Being prepared for your fundraiser’s delivery day is essential to the fundraising process. Deliveries for fundraisers can be complex, especially if your school or group sold a large quantity of items. Organizing a smooth fundraising delivery day requires advanced planning and coordination. Here are some things you can do to help ensure delivery day for your school or group goes off without a hitch.
1. Pick a program with a delivery plan that fits your needs
When looking for a fundraising program for your school or group, consider how the product will be delivered. The most important goal for delivery day is to distribute orders as soon as possible; this is especially critical with frozen food fundraisers where the product needs to be kept frozen. Accomplishing this goal requires knowing when the order will be delivered and how it will be distributed. Therefore, you need to ask yourself some important questions:
- How much space will be available for short-term storage?
- Will the storage area be suitable for temperature-controlled items?
- Will volunteers be available to help at pick up?
- How prompt will students/parents be about picking up orders?
Based on the answers to these questions, you’ll want to consider picking a program that meets your delivery needs.
2. Communicate with parents
It’s vital that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the delivery process. Send out a communication so parents know what to expect and what to do on delivery day. You want them to be well informed about your delivery plan, so include details like what day and time pick up is, where they’ll need to go to pick up orders, and how they’ll need to address any missing or damaged items. And, if you’re selling frozen items, remind sellers and their parents to have an appropriate storage option ready or to be prepared to deliver to customers quickly. Effective communication helps to limit the number of unclaimed boxes on delivery day which will make your life much easier.
3. Decide on your storage options
Plan ahead and have temporary storage space available for those students or parents who are unable to pick up their order on delivery day. You will have different storage requirements depending on what kind of fundraiser you run. Frozen foods will require freezer space, non-frozen foods will require temperature-controlled storage, and gift items or discount cards require minimal storage where temperature is not an issue.
4. Get support from volunteers
Don’t think you have to handle everything by yourself. Sorting and distributing boxes are big jobs, especially for large orders. Recruit reliable volunteers to help you on delivery day as soon as you possibly can. The sooner you have people in place and informed about your delivery plan, the smoother delivery day will be. Volunteers can help you organize order forms, prepare tables, and distribute orders. The more people you have helping you, the easier delivery day will be.
Delivery day is a critical part of the fundraising process, and its success can help ensure the success of your overall fundraiser. Just remember, no matter how much you plan, mistakes can happen. The best thing you can do is adjust your delivery plan accordingly and rely on the help of your fundraising partner. Hopefully, these tips will help ensure your next fundraising delivery day runs smoothly.
