Selecting The Right Fundraiser - Part 4
More tips from our multi-page article about how to select the right
fundraiser.
Evaluation Criteria - Continued:
Variety or selection means more sales
A wider variety and better selection offers a greater likelihood a potential
customer will find one or more items that they want to buy. You’ve gone to a lot
of effort to put your fundraiser message in front of each prospect. Avoid
disappointing them by broadening your selection. Note: Too many products can be
confusing, so find a happy medium.
Caliber of supplier
A high quality supplier will focus on satisfying their customers to earn repeat
business. A supplier of shoddy merchandise knows you won’t be coming back for
more and acts accordingly. Look for Better Business Bureau affiliation and
membership in AFRDS. (Association of Fundraising Distributors and Suppliers)
Quality of support materials
Interview sales reps from suppliers. Ask for samples and compare to their
brochures. Be sure that the collateral materials that your sellers will show to
potential buyers are in color and that they contain appropriate descriptions
that are easy to read.
Ease of sale
The product selected for the fundraiser should be an easy sale. You don’t want
to put your participants at a severe disadvantage with hard-to-sell goods.
Generally, high quality goods at attractive prices sell themselves.
Feel Good Rating
See our Section on Fundraiser Ratings. Each major type of fundraiser is analyzed
and ranked. A unique Feel Good Rating is assigned to each category that reflects
how your organization’s participants and supporters will most likely feel about
that particular style of fundraising.
Sales incentives provided
Check to see if sales incentives are included in the prices quoted. Net them out
if you don’t want them, but don’t forget their real purpose. Sales incentives
exist to motivate your sellers to do their best. Don’t put a disincentive
program into place. See the Section on Incentives and Rewards for more details.
Extra discounts and freebies
Always ask for extra discounts before you place your order. “Is that the best
you can do?” Just asking that question will often get you an extra few
percentage points. Also, find out if there are bonus offerings available based
on the size of your order. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know for sure that you
got the best price.
Packaging
Check the quality of packaging on sample products. Remember that your customers
are often repeat buyers on future fundraisers. Poor quality packaging usually
indicates poor quality merchandise. Also, the shipment packaging of sample
merchandise is often a true reflection of how well your actual shipment will be
packaged. Damaged goods can be a major headache.
Tallying orders
Check out all support materials in advance. How easy to tally are the supplier’s
order forms? Does the supplier provide an individual order tally sheet with each
lot being pre-sorted within the main shipment?
Displays and samples
You can’t always judge a book by its cover. Be sure to get samples of as much of
the catalog as the supplier will send. Find out if there’s a charge for it or if
there are free samples. Are there display materials available for items sold?
Check the quality of these and compare it to the comparably priced retail
equivalent.
Return Policy
Determine ahead of time what the return policies are. Are partially sold case
lots returnable? Is there a customer satisfaction guarantee? Are undelivered
goods returnable? Who pays the freight for the return?
Guarantees
What guarantees does the supplier offer on things such as damaged goods? Do you
have to pay in advance for replacement goods? Is there a customer satisfaction
guarantee on food items?
Turn around time on orders
Find out how quickly your potential supplier ships an average order. If the
timeframe quoted is one to three weeks, that’s about normal. Try to get a firm
timeline established ahead of time. Once you sign the agreement, you’re stuck
and your bargaining power is zilch. Pay careful attention to what their policy
is on backordered items.
Click Here for Selecting the Right Fundraiser - Part
5
Click Here for Selecting the Right Fundraiser - Part
3
Related Pages
Selecting The Right Fundraiser -
Part 1 - Good advice to use on picking the right fundraiser for your group.
Getting Started: Part 1 - The who, what,
when, where, why, and how of a successful fundraiser.
Free Fundraisers - Three time-tested
fundraising ideas for raising fast cash for groups of any size.
Donor Recognition - How to use donor
recognition to increase your capital campaign results.
Food Fundraisers - How to quickly boost your
profits when fundraising with food items.
Successful Fundraisers - Boost results
with organization, quality incentives, and sales preparation.
Organize School Fundraiser - Quick
tips on organizing your school efforts by planning ahead.
Tried and True - These
old standbys always produce good results for any-size group.
Sample Letter - Sample school event donation
letter where you can insert your specific information.
|
