Looking to boost candy bar fundraiser sales? Discover what successful schools do and overcome the hurdles that keep you from reaching your fundraiser goals.

1. 3
CANDY BAR
FUNDRAISER
SPONSOR SUCCESS
TIPS
F U N D R A I S I N G
P r e s e n t e d B y C l a y B o g g e s s

2. Learn how to make your
candy bar sale successful
IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING A CANDY
BAR FUNDRAISER, YOU OBVIOUSLY
WANT TO SELL A LOT OF PRODUCT,
BUT WITHOUT THE HASSLES. MOST
MEASURE SUCCESS BY HOW MUCH
MONEY IS BROUGHT IN. AND THIS IS
IMPORTANT FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
MANY ARE INCLINED TO THINK THAT
ONLY THE WEALTHY SCHOOLS HAVE
THE REALLY HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL
SALES. IT SEEMS LOGICAL BECAUSE
THESE AREAS HAVE MORE
RESOURCES, ARE MORE AFFLUENT
AND THUS HAVE THE MOST MONEY
TO GIVE. HOWEVER, YOU MAY BE
SURPRISED THAT THIS ISN'T
ALWAYS THE CASE.

3. IN FACT, THE OPPOSITE IS OFTEN
THE CASE. WE’VE WORKED WITH
GROUPS IN WEALTHY AREAS THAT
END UP HAVING VERY POOR SALES
DUE TO APATHY AND POOR
PLANNING. ON THE OTHER HAND,
MANY ORGANIZATIONS FROM LESS
AFFLUENT AREAS TEND TO REALIZE
THAT THEY CAN’T SIMPLY WRITE A
CHECK TO PAY FOR NECESSITIES
WHENEVER THEY WANT. SO WHAT
DOES SCHOOL FUNDRAISING
SUCCESS ACTUALLY MEAN?

4. SUCCESS IS ALWAYS RELATIVE. TO
ANSWER THIS QUESTION YOU MUST
GRAPPLE WITH WHAT SUCCESS
MEANS TO YOUR SPECIFIC GROUP.
AND TO DO THAT, YOU MUST BE ABLE
TO SET A CONCRETE FINANCIAL GOAL
BASED ON A NEED THAT OTHERS ARE
PASSIONATE ABOUT AS WELL. THIS IS
YOUR FOUNDATION.
THEN IT’LL BE IMPORTANT TO TAKE A
CLOSER LOOK AT THE BEST WAY FOR
YOUR SCHOOL TO MAKE MONEY.
HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU
CAN DO AS A SPONSOR IF YOU'RE
LOOKING TO EXPERIENCE A
SUCCESSFUL CANDY BAR SALE

5. The School Sponsor
Always Drives the Sale
1.
HANDS DOWN, THE MOST CRUCIAL
PERSON IN DETERMINING THE
SUCCESS OF ANY SCHOOL SALE IS THE
PERSON WHO’S IN CHARGE OF IT.
EVERYTHING BEGINS AND ENDS WITH
THE SPONSOR AND THE MOST
IMPORTANT TRAIT THEY CAN HAVE IS
PASSION.

6. SUCCESSFUL SPONSORS CARE A
GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE NEEDS OF
THEIR SCHOOL AND AS A RESULT, THE
FUNDRAISER THAT’S GOING TO MAKE
THINGS BETTER. THEY ARE ALSO GOOD
AT MOTIVATING OTHERS TO GET
INVOLVED, NOT JUST WITH MAKING
SALES, BUT WITH SCHOOL-RELATED
ACTIVITIES INGENERAL.
LEARN HOW ONE MOM BROUGHT HER
SCHOOL’S PTA TO LIFE.

7. THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THE MORE
MONEY THEY RAISE, THE MORE
THEY'LL BE ABLE TO IMPACT THE LIVES
OF THEIR STUDENTS. THEIR CANDY
BAR SALE IS ACTIVELY AND
CONSISTENTLY PROMOTED TO THEIR
STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF FROM
DAY ONE.
THEY TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE
LIMITED TIME THEY HAVE TO MAKE
MONEY. THESE PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEM
TO PREVAIL, REGARDLESS OF THE
OBSTACLES IN FRONT OF THEM.

8. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS
MINDSET IS CONTAGIOUS. AND OF
COURSE, THE OPPOSITE ATTITUDE IS
ALMOST ALWAYS
GUARANTEED TO YIELD THE OPPOSITE
RESULTS AS WELL
.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR STUDENTS
WILL FEED OFF OF YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
WHAT FOLLOWS ARE A FEW OF THE
ATTRIBUTES THAT
WE’VE FOUND MOST SUCCESSFUL
SPONSORS HAVE:

9. OTHERS-CENTERED
POSITIVE
ORGANIZED
INSPIRING
GOAL-ORIENTED
RESOURCEFUL
ACCESSIBLE
WITH THE RIGHT LEADER, SUCCESS
CAN REALLY HAPPEN. FOR MORE
INFORMATION,
SEE WHY SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISERS
NEED GOOD SPONSORS.

10. 2. Why Wealth Doesn’t
Determine Fundraising
Success
DO WEALTHY SCHOOLS ALWAYS RAISE
MORE MONEY THAN LESS AFFLUENT
ONES? LET’S DEAL WITH THIS
MISCONCEPTION RIGHT NOW. THE
ANSWER IS, IN A NUTSHELL, WEALTH
DOES NOT DETERMINE THE SUCCESS
OF A SCHOOL FUNDRAISER.
IN FACT, QUITE THE OPPOSITE CAN BE
TRUE. AFFLUENCE CAN EVEN BE A
HINDERANCE. THE BOTTOM LINE IS
THAT IF PEOPLE DON’T SEE A NEED,
APATHY AND DISCONNECT USUALLY
ENSUES.

11. WE’VE WORKED WITH MANY
LOWER-INCOME SCHOOLS THAT
ENDED UP OUTPERFORMING SCHOOLS
IN HIGHERINCOME NEIGHBORHOODS.
CANDY BAR FUNDRAISING SUCCESS
ISN’T REALLY DETERMINED BY THE
NEIGHBORHOOD, SCHOOL STAFF,
PARENTS, OR EVEN THE STUDENTS.
RATHER, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, STRONG
COMMITMENT AND CULTIVATING A
FEELING OF UNITY ARE FAR MORE
SIGNIFICANT. THESE ARE TRAITS THAT
CAN BE POSSESSED BY ANY GROUP,
REGARDLESS OF SOCIOECONOMICS.

12. 3. Commit to Candy Bar
Fundraiser Excellence
IF YOU COULD BE A FLY ON THE WALL
AND WATCH EVERYTHING UNFOLD
WITH YOUR SALE, WHAT WOULD YOU
HOPE TO SEE?
WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE DO YOU
WANT EVERYONE TO HAVE? HERE ARE
SOME QUESTIONS TO
PONDER:

13. 3. Commit to Candy Bar
Fundraiser Excellence
WILL PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND RALLY
AROUND YOUR PURPOSE?
WILL YOUR CUSTOMERS EMBRACE THE
ACTUAL CANDY BAR PRODUCT THAT YOU
HOW MOTIVATED WILL YOUR STUDENTS BE
AND WHAT INCENTIVES DO YOU PLAN TO
OFFER?
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO KEEP YOUR
PARENTS INFORMED?
DO YOU SEE YOUR PARENTS AND
STUDENTS AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE
PROCESS, OR MERELY AS PAWNS THAT YOU
JUST HAVE TO ‘WIN OVER’?
PLAN TO SELL?

14. LEARN ABOUT FREE FUNDRAISING
INCENTIVES
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE
QUESTIONS THAT SPONSORS SHOULD
BE ASKING THEMSELVES. THEY ARE
OFTEN THINGS THAT WE HOPE WILL
AUTOMATICALLY HAPPEN, BUT
UNFORTUNATELY DON’T ALWAYS PLAN
FOR IN ADVANCE.
A POSITIVE OVERALL PERCEPTION
ABOUT YOUR CANDY BAR FUNDRAISER
WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN
THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT
PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN FUTURE
SALES AS WELL.

15. THANKS FOR
READING
CLAY BOGGESS