Our Top 3 Most Commonly Asked Questions About How to Have a Successful Fundraiser

Thank you for helping the kids in your class and school by raising money for them and providing them with an opportunity to have amazing custom designed t-shirts!

We’ve helped thousands of teachers, parents, coaches, and principals raise money and we wanted to share answers to three of our most commonly asked questions that helped those dedicated educators have successful sales and raise lots of money for their schools.

Question #1: How can I motivate students in our school to participate in our fundraiser and get others to participate too?

Answer: Our most successful teachers share why the fundraiser will help their students and their school. They explain to parents and students why they are raising money: to purchase new technology, go on a class trip, buy some school supplies, contribute to a scholarship fund, etc! Sharing why you’re raising money is important because it gives your students, teachers, and parents a strong purpose for buying the t-shirts and actively motivates them to share the campaign with others.  

Question #2: How should I share my fundraiser with my students?

Answer: Our most successful teachers take an active approach to sharing their fundraiser. They recognize that people have the best intentions, but have a lot on their plates. Frequent reminders are incredibly helpful with everyone’s busy lives.

Here’s how they approach sharing:

1. Make sure to tell your students about the sale and any activities associated with it up front. It’s important for them to know that they will be able to wear their shirt with everyone else on the designated day.
2. Remind students daily about the fundraiser. Helpful small reminders make it easy.

• Use services like Remind, email, daily school-wide announcements, and social media to send the information directly to the parents. This is a great way to get the parents involved and make sure they know about the fundraiser.
• Encourage your parents to purchase too! It’s a great way for them to get involved and help your school raise money.

Question #3: Why am I passing out an order form when everything is purchased online?

Answer: Our most successful teachers have found that students and parents love having a physical order form that shows them how to order online. This helps your fundraiser be more successful and saves you time by answering questions about how to order. It also serves as an additional reminder to students and parents to remember to place their orders.

Here’s what those successful teachers do:

1. Pass out an order form to every student in the school at the start of the sale (color works best, but if you have to print in black and white that is okay too, as long as everyone receives one!). This will help educate the students about the sale and serve as an important physical reminder. Plus it shows them exactly how to order!
2. Seek support from their colleagues and ask that everyone take just a couple of minutes to: give every student and staff member an order form, explain the fundraiser to them while the order form is in their hands, discuss exactly how to order, double-check that everyone understands, answer any other questions, and get them excited about the event!
3. Kids lose the order forms, so print extra copies to have on hand. In addition to extra copies, teachers hang the order form up all over the school: above water fountains, by doors, at the office, in the cafeteria lines, in the bathroom, and of course in their classrooms.
4. At the halfway point of the sale they (with the help of other teachers and kids in the school) personally hand an order form to everyone who hasn’t ordered yet, to make sure they don’t miss out! Personal invitations to participate are one of the most effective ways to make sure everyone is involved!

Remember to update everyone on how the sale is going throughout your campaign. Include how much money you’ve raised so far and how excited you are about your event!

Don’t forget you have a dedicated Happiness Hero who will be in frequent contact with you throughout your fundraiser. They’ll provide you with sales updates, check in with you to see how things are going, and answer any questions you might have along the way!

Good luck with your fundraiser, we know you will do great!

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