The Goodies Factory Blog

The supplier you choose for your cookie dough fundraiser is very important. They will provide you with all of your cookie dough and ordering materials. The right supplier will make the school fundraising process easy and enjoyable, but the wrong supplier might leave you regretting your decision to hold a cookie dough sale. Luckily there are many great cookie dough fundraising suppliers out there. Here are five key questions to ask potential suppliers so that you can be sure that you are making the right choice for your next school fundraiser.

How is the Cookie Dough Made?

Delicious cookie dough is an important part of any cookie dough fundraiser. You will want to choose a cookie dough supplier that makes their dough using high quality ingredients. Look for companies that use fresh ingredients like flour, sugar, butter and real vanilla extract. This will ensure that each batch of cookies will taste like homemade. Delicious cookies will be easier to sell. Plus your purchasers will be more likely to spend money on your next fundraiser if they were pleased with the quality of product that they receive on this one.

What Profits Will My School Receive?

Profitability is an important consideration for any school fundraiser. Most fundraising providers offer schools a percentage of the total amount sold. For example your fundraising company might offer you 40% of your sales total. This means that if you sell $10,000 worth of product your school will receive $4,000. Each cookie dough supplier’s profit potential can vary so it is a good idea to check with several companies so that you can find the best rate available. Remember that quality is important and you may need to work with a fundraising company that offers lower profits to get a better product.

Do You Offer Customer Service?

During the fundraiser you might have questions, so choosing a supplier that offers customer service is important. Ask if customer service is available and what options you will have if assistance is needed. Some companies offer email support, others assign sales representatives to each school and some may offer phone support. It might be a good idea to contact customer service once or twice before choosing a company to learn more about the quality of the customer service team before you make your final choice.

What Fees Can I Expect?

Hidden charges and extra fees will take away from your school’s profits. Talk with your fundraising supplier and find out what fees your school can expect. Some companies charge for shipping and handling. Other companies might have an order fee or supply charge. As you compare company profitability don’t forget to include these fees.

Why Should I Choose Your Company?

This question might seem simple, but the answer that is provided will teach you a lot about the potential supplier. Many companies offer special services that their competitors do not, and asking this question will give the supplier a great opportunity to explain the benefits that they offer. Asking companies why they are a great choice will help you to see which companies really are a good choice.

The cookie dough supplier that you choose will have a big impact on the overall success of your next school fundraiser. Take time and do your research so that you can pick a great one.

Candy is an essential part of any candy bar school fundraiser. The candy that you choose will determine how easy it is to sell your product and will determine how much money your school is able to earn. Choosing the right candy doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind as you make your selection.

What is the Profit Margin?

Different types of candies offer different profit margins. Make sure that you know how much profit you can earn with each candy bar before you make your choice. Profitability is important, but so is being able to sell the candy. Don’t choose a high profit candy bar that won’t sell over a popular candy that will easily sell. By choosing a candy choice that is both profitable and popular you will earn more money.

Does My Fundraising Company Offer The Candy?

Your students may want to sell a particular type of candy. Before you commit, make sure that the candy is offered by your school fundraising company. While you can go out and purchase candy on your own, it is much easier to work with a fundraising company. In most cases it is also more profitable since they are able to offer candy at a much lower initial cost than if you tried to purchase the same product on your own. If your fundraising company doesn’t offer the candy that you want, see what other options they have available.

Will It Melt?

Chocolate bars are always a popular choice for school fundraisers, but you do need to remember that they can melt. This is especially important to remember if you live in a hot climate. Melted candy bars cannot be sold or returned and will just be lost profits for your school. If you do choose to sell candy that will melt during warm weather have a plan in mind for candy storage so that you can sell your candy bars without ruining them.

Can We Sell It?

Many schools have instituted strong guidelines for treats that are sold at school. This means that in some areas you will not be able to sell candy bars on your school campus. If this is the case in your school, you might want to consider selling healthy treats since the school is one of the best places to make money on a candy bar fundraiser.

