Choosing the Right Product for Your Fundraising Group

Many charitable organizations and not-for-profit teams and groups depend on product fundraisers to raise needed funds for sporting equipment, day-to-day costs, and resources and so forth to keep their doors open. Those in need can include any organization—from schools, sports teams, Scouting organizations, churches, social groups—and more.

However, just because you’re a non-profit organization or one in need, that doesn’t necessarily mean you know what kind of fundraising products are the most worth investing in for your efforts. That’s why we’re here to help direct you towards a fundraising product that will bring the most financial success to your organization—you know, the products that are really worth it!

We hear from many fundraising organizations, and most times the fundraisers that flop the hardest, are those that choose a really unfitting charitable product for their group or donor audience. It’s no surprise that not all fundraising products will be a good match for all groups. And if your product or products don’t mesh with your organization’s mission as well as your donor base then you could be wasting a whole bunch of time and money by poorly promoting your organization.

Instead, when choosing a fundraising product, remember that whatever it is, will it represent your organization to the public. So it should be a well thought out match to your group’s mission and to the overall purpose of your group or organization. Take for instance a breast health or breast cancer awareness organization. The last thing you would want to sell to raise profits is products that are highly chemical based, subscriptions to men’s magazines, hardware, or tools—especially considering your donor base (mainly women). So how do you decide from the various products which one is a good fit for your organization? We’ll tell you…

Ask nicely – Why not poll your volunteer base or your loyal donors from past fundraisers on what product they feel would best represent your group cause. Remember, your loyal supporters have your organizations best interests at heart; they are the ones who want to see your organization make a profit. So asking their opinion is getting information right from the proverbial horse's mouth. This is also a good way to remind those loyal to you that they do have a voice, and that you do care about what they think. The last thing you want is your loyal donors deciding not to give just because they are tired of the same old product you sell every year. And to interest new loyal donors, you want to be sure to choose a product that’s unique. After all, so many fundraisers use the same products over and over again.

Keep tabs on other fundraisers in your community – I’m not kidding, and I don’t mean you should stalk the girl scouts during their cookie sales! But what I do mean is that if you know that in the month of November, the girl scouts are selling those yummy cookies door-to-door and the church is holding its annual bake sale bazaar, it’s probably not a good month for you to hold a cookie dough fundraiser. That’s what I call cookie overload! Instead, try to fundraise with totally different products when other groups are out selling the same old thing.

Take a Unique Approach

While popular products like candles, cookie dough and pizza discount cards are safe bets when it comes to fundraising door-to-door, remember that offering more rare fundraising products may surprise your potential donors, pique their interests in your organization and break the traditional monotony of fundraising door-to-door for your volunteers as well.

Appeal to your Audience

Is your main donor base families with young kids? Are they senior citizens, women, men or teens? Well, you’d better make sure that the product you choose to sell appeals to their interests—or they won’t buy. Ask yourself what types of products is your audience most willing to buy? Then consider your volunteers. If they are selling door-to-door you will want to choose something light if your sales force is made up of largely children with no vehicles.

Choose Quality Over Price

Yes, we’d all like to buy a $1 fundraising product and sell it for $10 door-to-door—no one can beat that markup! However, be sure that your potential buyers actually want your product. Do they see the value in the product? Is it rare or hard to get in your community? If it is, mark it up, if it’s not you may find your coffers empty at the end of your efforts.

Price Realistically

Sure, we all know that you’re main goal is to make money, but keep in mind that pricing products for fundraisers is an art. For instance, you don’t want to choose a product that your consumers can’t afford. Realistically, no one is going to make the decision to purchase an item over $10 if you go to their door. However, if they are asked to make a donation of $5, and they receive a gift, priced accordingly, they are more likely to open their wallets.