• Profit Potential - can the group sell enough of the product to reach its goal? How many customers will each member need to secure? What is the profit per sale of each product under consideration?
• Defining your potential customer - will they buy what your members want to sell?
• The time of year - chocolate bars in the heat of July would be a disaster. Our gourmet mixes offered in the Fall/Winter or Spring would be outstanding!
• Competition from other fundraising groups - having four groups sell the same thing at the same time would result in none of the groups doing well. The sales potential for the same thing is limited.
• Product quality and uniqueness - many customers are "tired" of wrapping paper every year. Offering our gourmet foods would be a great change for the better.
• Price points - a $15.00 candle might have a great profit margin but might not sell because a comparable candle at Wal-Mart is $5.95. Whereas, a set of 6 of our Purely American gourmet mixes at $33.00 might be considered a real bargain compared to what the customer would find in a local gourmet shop.
• Level of interest by members - the product won't sell if the members don't get behind it.

These are only some of the issues which need to be addressed before choosing a product.

Getting Members Committed: Once a product is chosen, the next step is to divide your total $$ goal by the # of selling members so that each will see how much he/she is responsible for selling to enable the group to reach the big picture goal. This is a critical step to get each member to realize that the sales goal is achievable and that it isn't up to those who are "good at selling" to make the 100% effort. So many times the old 80/20 sales split occurs: 80% of the sales comes from 20% of the sales force. This simple technique will go a long way to get every member to BELIEVE he/she can help reach the goal.

Set a Time Limit: Two-Three weeks is considered the best length of time to conduct a brochure fundraiser. Usually, within those weeks, your members will have enough time to present the idea to their friends/family without loosing interest. Allow three days after your deadline for any stray orders to filter in before sending orders and payment to our office for processing.

Managing Collections: To keep things simple, it is advisable to have each customer write checks payable to your group. After all funds are collected and verified (very important as well), one check should be written to Purely American to cover your costs.

Coordinating Distribution: Always inspect your order at the time of delivery. All boxes will be presorted which will make for a very smooth process. Allow one week after the distribution day for members to report any damaged or missing product problems. We will correct any problems immediately.

If this is your first time coordinating the fundraiser for your group, we hope this information helps you make the experience a lot easier. Call us now @ 800-359-7873 to answer more questions or to place your order.
 

We enjoy sharing this information with you and helping groups like yours reach your goals.