Suckers, Chocolates or Other Sweet Treats?

Many school fundraising companies offer a variety of different treats to schools. These treat options often include suckers or lollipops, chocolate bars and candy items like gummy worms or jelly beans. Each type of candy has its benefits. For example chocolate bars often earn more profit per item sold than smaller treats like a lollipop. Lollipops are often very affordable which means that almost anyone can buy one using just their spare change. Some items melt and some are popular choices with students. Before you make your final decision think about the benefits of each type of candy and use these benefits to choose the best choice for your school. Remember if you have trouble choosing, you can always hold more than one school fundraiser.

The right candy is essential to the success of your fundraiser. Make your decision carefully and don’t forget to ask your student sellers if they have a preference about the type of candy your school will sell.

Without the right help school fundraising can be very difficult. Imagine trying to find great products, taking care of orders and creating fundraising materials all on your own. This task would definitely be overwhelming. Luckily, you don’t have to do everything yourself when it comes to school fundraising. There are many great companies out there that will help you through the fundraising process. This will save you time while increasing your profits. Let’s take a quick look at a few reasons why should enlist a fundraising company’s help before your next fundraiser.

Supplies Provided

One of the biggest benefits of working with a fundraising company is the simplicity of the fundraising process. They typically provide all of the supplies that you will need from catalogs to order forms to inventory sheets. This means that all you have to do is distribute the product information and let your students start selling. This can save a huge amount of time and makes ordering much easier.

Since your fundraising company will provide all of the order materials you won’t have to worry about creating your own order forms. This means that you won’t make mistakes and you will be sure that everything is priced and described appropriately. Many fundraising companies include the cost of the supplies in their portion of the proceeds which means that you won’t have to invest any money upfront.

Help Every Step of the Way

School fundraising can be difficult, especially if you haven’t planned a fundraiser before. When you work with a school fundraising company they will work with you every step of the way as they answer your questions and help you to learn to fundraise effectively. This means that planning a school fundraiser can be simple, even for those with no experience.

Having someone with experience to turn to will really take the stress out of fundraising. Your fundraising company will be there to help with questions about products, ordering and much more. Each fundraising company handles customer service a little differently so find out how your provider will be there to assist you. Some companies will assign you with a sales representative that you will call directly with questions while other companies will have you call a main customer service number.

Risk Free

Often schools that are planning a fundraiser don’t have extra money to spare. When you fundraise on your own you might have to invest money upfront or pay for supplies on your own. This creates a level of risk for the fundraiser because if your earnings are short, you will have to cover the expenses on your own. Fundraising companies cover this initial investment so that you can fundraiser without taking a risk.

If you are looking for a risk free fundraising choice, make sure that you choose a fundraiser that won’t require an upfront investment. Cookie dough fundraisers and catalog sales are a great choice if you are looking for a risk free fundraising choice.

There are many great reasons to work with a school fundraising company. These are just a few of the many benefits that you will receive. Working with a fundraising company will save time, money and make the school fundraising process much easier.

School fundraising companies can literally determine the success of your school fundraiser. A great fundraising company will make the experience easy, enjoyable and profitable while a bad company can make fundraising difficult. Knowing what to consider when choosing your school fundraising company will help you to choose a great provider the first time around.

Reputation

Reputation isn’t everything, but when choosing a school fundraising provider it can be a great place to start. Look for a company that has an established reputation working with schools. You may want to talk with other schools in your area to find out which fundraising company they use. A company with a great reputation will have the skills and experience necessary to help you succeed in the fundraising process. You can also ask your fundraising company for references if you want to talk with past clients before making a commitment.

Profit Margin

Profitability is another important consideration when choosing a school fundraising provider. Each company determines the profit margin that they will offer to schools and you will find that profits can vary greatly from company to company.

