Here is what we have learned at Glowsticks LTD (www.glowsticksltd.com.au, www.glowsticksltd.co.nz), on how people are very successfully using our products to fundraise or just to earn some cash for that big holiday! If you follow these points and use some imagination yourself you will have no problem selling well. We often get orders in the thousands of dollars and the purchasers are making 5, 6, 7 times that by following these key hints.

CORE POINTS:

1. Most importantly, have fun!

2. Make sure the event has a dark setting or is at night.

3. Ensure you are well prepared to sell all of your product, and quickly.

4. Make sure people know about the event and the fact that glowsticks will be there.

5. At the event, get the word out immediately.

6. Order a sufficient quantity

7. Try and move around when you sell

8. Keep prices in whole dollars and offer bulk pricing – e.g. 1 for $1, 3 for $2.

9. Try some new products at the next event

10. Our most popular products for event sales are…

11. Pricing guide for your event (what you can expect to sell the products for successfully)

CORE POINTS IN DETAIL:

1.       Most importantly, have fun! Your attitude is the most important factor in selling glow products at any event. If you are enjoying the event, wearing/using the product yourself, and the rest of your team are equally ecstatic, it’s a lot more conducive to great sales! A happy smile, a friendly gesture, and the odd give-away goes a long way. If you need helpers, ask the most bubbly, energetic, fun-loving people you know to give you a hand – it’s all about attitude.

When a customer approaches your stall, hand them one of your products immediately so they can hold it, play with it, and feel that they want it.
Don’t ever ask a customer ‘Would you like to buy one?’, instead ask them ‘How many would you like?’ – little things like this can make a huge difference to your sales.

2.       Make sure the event has a dark setting or is at night – glowsticks only glow at night! Trying to sell Glow Sticks in the day time is pointless, people need to see what they do, how bright and impressive they are, and this can only be done at night, or in a dark room.

3.       Ensure you are well prepared to sell all of the product. Take time to do the math before the event.
Example:  Your selling alone, the average sale takes 20 seconds and you have a 2 hour window to sell the product. The maximum number of sales you can expect is 360.

Increase your sales by having people help you from multiple selling points. If your selling at a large event then ensure each stall has adequate stock so you’re not wasting time running backwards and forwards restocking when the customers start flocking in. To cut down on time for each sale make sure prices are in whole dollars and you have a lot of spare change for notes.

4.       If you are selling at a school disco or club event where it may not be common for glow sticks to be available, make sure people know that glow sticks will be there!

Advertise your prices in advance to let people know what money they need to bring. Especially if they’re kids and need it from their parents!

5.       At the event, get the word out as soon as it’s dark enough for the product to look impressive. Either have some of your team walk around with the product or try handing out a few free giveaways to people to spread the word. It helps if your team have a few of the different glowsticks on as well (ie: they are wearing them) – products such as the Super Thunder Stick are excellent at gathering an enormous amount of attention. As soon as people see the glowsticks they want to get some themselves and your sales will start from there. Make sure they know where your stand is if your team cannot do on-the-spot sales.

6.       Order a sufficient quantity – usually on average (per person), they will purchase at least 2 glowsticks/LED items. So; (people at event) x (2) = number of glowsticks or LED items you will need. You will be able to increase this by offering large savings on bulk purchases.

7.       Move around when you sell to increase the number of people exposed to glowsticks and the ability to purchase is increased markedly. Ideally, if you have enough helpers, have some roam with the product and sell it from a bucket or tray, and also have manned stalls which handle the bulk of purchases.

8.       Offer bulk pricing – e.g. 1 for $1, 3 for $2. It helps to get more sales of all the products you are selling, and can encourage higher spends per person. It also makes customers feel like they have walked away with a good deal and they’ll be more likely to spread the word.

9.       Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser, or it is your first time, try some new products at the next event. It’s a great way to keep the fundraising events fresh, and you’ll enjoy them so much yourself your enthusiasm will sell the product itself!

