I would be surprised if anyone gets super excited about fundraising. All the times I was essentially forced to fundraise throughout sports, school events, scouting programs, etc. led me to believe that there was nothing cool about fundraising. What I’ve learned, however, is that many of these fundraising events made it really tough to feel enthusiastic about because they failed to do something that would have made it much better: provide some incentives.
Incentives, I feel, should become more and more of a thing in general. With everything that everyone needs to balance in this world, it’s hard to remain ultimately focused on one sole thing. Having incentives allows people to get excited about what they’re working towards. Incentives remind us that the work we are doing is beneficial and that, while everyone is working towards a good cause, there’s something in it for them as well.
When it comes to raising funds, incentives can be your best tool to keep your students happy, engaged, and thrilled about the journey they’re on. Let’s face it–raising funds is tough. It requires marketing, networking, advertising, sales, and nowadays, digital media knowledge. That’s a lot to ask for someone to dive into! Having prizes, either for the individual or the team, is exactly what will help a younger audience be excited about fundraising. We’ll quickly mention one school who knocked their incentive out of the park through a major grand prize.
One Major Reward
The All In. All or Nothing. The Big Cheese. This is the ultimate grand prize. THIS is what people will be talking about for years and years. Can you imagine what it would be like to win THE grand prize? This is a great route to take if your students would feel more motivated by the competitional aspect of winning it all, rather than receiving smaller prizes along the way.
Friendly competition can be a useful ally in the spirit of fundraising.
Take Durango High School out in Las Vegas. You wanna know what they did? They have their grand prize be a $400 pair of Jordans. Let’s go over why this was a beautifully hand-picked prize for this group.
- It speaks to the group. The grand prize here was something that every player would want. What basketball player doesn’t want an insanely expensive pair of shoes?
- It was a huge reward. Not only was it a nice pair of shoes, but it was a pair of shoes that players likely wouldn’t be able to get with their own cash. Being able to incentivize through an expensive prize is highly motivating.
- It gave them something to look at. There was no mysterious “grand prize”. It was THIS prize. Showing the students right off the bat what it would be they were competing for left away any thoughts on whether or not this “grand prize” would truly be grand at all.
- The $400 Jordans probably got some traffic towards the fundraiser that wouldn’t have come otherwise. The news of a grand prize can quickly get whispered around the hallways of the school, and it’s no wonder that the overall donation total was incredible because of it.
Durango figured out how to use their grand prize to their advantage. It catered to the team and to the individual, was exciting, and was worth the extra effort students were giving. It gave those players a reason to be fiercely competitive. It gave them something to cheer for. Do whatever you need to in order to create this same drive for your group!
