I can always tell when the school year begins in the Autumn. My doorbell rings at least twice a week with children trying to sell me something that is way overpriced or super impractical. Usually, the first one or two kids who target my house will walk away with an order. After that, I’m not interested.
Here you will find 3 fantastic school fundraising ideas that can get you going. This includes Discount Shopping Cards and Prepaid Phone Cards.
Discount Shopping Cards
What exactly is a discount shopping card?
These are wallet-sized cards packed with a selection of prearranged discounts at local and national merchants in your area. Most usually contain a collection of special offers that save the bearer either a fixed amount or a percentage discount.
An example of places that use them is M&S, Boots, Morrisons, Tesco, Currys PC World and many more retailers.
Each card usually retails for £10 and provides for almost unlimited usage of the special offers. The only exception is when you custom design a card to feature a special one-time-only discount from a sponsoring merchant.
This type of premium offering is often worth half the purchase price all by itself, such as a £5 discount from a national oil change company.
Other money-saving examples include free drinks with a fast-food order, £1 or more off on a submarine sandwich, savings on video rentals, haircut discounts, free ice cream, and other special offers.
Because of their high perceived value (what family doesn’t want to save money these days?), these are excellent fundraisers. Discount cards can often produce impressive unit sales per participant. It’s not unusual for each seller to make ten or more sales.
Prepaid Phone Cards
Offering something families use and spend discretionary income on is a great idea. The good news is that there are other school fundraising ideas besides coordinating a special event or conducting a catalogue-based fundraiser. These often end up overwhelming your supporters with multiple fundraising products that aren’t everyday items for most people.
These are simple products that your group can offer that provide these benefits:
1) They are easy to sell
2) They offer good value
3) They produce excellent results
What do I need to know about prepaid phone cards?
Phone cards can be used for fundraising purposes just like the discount cards. Several suppliers offer a £10 card that can be customized with your group’s name and logo.
Prepaid phone cards are also available in different face values with variations in minutes included, international rates, access charges, etc. Most common are denominations of £20, £25, and £30.
Profit margins on prepaid phone cards are similar to other school fundraising ideas that are product-based. The trick is to source ones that offer excellent value to your supporters.
Think in terms of potential users, i.e. families with college students, distant relatives, people that travel frequently, or individuals who make international calls. Look for features and offerings that would appeal to these user groups. Because of the variety, customization, and large market, phone cards are great school fundraising ideas.
What you’ll usually find is that you can’t equal the best deal offered by mega-retailers like Tesco, maintaining a desirable 40% profit margin.
So, in evaluating school fundraisers like phone cards, you face a choice of staying with a £10 card that offers decent value or leveraging the best offerings available in the retail market.
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