What experience do you have with fundraising?
In education, budgets may be tight and efficient fundraising will be necessary. Talk about a specific experience that displays your knowledge and skills. Tell the interviewer about your success in fundraising. Share how many people attended and how much money you raised. Specific numbers will speak volumes.
Research the school and its current fundraising efforts. Based on what you know about their fundraising and financials, present something cutting edge and creative that they may not have considered or aren't investing as much energy into. Events, new athletic programs, social media, and broadcast marketing are all compelling examples.
"Last year, our athletic department sold raffle tickets for a trip donated by a local travel agency. We raised 55,000, which went directly to our team's new uniforms and travel expenses."
"This year, we are putting together a gala to raise money for our girl's soccer team. There will be a silent auction with items donated by local businesses and a local band playing. We did a similar event last year, and the event was packed."
"In my previous role, I was the fundraising lead for all athletic programs. Each year, we needed to raise an additional 50,000 to support our hiring of coaches and equipment purchases. I implemented small-scale fundraising efforts like a local donation drive and led large-scale efforts such as the annual auction. We met our goal, but it was a team effort, and I had some of the best volunteers you could ask for."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Our youth soccer club is a non-profit, so we survive through fundraising efforts. We have coordinated different sales, hosted large-scale events to sponsor the funding for our scholarship as well. As a class advisor, we have also sold items like discount cards, subs, pretzels, etc. So I have extensive experience with utilizing fundraising.
Rachelle's Feedback
This experience sounds good! Do you have an idea of how much money you have helped raise to date? That may be an interesting number to include.
Anonymous Answer
Some with the AAU club I presided over - car washes, lottery ticket sales, sub sales, etc.
Chad's Feedback
Great! It sounds like you have leadership experience organizing various fundraising events as the president of the AAU club. I recommend including the amount of money raised through one of the fundraisers, in particular, to provide the interviewer with an idea of the scope of the event. If possible, suggest a creative idea you have for the school to consider as a way to raise money, to further demonstrate your fundraising knowledge and skills.
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