Sell the Experience, Not the Profit

[afshea]

I've been reading some of the posts about fund-raisers, and I know that a lot of us wish our profit margin were higher. The thing I do when I propose a fund-raiser is promote it as a fun experience....yes, the old cliche..a FUNdraiser. Instead of "You can make $100 for your group!" (which doesn't seem like much) you can say "Let's get everyone together for an evening of fun and fellowship...oh yeah...and you'll earn money too!" After the big show, you send everyone out with catalogs and order forms. I also suggest promoting it as something different. THere are a lot of companies that can offer a higher profit...but if I see one more candle, I'm going to have an asthma attack! Our Fundraisers are different, educational and fun! Thinking that way has definately changed how I feel about fund raisers. It's not always about the money that they make, or that I make for that matter. Sometimes it's okay to just get together and learn some new cooking techniques!

 

[Brandie]

Just my two centsI agree with you for the most part. I am generally understanding when I lose a fundraiser to another company that can offer a higher profit, especially when the people doing the selling will be kids (and even more so when they are little kids). It's easy for kids to sell candy and such and make 50%, and if they are selling primarily to their peers, PC Fundraisers make no sense. Very few 8-16-year-olds put lots of money into cooking.

But I do agree that our fundraisers are different and, I think, more enjoyable than most others. Plus, we have a lot of freedom to vary the way we do our fundraisers so that it isn't just the same old send-folks-out-with-catalogs kind of deal. I posted in another thread that we also have to keep in mind that if a company can offer 40%-50% for the group and still pay the consultant, they are almost certainly charging WAY too much for their products. We don't do that. Our prices are reasonable, and the percentage we can offer reflects that.

In order to entice organizations to do fundraisers with me (and The Pampered Chef), I offer a few extras: I offer increased percentages (which come out of my paycheck) for fundraisers with sales from $2000-$4000 (20%, so I give them 5%) and $4000+ (25%, so I give them 10%). I also offer 5% of profits from any shows booked from the fund raiser. That encourages more people to book and actually hold shows, and it often encourages higher sales at those shows. Sure, that money comes out of my pocket, but it puts more money back into my pocket. It's a trade-off. Plus, I don't do a fundraiser unless I feel it's for a good cause, so I don't mind giving up some of my commission for that.

That's just my two cents! Have a great day!

 

[luvbeingachef]

Select Items FundraiserSince the company has eliminated the "Product Fund Raiser" where we had 10 select items to offer as a fund raiser yielding 40% proceeds I have seen a dip in my fund raising activities. I had thought about putting together something to offer a select few, either a School, Church or entity that has particular meaning to my family. If you are willing to sacrifice a small amount of your commission you could get great promotional value as well as satisfaction for assisting a group of your choice with their fund raising. You could coordinate with a person from the group and either focus on a handful of items or maybe just our spices and only sell those items. The group could choose to add $.50 to $1.00 to the items being sold. You make up a flyer and indicate that you are assisting the group with their fund raiser, products being sold through the fund raiser raiser $.50 to $1.00 each. You can do this through a regular catalog or kitchen show. The group chairperson could be the host. The host benefit package could then be selected by the group as either a give away, for several raffles or as gift baskets for further fund raising. Just an idea. I have another for the actual fund raising show too. Hope these are helpful