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Fundraising season is here again! It can be a hectic time for leaders, parents and kids alike, but that doesn’t stop it from being fun! Fundraising with Kids 101 provides you with the tools needed to have a successful fundraiser for everyone involved. It’s important to have smart project goals that children can enjoy long term.  Instead of pizza and knick-knacks, offer creative incentives such as field trips, fun breaks in the day, new technology for the classroom, or new equipment. Whether it’s about sales totals or class participation, having a successful fundraiser can be simple with the tips displayed below in our infographic. Check it out!

Looking to breathe new life into your school’s fundraising events?  The very best way to get high participation rates among your students and parents is to make it FUN. We’ve learned that our most successful groups focus on the fun and that focus yields big profits! Dial up the excitement levels for your students by appealing to their sense of fun with your school fundraising incentives and rewards. By using creative “no or low cost” incentives you will get more people involved and will keep excitement high throughout the life of your fundraiser.

Volunteer management is the process of engaging and inviting volunteers into your organization. Volunteer Management is a critical function for most non-profit, school, sport and extra-curricular groups. With that in mind, today we’re sharing some best practices for volunteer management that will ensure the health of your organization’s volunteer base. At the heart of volunteer management there are three principles that provide an excellent foundation. Be relevant– Make sure volunteers know, understand and buy in to the purpose- How their service helps your organization, who they are serving and how it helps them to grow individually. Be realistic– Make sure that volunteers understand what you are asking them to do is a reasonable match for their gifts, interests and availability. Before placing them into a role, consider who they are, their time and what they skills they can contribute. Be relational– Volunteers need to know that they matter more than the task you want them to accomplish. You need to put people first to create an inclusive community.

By choosing an efficient and profitable fundraising program, setting very specific goals, limiting the amount of fundraisers run annually, and trying something new schools will find that they can reduce fundraising noise and achieve success. And that’s worth talking about

Happy New Year! Have you made your resolutions? I have and so far (we’re only 6 days in) I’ve kept them ;-). I couldn’t be more excited about all that 2016 has in store. And there is more in store. More blogs, more great fundraising ideas, and more wonderful pasta fundraising products for you. There’s no more fitting way to kick off the year than by sharing a success story from one of our fundraising groups. The Zenit Gymnastics Booster Club ran a fundraiser with us in the Fall of 2015 and was also one of the $250 winners of our Fall Sweepstakes. We interviewed Heather Cox, the club’s fundraising leader. Here are the secrets to their group’s fundraising success. Lots of helpful information ahead that your group can use.

Happy Holidays Fundraising Leaders! Are you thinking about fundraising over the holidays? Wondering if your group should or shouldn’t? Here are 3 considerations that may impact your sales.

It’s FALL y’all! Time for cool mornings and evenings, cuddles by the fireplace and comfort food!!! Today we’re featuring our all-time best selling Chicken Noodle Soup. This has been one of our most popular products with Fundraising Groups ever since we introduced it many years ago. Is there anything more comforting than Chicken Noodle Soup? There’s nothing better than a steaming bowl of Chicken Noodle on a cold dreary winter day. Good for whatever ails you- Chicken Noodle is just what you need if you’re fighting off a cold.

If you are following this blog, then you know we are passionate about two things: Pasta and helping schools, non-profits and groups of all types reach their fundraising goals through the sales of our products. As a group leader the weight of responsibility for fundraising can be heavy. Under the pressure of increased monetary need to cover expenses, it’s easy for leaders to second guess their decisions. Did you choose the right product fundraising company? Are you running your fundraiser at the best time of year? Will you meet sales goals? Today, we are sharing some of our leader’s most common questions. Read on to find out if you know what you SHOULD know about product fundraisers.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness, our featured product this month is our Pink Ribbon Pasta! This pasta is shaped like ribbons and made of semolina flour. We use all natural beet powder to color our pink ribbons. 10% of the proceeds  from the sales of our Pink Ribbon Pasta support Research, Education, Screening, and Treatment of Breast Cancer.

In his blog, The Five Deadly Sins of Fundraising, Joe Garecht, identifies 5 common fundraising mistakes that occur when organizations cut corners, stop pushing and settle for second best. According to Garecht, the second most common fundraising mistake non-profit groups make is “thinking small”.