4 Tips for Choosing the Right Fundraising Company

Struggling to choose a fundraising company or program for your nonprofit or community group? First, it’s helpful to consider your organization’s needs. But we don't just mean financial needs—we’re also talking about fundraising needs like convenience, earning potential, and effort.

These needs apply to your benefactors as well. What is it that they’re looking for and how can you provide it as easily as possible?

Fortunately, we’re here to help. Read on to learn four tips on how to choose fundraising companies that best appeal to the needs of your organization, as well as your donors and supporters.

1. Estimate earning potential

One of the most crucial factors to consider when choosing a fundraising company is your earning potential and whether there are obstacles in the way of you meeting your financial goals. 

For instance, some fundraising companies (and even restaurants) take a chunk of your earnings, charge interest, or cap how much you can earn. Depending on the product you’re selling, you might end up losing the majority of the funds you raise. Many candle fundraiser companies, for example, take up to 55% of your earnings—so you’d have to sell a lot of candles to make a profit.

To avoid this, always read the fine print and try to choose a fundraising company that takes the smallest percentage of your earnings (or better yet, no percentage at all).

Consider looking into RaiseRight—a gift card and online shopping fundraiser that offers unlimited earning potential, with no restrictions on how your organization spends the earnings. Learn more about how RaiseRight works.

2. Evaluate convenience

Convenience is often overlooked when it comes to choosing a fundraising company. For instance, if you’re selling products or food like cookies, candy, or sub sandwiches, you might need to: 

• Find a way to take orders and track them
• Store inventory in your home and/or others’ homes, which can take up valuable space
• Commute to pick up the inventory
• Make delivery runs or arrange for pickup

It’s also worth considering the time commitment. Will you have to sell products door-to-door? Will selling products require making multiple phone calls or hanging flyers in your school, church, or office? Will your fundraising efforts require you to rent a space or recruit volunteers?

Evaluate how much time you’re willing to invest in your fundraiser, and whether a different method might make meeting your goals more efficient. 

In terms of convenience, a RaiseRight fundraiser can’t be beat. With RaiseRight, you:

• Don’t have to handle bulky goods or perishable items
• Don’t have to ask supporters to buy goods or donate money
• Can run a paper-free, inventory-free fundraising program by sticking to online and eGift card purchases
• Can keep the fundraising going 24/7, 365 days a year, as gift cards are always available and never expire. 

RaiseRight partners with hundreds of brands you know and love, so there’s something for everyone on our platform. Unmatched convenience = greater engagement with your fundraising efforts. 

3. Do some detective work

Another way to find the right type of fundraiser for your organization is to do some research. You can start by reading online reviews of the company you’re considering working with. See what others have to say and whether the nature of the product meets your needs in practice.

If you have friends or coworkers who have recently run fundraisers in your area, ask them what worked for them. This is an excellent way to scope out what the local demographic is interested in and to get a trusted report on how fundraising companies operate. 

Finally, try calling the customer service lines of the fundraising companies you’re considering. This way, you can “test drive” each company’s responsiveness and how they resolve issues. See whether a real person answers the phone and whether your questions are answered promptly. This will give you a good idea of how each fundraising company relates to and prioritizes its customers.

4. Align with your supporters' needs

The best way to encourage fundraiser participation is to choose a method that aligns with your donors' needs and fits into their lifestyles. 

This is why gift wrap or poinsettia sales work well around the holidays, and why selling discount cards to popular local businesses is often a hit. The same goes for gift card fundraisers—your supporters simply shop for everyday needs while contributing to your cause at no additional cost. 

Research shows that consumers are more likely to re-purchase a product or service they use often, so providing donors with something they’re guaranteed to use means they’re more likely to support you again.