5 Things To Do This Month To Prepare for Holiday Fundraising
Summer is coming to a close, which means a whole new season of fundraising opens!
Fall is one of the best seasons to plan your fundraiser with Terri Lynn premium snacks and treats.
Post Date: Aug 30 2021
Even if the holidays feel like they’re a long way off, it’s time to start planning early.
Halloween, Giving Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years -- now’s the time to get a jump on this fall’s plan of action so that you and your team aren’t scrambling during the biggest giving days of the year.
Fall time is one of the best seasons to plan your fundraiser with Terri Lynn premium snacks and treats. The abundance of holidays creates opportunities to get people excited about gift giving, enjoying new recipes, snacking during special festivities, and getting into the shopping spirit. In fact, the final months of the year are ripe for generating the bulk of your annual funding, while your supporters are buying, giving, and donating in generous amounts.
At Terri Lynn, we’ve seen big gains from well-planned holiday fundraisers that feature our line of delicious products, and we want to set you up for record sales, too! Here are some of the activities that our most-successful fundraising groups begin right away, to start planning for holiday opportunities on the horizon.
“We look forward to our Terri Lynn Fundraiser every year! Our customers keep coming back and asking for more. You can’t find better quality anywhere.” - George S., Ohio
1. Pick Your Goal
Before you start planning the details of your holiday fundraiser, you’ll need to decide on the W’s of the event: who, what, when, and where.
Who is your target audience of buyers and supporters? Where will they be around the holidays, and where can you grab their attention online and in person?
What are you raising money for during the holidays? Is it different from your other fundraisers throughout the year?
Where will you host your fundraiser? Are you planning an in-person event at a school, church, business or local festival, or will you be raising funds online via your Terri Lynn Webstore?
When will your supporters have opportunities to buy? Will you be selling at an event, take pre-orders on an order form during a special window of time, or promote online orders?
Once you’ve settled on your big W’s, you’ll move on to the next step: planning your goal. Without a defined goal, it will be harder to measure your fundraiser’s success. So what would be success to you? Raising a certain amount of money, increasing event attendance to gain new members, or raising community awareness of your cause?
A clear goal (or goals) will guide you throughout the entire planning process. It will help you understand your budget, your volunteer needs, your inventory ordering needs (if you’re planning a fundraiser using our Quick Start program), and ultimately help donors and supporters understand your big picture.
2. Organize Your Team
It might not take a full village to pull off your fundraiser, but it usually takes a dedicated team. Your fundraising team should include people with different skill sets and experiences, to benefit from a wealth of talents and strengths. Accounting, outreach, event planning, social media -- even if your team members aren’t experts in fundraising, there are plenty of skills and ideas they can bring to the holiday table.
Bonus reading: How To Build Your All-Star Fundraising Team For The Fall
Once your team is set, it’s important to delegate tasks and find and fill your holes. Now’s the time to decide who will do what, instead of waiting for volunteers to jump in at the last minute. Highlight your empty tasks and start reaching out to volunteers now, or adjust your event planning as needed. Use this time to strategize with your personnel, and avoid last minute surprises!
3. Create a Calendar
This task is especially helpful if you’re planning with a large fundraising group. Details can get lost among phone calls and emails, and having a shared calendar will save your team time (and sanity!) as you prepare in the months, weeks and days leading up to your big fundraising event.
One of the best ways to get organized is working backwards. Do you have a date set for your fundraiser? If so, think about the activities leading up to the big “X” on the calendar: social media posts, sponsorship gathering,printing order forms, securing a venue -- and so much more. Your calendar should lay out deadlines and appointments, so that no one will have to rely on memory to accomplish all the important pieces of the planning process.
“We knew we needed to do our annual nut sale to meet our philanthropic commitments, so we put the word out early. Everyone was very generous and the products are of such high quality....they really do sell themselves!” -- Julia N, Indiana
4. Invite Partners, Sponsors & Volunteers
The great thing about a community fundraiser is -- community! The holidays are a perfect time for recruiting others to pitch in, lend a hand, donate, or get creative with new ways to give their support. Talking with potential partners, sponsors and volunteers is a great way to spread your message and build momentum in the months before your fundraising event.
Think of ways you can involve fundraising partners this year. Reach out to a local print shop to donate printed posters or order forms (find FREE printable flyers in our Promotions Kit). Get in touch with a media company that can help with radio or social media advertising. Enlist a party rental business to donate tables and linens.
There are tons of opportunities for bringing your community together in a feel-good fundraising way.
5. Plan Your Fundraising Programs
Now’s the time to get creative with mixing and matching your Terri Lynn fundraising programs. Can you use more than one program at a time? Absolutely! In fact, many fundraising groups have found success combining programs to super-boost their efforts. For example, you can host a Quick Start fundraiser and then direct your supporters to your Webstore when they’re ready to come back and buy more (and help you raise more money!).
Or, here’s a way to use all three:
Order a selection of Terri Lynn products via Quick Start to sell or sample at your fundraising event.
In the weeks leading up to your event, volunteers or members can use brochures and the Order Taking program to collect pre-orders around the community. Bonus: the pre-sale can also help promote your face-to-face fundraiser and draw an even larger crowd!
After someone makes a purchase, provide a paper or email ‘thank you’ message with a link to your personal Webstore, where they can order more and continue supporting your cause.
“We raise enough funds from our Terri Lynn sales that we don’t need to do other fundraising. They love the product and tell their friends!” —Ann H, Missouri
Reach Out Early, and We’ll Give You A Hand!
The holidays will be here before you know it, which means just about everyone gets busier with family, friends, planning and shopping. We want your 2021 holiday fundraiser to be a success, so we’re here to help you choose the best-fit Terri Lynn program for your goals, resources and time frame this holiday season.
Whether you’re in need of general fundraising tips, or ideas for combining Terri Lynn programs to maximize your efforts, we invite you to reach out to our team of Fundraising Experts. We’re here to help you reach (or exceed!) your money-raising goals and wrap up the year with a successful holiday fundraising season under your belt.