Are you an Avon Representative and you’ve been thinking about doing an Avon Fundraiser? Maybe you’ve been considering doing an Avon Fundraiser, but you don’t know where to start? Does the thought of an Avon Fundraiser make you feel nervous? If you’re looking for ideas on how to get started, who to talk to, what to say and how to promote your Avon Fundraiser, you’ve come to the right place!
I’m about to show you how easy it is to start an Avon Fundraiser and tell you all the different ways to promote it so you can ensure it will be a success. We’ll talk about everything from finding an organization, to setting it up, to promoting it and even how to write a press release to get your Avon business featured in your local media.
Why Start an Avon Fundraiser? Avon Selling Tips and Tricks
Table of Contents
To start, you might be wondering how an Avon Fundraiser can benefit you and your Avon business. While Avon Fundraisers are not always designed to generate a high profit margin, they are great for gaining an edge toward sales goals – like those required for Avon President’s Club.
In addition, Avon Fundraisers allow you to become an active philanthropist in your community and they offer valuable networking connections that may not have otherwise been possible. More networking connections mean more possibilities for new customers and new Avon team members. Find out more about how Avon Fundraisers can help you network like a pro.
Furthermore, Avon Fundraisers can open doors to new customers to your Avon business. When someone shops your fundraiser because they are supporting another institution, they can become aware of you as an Avon Representative. Maybe they have never even tried Avon products before and thanks to their support for another organization, they have fallen in love with the products. Whenever someone buys from that organization, they can become linked to you as their Avon Representative.
Learn more about how you can benefit when you start an Avon Fundraiser.
How to Start an Avon Fundraiser – Avon Selling Tips
Let me tell you a secret. Most people are nervous to do an Avon Fundraiser. I know I was one of those people. I was scared to death.
Let’s face it. If you are a responsible person and you know you’re responsible for helping another organization collect and raise money, it’s a little unsettling. Especially if you have never done it before.
But trust me when I tell you, setting up an Avon Fundraiser isn’t hard. The hardest part is truly getting past your nerves and just doing it – even if you’re scared. So here’s how you can get started.
Step ONE: Find an Organization
The first step in developing a fundraiser is to find an organization that you are hoping to help raise money. Finding an organization sometimes takes a little bit of research. And sometimes you can find a good organization just by listening to your friends and family in every day conversations. Always be listening for people or organizations who are looking to raise money.
Some representatives have had a lot of success performing searches on GoFundMe and Facebook Fundraisers. When they see people are raising money, they reach out to that individual or organization and offer to do an Avon Fundraiser.
Other options to approach are schools, local organizations and even individuals who are trying to raise money (you may even ask them about becoming an Avon Representative!)
Reaching out to the organization
Once you come up with an organization, it’s time to reach out to them and describe what it is that you are offering to them and how you can help. The more you can personalize your message to describe how it will benefit THEM, the better your chances of signing the fundraiser. The more specific you can be about what you can offer the better.
If you think of a good organization, it’s helpful to narrow down the person in charge or at least someone to act as your liaison with the organization. Since you will need to be in contact with the organization multiple times, it’s good to find one person you can always talk to. This will eliminate the necessity to constantly re-explain what it is you are trying to accomplish and will help the process go much more smoothly.
If you don’t already know someone who could act as your liaison, ask around to your current contacts to see if they know of anyone associated with the organization. Or do a web search and see if you can’t find a contact name with a phone number or email address. Then, reach out to that person and explain what you’re trying to accomplish and how Avon can help them in their fundraising efforts.
Step TWO: Choose an Avon Fundraiser Platform
Once you’ve found your person or organization, you and that organization will need to determine which Avon Fundraiser Platform will work the best for them. There are several Avon Fundraiser Platforms to choose from and each platform has different benefits to achieving different fundraising goals.
Avon Fundraiser Flyers
When you choose to set up a flyer fundraiser, you will choose a flyer from the options available in your back office and register your fundraiser. Find a list of flyer options here. You can choose to run multiple flyer fundraisers at one time, but you must register them separately.
Once you have registered your flyer fundraiser by filling out the necessary form in your back office, you will receive an email from Avon that outlines your next steps. It will look something like this:
Dear JENNIFER:
Thanks for registering your Fundraiser with Avon! We look forward to
working with you to make this opportunity a success. In order to provide
support for your Fundraising needs, there’s a few things you should
know…
Before placing your Fundraiser order, please submit/complete your
regular brochure order first. Then, process your Fundraiser order as a
“Ship Separate” using line # 0000000. This will ensure that your order
is identified properly.
Please remember to fax a copy of the Organization’s Tax Exempt
certificate to your Branch’s Fundraising Department. This certificate
must be received prior to the issuance of any tax credit.
We know you may have many more questions, so please know that we are here
to provide any assistance you may need. Please contact your Branch
Fundraising Department at 1-888- 564-2866 for information on the full
Fundraising procedures.
