Well… not tomorrow, but this summer folks who ordered bulbs and planted early will be glad they did!

Coming up with fundraisers that are different from every other groups’ is not an easy thing to do.  Why not consider selling plant bulbs—with a twist?  Selling flower bulbs as a fundraiser is something that many organizations do—that’s true—but try putting a spin on it all of your own that will attract attention of potential customers.

First, the decision must be made as to what type of bulbs to sell for the group.  Whether those bulbs are strictly irises, daffodils, or a combination of those and others, the group must pick what bulbs would go over well in the selling area.  Consumers will not want to buy bulbs they cannot use.

Next in the process would be finding a supplier for the bulbs that the organization would be able to work with.  There are a number of considerations to look at when picking a supplier for the fundraiser.  Things like how long it takes to get the bulbs, the company’s track record from other clients, what types of bulb packages are sold, and the percentage of profit that the organization would be allowed to keep for their proceeds are among them.

In order to put a twist on a fundraiser using bulbs, pick a supplier whose stock is different.  Some ideas would be loose bulbs and pre-potted bulbs.  Buyers do find it handy, and will quite often pay extra for that neat little pot that the bulbs are already put into—not only do they not have to mess with the dirt, all that is needed is a little bit of water and sun.

Add another incentive in for buyers—and most suppliers do not do this; it would have to be an extra thing that the fundraising organization provided.  Give the consumers the opportunity to have their bulbs—that have been purchased through the fundraiser of course—to have them planted by members of the organization.  However, make sure that there is a well built-in fee for that service.

Using that built-in fee assessed to plant the bulbs for buyers, the fundraiser can make a pure profit.  However, because the service is not going to be on the order form, a separate ticket or flyer would have to be made to let costumers know about it.  So there will be a minor cost to providing the service—but not really more than a few dollars’ worth of copying, and some time cutting the paper up.

Following up with the customers during delivery and ensuring that their orders are complete is important.  Ensure that the planting the bulbs that needs to be done for customers who want it is done correctly as well. When customers are pleased, they quite often become repeat customers and supporters for fundraisers.

Organization, time and some planning are the things that are truly needed to pull off a fundraiser.  Using those things wisely will benefit the bulb fundraiser sale, and the organization that is being supported.  Happy blooming!