My name is Jim Berigan.  I have been involved with and studying the concepts of school fundraising for many years. In this time, I have formulated a vision of what works and what doesn’t. Here are the top ten strategies I have learned on how to raise significant amounts of money for a school, but doing so in a way that doesn’t frustrate parents, students, or teachers.  In other words, you should make sure that everybody DOESN’T hate fundraising!

The 10 Commandments of Smart School Fundraising

1. Make sure your finances are regularly supervised by a higher authority.

2. Set your fundraising plan before the school year begins and stick to it.

3. Eliminate all product sale fundraisers at your school.

4. Launch a serious, year-long passive income fundraising campaign.

5. Have a gigantic school carnival.

6. Create a signature fundraising event (not sale), in addition to the carnival.

7. Use the Internet (like a teen-ager) to communicate with parents.

8. Ramp up school spirit to insane levels.

9. Make regular communication with teachers and the principal a top priority.

10. Become an expert on what other fundraisers are held in your community.