How To Get Merchandise For Your Preschool Fundraiser

Planning a preschool fundraiser is beyond just choosing the idea to follow. To have a successful and effective fundraiser, you must know how to acquire the best fundraiser merchandise. How or where you get your fundraiser merchandise contributes to how much profit you make at the end of it all.  For the easiest fundraising solutions, visit www.fundraisingzone.com

There are lots of fundraiser merchandise to sell, but it isn’t about just getting anything to sell. Your merchandise should be unique. This will ensure the volunteers and the parents are happy with you. This will also prompt them to support you each time you are organizing a fundraiser.

Knowing how to source for your merchandise can give your fundraiser a good top-up and ensure you do not let the parents and volunteers down. It’s not always about the dollars,  you need to use your resources wisely so you don’t get burned at the end.

There are two options you need to consider when planning your preschool fundraiser merchandise. You either go for sales fundraisers or the DIY fundraisers. In the sales fundraiser, you will be buying your fundraiser merchandise like cookie dough, candy, candles, gift wraps, etc.

Sales Fundraisers

If members of your fundraising group decide you should have a sales fundraiser, you still have to make a major decision of what to sell. In deciding on what to sell, you need to consider your PTO and community. You need to think like a retailer here, some products sell better in some communities than others.

Think of what you’ve sold in the past and what other schools are selling. You don’t want to have merchandise that won’t sell. Preschool fundraiser sales are about getting your customers to support the cause not only about donating.

• Contact a product company for your sales fundraisers

To get your sales preschool fundraiser idea working, you need to search for companies that can supply merchandise to your shop. There are businesses whose specialty is to provide fundraisers merchandise for schools. Look for the ones that have your chosen product, they certainly would want to support your cause.

• Try getting the merchandise cheap

Demand the products in wholesale so you can get them cheap.  If you are setting up a gift shop, you can easily find companies with flexible dealings. They give you merchandise at good rates and also take back the things you are not able to sell.

Important things to talk about with the production company should be about getting the merchandise for free, which is the best way to get fundraiser merchandise. Ask if you can get wholesale. Also, consider if you can make the product yourself e.g cookie dough, popcorn, etc. It’s good if you can.

• Raise more funds by selling popular items

It’s best to choose popular items for your fundraiser. They are known to do better than the items people may not know.

• Get personalized items

Look out for fundraiser companies that offer personalized products. If your buyer sees their name on a product, they will want to have it. Get a company to make you custom items for the kids and their parents.

Personalizing items make them more valuable and convince buyers that you are more concerned about giving, not consuming.

• Only get products of value

A good selling product is not enough, you also have to consider your school value.  Your preschooler fundraisers should have products that are compatible with your school values.

Get Your Merch From Trusted Businesses

Ensure that you choose a trusted vendor. There are a lot of them out there, but you should be concerned about finding trusted and credible ones. You can get references from schools that have used the vendor you have in mind.

• Avoid up-front payments

Paying upfront is not a good way to set up a fundraising shop. Avoid those that demand large upfront if you do not know what to expect.  You don’t want to end up with piles of unsold items or run into debt.

• Know if you can return unsold items

Vendors that take back unsold items are your best bet. They understand that you may not be able to move the weight of the items and they accept the things you couldn’t sell at your fundraising back.

DIY Fundraiser

You can get volunteers from the PTO to volunteer and help with making items for your preschool fundraising.