So, in short, once you’ve registered your Avon Flyer Fundraiser, you will receive an email with a line number code personal to your fundraiser. This line number code is necessary to alert Avon to tag this order to your registered fundraiser.
When you submit your fundraiser order, you should submit it separately from your regular order. You will put the line code in with a the quantity of items that you are ordering. This will come up to a $0 balance in your cart. Then, you will go in and add the items you are ordering for your fundraiser.
Avon Flyer Fundraisers require you to receive and deliver the product to your fundraiser recipients. They are a great option for organizations that only want to offer a small number of options for purchase or for donation.
Avon Online Fundraisers
Avon online Fundraisers are wonderful for individuals or organizations that have the capacity to share a fundraiser link. Setting up an Avon Online Fundraiser is quick and easy and it allows the organization’s supporters to shop the entire Avon catalog from a dedicated link. Purchases from that link are calculated separately on the link’s homepage so that supporters (and you as the Avon Rep) can see how much the organization has earned.
Avon Online Fundraisers act like a profit share. The organization’s supporters shop from the link and you can choose what portion of the proceeds are donated to the organization.
To set up an Avon Online Fundraiser, simply register the fundraiser in your back office by filling out the necessary form and submitting it. The link will be active immediately after your fundraiser is submitted.
Non-Official Avon Fundraisers
The Avon Official Fundraisers are amazing and provide you with all the resources you need to start fundraising. But, you don’t HAVE to stay within the Avon Fundraiser box, so to say.
You can totally make up ANY type of fundraiser you choose. In 2019, my team, the Genuine Gems, hosted a fundraiser where we raised money to give away the White Iconic Christmas trees to a local nursing home.
We determined the cost of the Christmas trees and figured out how much we would have to raise to supply the entire nursing home. We advertised the fundraiser and raised the money to fund the Christmas trees. Then we placed our order and delivered the Christmas trees.
You have the ability to do the same thing with any item available in the Avon Catalog – so long as you are prepared and organized and plan ahead to place your orders early.
Step Three: Set up A Photo Opportunity
Once you’ve chosen an organization and narrowed down a fundraiser platform, it’s time to start preparing to advertise your fundraiser. While you and the organization can totally post on Facebook about your intentions to raise money – pictures really help enhance your story. A great picture accompanying your post can really make a successful fundraiser.
This is yet another way that your organization’s liaison can help you. Reach out to the person you are working with and ask if they can help you get a picture that depicts what you’re trying to do.
You may need to order some demo products in to stage the picture. You can use those products to donate later. Dressed in your Avon Fashion or business attire arrive at your picture location with the products you’re hoping to donate. Take several pictures from several different angles. And make sure to take horizontal and vertical pictures so you have a wide range to choose from for your advertisements.
If others are involved or benefitting from the fundraiser, you can further enhance your advertisements by getting them to agree to be in the pictures. Take pictures both of yourself with them, them alone and any organization officials you can round up. Your liaison can help you coordinate all of this.
When we decided to raise money to donate the Avon Iconic Christmas tree to nursing homes in our area, we worked with our liaison to stage a picture where we gave one of the trees to the residents who agreed to help us with the picture. We took pictures with the residents, with our liaison, and with nursing home officials.
Step Four: Advertise Your Avon Fundraiser
Once you’ve taken your pictures, it’s time to share them!! It’s starting to get real now!
Before we talk about the different places to advertise your fundraiser – a word of caution. If you put the time into taking multiple pictures to help advertise your fundraiser, it’s best not to give them all away in one spot at one time. Having a variety of pictures can help you stand out on different advertising platforms.
Now let’s talk about how you can start to advertise your fundraiser.
I love advertising on Facebook because of tools and resources that are easy to use. If you are doing a flyer fundraiser, you can set up a Facebook Fundraiser and collect money on Facebook (more on that later) and invite all of your friends and family to support you. You can add the organization that you’re working with as a contributor to the fundraiser and they can invite all of their contacts as well. Then, the Facebook fundraiser will automatically alert people periodically about the fundraiser. It’s a great place to post pictures and updates to keep the fundraiser in people’s minds. And then you can share the pics on your personal timeline with all of the people on your contact list. And those people can share with their contact list.
Online Fundraisers on Facebook
I love using Facebook to advertise online fundraisers as well. When you partner with an organization to run an online fundraiser, it is important to get that organization involved in sharing the fundraiser. This will determine the success of the fundraiser overall. The purpose of an online Avon Fundraiser is to increase your contact base – which will happen if the organization is sharing the fundraiser with their contacts.
That being said, you, as the Avon Representative, can make it easier for the organization to share the fundraiser. One way of doing this is by setting up a dedicated Facebook group for the fundraiser. To do this you would just create a Facebook group and include the organizations mission and goal. Then ask your organization to have all of it’s members invite ALL of their contacts to the fundraiser group.
The organization should periodically share their mission (bonus if their posts include pictures) and you as the Avon Representative can share products and what they will DO for the supporters (BONUS if you can provide direct links to the product by navigating the fundraisers link yourself). You can schedule these posts out using Avon Social so you dont’ have to make time to post every day.
