Each issue of The Fundraising Hotline includes a combination of new or unusual do-it-yourself fundraisers, fundraising product or event ideas, fundraising tips, news, trivia, book and/or software reviews, and maybe even a little humor.  We hope that each issue will contain information that is beneficial to you.  Good luck on your fundraising efforts.  We know how much work it can be! 

Product Sales by Schools

Fundraising programs involving product sales raised an estimated $1.9 billion net profit in 2001 for non-profit organizations. Schools and school groups account for $1.52 billion of those profits. The fundraising estimate is based on a survey conducted by the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers (AFRDS). Product fundraising generates $4.164 billion in annual retail sales, up roughly 7% since the previous survey in 1997, the last time the industry group collected the statistical data.  

Other key findings: Schools and school groups represent 80% of fundraising sales; among school sales, more than half (54%) were made through elementary schools; among survey respondents, top selling products were, in order: candies and confections, magazine subscriptions, frozen entrees, cheese and meat products, decorative novelties and gift wrap; on average, non-profit groups retain 46.5% of the total fundraising sale as pure profit; the average product fundraiser generates nearly $6,000 in sales.  [Excerpted from The Fundraising Edge, published by the AFRDS]

My Sports Dreams: Does your team or league need money this season for travel, new uniforms, or equipment?  This extremely profitable fundraiser can help you reach your goal in less than 3 weeks.  Say goodbye to unprofitable and time-consuming candy bars, cookie dough, and car washes.  My Sports Dreams is fast, easy, and, most importantly, it works!  A team from Michigan earned $5,300 in 10 days...a league from Louisiana profited $49,000 in less than a month.  No upfront fees, no door-to-door selling, and you keep up to 90% profit!  Call toll-free 1-800-376-5988 for a free info kit.  

  Raising Funds For Your Child's School
 by Cynthia Francis Gensheimer

While fund-raising has always been a part of the educational experience, there is growing pressure for schools to supplement their budgets as state and local dollars continue to shrink. In this book, Gensheimer, an experienced volunteer, describes over 60 potentially successful fund-raising efforts designed for use at the elementary school level. The projects, ranging from relatively simple efforts such as plant sales and ice cream socials to complex undertakings like auctions and carnivals, are carefully described from start to finish. Clarity of style and a wide sampling of relevant correspondence contribute to the practical nature of this impressively thorough handbook.  You can find a copy at Amazon.com for less than $5.00 (used).
 

Contrary to the present practice the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, l883. However, it was in l884 when the first Monday in September came to be selected as the holiday, as originally proposed. The Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in l885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.