FundrazorNET
Cookie Dough Fundraiser Instructions
Everything you need to run a smooth, successful fundraiser from start to finish.
Thank you for choosing Fundrazor! By opting for our fundraiser, we know you’re invested in creating the best playing environment possible for the youth in your community.
It’s a privilege to partner with you in this endeavor, and it will be our only priority to see you succeed. We’ve compiled these instructions to help make your fundraiser as smooth as possible.
Before you start handing out brochures, here are the key items we recommend for success:
- Create a fundraising goal
- Communicate expectations for each player
- Create incentives (our favorite is the first one in Section 4)
- Instruct parents to post on social media (Section 6, Step 5)
- Save money by planning next year’s fundraiser
Cheat Sheet - Quick and Easy
Don’t want to read this whole dang page? Then don’t. Save or print this PDF — it’s your fundraiser in a nutshell. Anything it doesn’t answer, you can simply text or call us anytime.
Page Contents
1. Create a Goal
How much money does your league need or want to raise?
Start by identifying the top three things your league really needs. Add up the costs of these items to create your fundraising goal, then boost that number by 20%. For example, if your total comes to $10,000, add 20% and your goal becomes $12,000.
If you’re unsure about setting a goal, don’t worry, we can help you determine a suitable amount based on your enrollment. Just reach out and ask!
Here’s some historical data to guide you: on average, each seller moves about 10 items, and around 45% of your league’s players or parents typically participate.
For instance, if you have 200 players, you can assume roughly 50% (100 people) will take part, each selling around 10 items, or about 1,000 items total. At an average profit of about $10 per item, that could mean raising roughly $10,000 in profit, so your goal might be set at $10,000. Keep in mind this estimate is based on straightforward calculations and may not be precise, but it gives you a solid ballpark. (If your per-item profit is different, just recalculate using your own figure.)
2. Estimated timeline for your fundraiser
From start to finish, your fundraiser will take about 6 weeks. The most important part is selling and collecting orders. After that, you can focus on playing ball until the orders arrive.
Here’s a recommended timeline:
- Selling campaign: parents/players take orders for 10–14 days.
- Money and orders collected from parents/players: 1 week.
- Mailing order forms to supplier: 1 week.
- Shipment of your league order: 3 weeks from the time order forms are received.
Tip: We often recommend starting your fundraiser right after registrations are complete, and aiming to finish the selling period before opening day if possible.
Selling campaign
Keep the selling period short and sweet. 10–14 days is ideal. There’s a common belief that longer selling periods (30 days or more) lead to more sales, but the opposite tends to happen. Here’s why:
- Parents lose excitement the closer it gets to game day.
- Parents wait until the last minute.
Tip: Keeping your selling period brief is key to maximizing excitement and participation. Start and end your campaign on payday periods such as the 1st, 15th, or 30th.
Collecting money and orders
Once the brochures and order takers are distributed, announce the dates for all money and orders to be turned in, and to whom. The best method: have coaches collect first, then deliver to you by a set date. It’s very beneficial to post reminders on social media and send email or text blasts.
Once orders and money are collected, give yourself about a week to gather everything from parents. After that, do not accept orders, as it creates more work for everyone and can cause delays.
Shipment of orders
Orders arrive 3–4 weeks after the order is processed and payment is received. Please allow a week for your order forms to be processed if you’re mailing them to our supplier.
3. Set expectations for your fundraiser
Leagues that excel at fundraising clearly communicate their expectations to parents and players from the start. It’s just as effective to set expectations at the team or grade level, not just league-wide.
This conversation should begin during signups and definitely happen before the fundraiser kicks off. For example: “Our goal is to raise $20,000 with 400 baseball players. That’s just 5 boxes per player.”
Being transparent about goals helps everyone understand what’s expected and why it matters. In fact, leagues that establish clear expectations during signups often triple their fundraising profits compared to those that don’t.
Consider adding a statement like this to your signup form (paper or online):
“By signing your child up to play baseball, you agree to support our league’s fundraiser by selling the required amount set by the league. We truly appreciate your cooperation and support!”
