How to guide on fundraising for California DECA chapters. Resource created by California DECA Team 63 www.californiadeca.org

1. Fundraising
Three Great Ideas

2. • Provides a great sense of achievement
• Gets members involved in your chapter and
community
• Helps offset the cost of conferences
• Gives more members the opportunity to attend
conferences throughout the year
Why Fundraise?

3. • Restaurants
• Car Washes
• See’s Candy
3 Great Ideas for Fundraising

4. Step 1: Identify a potential restaurant and find its phone number.
Step 2: Call and ask to speak to the manager of the restaurant. If the manager is
unavailable, talk to someone who runs fundraisers at the restaurant or ask when the
manager will be back and call then. A telephone call script is available as another
chapter resource!
Step 3: Tell the manager about DECA and why your chapter is fundraising, for instance, a
bus to get to State Conference.
Step 4: If the manager allows your chapter to host a fundraiser, ask the manager what
dates will work and what paper work is necessary for the fundraiser to happen.
Step 5: Make sure to get the manager’s contact information and to give your contact
information, as well.
Step 6: If flyers are needed for your chapter to receive credit, get them from the
restaurant or make your own flyer.
Step 7: Advertise your restaurant fundraiser to your chapter, school, and community using
posters and social media!
Idea #1: Restaurant Fundraisers

5. • Applebee’s
• Arby’s
• Boston Market
• Bruster’s
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Cheesecake Factory
• Chili’s
• Chipotle
• Friendly’s
• Fuddrucker’s
• Max and Erma’s
• Outback Steakhouse
• Panda Express
• Panera
• Pizzeria Uno
• Ponderosa
• Red Robin
• Subway
• TGI Friday’s
• Wendy’s
Although many chain restaurants are available for fundraising, the decision to do so is up to the individual
restaurant operator. The terms of the fundraiser will vary from restaurant to restaurant. Many locally owned
restaurants are also eager to host your restaurant night fundraiser too. Don’t forget to add them to your
potential list of restaurants to call on!
Possible Restaurants

6. Step 1: Speak with your school’s activities director and see what measures need to be
taken to hold a car wash.
Step 2: Coordinate a date, time, and location. Also coordinate prices.
Step 3: Promote the car wash in your school and community before the event through
posters, announcements, and social media.
Step 4: Create a sign up list for chapter members to bring car wash materials. Materials
needed are listed later on in resource.
Step 5: Create a sign up list for shifts chapter members can work and encourage chapter
to participate.
Step 6: Assign a responsible member to get a cash box from the school’s bookkeeper. At
the car wash, assign another member or the same member to man the car wash.
Step 7: Make posters for the day of the car wash that members can hold to bring cars in.
Step 8: Clean up after the car wash ends.
Idea #2: Car Wash Fundraisers

7. To maximize profits, offer
pre-sale tickets. Print
tickets out and number
them. Have a check out
sheet for members to get
tickets. Decide how much
each ticket will cost. Pre-
sale ticket profits can go
to individual members,
while profit made from
cars without pre-
purchased tickets will go
towards chapter funds.
• Car Wash Soap
• Towels
• Sponges
• Brushes
• Ladders
• Water Source
• Hoses
• Windex
• Paper Towels
Materials Needed Pre-Sale Tickets

8. Step 1: Visit http://fr.sees.com to learn about the See’s Candy fundraising program.
Step 2: Fill out this online form to request a fundraiser planner:
https://fr.sees.com/index.cfm/secure/request_fundraising_planner or call See’s
Candy Fundraising Specialist at 800-733-7123
Step 3: Choose which fundraising program to do: Pre-Sell or Fast Cash.
Step 4: Call the nearest See’s Candy store to your location using this website:
http://chocolateshops.sees.com Let your local store know that you will be doing a
fundraiser since you will be getting your candy from that store.
Step 5: For the pre-sale fundraising programs, whether all year or seasonal, go to
the website and print out all required flyers and forms:
http://fr.sees.com/index.cfm/Fundraising/Fundraising_Programs
Idea #3: See’s Candy
Fundraiser

9. Idea #3: See’s Candy
Fundraiser Continued
Step 6: Organize flyers and forms and distribute to chapter members. Set a due date when
they are due by and alert your members of the date through notes and social media posts.
Step 7: Assign responsible chapter members, preferably officers,
to count orders and make sure each has the right amount of money. Calculate the profit
using a profit chart. Profits charts vary per program. A sample one can be found here:
http://fr.sees.com/pdf/13ProfitChart_AllYear.pdf
Step 8: Call the nearest See’s Candy store to your location to place your order. A chapter
advisor or officer should be responsible for bringing back the candy to school.
Step 9: Look at original order forms and organize candy according to person. Alert your
members and let them know that the candy is in. Chapter members are responsible for
distributing the candy they sold to their customers.

10. A Few Last Tips
• Promote fundraisers using social media
• Make your restaurant fundraiser a chapter social so more
members will participate
• Inform the rest of California DECA about your success by
publicizing your efforts on Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter. Tag us @CaliforniaDECA and use #CADECA