Most school fundraising companies offer schools a percentage of each sale. Look for companies that offer a high percentage. Remember that fees, handling charges, shipping and other expenses can take away from your profits, so be sure to factor these expenses in when making your comparisons.

Customer Service

Fundraising can be difficult, but a great school fundraising company will help you throughout the entire process. As you compare providers pay attention to the level of customer service that you receive. Is it easy to get ahold of someone when you need help? Are the customer service agents helpful? When you encounter problems you will want a fast and reliable source of fundraising answers, so shop around until you find a fundraising company with a helpful customer service team.

Some school fundraising companies will assign each school a sales agent. This agent will work with your throughout the entire fundraising process and will be there to answer any questions that you may have. If this is important to you, make sure that this is a service that your fundraising company offers.

Product Variety

Choosing a fundraising company is a lot of work, so you won’t want to do it again the next time you plan a fundraiser. Look for school fundraising providers that offer many different types of fundraisers so that you can work with the same company each time you plan a fundraiser. Try to find a company that offers cookie dough, candy bars and treats, catalog products, magazine sales and more. A large variety of fundraisers will make choosing your next fundraiser much easier.

School fundraising companies take the worry out of school fundraising. These tips will help you to find a great provider that will help you to plan a profitable fundraiser for your school. Don’t be afraid to shop around and compare several different companies until you find the fundraising provider that is right for you.

When you plan a school fundraiser it is important to let everyone know. The more people that know about your fundraiser, the more money you can earn for your school. Publicity is important and is a great way to increase profits. Let’s look at five ideas for letting people know about your upcoming fundraiser.

Send Home a Parent’s Letter

Parents can be a great help in school fundraising. Parents can sell your products to their friends, family and coworkers. They want their children to have the best education possible and this means that they are often more than willing to talk to others about your school fundraiser. Create a well written parent’s letter and send it home with the students before the fundraiser begins. Ask parents for their help and encourage them to spread the word about your school’s fundraiser.

Take Out an Ad

Advertising can also spread the word about your school fundraiser. You can take out an ad in a local paper or create a radio ad. These advertisements can help community members to learn about your fundraiser and to offer their support. Many times you can even find newspapers or radio stations willing to donate the cost of the advertisement so you can publicize your event without having to spend a fortune.

Work with Local Businesses

Local businesses can help you to get the word out about your fundraiser. For example if you plan a fundraiser with a local business they will spread the word about your fundraiser and you in turn will publicize their business. This helps your school while increasing profits for your school fundraiser.

Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is another great way to publicize your fundraiser. Encourage students, parents and school staff to talk about the fundraiser. The more they talk the more people will know about the fundraiser and the better able the community will be to offer support. Word of mouth is a great communication tool. Another great reason to rely on word of mouth for school fundraising publicity is that people are much more likely to support a fundraiser when they understand the purpose behind it. When parents and students talk with others about your fundraiser people will be more willing to open their wallets and support your school.

Banners and Flyers

Banners and flyers can also help your school to spread the word about their fundraiser. Have a large banner made to hang in a prominent location near the school. If your school has an electronic sign, you can also publicize the fundraiser there. In addition you can have students sit outside of local businesses with flyers for your fundraiser. This can really get the word out about your fundraiser. Make sure that you get permission before standing outside of a store to pass out flyers.

Publicity should be a primary concern as you plan a school fundraiser. These ideas will help you to inform community members about your fundraising efforts and will increase your profits. Many of these ideas are simple to implement, but pay off with big publicity rewards.

Excited students sell more and work harder to make your school fundraiser a success. Students are a key to fundraising and by building their excitement you can have a better fundraising experience. Keep reading to discover 10 ideas for building student excitement and enthusiasm before your next school fundraiser.

Establish a Purpose

Students will work harder if they understand the purpose of a fundraiser. For example if the football team is planning a fundraiser let the team know how the money will be used. Explain that the money will purchase new uniforms. When the students have a reason to work hard and when the fundraising earnings will be used for something that the students want they will work hard to sell products.

