Keeping Fundraiser Records

Fundraisers have a proven capability to bring considerable external support to church projects.

My church does multiple fundraisers each year.

We have a large youth ministry and pastors who are also missionaries, so fundraisers are a must.

It takes a very special person or persons to be in charge of a fundraiser. They have to wear many hats and have the patience of a saint.

So my first suggestion is to get as many volunteers as possible involved with organizing fundraisers. Even if you are a small organization...try not to leave all the leadership, organizing, and hard work to just 1 or 2 volunteers.

So with that in mind, my second and most important suggestion is to keep accurate and organized fundraiser records. Keep them in binders (label records by year or type of fundraiser) so the next person can tell at a glance what worked well and what didn’t.

Basically every piece of information relating to the fundraiser should be kept, but the following are some of the most important:

• Record money spent for products purchases and supplies. Include the date, what was purchased, the amount, place of purchase or order, and how it was paid for, including check numbers. Also include the name of the person who handled the purchase so that future fundraisers can contact them with questions if needed.
• Record products that are distributed to fundraising volunteers and money collected and turned in. Record the name and contact information of the volunteer, how much and what type of product they took, and the date taken. Include a space to record when or if the product was returned, the amount of money outstanding for the product, and the amount of money returned in exchange for product; including payment information (check numbers, etc.).

Keep in mind when you are setting up your fundraiser records that they are being set up as reference to help future volunteers build successful fundraising campaigns. Be sure to include as much useful information as possible:

• Lists of all of the people and organization who have donated to your fundraiser in the past, if possible with the amounts of the donation and contact information.
• Keep record of volunteer positions, time requirements, request letters, and product and service suppliers. Maintaining these types of fundraising records will help future campaign organizers to plan realistically and cuts down the amount of repetitive leg-work from year to year.

Inadequate planning is one of the most common reasons that fundraising campaigns fail. However, with accurate fundraising records to look back on, new organizers can study what types and methods of fundraising worked well for an area or organization.

Accurate fundraising records are also a must to handle disputes over finances and products.. In conclusion, well organized, accurate fundraising records are an absolute necessity for successful fundraising campaigns.