-November at the latest. If you are considering having more than one fall fundraiser, we suggest starting a program such as a Christmas shopper first and then following up with a program such as GLOW Scented Candles, which can actually be run through Thanksgiving and still allow enough time for the Christmas fundraiser to be delivered before Christmas or before your school's winter break. 

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Call us at 860-384-3691, and we can recommend the best fundraising ideas and help you schedule your dates.