Set a Goal

Let the students know how much money is needed to achieve the fundraiser’s purpose. If the football team will need $2,000 for their uniforms, let the students know. This way they understand how much they need to sell to make the goal achievable.

Host a Motivational Meeting

Motivational meetings and assemblies can help students to get excited about a fundraiser. This is a great time to introduce the fundraiser, explain its purpose and help students realize the benefits of the fundraiser. A motivational meeting could also be held mid-way through the fundraiser to boost enthusiasm before the fundraiser ends.

Offer Prizes

Prizes and incentives can be very motivating to students. Some catalog fundraisers come with a built in incentive program. This allows your school to offer prizes to students without having to spend any extra money. You can also create an incentive program of your own. Some schools choose to hold class parties when a class achieves a goal or to offer small trinkets to students that sell products.

Update on Progress

As the fundraiser progresses let the students know how things are going. Update them on the current amount earned as well as the amount still needed to achieve the goal. As you update students they will keep the fundraiser in mind and will remain motivated to sell throughout the entire fundraising process.

Remind and Encourage

Don’t let the students forget about the fundraiser. Take opportunities to remind and encourage students. For example if you are just $100 short of achieving your goal, let the students know. This may be the motivation that they need to go out and make a few final sells.

Stay Positive

A positive attitude is essential. Even when things get difficult keep a great attitude. Students will see your attitude and will often mirror it. If you stay positive, so will the students.

Avoid Comparison

Don’t compare students. Let each student take pride in their contribution to the fundraiser whether they sell a single item or hundreds of items. Each student is different and comparison will only lead to hurt feelings and frustration.

Teach New Skills

If some students struggle with being able to sell items, you can teach them new skills. Teach students how to communicate with others and how to encourage people to buy the items that you sell. These new skills will help your students to succeed both in the fundraiser and in life.

Let Them Lead

Let students take an active role in the fundraising process. For example high school age students might be able to choose products to sell and even help with the day to day operations of the fundraiser. Being a leader will teach students new skills and will help them to take pride in the fundraiser.

School fundraisers will be more successful and more profitable when students are excited and willing to help. These ideas will help you to create a motivating environment where students are enthusiastic about fundraising.

Candy bar fundraisers are a fun and easy way to earn money for your school. In a candy bar fundraiser you provide students with boxes or bags of candy which they can sell to fellow students, family and friends. Candy bar fundraisers can be very profitable and are one of the easiest fundraisers to plan since you won’t have to worry about order forms or product distribution. Here are 10 tips that will help you to make your next candy bar school fundraiser a success.

Don’t Buy Too Much

Selling candy bars typically requires an upfront investment. Your school will purchase the candy and then re-sell it for a profit. Buying too much can really cut into profits since every item that you don’t sell is money lost. Before you place an order figure out how much candy you can sell and then order accordingly. Remember that you can always order more candy at a later date. It is better to run out of candy than to have too much.

Keep the Weather in Mind

Weather can really affect your candy. Hot weather can melt chocolates and rainy and wet weather can ruin candy packaging. Keep the weather in mind as you plan your fundraiser and store your candy so that it stays fresh and delicious even if it is hot or rainy outside.

Show Off Your Product

If your students carry the candy around school in easy to see bags they will sell more than if they store the candy in their backpacks. Candy is often an impulse purchase so find a way to keep your product visible. This will increase the amount of candy that you are able to sell.

Sell Everywhere

Don’t limit your candy sales to student’s family and friends. Sell candy everywhere. Students can sell candy at school, at school sporting events, around town and in many other locations. When you sell everywhere you will reach more people and in turn sell more candy.

Low Prices

Set reasonable prices for your candy. If it is more expensive to buy from you than the grocery store people will simply buy their candy somewhere else. Offering low prices will encourage people to buy from you.