It’s important to note, however, that people use social media to be SOCIAL. SO you will want to make the fundraiser Facebook group a fun place to be. You can play games, do giveaways, or even tell a story (I saw a super cute idea once about an Avon rep who plays a murder mystery game in her Facebook group parties). Be conversational and work together with the group to share the cause. You be the Avon Rep – and let them represent their organization.
Other Social Media Platforms
You can also use other social media platforms to promote your fundraiser. You can reach a wider audience by creating posts on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Use pertinent hashtags to pull in a wider audience and have a clear place where people can go to support the fundraiser. You could direct them to your Facebook Fundraiser, a webpage, or the e-store fundraiser link. The key is making it as easy as possible for people to support the fundraiser.
Get Your Avon Fundraiser Covered by Local Media
One of the best ways to get exposure for your fundraiser is to alert and get local media involved. Let’s face it, with so much bad in the world, media outlets are ALWAYS looking for a positive story to tell. So if you know how to work with your local media, you can usually get your story covered.
How to write a press release
The first step in getting your fundraiser covered is to write a press release and submit it to your local media outlet. When writing a press release, there are some specific details you will want to include and some general guidelines to follow to make sure your release stands out. Take a look at the image below to determine how to format the perfect press release for your Avon business.
The key to successfully getting your local media outlets to cover your fundraiser is to do AS much of the work FOR them as you can. One way that you have already done the work for them is by setting up a picture. When your picture is paired together with an informative and well-crafted press release, it eliminates the need for a reporter to schedule a time to come out and talk to you. Since you’ve done the work for them by creating your own photo opportunity, you can answer any additional questions you may have over the phone. Which makes it easier for the paper to cover your fundraiser.
The other key to getting your local media outlet to cover you is finding a contact that works there. Think about your contact list and who they may know. Or get involved in your community by joining a community service group or Chamber of commerce. When you have a contact on your side, it helps keep your story idea from getting lost in the shuffles of dozens of press releases. It can be helpful to research reporters names and email on the media outlets website.
Build your own website
Don’t stop reading!!! You can do it!! And it’s super easy. There are three platforms I use to build one page websites and most of the work is done for you. Best yet – they are all FREE or at least close to free.
- Adobe Spark – Adobe Spark is a group of apps you can download that help you create flyers, videos, edit pics and more. One of the apps includes a template to a one page website where all you have to do is drag and drop your pics and edit the text to your information. Then you can share your link with others.
- Wix – If you choose not to buy your own domain name, wix will let you create a site on a free domain that they provide. You can then share that domain with your contacts. Wix is a drag and drop platform with templates that you can use to help you create your site. Just edit text and pics and you’re good to go.
- WordPress – WordPress is a little trickier and you can still get a free domain name. But there is a slightly higher learning curve. If you download the Elementor plugin you can make your site more drag and drop friendly.
So, why would you want to build a one page website for your fundraiser. Well, we spoke earlier about how it is easier to bring everyone to one place in all of your advertising. This could be your one place. It makes your fundraiser and your cause feel more official to the supporters. And you can link payment options to your website so all of your payments come in at one location.
Sometimes, if you are personally collecting money to benefit another organization, people are hesitant to donate. If you have a website, you appear more professional and reputable and people are more likely to take you seriously.
Tell Your Customers about Your Avon Fundraiser
Don’t just expect to post one time on social media and have the fundraiser be a huge success. It doesn’t work that way. The organization should be personally sharing with all of its supporters, but you can also help them out by telling your customers about it.
When I was running my Hailey Hugs Initiative Fundraiser, I printed flyers that described my cause and distributed them to my customers. I included a flyer in every book I handed out and in every order I delivered. This way of thinking is no different than when you are at a store and they ask you if you want to “add a $1 to support……”
It’s possible that your customers will not only order, but give you a donation to support your cause.
Step Five: Collect Money for your Avon Fundraiser
There are several different ways to collect money for your Avon Fundraiser. Obviously, if you are doing an Avon online fundraiser, you can disregard these tips. But if you are doing a flyer fundraiser or collecting money to donate product to a particular cause (think the Christmas tree project), you will need to collect money from your supporters.
When it comes to collecting money, it’s important to be mindful of how EASY it is for your customers to donate to your cause. Some will want to give you cash or mail and check and that is fine. But then you have to remember to collect that money or they have to remember to send it. Pretty soon, you’re about at the end of the fundraiser and everyone forgot to give you their money.
That’s why things like Facebook Fundraisers and electronic payments (paypal, venmo, cash app) are all nice. While some of these mediums collect a small profit from the donations, it ends up saving you in the end because you can collect MORE money from more people. In addition, people can donate the minute they see your fundraiser – which eliminates the possibility of them forgetting or changing their mind.
Here are a list of ways you can collect donations:
- Facebook Messenger – Free
- Facebook Fundraising Paid out through stripe – