Nov 2008 Editor's Letter
By: Jill Pinheiro

I know it's the fall when my doorbell starts ringing, with little salespeople selling anything and everything from cookie dough to wrapping paper to magazine subscriptions to local coupon books (my personal favorite).

What is your school's most successful fundraising program during the year? Is it through an event, such as a carnival or auction? Or, is it through sales?

Different methods work for each individual school. Events require more volunteers, but your school may have a strong parent group, which makes this type of fundraiser easier to facilitate. On the other hand, selling may be something that your students really love…and are good at.

Regardless of which method you choose (or, even better, a combination of the two), one of the most important parts of the fundraising process is setting the financial goal your school wants/needs to achieve.

The Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers (AFRDS) offers these goal-setting smarts:

Specific…well defined and clear

Measurable…quantifiable to track progress toward the goal

Agreed upon…everybody is on the same page and committed

Realistic…given the availability of resources

Time-Framed…with a plan for implementation including who, what, and when

Your fall campaign is likely nearing its end, but this issue, our annual focus on Finance and Fundraising, should come in handy when planning your spring fundraising efforts.  In addition to some helpful hints for making your campaign be as successful and fruitful as possible, we have also included a roundup of a variety of companies that offer fundraising products and services to schools.

I'm always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@cspmag.com.

God Bless,

Jill Pinheiro
Managing Editor