How to Build An All-Star Team for Your Fall Fundraiser

Key Roles for Your Fall Fundraiser

If you’re a seasoned organizer, you know how much hard work and effort a successful fundraiser requires. From volunteer coordinating to venue set up, your behind-the-scenes efforts are truly what can set the stage for a successful fundraiser that reaches your goal.

The Team Lead

This might be you...the organizer, the manager, the overseer. The lead’s job is to coordinate the entire team and is responsible for achieving the fundraising goal. The Lead always keeps this big-picture in mind, and is your fall fundraiser's biggest cheerleader.

Duties include:

• Setting the financial goal for the fundraiser
• Communicating the organization’s mission and vision with the team
• Building the rest of the fundraising team and assigning key responsibilities
• Lending support to committee chairs
• Following up after the event with thank yous and recaps

Operations

This person takes the reins of your fundraiser’s logistics. Supervising the nitty-gritty details, their role is to coordinate the what, where and how of your fundraiser.

Duties include:

• Venue organizing and setup (if applicable)
• Coordinating streaming or video technology (for a virtual fundraising event)
• Vendor coordinating (with Terri Lynn, for example)
• Collecting and distributing selling materials to the members in your organization selling products to raise money before an event (check out our Order Taking fundraising program here)
• Ordering your inventory of Terri Lynn products for products sold at an event (check out our Case Fundraising Program here)
  

Marketing

When it comes to getting the word out to your audience, your marketing leader should know where to find the materials to help promote your fall fundraiser. This person will determine the best methods for creating buzz around your event (both online and offline), and execute a plan for amplifying your organization’s voice.

Duties include:

• Utilizing our Terri Lynn Promotions Kit with ready-made graphics, brochures and online banners
• Posting announcements to Facebook and Instagram
• Sharing the link to your Online Store via email
• Sending mailers and distributing printed materials

Finance

A healthy budget is key to any fall fundraiser’s success. This team member is responsible for tracking expenses and income, paying invoices, and submitting accounting-related paperwork where needed.

Duties include:

• Itemizing receipts
• Paying vendors
• Tracking sponsorships
• Referencing Terri Lynn’s Sales Tax & Order Guide for information on how to order and how to submit the necessary forms to obtain tax-exempt status on your order

Volunteer Coordinator

It’s helpful to have one go-to source of information and guidance for all your volunteers. This coordinator should have a basic understanding of each volunteer’s duties and timeframes, and be able to answer frequently asked questions.

Duties include:

• Recruiting event volunteers, including past volunteers and supporters
• Assigning roles and duties
• Coordinating with committee chairs regarding specific needs

Outreach

If your event can benefit from press coverage or local partnerships, an outreach coordinator can help your community to rally around your cause. This person may be responsible for developing press releases, creating presentations, reaching out to news organizations, and developing relationships within your community.

Duties include:

• Communicating with media
• Maintaining and developing community partnerships
• Coordinating and distributing marketing materials, like your fundraiser’s Terri Lynn mailers and fliers.

Where and How to Find Your Fall Fundraiser Team

Vacation plans, reunions, family hosting and camps can sling your fundraising community in all directions during the summertime. By reaching out early, you’ll give your ideal volunteers plenty of time to marinate over their future fundraising roles, and communicate when it’s convenient for them.

When making your list of all-star team members, think about people who are invested in your organization’s outcomes. These can include past volunteers, past supporters, people who have benefited from your cause, or volunteers from other related community organizations. If your event is virtual, you can also reach out to non-local supporters, to pitch in from afar.

Plus, we’re making team meetings easier for you!

Terri Lynn offers your organization a free, private 60 minute video conference, so you can securely catch up and plan. Here’s how it works:

• There are no accounts to set up
• We provide an email invitation
• We offer a dial in option too (no computer needed)
• All you need to do is schedule a date and time that is convenient for your group

You can use 45 minutes of the time to discuss your fundraising revenue goals, scheduling, sale start/end dates, staffing/volunteers, donors, logistics, fundraising product selections, or anything else your committee needs to talk about. And we spend the last 15 minutes showing you how to reach your goals with our free Terri Lynn Fundraising programs.

Schedule Your Free Team Video Planning Meeting Now

What If It’s Just Me?

Not every fundraiser will fill each role with individual volunteers. In your case, you might be the Lead, Operator, Marketer and Volunteer Coordinator all in one! When your responsibilities span the gamut of fundraising duties, it’s important to reach out for help.

At Terri Lynn, we’ve been helping all different sizes of organizations reach their fundraising goals for decades with our premium products, robust set of tools and a dedicated team of Fundraising Experts ready to support you at every turn. We’re here to help you succeed, no matter how big or small. When you’re ready to get organized for fall, here are some of our resources for piecing together your fundraising plans throughout the summer:

• Fundraising Forms
• FREE Fundraising Guide
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Fundraising Promotion Kit

Going solo and virtual? These additional resources from our Terri Lynn team are made just for you:

• Fundraiser Dashboard How-To Guide
• Fundraising with a Terri Lynn Online Store [Video]
• How To Use Our Order Taking Program to Raise Funds Using Email [Blog Post]

Find Fall Fundraiser Success With Terri Lynn

While taking time to relax is important this summer, we also want to help you plan for a relaxing autumn, too. Don’t let the rush of back-to-school, holidays and harvest activities swamp you in the fall—instead, you can start planning now to meet your timelines and goals with the help of your fundraising dream team.

And we’re here to be a part of your lineup, too! Reach out anytime to schedule a free fundraising consultation with one of our dedicated Fundraising Experts, and we’ll help ensure your fall fundraiser is equipped for success with Terri Lynn.