Have Change Available

You don’t want to miss out on a sale simply because you don’t have change, so make sure that each candy seller has enough change available for several purchases. Restock the change as needed.

Offer Unique Treats

If you are selling unique treats that people can’t buy elsewhere, they will have to purchase from you. Try to find unique candy products like seasonal suckers, tasty chocolates and healthy treats.

Sell At School

Your school is one of the best places to sell candy. Some schools have restrictions on the types of food that can be sold. If this applies to you, consider selling healthy treats instead of candy.

Keep Track of Money

Candy sales can earn a lot of money quickly. It is a good idea to offer students a safe place to store the money that they earn and to collect earnings often. This will keep the school fundraising earnings from being lost or stolen.

Make Students Responsible

Assigning students a set amount of candy to sell is a great way to ensure that all of your candy is sold. If students are responsible for a set amount of candy they will know how much they need to sell. Each student should be responsible for the candy they are assigned.

These 10 tips are essential for planning a great candy bar fundraiser.

School fundraising is a lot of work, so it is important to use the money that you earn carefully. Without a plan your earnings will quickly disappear and your school won’t have much to show for all of your efforts. Here are four quick tips for maximizing the spending power of your school fundraising earnings.

Start with a Plan

Before your fundraiser even begins you should have a plan in place for the fundraising earnings. Your plan needs to be very specific. For example if your spring cookie dough fundraiser is going to earn money for your school’s music program you should decide exactly how this money will be spent. Dedicate the fundraising earnings to a specific purchase like new violins or a band field trip. Then you can determine how much money you will need to earn to achieve your goal. You can also set up a backup plan for the extra money that you may earn as well.

Stick with the Plan

Once a plan is in place you need to stick with it. Don’t use the money that you earned for new playground equipment to purchase text books or to pay for a teacher’s retreat. It is so easy to let fundraising earnings slip away by using them for other needs in the budget. If you need more money, plan another fundraiser; don’t use the money that was earned for a different purpose. When you stick to the plan you will see progress and will know where your earnings are going. When you just use school fundraising earnings like cash, they will quickly disappear and your efforts will seem like they amounted to nothing.

Maximize Your Earnings

It is important to spend every dollar carefully, whether you earn hundreds or thousands with each fundraiser. In addition to spending carefully, you can also earn more with each fundraiser which will make the money that you earn last longer and buy more. Work with reputable fundraising companies. Before signing up for any school fundraiser, carefully research each company that you are considering. Try to find a provider that can offer your organization high profit margins and a quality product. Remember that shipping charges, upfront fees and other expenses can take away from your profit potential, so keep these expenses in mind as you determine which fundraising company will bring your school the highest earnings. Once you have a great fundraiser provider in place strive to sell as much as possible as this will also increase your profitability.

Use Your Earnings Wisely

Fundraising earnings will go quickly, so find ways to make the most of every dollar you spend. If you want new playground equipment shop around and find the best prices or see if you could receive a discount by ordering other items at the same time. Also try to fulfill some needs for your school with donations. You may be able to get local businesses to donate food or gifts to a teacher appreciation lunch or school supplies for your classrooms. These donations will save your school’s money and will allow you to use your fundraising money for larger ticket purchases.

Fundraising earnings are hard earned, so make the most of them. These money saving tips will help you to make sure that each dollar you earn in the fundraising process is used to provide maximum benefit for your school.

A school fundraiser isn’t finished when the last dollar is collected and the orders are sent out. Once your finish the actual work of the fundraiser you need to keep going a little longer and thank all those that made the fundraiser a success. Saying thank you is a great way to let the many volunteers know that you appreciate their efforts and will make it easier to find help the next time around.

Show Your Appreciation

Volunteers make fundraising possible and showing appreciation will help them to realize how much their help really means. A thank you lunch is a great way to let all of your volunteers know that help is appreciated. You can easily and affordably hold a simple thank you brunch or breakfast after each fundraiser. If this isn’t possible, a simple thank you note will also go a long way.