Finally, break down the overall goal into team-level targets so each group knows exactly what they’re working toward.
4. Create incentives for your fundraiser
Bring the heat by adding prizes or incentives to the free ones we offer. It’s not mandatory, but highly encouraged. Not sure if an idea will fly? Text or call us for free input. Here are some ideas our customers use:
Free incentive suggestions
- Homecoming contest: top-selling football player becomes homecoming “king.” (our personal favorite)
- Top-selling parent/family gets a free night of babysitting for 3–4 hours.
- Top-selling team’s coach gets to put a pie in the lowest-performing coach’s face.
- League president shaves his head on opening day when the league reaches its goal.
- Losing coach has to wear a costume while coaching a game.
- Top-selling team gets their pick of fields to practice or play.
- Top seller throws the first pitch on opening day.
- Top-selling team or family is excused from concession-stand duty or field cleanup.
Minimal cost incentive suggestions
- Free registration for next season for the top seller.
- Gift voucher for the concession stand for the top seller.
- Top-selling team gets a free session at the batting cages.
- Top-selling family gets a parking space closest to the entrance with their name on it.
- Top-selling team mom gets a “spa day.”
Bigger-Ticket Incentive Suggestions
- Tickets to a pro sports team game.
- Free helmet for the top seller (football).
- Game truck when the league reaches its goal.
- 2-night condo stay.
- Limo rides and a pizza party for each seller with 25 items sold.
Contests
- Top-selling team contest.
- Who can sell the most in 24 hours.
- Who can sell the most Snickerdoodle (or any flavor).
- Who can post the most on social media with a special hashtag.
- Which board member can sell the most.
5. How to Hand out Brochures
We strongly recommend a distribution method where everyone is present to receive theirs, so no one misses out on helping the league. When sharing brochures, clearly communicate the deadline for submitting orders and payments, and let everyone know who to hand them to and where to go. This is also a great opportunity to highlight the incentives, since emphasizing these can really boost participation.
Mandatory parent and player meeting (best option)
The ideal moment to hand out brochures is during a mandatory meeting where everyone (players, parents, coaches, and board members) is gathered. This is a fantastic chance to discuss your fundraising goals and explain how the profits benefit the league.
Let’s face it: many parents don’t realize how much it truly costs to run a season. They often think registration fees cover everything, but that’s not the case. Sharing your goals and expectations here fosters a sense of ownership and involvement in the upcoming season.
Coaches meeting
Hand out brochures to everyone, ideally at the end of the meeting, so it’s fresh in their minds when they leave. Be clear about the goals and expectations for all players and teams. Keep in mind that if a coach forgets to distribute brochures or decides not to participate, that could mean missing out on about 20 players, so reminders to coaches matter just as much as reminders to parents.
Team mom meeting
If you have team moms, use this opportunity to distribute brochures. The concept is simple: team moms get things done! Having a team mom reduces the burden on coaches, allowing them to focus on coaching. If your league doesn’t have team moms in place, it’s worth considering, since many of our most successful customers use the idea.
At practices
Feel free to hand out brochures during practice. Make sure each team understands how important the fundraiser is and what’s expected of the players and the team overall.
6. Tips for Your selling campaign
Step 1
Have parents enter their child’s name on the order form as soon as it’s in their hands. If your league wants orders sorted by team or coach, this information is necessary too.
Step 2
Instruct parents/players on the date and time to turn in money and orders, and to whom and where. If orders go to the coach first, set a date and time for coaches to turn in as well.
Step 3
Parents and players will pre-collect payment for each order. Because they’re responsible for delivering the items sold, it’s important to jot down the buyer’s name and phone number using the order-taker portion of the brochure.
Step 4
If someone pays by check, ensure it’s made payable to the organization.
Tip: Write the child’s name in the memo section of the check. This helps in case of returned checks.
Step 5
Share, Post, Repeat: Social media is the best sales tool, hands down, plus it’s free. Leagues that succeed with our fundraiser almost always have a majority of parents posting on social media. This is an excellent opportunity for a social media contest.
