Evaluate Spring, Look to Fall
As you wrap up your Spring season, it is important to take a few minutes to reflect and evaluate your business. Ask yourself these questions as you go through this exercise:
What 5 things were great about this Spring season?
What 5 things could be improved as it relates to my Spring season?
Have I made a list of current Spring re-signs for Spring 2025?
Have I transferred some Spring ‘24 prospects over to Fall ‘24 prospects?
Are there any ideas or thoughts I need to share with the company as it relates to my business?
Here are some thoughts as it relates to the process when you EVALUATE your recent season of fundraising, what to do, what not to do, and how to expand on those good positive results.
Engage with your customers.
Value their input and feedback.
Assess their needs and see how you can assist with a fundraiser.
Lead the way with product suggestions, type of sale, and fundraising expertise.
Use tools and systems that SaveAround has put in place for the ICs.
Affirm and Appreciate the efforts of your customer - this should be enjoyable!
Track sales, be involved, motivate, and assist during the process. Be present!
Establish yourself as their “go to” person when it comes to fundraising.
Remember that this is YOUR business and you control a lot of what is successful and what is not. You are in the relationship business and these customers are the first source of referrals, building your business, and growing your footprint in the area or the school district. If you take some time to think about what programs ran well - why did they? What were the contributing factors to the success? Figure out those answers and then try to replicate that sale. Do the same for the unsuccessful sales. Remember you don’t have a crystal ball to figure out who will do exceedingly well and who will flounder, but there are some signals and things to look for in the beginning that might give you some clues to help head off any issues early on.
National Food Days
May 13 – Apple Pie Day
May 15 – Chocolate Chip Day
May 16 – Pickle Day
Group Relations Guidance
The Importance of an END DATE for Group Sales
Setting an end date is important in a traditional fundraiser to keep the group focused, to help make sure unsold books are returned, and to help customers understand when they will receive their books. If you have questions about end dates please contact the Group Relations Team: grouprelations@savearound.com
Weekly Tip
Summer Contact Information
Hopefully you have made contact with your customers and re-signs are rolling in for Fall 2024. One helpful tip is to be sure you have personal email and cell phone contact information for ALL of your customers. Those things certainly came in handy during the pandemic, and in some cases the teachers and coaches may not have access to their school email accounts during the summer. Sometimes just a quick text during the summer can be helpful in paving the way for a meeting early in the school year to get the ball rolling for Fall season sales.
**PLEASE REMEMBER** Group Relations does not know to close out an account until you email grouprelations@savearound.com. Failure to alert Group Relations about the completed closeout form will delay processing your commission. Send an email to Group Relations to let them know that your group is closing out so that they can be on the lookout for any returned books and/or final payment. Both items (books + payment) are required to close out any account.
Mother's Day Fun Facts
- Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.
- 152 million cards are sent for Mother’s Day - Hallmark says it is the 3rd largest card sending holiday annually.
- Social activist Julia Ward Howe brought the idea of Mother’s Day after the Civil War. The current version was introduced by Anna Jarvis in the early 1900s.
- Popular items for Mother’s Day include cards, gifts, and flowers. Other ideas might be breakfast in bed or an at-home spa treatment. The National Retail Federation states that $27 billion is spent on Mother’s Day Gifts.
- In church attendance, Mother’s Day ranks 3rd behind Easter and Christmas.
- Greeks and Romans celebrated honoring the Goddess Cybele - celebrating great Mother Earth and the Goddess of Fertility along with Rhea - Mother of the Gods.
- There are approximately 85 million moms in the United States.
- Mother’s Day is the most popular day for phone calls.
- 24% of Mom’s are raising their children alone without a spouse or partner.
- President Woodrow Wilson signed the first Mother’s Day proclamation as a holiday that offered a chance to publicly express our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.
