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.