Step 6
When collecting orders, only accept order forms that are easy to read. If there are more than three or four mistakes, kindly ask the parent to redo the order. This avoids mix-ups during data entry. Instruct coaches on this too if they’re collecting. And if a top seller fills up their order taker, make sure they continue on a fresh one. Please note: we are not responsible for data-entry mistakes caused by incorrect input on the order taker.
Step 7
Confirm the amount of money submitted matches the number of items sold. If orders go to the coach first, it’s helpful for them to double-check totals and amounts collected before submitting to a board member.
Step 8
Once all orders and money are gathered, total everything up and deposit it into the league account promptly. It goes without saying you don’t want that kind of money sitting around.
Step 9
After counting orders and totaling money, make copies of the order-taker side. Then contact Fundrazor for instructions on mailing your orders to our supplier, who handles the data entry in preparation for pre-sorting, labeling, and prepackaging each seller’s order.
7. Supercharge your fundraiser
Want to make sure your fundraiser reaches its full potential? There’s one simple play that reliably increases participation, and it takes 10 minutes or less at a meeting you already have scheduled. You have nothing to lose, and you’re already committed to the fundraiser.
Maximize Profits by Doubling Participation
Give us a quick call and we’ll walk you through the exact 10-minute play our top leagues use to double parent participation. It’s free, and it’s the single highest-impact thing you can do.
8. Paying for your cookie dough
Your order won’t be released for processing until we notify the warehouse that payment has been received. We can make exceptions and process your order early, but payment must be received no later than 5 business days before the ship date.
ACH (Free + Easy)
Use your organization’s checking account to pay your invoice. Payments take about 5 days to clear, then we process your order. This method saves time for volunteers: no checks to write and no trips to the mailbox.
Card payments
As a last resort, we accept mail-in payments by cashier’s check or money order only. We can’t release your order for processing until payment arrives. We recommend sending via UPS, FedEx, or USPS Priority Mail so it’s trackable. We don’t recommend regular USPS mail.
Mail in payments
As a last resort, we do accept mail-in payments. In this case, we only accept a cashier’s check or money order. Be advised that we can not release your order for processing order until payment arrives.
We recommend sending your payment via UPS, FedEx, or USPS Priority Mail as they provide trackable information. We do not recommend ever using snail mail or the regular USPS mailing service.
9. Shipping Policies and Potential Fees
Your cookie dough order is heavy, anywhere from several hundred to several thousand pounds, so we arrange delivery by semi-truck. We’ll need to make sure there’s enough space for it to maneuver and park.
To keep our end of the free-shipping offer, we ask that you use a commercial delivery address, preferably with a trailer-height loading dock (48–52 inches high). If that’s not an option, a school gym, school cafeteria, or church fellowship hall works well, as long as there’s a roof and protection from the elements.
As a last resort you may use a residential address, but we advise against shipping to your home, especially for orders over 500 items. Pallets of cookie dough take up more room than you’d expect, and a residential address adds a convenience fee. Remember, we’re always here to help, and there’s not a situation we can’t handle together.
Additional shipping fees (if applicable)
| $75 liftgate fee | Applied when delivering to an address without a trailer-height dock. |
|---|---|
| $175 residential delivery fee | Applies to residential addresses. This total already includes the liftgate service ($100 delivery + $75 liftgate), so you won’t be charged the liftgate fee twice. Addresses are deemed residential by Google Maps. |
| $100 redelivery fee | For changes to the delivery date or address after the order has shipped. |
| $25 per pallet fee | If the driver uses a pallet jack to move pallets from the trailer or dock into your facility. |
Deliveries to outdoor facilities can run into trouble during bad weather, so an enclosed facility is recommended to avoid redelivery fees.
Shipping Dates Exceptions
Please allow 1–2 extra weeks for delivery between November 15th and December 30th. We also discourage shipping during a week when a holiday falls on a Monday, since the shortened week gives shippers fewer days to work with and can lead to mistakes.
10. Delivery of cookie dough order
Your order ships through a third-party carrier, so we don’t use our own trucks or have full control over the schedule, but we can give you an estimated delivery date. Keep in mind it may change if shipping volumes suddenly spike. The shipper ultimately determines the schedule based on their routing and capacity.
