Fundraising Tips

With the right strategy in place, fundraising doesn’t have to be hard. We’ve been doing this for a long time now, so we know from experience what it takes to succeed. Here are our top 10 best tips to help you make the most from your Cloud 9 fundraiser:

Set Your Prices For Maximum Profits

Set A Goal And Figure Out Your Sales Numbers

Get Your Participants To Brainstorm

Offer Prizes For Top Sellers

Explain the Product

Use Your Words Carefully

Use Email & Social Media

Get The Parents Involved

Keep Track Of Your Progress

Send Personalized Thank-You Notes

Set Your Prices For Maximum Profits

Set A Goal And Figure Out Your Sales Numbers

Get Your Participants To Brainstorm

Offer Prizes For Top Sellers

Explain the Product

Use Your Words Carefully

Use Email & Social Media

Get The Parents Involved

Keep Track Of Your Progress

Send Personalized Thank-You Notes

Tip #1

Set Your Prices For Maximum Profits

Our bedding products cost between $7 and 32$, which means that it’s up to you to decide on your price point—and your profit margin—for your own fundraiser. Your goal is to choose a price point that maximizes your total profits.

Remember: as you increase prices, you increase your profit margin…but decrease the number of sheets you might sell.

If you sell each set of sheets for $23 (our cost is $21), you’ll probably sell a lot of sheets—but you’ll only earn $2 per sale.

If you sell each set of sheets for $100, on the other hand, you’ll earn a whopping $79 per sale—but at those prices, you won’t be able to find many buyers.

We’ve witnessed many, many fundraisers in the past, and in our experience, you’ll get the best results if you charge $35-$40 per sheet set. This will earn you $14-$19 per set while keeping prices low enough to maximize the total number of sheets you sell.

Tip #2

Set A Goal And Figure Out Your Sales Numbers

The most successful fundraisers have a goal, and a clear-cut plan to achieve that goal.

We recommend deciding on a dollar amount for how much money your organization wants to raise. Once you do that, you can use this simple calculator to figure out how many sheet sets you’ll have to sell to meet that goal:

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Your Goal ($)

Number of Participants

Selling Price Per Set ($)

Average Sales Required Per Participant

0

For example, let’s say your goal is to raise $10,000. You have 100 people in your organization, and you decide to charge $35 for each set of sheets.

That means you will have a profit margin of $16 for every set of sheets that you sell ($35 – $19).

Using the calculator above, you can see that each participant will need to sell about 6 sets of sheets to meet your goal.

This is important information that you can use to help guide your fundraiser toward success!

Tip #3

Get Your Participants To Brainstorm

Ask your participants to brainstorm a list of 10 or more people who might be potential buyers during your fundraiser. This is a simple, yet really helpful exercise in maximizing your number of sales.

The reason why this is so effective is because it gets your participants thinking about a variety of different people they can approach to solicit sales. And asking for 10 or more means that they can’t just rely on the standard answers like “my parents” or “my brother.” This exercise often leads to “ah-ha” moments like, “Oh yeah, Mrs. Wilson down the street would love some sheets!”

By helping your participants come up with a list of potential sales prospects, you’re essentially setting them up for success once your fundraiser kicks off.

Tip #4

Offer Prizes For Top Sellers

Now that you know how many sheet sets each participant will need to sell, on average, it’s time to incentivize your participants to reach that sales goal.

One sure-fire way to do this is to offer a prize for the top sellers. If your prizes are good enough, you can get your participants fired up about making the most sales—and really give your fundraiser the kickstart it needs to exceed expectations.

(Here’s another hint: keep a running list of the top sellers in an easy-to-see place. This is a great way to encourage competition and motivate your participants to get out there and sell more sheets!)

satisfied customers

Tip #5

Explain the Product

Before sending your participants out to go raise money, make sure you explain to them the benefits of Cloud 9 sheets—and there are a lot of benefits! This will help your participants do a better job of selling the product to their friends and family members.

Unlike other sheets, our high-quality microfiber sheets are…

Lustrous & silky to the touch

Wrinkle-resistant and easy to wash

Cool & breathable, even on hot nights

Durable and long-lasting

Big enough to fit oversizes mattresses up to 16 inches

Fitted with elastic to hold tight to the mattress

Hypoallergenic and moisture-wicking

And when you sign up to start your fundraiser, make sure to request sample kits. We’ll send you fabric swatches that you can pass out, letting everyone know just how soft our sheets really are.

Tip #6

Use Your Words Carefully

Give your participants a little coaching in how to sell. One tip that we’ve learned over the years is that you’ll get better results if you ask for “help,” rather than asking people to “buy.”

DON’T SAY:
“Would you like to buy some sheets?”

INSTEAD, SAY THIS:
“Would you like to help me raise money for my sports team?”

That little change in words can help make people much more likely to engage with your fundraiser.

Tip #7

Use Email & Social Media

Remember, you can also use the Internet to improve your sales! Send information about your fundraiser to friends & family via email, and post details on social media.

This can be a great way to do two things: (1) expand your reach to a bigger group of people, and (2) send follow-up reminders to anyone who expressed interest but hasn’t yet made an order.

Tip #8

Get The Parents Involved

If you’re running a fundraiser at a school, you should always try to get the parents involved. We recommend asking every parent to take the order form to work and ask their coworkers to contribute. This can lead to many more sales.