Give a Little Gift

Some volunteers will really go the extra mile for a school fundraiser. You might have one or two volunteers that come in every day and that work late into the night counting receipts and organizing. These special volunteers deserve special recognition. Consider asking local businesses to donate items that you can use as thank you gifts for these volunteers. Another great way to say thanks is to have students make a thank you gift. For example you could ask several classes to make one special thank you card each and then you could use these cards to thank your special volunteers.

Thank Parents

In addition to thanking your volunteers, make sure that you also let parents know that you appreciate their help. They probably helped their students to sell cookie dough or catalog items to friends and neighbors. Even if they didn’t volunteer for the fundraiser specifically, parents help a lot behind the scenes. Sending a thank you letter home with the students will help parents know that you recognize their contribution to your fundraising success. Sharing statistics from the fundraiser like total sales and total amount earned will help the parents to see that their efforts are worth it.

Don’t Forget the Students

Students are another key factor in the success of your fundraiser. Students love to receive prizes as a thank you. When you are choosing a fundraiser consider finding one that has a built in incentive program. This will encourage students to sell more and the prizes will serve as an excellent thanks once the fundraiser is complete.

Ask for Feedback

While you are saying thank you don’t forget to ask for feedback. Parents, students and other volunteers can provide you with crucial information that will help make your next fundraiser more successful. They can tell you what items sell well and which do not as well as ways to help the fundraiser to run more smoothly. Asking for this feedback is important after any fundraiser. Don’t forget that once you ask for feedback you need to remember it, so be sure to write everything down.

The things you do after a fundraiser are often just as important as the things that you do during a fundraiser. Saying thank you is a great way to say goodbye to any school fundraiser.

Teachers play an important part in the educational process. They are the ones that directly teach and influence students as they work with them each day. Since teachers are so actively involved in the educational process they can be a great resource for your school fundraising efforts. Here are five helpful tips for involving teachers in the fundraising process.

Ask Them What They Need

Teachers devote huge amounts of personal time and money to their students and classrooms. They often purchase school supplies, classroom materials and more with their own money. Teachers also are aware of the many educational products available and may have a special insight into the items that would best benefit the students. Teachers don’t have to play an actual role in the fundraising process to be able to provide important information about how the money can and should be used.

Ask for Their Support

School fundraising can make a teacher’s job more difficult. Students might be excited about a fundraiser which will make it more difficult for them to listen and work. Assemblies and other fundraising related tasks can take away from classroom learning time. This can be very frustrating for teachers, so be understanding and ask for their support. Let them know that there will be a fundraiser in advance and work with them to limit classroom disruptions.

Encourage Them to Sell

Teachers often have a pool of friends, family and associates that they can easily sell to. If you are offering high quality products most people are happy to purchase from your fundraising catalogs to support your school. Ask the teachers to play an active role in the school fundraiser and to ask friends and family if they would like to make a purchase. Remember the more people you contact, the more sales you will make and the more money your school will earn. Teachers can help to increase your profits by selling to those that they know.

Invite Them to Volunteer

Teachers may also be willing to volunteer time to the school fundraiser. They can be a great help in passing out fundraising materials, working with the fundraising company and distributing products. While some teachers won’t be able to donate any extra time, many will be willing to help so be sure to invite them to help. Remember that teachers are busy. If they aren’t able to help don’t pressure them and always make good use of the time that is offered.

Get Them to Motivate

Teachers can be a great motivating influence on their students. If a teacher is supportive of a fundraiser they can encourage their students to sell and can make the fundraising process more fun. Ask your teachers what you can do to make the fundraiser more convenient for them and listen to their requests. In return they may be willing to encourage and motivate their students throughout the fundraising process. Remember that in school fundraising everyone has the same goal of providing the best education possible to the students.

School fundraising profits will increase when you are able to involve all school staff in the fundraising process. Teachers can play a critical role in making a fundraiser more successful and profitable.