Basics 101: Fundraising Product Quality

Nothing tops off a successful fundraiser more than hearing from a covey of satisfied customers. You can motivate your sellers into a frenzy, and help them to earn a ton of money, but the topping on the whole fund raising project is to have your customers raving about the products they have purchased through your fund-raiser. Even an awesomely profitable fundraising experience can turn somewhat sour if your customers feel like they’ve been ripped off. Hence, it is important to couple product quality with the other variables that lead to fundraising success.

Most of your customers realize that your group can’t offer them products for the same price that they would be able to purchase comparable items at a discount store. You simply couldn’t make enough profit from such a small margin to finance your group’s financial needs. However, there is a major difference between offering a quality product at a modestly more expensive selling price, and actually bilking your customers through grossly overcharging them for substandard products. There comes a point where the drive for top profits degenerates into GREED - Pure and Simple. Nobody appreciates being taken advantage of, and many of your customers would resent cheap quality products sold at a gourmet selling price.

Make sure that the fundraising products you choose to handle are not going to disappoint a large number of your customers. Choose items that are name brand, or will perceived as being out of the ordinary – artsy, gourmet, chic, etc. Don’t price your products’ selling prices way above the prices for which other fundraising groups and organizations have sold similar items.

We could go on and on about product pricing and quality, but you get the drift. Be smart, show wisdom and put yourselves in your customer’s shoes. Remember the teaching in Proverbs, “A good name is to be desired above riches”. Be smart in your fundraising choices, because you want this year’s customers to be primed and ready for your next year’s fundraising extravaganza. People remember their past experiences – the good, the bad and the ugly - so let’s do our homework and try to eliminate the bad and the “ugly” from that threesome.