You’ve picked your perfect fundraiser. Now, how can you use incentives to boost participation and raise more money? For many schools, there is no doubt that fundraising ideas can come quickly from everywhere some days while other days it seems like you are trying to find a needle in a haystack. As you figure out what fundraiser you want to do, it then comes to trying to figure out your incentives. Incentives are a great way to boost participation among the students.
There are many different incentives that you can choose from and different ways to present the prizes. Many times, PTAs prefer to honor participation as well as top sellers with something extra special. It is the best way to not only make sure that everyone that participates is acknowledged but also allow the kids to know that, while you participate, if you manage to sell X amount there is a chance for you to get prizes. These incentives are the best way to boost productivity.
It is not just about figuring out how you are going to reward the children when it comes to incentives. It is also about how you want to organize the award program. While everyone who participates will get something special, how do you figure out how to determine the top prize? There are many options when it comes to how you can reward your students. Effective fundraising can be fun, but only when thought out carefully.
Classroom versus classroom
One way that you can pitch the incentive is a classroom versus classroom approach. That means that each group has a goal to reach and whichever one meets the goal or goes above the goal with extra cash gets something special. You can use this method for the whole school, or you can do it by grade so that each grade will get something special, even if it’s just a period away from learning. Pitching classrooms against each other in a way also provides incentives for the teachers as well. Part of the reward could be a gift card for the teacher, more supplies, or a period with the school principal teaching. There are a lot of ways to pitch these specific incentives, and it works.
Grade versus grade
Taking the classroom vs. classroom up a notch means doing grade versus grade. So, the classes within the class, say, 7th and 8th grade, work together to go against the other classes. For instance, all the 7th-grade homerooms raise 400 dollars but the 8th-grade homeroom raises 250 dollars, the 7th grade gets a special prize, be it a period in the gym or a pizza party. It allows the classes to unite and put issues aside because the prize can only happen by working in unison. It is a way to build teamwork while allowing for the kids to get rewarded for what they can accomplish together.
All for one and one for all
The basic way to do an incentive is to have one goal for the whole school if the school meets its target. For example, if the goal is 10,000 dollars and the school reaches it, then the school gets a field day, a movie day, or the principal can do something crazy related to the school. It is a way to get the whole school working for a single goal without having a competition amongst individuals and classrooms. Coordinating one goal for the school can also allow for an easier vision for the students to reach.
Individual
The most common form of incentive giveaway is the individual approach, which means that every child works towards a goal for themselves. It has succeeded in the past, but if there is not an incentive for the child, then the individual will not have motivation. Sometimes this is the way to go, especially for participation points, but for overall grand winners, this could lead to problems.
Incentives can be a creative and fun way to inspire your students to take part in some fundraising ideas for the school. Trying to narrow down a particular incentive can be tough, especially when considering what the children want. That is where Effective Fundraising solutions can help you sort out the issues. We have been in the business for a while and know what needs to be done to be successful, so give us a call at 855-888-4337 to talk to a representative today!