10.   Our most popular products are:

5mm Assorted Glow Bracelets
6″ Bulk Wrapped Glow Sticks
Assorted Finger Lights
Super Thunder Sticks

Try ranging all of these at your next event.

11.   Pricing guide for your event (what you can expect to sell the products for successfully), don’t be afraid to adjust these prices. They are indicative based on successful fundraising events, but certain events (such as concerts etc.) can demand successfully higher prices than these:

a.       5mm and 6mm glowstick bracelets usually go for approx $1 per glowstick, and then bulk pricing.

b.      40cm glowsticks usually go for $5 each and then bulk pricing.

c.       6” glowsticks usually go for $2-3 each and then bulk pricing.

d.      Fingerlights usually for $1 each, and try to sell them in packs of 4 which is what they come pre-packaged as. Again then apply bulk pricing.

e.      LED sticks go for between $4-6 dollars depending on the type and the event – try to purchase these in bulk from Glowsticks LTD as this will give you the most benefit.

f.        UV Body paint is best sold if volunteers set up a face/body painting stall and paint a picture on people for a price of $4-10 each, again sell the ultra-violet fingerlights separately.

g.       The fishing glowsticks can be used at fishing/ camping/ home events to sell as a fundraiser and usually go for $3-5 each. Again use the bulk pricing.

• Buy a black sweatshirt and sweatpants. You can choose another color, but black causes the glow sticks to stand out most prominently.
• Purchase several different packets of glow sticks. Our Glow Bracelets work the best because they are thin and long.
• Lay the sweatshirt and sweatpants on a table and place the glow sticks on the clothing in a pattern before you begin sewing them on. Try different patterns such as a skeleton with ribs on the sweatshirt or a zigzag stripe pattern. If you want to make it reusable try sewing on the connectors instead of the glow bracelets, just be sure to space them apart correctly. I once used Hot Glue to make a glow-man outfit for a party, it was reusable because I only glued on the connectors, so the glowbracelets could simply be swapped in/out.
• Sew the glow sticks on using black thread and a needle. You can sew them on with a few tight loops around either end or in the middle. Be sure to secure them tightly to the costume.
• Add a design to the back of the costume by repeating Steps 3 and 4.
• Accessorize the costume by adding a glow stick hat, bracelets, necklaces and finger lights.
• Break the glow sticks right before you get to the party so the glow will last as long as possible.

And, here is what you’ll get:

As a Dirt Bike Rider, I find the number of organised Trail Rides operated as school fundraisers to be staggering. Almost every weekend somewhere in New Zealand a rural or country school is planning to hold a trail ride to raise funds.

For those who don’t know much about dirt bikes, a trail ride is an event in which the organiser arranges a course (track), usually about 20-60km in length through private or state forest, or farmland, then they charge participants around $25-$40 for a day and they can go round and round the track as many times as they want. It is not a race as such, people just come to have fun riding their machines through unknown (or in some cases familiar) territory.

The schools running these events can literally bring in thousands of dollars. Events with 300 or so participants are common place, and at $25 per rider, that’s $7,500 coming in. Larger events can sometimes have around 600 or even 1000 riders. Of course there are some overheads, however if arrangements are made with the farmers or forest owners, these may be very little, or even in some cases free! In fact, the most expensive part of holding such an event may be hiring portable toilets, an ambulance and supplying the sausage sizzle.

So, how do people find out about it? In New Zealand, schools primarily list their events free on Silver-Bullet, a website which is free to use and enables anyone to list any motorcycle event. It is so popular it has literally become the only place that people look for events.

And in Australia? Well, when I first arrived in Australia, in February, I set about my search for a something similar. However, to my dismay nothing of this sort existed. So, i built it. Dirt Events is the website I created with the vision of creating a single website that would hopefully one day prove as popular as silver-bullet. Unfortunately, 7 months on the website has very little use.. however when time permits I scour forums and calendars for events to add. I am in no rush to see it blossom.

It just goes to show, there are all kinds of new and interesting ways to fund raise. If you have something interesting post a comment so it can be discussed!