Selling products or services can be a great way to raise funds for your nonprofit group. The key to a successful product fundraiser or event is to make sure you plan ahead of time and match your group’s strengths to your chosen fundraiser. Here are some top resources to help you not just decide what to sell, but also how to sell it to maximize your opportunity for fundraising success!
How to Decide on Fundraising Products
Possibly the most difficult part of a product fundraiser is deciding on what product to sell. Spend some time researching what is available to you before you hone in on a product!
- A quick list of 100+ Fundraising Ideas includes product ideas from selling slices of cheesecake to branding first aid kits! This list is a great starting point to show the scope of options to your fundraising committee.
- A special idea, especially if you are fundraising around a patriotic holiday, have a veterans’ focus to your mission, or can match patriotism as a core value of your target market, is to try a Made in the USA product fundraiser.
- If you are on a very fixed budget and have little capital to invest in a product fundraiser, you might consider ideas among these 5 low or no-cost fundraisers, including selling prom dresses!
- If you have a high volume sales venue for setting up a permanent sales booth or table, you might mini-fundraise by selling small or lower cost items, like snacks or portrait snapshots, there continuously over time.
- A great low cost, high-profit fundraiser, especially when kids are involved, is a lollipop fundraiser. Profits are up to 50% and it is relatively easy to get volunteers involved in your sales plan!
- Go beyond lollipops with a modern bake sale this year! Everybody loves cookies and cake, but you can make a bake sale more lucrative as well as healthier than days of old with these tips.
Also read: Fundraising Checklist: Choose the Right Product Fundraiser
If You Can’t Decide on a Product – Try a Non-Product Sales Fundraiser
- If you can’t decide on a product, but you can decide on a type of sales, you might pitch a discount or gift card to a particular store! Read here on how you might pair with a local corporate partner to sell discount cards
- Try a service or event-oriented fundraiser instead of a particular product. For example, if you have manpower prepared, you could sell car washes, or you could sell tickets for rides at a community fair or festival. You might even consider a dinner or a fashion show!
Once You Know What You’re Selling, Know How to Sell It
Next, you have to decide on the particulars of how and where you are going to sell your product (or service).
- Make sure you read this article on how and where to set up a fundraising booth, including a list of detailed items you will need to bring to your booth, to keep organized and maximize profits for your product fundraiser.
- It might be most appropriate, depending on the size, mission, and resources of your organization, to use an online venue for your sales. Here is a summary of the 15 most popular online fundraising services to see if they can help you create a virtual store or event venue.
- You will need to have a committed group of staff and volunteers to pull your fundraiser off. Use our checklist for setting up a fundraising committee to prepare yourself.
Make your product fundraiser a success this year by making sure you do not just pick the right product (or non-product) to sell, but also choose the best venue and fundraising committee to make the most of your efforts!