soccer team

As the school year gets closer, the time comes for auctions and fundraising events.

Keystone Candle was created by a teacher as a way to raise funds for a small school in Pennsylvania, and we have continued that fundraising program since our establishment. We have worked with club sports teams, cheerleaders, boy and girl scouts, relay for life, schools, churches, and many others to help them raise the money to cover the cost of doing what they love.

However, some may wonder, when is the best time for fundraising and how do I have an effective fundraising campaign?

What time of year is best for selling candles in a fundraiser?

While we operate our fundraising program throughout the year, the fall and winter months leading up to Christmas are the time of year when most people look to buy candles. This makes it the perfect time for fundraising groups to be highly successful.  Early spring is also a great time to sell candles.

As this time of year begins, many organizations and groups place orders simultaneously. We recommend placing your order as soon as possible to ensure you receive your candles on time.

Approximate lead times for most of the year are about 2 weeks. However, between August and October, our timeframe is about 3 to 4 weeks. Additionally, in November and December, lead times can range from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the order size and the number of other orders we are already processing.

Therefore, as you organize your fundraiser and begin to promote it, keep in mind that we will need time to make the candles for your order.

Before placing your fundraising order, there are some steps you must follow to set up your account and begin the process.

What do I have to do to start a fundraiser?

Step 1: Create a username and password on our website

Step 2: Pick your scents from the available fragrances under the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter tabs; we recommend 15 to 20 different scents, but you may do more or less if you like. Just keep in mind, the more fragrances you choose, the longer it will take us to get the order done, and the more candle scents you will have to sort.

Step 3: Choose your sizes. We recommend 1 to 2 different sizes. The 26 oz size is by far the most popular, followed by the 64 oz and then the 16 oz.

Step 4: Decide how much you would like to charge for your candles. We have recommended selling prices to help guide you, and you are welcome to charge more or less as long as you stay above the listed minimum price. 

Step 5: Use the blank order sheet to enter your scents, sizes, and selling price, and print one out for each person selling. If you would rather create your own order form to use, that is ok too.

Step 6: Start selling. We recommend that you sell for 2 to 3 weeks. You can go longer if you like, but those first customers may start to get antsy waiting for their candles to be delivered. We suggest that you collect the money from your customers at the time of the purchase, if possible. IF THEY PAY WITH A CHECK, IT MUST BE MADE OUT TO YOUR GROUP NOT KEYSTONE CANDLE. We will NOT accept personal checks.

Step 7: Once your sale is over, tally up your scents and sizes, log into the account you registered with, and place the order on our website. When checking out, use PURCHASE ORDER as the payment method. We do not require payment for the order until you come to pick up the candles. Cash or credit card is preferred.

So, now that you know how to run an easy fundraiser, how do you determine if you were successful?

What makes a fundraising event successful?

The things that make an effective fundraising campaign may not be the same for every group. Your success is determined by the goals you set for your campaign. 

However, some markers of a successful fundraiser are:

  • Spreading information about your organization or event to a new audience
  • Interacting with your community
  • Creating a sense of unity within your team to reach a common goal
  • and of course, raising money for your cause

A truly successful fundraiser raises some, if not all, of the funds you need for your group. Therefore, knowing how much you profit is crucial.

How much do I profit?

Your profit will be the difference between the price you charge your customers and the amount you owe to us after the discount given on our website.

Based on how many candles you sold and which sizes you chose, you will end up in 1 of 3 different discount categories.

The pricing category you end up in is calculated based on your subtotal value.

Do I have to pay PA sales tax?

You are required to pay the 6% PA sales tax unless you have a valid 8-digit PA sales tax exempt certificate number. Even if you are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit we will still need that PA sales tax exemption certificate number because you are reselling the product.

You can email us a copy of your tax-exempt certificate at which point we will be able to remove the tax from your order.

Can my fundraiser order be shipped to me?

If you want to do a fundraiser and are too far away to pick up your order, we can get a shipping estimate for you. The cost of shipping would be added to your invoice. The cost is based on the size of the order and the delivery location.

Typically, fundraiser orders are large enough to be shipped on a pallet. The best way to get the cheapest shipping rates is to deliver the order to a commercial address with a loading dock or forklift available. Deliveries to residential addresses or locations hard to get a tractor-trailer into are charged more by the carriers.

We will work with you to get the cheapest shipping cost we can.

 


Our fundraising department is available 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (EST) Monday - Friday.  (717) 564-2220.