Tip #9

Keep Track Of Your Progress

It’s always a good idea to keep track of your sales on a regular basis to make sure you’re on track to hit your goals. If you notice that you’re falling behind, consider offering a new prize to add some extra motivation. Give some helpful coaching to your participants, and make a point to praise your best sellers.

fundraising-tips-photo-07

Tip #10

Send Personalized Thank-You Notes

f-fundraising-tips-photo

When it’s all said and done, make sure to take the time to thank your contributors for helping out your cause. We recommend inserting a personalized thank-you note in the sheet set before you hand them out, just to let them know how much you appreciate their support.

Not only is this a considerate thing to do, it also helps forge a better relationship — and makes them even more likely to support you again next year.

Tip #1

Set Your Prices For Maximum Profits

Our art products cost between $12 and $50, which means that it’s up to you to decide on your price point—and your profit margin—for your own fundraiser. Your goal is to choose a price point that maximizes your total profits.

Remember: as you increase prices, you increase your profit margin…but decrease the number of art sets you might sell.

If you sell each art set for $15, you’ll probably sell a lot of sets—but you’ll only earn $3 per sale (on a $12 art set).

If you sell a $12 art set for $50, on the other hand, you’ll earn a whopping $38 per sale—but at those prices, you won’t be able to find many buyers.

We’ve witnessed many, many fundraisers in the past, and in our experience, you’ll get the best results if you charge $22-$70 depending on the art set. This will earn you $10-$20 per set while keeping prices low enough to maximize the total number of sheets you sell.

Tip #2

Set A Goal And Figure Out Your Sales Numbers

The most successful fundraisers have a goal, and a clear-cut plan to achieve that goal.

We recommend deciding on a dollar amount for how much money your organization wants to raise. Once you do that, you can use this simple calculator to figure out how many art sets you’ll have to sell to meet that goal.

Please note this calculator is based on our suggested selling prices, as explained further below.

Your Goal ($)

Number of Participants

Average Sales Required Per Participant (approximate)

0

For example, let’s say your goal is to raise $10,000 and you have 100 people in your organization. 

Following our cost and recommended selling prices for each art set, you will have a profit margin of $10 for every art set you sell (except for art set #1, that allows you a profit margin of $20). 

Using the calculator above, and assuming a profit margin of $10, you can see that each participant will need to sell 10 art sets to meet your goal.

This is important information that you can use to help guide your fundraiser toward success!

Tip #3

Get Your Participants To Brainstorm

Ask your participants to brainstorm a list of 10 or more people who might be potential buyers during your fundraiser. This is a simple, yet really helpful exercise in maximizing your number of sales.

The reason why this is so effective is because it gets your participants thinking about a variety of different people they can approach to solicit sales. And asking for 10 or more means that they can’t just rely on the standard answers like “my parents” or “my brother.” This exercise often leads to “ah-ha” moments like, “Oh yeah, Mrs. Rebecca down the street would love some art sets!”

By helping your participants come up with a list of potential sales prospects, you’re essentially setting them up for success once your fundraiser kicks off.

Tip #4

Offer Prizes For Top Sellers

Now that you know how many art sets each participant will need to sell, on average, it’s time to incentivize your participants to reach that sales goal.

One sure-fire way to do this is to offer a prize for the top sellers. If your prizes are good enough, you can get your participants fired up about making the most sales—and really give your fundraiser the kickstart it needs to exceed expectations.

(Here’s another hint: keep a running list of the top sellers in an easy-to-see place. This is a great way to encourage competition and motivate your participants to get out there and sell more art sets!)

satisfied customers

Tip #5

Explain the Product

Before sending your participants out to go raise money, make sure you explain to them the benefits of Cloud 9 art sets—and there are a lot of benefits! This will help your participants do a better job of selling the product to their friends and family members.

ART SET BENEFITS:

  • Wide variety of sets, suitable for beginners and advanced artists
  • Great for learning and development
  • Perfect for family activities
  • Keep the kids entertained while exploring skills

Tip #6

Use Your Words Carefully

Give your participants a little coaching in how to sell. One tip that we’ve learned over the years is that you’ll get better results if you ask for “help,” rather than asking people to “buy.”

DON’T SAY:
“Would you like to buy some art sets?”

INSTEAD, SAY THIS:
“Would you like to help me raise money for my sports team?”

That little change in words can help make people much more likely to engage with your fundraiser.

Tip #7

Use Email & Social Media

Remember, you can also use the Internet to improve your sales! Send information about your fundraiser to friends & family via email, and post details on social media.

This can be a great way to do two things: (1) expand your reach to a bigger group of people, and (2) send follow-up reminders to anyone who expressed interest but hasn’t yet made an order.

Tip #8

Get The Parents Involved

If you’re running a fundraiser at a school, you should always try to get the parents involved. We recommend asking every parent to take the order form to work and ask their coworkers to contribute. This can lead to many more sales.

Tip #9

Keep Track Of Your Progress

It’s always a good idea to keep track of your sales on a regular basis to make sure you’re on track to hit your goals. If you notice that you’re falling behind, consider offering a new prize to add some extra motivation. Give some helpful coaching to your participants, and make a point to praise your best sellers.

Website-Tip9.

Tip #10

Send Personalized Thank-You Notes

f-fundraising-tips-photo

When it’s all said and done, make sure to take the time to thank your contributors for helping out your cause. We recommend inserting a personalized thank-you note in the art set before you hand them out, just to let them know how much you appreciate their support.

Not only is this a considerate thing to do, it also helps forge a better relationship — and makes them even more likely to support you again next year.

Ready to Have Your Best Fundraiser Ever?

Just sign up now and we’ll send you all the forms and samples you need to make your next fundraiser a huge success. Remember—there are no up-front costs so it’s 100% FREE to sign up.

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