Frequently Asked Questions
GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING
YOUR BENEFIT
Sell products that you are excited about & customer’s are excited to purchase & help your cause.
BUSINESSES BENEFIT
We feature products from our small business partners, & grow support outside of our fundraising efforts.
Sunflower Fundraising works because we care about our community & economy. We work with you to help reach your financial goal, meanwhile keeping your dollars in our local economy.
Getting Started
How Do I Get Started?
1. View products here.
2. Decide what you want to sell.
3. Fill out this Getting Started form.
We will contact you to go over any questions you may have & set up a timeline for your fundraiser.
Timeline tips: Start your fundraiser timeline backwards!
This is our recommended timeline that works well overall. You are able to adjust the timeline according to your schedule.
1. Choose a day you want customers to have their product in hand.
2. Count backwards 2 1/2 weeks, that gives us a two week turnaround time to get the product ready and time for you to get the product organized with your sellers, so they can get it to the customer on the chosen date. This is the date you need to turn in total numbers for your fundraiser to Sunflower Fundraising via email.
(Tip: an average fundraiser should last about two weeks. That gives sellers enough time to contact their family, friends and neighbors to sell to. We don’t recommend a fundraiser lasting too long otherwise sellers typically put it off & lose excitement.)
3. Count backwards two more weeks for the time your fundraiser will run, and that would be your start date!
4. Product selection should be made a minimum of 1 week prior to the start date giving us adequate time to create your custom flyer & social media images.
If you are needing a quicker fundraiser please contact us and we will let you know options available at that time!
Other Frequently Asked Questions
The only time you would need volunteers, is to help with product distribution to your sellers. The number of volunteers would be based on the number of sellers participating.
What form of payment is accepted?
Check is the preferred method. Cash, Check & Major credit cards including: Visa, Mastercard, Discover & American Express. A 3% processing fee is applied to credit card payments.
Are there any fees to host a fundraiser through Sunflower Fundraising?
Tax & delivery fee may apply. A minimum delivery fee of $25 covers any location within a 20-mile radius from Downtown Olathe, KS. To avoid paying delivery you can pick your product up from our warehouse location in Edgerton KS right off I-35. If you are Tax Exempt, you must email a copy of your tax exemption form prior to delivery.
How many products should we sell?
Customer’s like options, so we recommend offering 3-4 products (or boxes) with a few price variations so hopefully anyone can purchase something that wants to contribute. Think of your target customers & what they would want (ex: kids, sports fan or dog lover) & go from there.
Who should we sell to?
We hope you have fun selling our products to those you already know or have a close connection to (e.g. friends, family, neighbors, church members, private online social media). We do not recommend selling door to door.
How can I incentivize my sellers?
Seller Incentives – get your sellers excited to help your organization reach your goal by giving an incentive.
• Ask each of them to sell five items to earn a donut or popsicle party.
• Offer the top two sellers a gift card.
• The top two sellers could get the prize of putting a whip cream pie in one of the leader’s faces.
• Reach the preset goal to earn extra free time.
Let the sellers know what you’re raising money for, with a clear goal & how each of them can help the organization reach the goal together!
When should we plan our fundraiser?
Planning a fundraiser connected to a purpose for customers to shop is always a good idea! For example, plan your timeline around a holiday when people are looking for gift ideas.
How does payment work?
Payment is due to Sunflower Fundraising from your organization at the time of delivery/Pick Up or before. You/Sellers collect all payment from customers & only pay SFC the cost of the product, while keeping your profit! We recommend that you do so when an order is placed. This makes product distribution to customers easier, as you only have to drop off products & not have to worry about collecting payment.
If a customer is writing a check they are to make it out to the seller or your organization! Individual payments from customers to SFC will not be accepted.
How much profit can I expect to make?
Depending on the products that you choose for your fundraiser, you can expect to receive 25-50% profit of each item sold.
Chris Cakes Pancake Mix Fundraiser Tips
Boost Sales Offer 2 bag designs to boost sales; 1 affiliated with your group & 1 not affiliated with your group. Customers are more likely to purchase 2 bags, 1 for themself & 1 as a gift (not affiliated with your group). We have predesigned bag options for you with the Chris Cakes logo, KC theme & multiple holiday & Christmas designs.
We highly recommend offering the KC Breakfast Box with your Chris Cakes pancake mix fundraiser. This option counts toward your 40-bag minimum & customers like having options.
What is the minimum? If you are wanting a custom bag designed with your logo, a 40 bag minimum is required. This can be a TOTAL combination of pancake mix bags including: your logo, your 2nd bag design logo & pancake mix included in the breakfast box.
Breakfast Box
We always recommend offering the breakfast box as a fundraiser option & with the standard Chris Cakes logo. Customer’s like to purchase these as a gift & typically prefer it not having an organization logo when doing so.