Virtual fundraising has become popular with teachers, school districts, PTAs/PTOs, and a variety of teams and booster clubs. The online fundraising store is the key piece to many a fundraising program success story.

An online store expands your reach beyond the pop-up shop for supporters at football games and allows a donor to support your fundraising campaign anytime and anywhere.

An online fundraising store can become your one-stop-shop for school spirit merchandise like hoodies and other apparel items. It can be where to find specific products like this year’s Homecoming shirt. School districts that have moved to online ticketing can use their online store to sell tickets for any upcoming event like sports games or fine arts performances. The sites can also be used to collect class fees, field trip money, and classroom donations.

Once your fundraising team has added an online store to your fundraising strategy, follow five these steps to build your successful online fundraising store. We suggest you discuss these aspects of your online fundraising store at your next committee meeting.

Five Questions to Ask Before Building Your Online Store

Who is the store fundraising for? A single classroom vs. all the teams and booster clubs in your school district can both use the same online store—know who will want to have items posted in your store.

What is your virtual store being used for? Collecting field trip money or collecting donations for an annual fund each have different needs. Think of what you plan your store to be used for, and then think about what else it could be used for in the future. Plan for now and also set a solid foundation for your future.

Where will you host your online fundraising store? Selecting a fundraising platform is an important step. Check out our recent posts about fees and payment solutions to help you decide on the platform fight is right for your fundraising efforts.

When will your store be accessible? Decide your timeframe—is this store open continuously or does it need to open and close quickly? Think of who will monitor the store if it’s an ongoing campaign.

Why is this store good for your fundraising efforts and why do you think it will be a good fit for your school community?   

Key Take-Aways

An online fundraising store can be a high-impact way to drive donations and fund your organization. We recommend making sure you have a clear and documented strategy before you launch, which will ensure you’re getting the most out of your efforts.