By Jeanne Hilt
4-H members, club leaders, volunteers and Extension Agents all across the country are meeting right now to make plans for a new year chock-full of great youth development programs. To raise the cash needed to fund all of the opportunities available, some clubs are also tempted to plan a year of product sale fundraising campaigns too.
Are constant requests to members’ families to help sell a variety of products for fundraising throughout the year really the best way to achieve your group’s financial objective? It makes sense to put as much thought into your annual fundraising plan as it does your group’s activity plan. In fact, the fewer times you ask a member and their family to sell products for the organization, the more successful your fundraising efforts will be.
Research indicates that families find it easy to ignore requests to participate in a product sale campaign when they are asked to sell too often. When it comes to fundraising, less is more. Fewer requests to sell a product to raise money typically leads to more participation, greater financial success and ultimately higher satisfaction for all participants.
One or two well-planned and focused sales campaigns, combined with appropriate activities designed to help youth and their families have fun while raising money, are the key ingredients to a fundraising plan of action that will help fund the needs of your 4-H group without overly taxing participants and their families.
A few key things to consider when planning, executing and maximizing your group’s product sale fundraising campaign include:
- Select a high-quality product that consumers want to purchase and a product that reflects the values and image of 4-H.
- Strive to select a product that is unique to your group so that you can establish a proven money maker the group can repeat year after year.
- Consider the product cost. (Research indicates that a majority of the public will purchase a fundraising product from a child if the cost is less than $5.00. Actually, folks want a child involved in positive youth activities to ask them to buy if the product cost is less than $5.00.)
- Be excited about what your club is doing and help your members set individual sales goals in order to achieve a group financial goal.
- Kick-off your sale with a family meeting. Let 4-H members share their enthusiasm about the program as well as share their goals for the sale proceeds.
- Remind sellers to take their order form with them throughout the sale - customers are everywhere!
- Encourage sellers to deliver the product in a timely manner and thank customers for their support.
So, go ahead and plan for a year chock-full of great 4-H activities, but keep your fundraising focused. You will raise more money, avoid “fundraising burnout” and give as many kids as possible the time to take full advantage of all the opportunities the best youth development program in the world has to offer.
Jeanne Hilt is President of Best In Show Pet Treats, a licensed supplier of superior-quality pet treats for 4-H fundraising. Check out the company’s website at Best in Show Pet Treats and visit their blog for valuable information on fundraising.
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