Setting Up Your Annual Fundraising Schedule

Setting Up Your Annual Fundraising Schedule
As you plan your year’s fundraising schedule, there’s a good chance you will need to raise money in multiple ways. Depending on your organization, you might run fundraising events and sell items during the year to get the funds you need for the organization. You might also take on sponsors and donors.
Whether you’re a sports team, a private organization, or a school, raising money isn’t easy. However, it can be much easier, if you spend time setting up your annual fundraiser schedule.
Start with the Basics
Before you set up your annual fundraising schedule, start with the basics. Figure out how you plan to raise money and what you can realistically expect from each fundraiser. It’s also a good idea to know how much you need to raise to support your organization throughout the year.
Get the basics down on paper before you start worrying about putting them into an annual schedule. It’s always smart to plan to raise more money than you need, too. This way, if something doesn’t go as planned, you will still have enough money to support your organization.
Prepare Your Ask or Sales Tools
If you plan to ask donors and sponsors for help, take the time to prepare a great ask. Whether it’s a letter or a phone call, make sure you have a solid way to ask them before you proceed.
The same goes if you’re planning to sell custom car magnets or another item as a fundraiser. You want to create a sales pitch/script and other sales tools to help those participating know how to ask someone to buy the magnets or the other item.
Start Your Planning
Once you have your fundraising ideas figured out and the sales tools or letter you need to make an ask, you can start your planning. This is where things can get a little tricky.
Some fundraisers will require people in your organization to be involved. If you’re running a fundraiser for your school and you want the students to be involved, make sure they will be in session during the fundraiser.
This also goes for sports teams. If they are not currently in season, it’s probably not the best time to run a fundraiser where those on the team need to be involved.
It’s also important to schedule certain fundraisers far in advance, such as gala events, golf outings, and any type of fundraiser when you’ll need to book a space for the event. Get these on the schedule first and fill in with the other fundraiser that doesn’t require scheduling with a venue.
Choose Fundraisers You Can Repeat
It’s not uncommon to see a golf outing become the 5th Annual Golf Outing for… or even a gala event to earn this type of title. These fundraisers work great every single year and can grow from one year to another.
Custom car magnet fundraiser also offers a good option for a yearly fundraiser. Since you can get a new magnet designed every year, you can keep those willing to support your organization excited. For example, if you’re raising money for a football team, you can have a new design for the team every year. Parents and other supporters will be excited about the new design.
Use this advice to make your annual fundraising schedule easier to plan and you’ll be in better shape for the upcoming year.