I recently held a fundraiser at my Child Care Center and the parents raised over $850. We did not reach our goal, but I was excited to have extra funds to paint my center, buy new plants and to purchase a new kitchen set for the 2 & 3-year-old classroom. Fundraisers are a great way to raise money to buy needed materials and equipment. However, there can be some down falls to fundraising and they are as follows:
- In many cases you only get to keep less than 50% of the profits
- Low parent participation
- You and the parents do all of the work
- You may not reach your goal, due to low participation
Don’t let the challenges of fundraising keep you from raising funds to buy needed items. I suggest that you hold 2-3 fund-raisers a year to have as another stream of income for your childcare business.
Here are some suggestions for planning fundraisers:
With each fundraiser, I establish a target goal, I post the fundraiser goal where parents are able to see it and I encourage them to participate.
One of the ways that I encourage parents to participate in fundraisers is by offering incentives for their raising efforts. Moreover, I inform parents that if they participate in all fundraisers, their rates will not increase.
Making fundraisers a win-win for you and their parents is a great start to a successful fundraiser!
Do you need new fundraising ideas for 2011?
Well, I found a company called, ABC Fundraising, ” America’s Most profitable fundraisers Guaranteed.” I was quite impressed at the variety of fundraising programs offered and most off all…..the “High Profits.” Check out their website!
To Your Success,
Shiketa Morgan
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