Fundraising Photography: Big Profits and Great Fun
About Fundraising Photography
From glamour shots to antique photos, companies that specialize in fundraising photography today offer it all. Packages exist for family portraits, children’s hand-colored black and white photographs, and more; actual packages vary by the company you decide to work with.
Once you decide on what company to work with, the process is simple: reserve a photographer, publicize the event, and collect certificates. Most of the fundraising companies and/or photographers handle everything else.
Everyone loves to have a great photograph taken of them, and by offering a unique event that lets people have specialty shots photographed, you lock in to a fundraising effort that really works. Most people are happy to give help to local organizations in the first place, but when they get something tangible, a product that they can proudly show off, their incentive to help goes up tremendously.
So, fundraising photography comes down to the idea that your organization is hooking up the community with a great, fun service. In return for that service, you meet (and sometimes exceed) your fundraising goals. It’s a win-win situation, no?
Profit Potential of Fundraising Photography
Seriously, the profit potential on fundraising photography is through the roof. The actual amounts that you can earn varies by the company you work with, and often further varies depending on which packages you choose to promote. One company, handsfundraising.com, offers a children’s antique photo package with bonuses on certificates sold of up to $4,000. Since when did you make that much at a bake sale?
When you’re shopping for the right business to work with, make sure that you read the fine print on each of the packages offered. Some companies will require that you sell a certain number of extra photo packages in order to receive any bonuses, while others will give bonuses on every singe extra photo package sold. It makes a big difference.
Also, most companies will offer a breakdown of possible earnings. Look for the details on these projections – how much is the “mark-up” they are projecting with? If the mark-up is more than $10-15, you’re going to have a hard time selling tickets at a price that will make the effort worth your time.
Look for a toll-free number or email address to request information from. Ask the operator specific questions about what the average profit made by organizations is. Also ask how much mark-up they recommend, and what the total cost of a typical photography package under that mark-up would be. A general rule to keep in mind is this:
Take a good look at the photograph packages offered. Would you pay the price they are recommending for this package?
The more unique the photograph package, such as hand-colored black and white photos or glamour shots, the more you can count on people being willing to pay. However, if you wouldn’t dream of paying the price asked, how can you think someone else will want to?
After fully researching the profit potential, mark-up, and typical costs, print out a couple of the sample photos from the business’s website and show a few family members and friends. Ask them if they think the cost is reasonable, and what their own recommendations on pricing would be.
Choosing the Right Fundraising Photography Business
There are several companies specializing in fundraising photography. Before making any firm decisions about which business to work with, answer the following questions by visiting the business’s website and/or calling their toll-free phone number:
1. Do they have a toll-free number? If not, how can you guarantee you will be able to contact someone if there is a problem?
2. How long have they been in business? As in most business, the longer a photography company has been established, the more comfortable you can be that they have satisfied customers. On that note, make sure and ask if they have references that you can read comments from or contact.
3. What packages do they offer? Keep in mind the rule of specialty: the more unique the photography package, the better the fundraising profit potential.
4. How long is turn-around time? You should find the answer to this question on two points: how long in advance should you reserve a photographer, and how long will it take for customers to receive their purchased photography packages?
5. What kind of support is offered? Many of the better businesses offer fully printable information packets. These packets contain all the materials you need to make a successful sales presentation to potential customers. Beyond this important and time-saving material, you will want to find out what support is offered in the way of setting appointments, location needs, and dealing with both money and the final photograph package delivery.
Organizing Your Fundraiser
Your photography fundraiser will be much more fun if everything is planned well and organized ahead of time. Otherwise, the whole experience becomes chaotic and you miss out on a lot of things that could have contributed to your profits. In addition, it’ll be much harder to recruit volunteers for your next fundraiser if this one doesn’t go smoothly. So, in a nutshell, here are some quick fundraiser organizing tips:
Preparation – Make sure that every step of the fundraiser is assessed before you reserve your photographer. There is no substitute for preparation! Write everything down, and mark off each item as it is successfully completed.
Supervision – Every step on your list should be supervised by someone. Team leaders should be appointed to delegate responsibility for everything from publicity to sales to delivery. This maintains a clear vision of what needs to be done to accomplish your goals.
Time – Make a realistic estimate of how much time is required for each task, and plan accordingly. You’ll be lost without a well-thought-out timetable. Share this timetable with everyone involved in the fundraiser so that it’s easier to work from it.
Selling – Decide ahead of time what you think the best sales contact method is. Present that information in the handout materials you give to each team member for distribution throughout the volunteers. Have a sales script ready for your volunteers to use, and make sure that they rehearse the sales pitch several times.
Keep Copies – Be sure that every volunteer makes copies of the certificates they sale, whether you’re using an order sheet or tally list. If you do not have access to a copy machine, check with your local library; they will usually let you make copies at a very fair price. Keeping copies will simplify the delivery process, and provide verification in case any discrepancies arise.
