Step 2: Conduct Your Sales Campaign
Begin your campaign when you receive your package from us. We’ll be partnering in your efforts to conduct as successful a campaign as possible, while keeping the entire process as SIMPLE as possible!
Here are a variety of recommended methods to generate sales:
Send a Note Home with Each Child Announcing the Fundraiser
We urge you to consider sending home a note to parents from you by way of the child. This can be a very important tool to let parents know what your class or group is working to accomplish. This will virtually guarantee that the household will make purchases to support the fundraiser. In our past, we discovered that in fundraisers where the sales numbers were less than hoped for, consistently a reason for the lower sales invariably was found to be because the parents were unaware of your group’s fundraiser. So, please do send a personalized note home with each child. It will generate sales from the household, and will generate sales as you employ the parent to support their child.
We urge you to use a letter like that provided below (in your own words) to ensure that every child’s artwork is represented in this fundraiser (filling in the correct items found in parentheses below):
Dear Parent,
As you probably already know by now from your child, our class (or group) is conducting a fundraiser to (describe what the funds will be used for). The fundraising method we are using is through the sale of Greeting Cards and gifts, which will feature the artwork of our class (or classes)!
We are very excited about this opportunity to create something we are sure you and your family and friends will treasure for a lifetime. I know that you will personally want to order several items because they will be mementos for both you and your child. At the same time, you’ll be supporting (your group or school) in generating funds necessary to meet our financial goals this year.
There are several ways that you can support your child in this fundraiser. Perhaps the simplest and most effective way is to send emails to the friends, relatives and acquaintances in your email address book. Simply refer your friends to this online ordering website address: www.kidsarestars.com, and click onto online sales link. There you will be taken to a page where you can view the artwork of all the students, a description of the products you’ll be able to purchase, and an online secure order form.
Thank you in advance for any and all support you will be able to provide our group in reaching our goals. We have set a goal of 100% member participation this year with this fundraiser.
In addition to sending emails, we suggest you make phone calls on your child’s behalf, and making contact with the relatives, co-workers and friends in your life, you will be making a HUGE difference in the future of (your group or school).
So I hope I will be able to count on your support, for your child and for the future of (your group or school), and I look forward to sharing our success with you in the near future!
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Person-to-Person Sales Campaigns
In addition to a note home to parents and emails to friends, relatives and acquaintances, members and parents can make contact with others in a more traditional sales campaign.
Begin by distributing the personalized prototype Sales Cards to each appropriate member, along with a customized Order Form envelope. The form will already be filled in with the necessary information needed to accurately complete a sale.
Here are some ways you can conduct a more traditional person-to-person sales campaign with students, parents and your staff:
- Do you have BIG EVENTS coming up where you’ll be able to set up a table to take orders for cards?
Silent Auctions? Conferences? Sports Events? Take the box of sample cards along with some extra order forms, and take orders for group and individual cards! - Make a list of people to contact!
One of the most effective ways to make contact with the people who are most likely to purchase is by taking the time to ask your members to begin thinking of people they know. Parents, relatives, friends of parents, people at their church, and other people the members know. If your members are old enough, our recommendation is to think of 25 people the group knows who they can contact. We do NOT recommend the that kids sell to people they do not know. ONLY approach relatives and acquaintances of the family and group. - Suggest Ideas for Uses
One of the most successful ways to increase sales volume is to suggest other uses for the cards and stationery in addition to personal use. Work with the group to discover different ways the cards may be used, such as: Hostess Gifts for Mom, Gifts to Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts & Uncles, ‘Thank You’ Gifts, Holiday Gifts and Stocking Stuffers for next year, and so on. - Set Sales Goals
Again, if your group is old enough, another effective tool we know of is to ask the members to set goals for themselves. If your group is made up of children who are quite young, and/or if you as the teacher or leader are uncomfortable with this exercise, disregard it. But we’ve found that goal-setting, and accomplishing goals, can be a very empowering exercise for older children and youth.
A comfortable sales goal for each member of your group is 5 boxes. However, because of the personalized and unique nature of these cards, it’s very easy to sell more if everyone will contact the people on their list. - Set Sale Dates
We’ve found that by setting sale dates of 10 to 15 days enhances the excitement and keeps the momentum going. Remember that when EVERY member makes at least ONE sale, your group WINS!