How to Build Your All-Star Fundraising Team
for the Fall
Putting together a dream team of helpers (from volunteers to full-time staff) not only helps with divvying up the duties—it’s also a great way to put the unique skills and ideas of your team and community to work!
Post Date: Jun 7 2021
It’s officially summertime and we’re all thinking about fresh air, sunshine, picnics, vacation plans and...autumn?
Believe it or not, now is a great time to start planning for your fall fundraising campaign with Terri Lynn premium nuts, snacks and treats. By giving yourself these summer months to organize your team and gather resources, you’ll be prepared to make this fall your biggest and best fundraising season of the year.
At Terri Lynn, we’re here to help with proven communication tips to share with your all-star fundraising team. Whether your plans require a small handful of volunteers or a larger-scale operation with committee members and chairs, there are a number essential roles you’ll want to fill to help your event run smoothly and successfully.
A note about event planning during the COVID-19 pandemic…
While none of us can fortune-tell what group gatherings might look like in the months ahead, there’s still plenty of strategizing that can be done in the early planning stages of your fundraiser. Duties like marketing, accounting and outreach are all critical, regardless of whether your event will be held virtually or in-person.
As you go through the following roles, you will want to divide the duties of your team into two columns—one for a virtual event (that can be hosted on your Terri Lynn Webstore), and one for a traditional face-to-face fundraiser.
Key Roles for Your Fundraising Team
If you’re a seasoned organizer, you know how much hard work and effort a successful fundraiser requires. From volunteer coordinating to venue set up, your behind-the-scenes efforts are truly what can set the stage for a successful fundraiser that reaches your goal.
Putting together a dream team of helpers (from volunteers to full-time staff) not only helps with divvying up the duties - it’s also a great way to put the unique skills and ideas of your team and community to work!
The Team Lead
This might be you...the organizer, the manager, the overseer. The lead’s job is to coordinate the entire team and is responsible for achieving the fundraising goal. The Lead always keeps this big-picture in mind, and is the fundraisers biggest cheerleader.
Duties include:
- Setting the financial goal for the fundraiser
- Communicating the organization’s mission and vision with the team
- Building the rest of the fundraising team and assigning key responsibilities
- Lending support to committee chairs
- Following up after the event with thank yous and recaps
Operations
This person takes the reins of your fundraiser’s logistics. Supervising the nitty-gritty details, their role is to coordinate the what, where and how of your fundraiser.
Duties include:
- Venue organizing and setup (if applicable)
- Coordinating streaming or video technology (for a virtual fundraising event)
- Vendor coordinating (with Terri Lynn, for example)
- Collecting and distributing selling materials to the members in your organization selling products to raise money before an event (check out our Order Taking fundraising program here)
- Ordering your inventory of Terri Lynn products for products sold at an event (check out our Quick Start fundraising program here)
Marketing
When it comes to getting the word out to your audience, your marketing leader should know where to find the materials to help promote your fundraiser. This person will determine the best methods for creating buzz around your event (both online and offline), and execute a plan for amplifying your organization’s voice.
Duties include:
- Utilizing our Terri Lynn Promotions Kit with ready-made graphics, brochures and online banners
- Posting announcements to Facebook and Instagram
- Sharing the link to your Webstore via email
- Sending mailers and distributing printed materials
Finance
A healthy budget is key to any fundraiser’s success. This team member is responsible for tracking expenses and income, paying invoices, and submitting accounting-related paperwork where needed.
Duties include:
- Itemizing receipts
- Paying vendors
- Tracking sponsorships
- Referencing Terri Lynn’s Sales Tax & Order Guide for information on how to order and how to submit the necessary forms to obtain tax-exempt status on your order
Volunteer Coordinator
It’s helpful to have one go-to source of information and guidance for all your volunteers. This coordinator should have a basic understanding of each volunteer’s duties and timeframes, and be able to answer frequently asked questions.
Duties include:
- Recruiting event volunteers, including past volunteers and supporters
- Assigning roles and duties
- Coordinating with committee chairs regarding specific needs
Outreach
If your event can benefit from press coverage or local partnerships, an outreach coordinator can help your community to rally around your cause. This person may be responsible for developing press releases, creating presentations, reaching out to news organizations, and developing relationships within your community.
Duties include:
- Communicating with media
- Maintaining and developing community partnerships
- Coordinating and distributing marketing materials, like your fundraiser’s Terri Lynn mailers and fliers.
Where and How to Find Your Fall Fundraising Team
Vacation plans, reunions, family hosting and camps can sling your fundraising community in all directions during the summertime. By reaching out early, you’ll give your ideal volunteers plenty of time to marinate over their future fundraising roles, and communicate when it’s convenient for them.
When making your list of all-star team members, think about people who are invested in your organization’s outcomes. These can include past volunteers, past supporters, people who have benefited from your cause, or volunteers from other related community organizations. If your event is virtual, you can also reach out to non-local supporters, to pitch in from afar.
Don’t be afraid to ask for references from those close to your organization—they already know about your good work, and are poised to make informed recommendations for great-fit team members.
Plus, we’re making team meetings easier for you!
Terri Lynn offers your organization a free, private 60 minute video conference, so you can securely catch up and plan. Here’s how it works:
- There are no accounts to set up
- We provide an email invitation
- We offer a dial in option too (no computer needed)
- All you need to do is schedule a date and time that is convenient for your group
You can use 45 minutes of the time to discuss your fundraising revenue goals, scheduling, sale start/end dates, staffing/volunteers, donors, logistics, fundraising product selections, or anything else your committee needs to talk about. And we spend the last 15 minutes showing you how to reach your goals with our free Terri Lynn Fundraising programs.
What If It’s Just Me?
Not every fundraiser will fill each role with individual volunteers. In your case, you might be the Lead, Operator, Marketer and Volunteer Coordinator all in one! When your responsibilities span the gamut of fundraising duties, it’s important to reach out for help.
At Terri Lynn, we’ve been helping all different sizes of organizations reach their fundraising goals for decades with our premium products, robust set of tools and a dedicated team of Fundraising Experts ready to support you at every turn. We’re here to help you succeed, no matter how big or small. When you’re ready to get organized for fall, here are some of our resources for piecing together your fundraising plans throughout the summer:
Going solo and virtual? These additional resources from our Terri Lynn team are made just for you:
- Fundraiser Dashboard How-To Guide
- Online Fundraising with a Terri Lynn Webstore [Video]
- How To Use Our Order Taking Program to Raise Funds Using Email [Blog Post]
Find Fall Fundraiser Success With Terri Lynn
While taking time to relax is important this summer, we also want to help you plan for a relaxing autumn, too. Don’t let the rush of back-to-school, holidays and harvest activities swamp you in the fall—instead, you can start planning now to meet your timelines and goals with the help of your fundraising dream team.
And we’re here to be a part of your lineup, too! Reach out anytime to schedule a free fundraising consultation with one of our dedicated Fundraising Experts, and we’ll help ensure your fall fundraiser is equipped for success with Terri Lynn.