Deliveries are typically Monday–Friday depending on distance, with a preference for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Fridays are discouraged in case of delays that could leave your order sitting on a dock all weekend.
Communicating with shipper
When your order ships, we’ll send you tracking information. Tracking may not appear “live” until the order is picked up or logged into the system (often at midnight).
Tip: If you wait for the shipper to call and arrange a delivery appointment, that can delay your delivery by a day or so. By calling them first, as soon as possible, you can avoid that unnecessary delay.
Receiving of your order
On delivery day, it is imperative that you or someone be accessible for the delivery of your order. Shippers will not simply drop and go, as a signature is required for delivery.
Upon arrival it is also important to have enough volunteers readily available especially for orders over 1000 items.
Inspect order - Required
When your order arrives, take pictures of each pallet as they come off the truck.
Upon unloading your order, it is imperative to promptly inspect all items for any potential damages that may have occurred during shipping.
This inspection must be completed before the driver departs. In the event of any signs of damage (e.g., tears, leaning pallets), it is advised to capture as many photos as possible and obtain acknowledgment of the issue from the delivery driver before endorsing the delivery receipt.
Any damages should be reported to Fundrazor within 48 hours to qualify for a 100% replacement.
11. Distributing cookie dough
Shipping Dates Exceptions
For a quick, hassle-free distribution, it’s best to have the coach or team mom pick up the entire team’s order. Having parents pick up individually can make the process take much longer, but this is totally up to you.
If the team mom or coach is picking up, have each parent check their order for accuracy before leaving with the team leader. If anything is damaged or missing, note it right away. And don’t forget to pass any leftover brochures and order takers to the team leader for the group.
Fulfillment
We scan each order for accuracy and keep documentation for every transaction during packaging. In our experience, most issues occur when:
- Sellers enter information on the brochure incorrectly.
- The wrong carton is handed to a parent.
- Someone picks up a carton that wasn’t theirs.
- A seller distributes the wrong product.
Missing Items: Brochure Used
If you believe a student-packed order is short or contains the wrong item, please provide:
- Seller’s name
- What item is missing or incorrect
- What items were received
- A clear image of the complete order taker in question
We’ll research where the error occurred (data entry, packing, etc.) and take corrective action. If the mistake was on our end, we’ll correct it and ship the replacement at no charge.
Missing Items: Online Sales
If any online orders are missing from a shipment, please provide the seller’s name, what item is missing or incorrect, and what items were received.
Submitting Replacement Orders
You have 14 days from the date the shipment is received to submit correction or replacement requests. Requests submitted after 14 days are not eligible to have product or shipping fees waived. Those orders are invoiced in full, including shipping, regardless of documentation provided.
A minimum shipping charge of $45 applies to replacement orders that aren’t the fault of Fundrazor or the fulfilling warehouse. Replacement orders are sent to one address only. If your documentation meets the criteria (error on our end, submitted within 14 days), applicable product and shipping fees will be waived.
12. Cookie Dough Temps and Storage
Our cookie dough stays safe when thawed for up to 2 weeks at temperatures of 72°F or below after you receive it. This feature takes a lot of stress off an already busy delivery day.
If a parent or team forgets to pick up their order, you can simply take it home and store it at room temperature until they collect it. It’s that easy.
13. Please tell us how we did
We truly value your feedback. It’s the key to improving our services and products. No need to hold back; we take everything in stride and want you to feel comfortable sharing your thoughts.
We also love hearing the positives! As a family-owned small business, your recommendations and reviews mean the world to us and play a crucial role in our growth. If you enjoyed our products and service, we’d love for you to share your experience.
If the hardest part of leaving a review or recommendation is finding the right words to say, then allow us to suggest some things that help.
Google
https://g.page/r/CRaAvuc6W4wHEAE/review
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FundrazorNet/reviews
At a Loss for Words? Use this:
“By signing your child up to play baseball, you agree to support our league’s fundraiser by selling the required amount set by the league. We truly appreciate your cooperation and support!”
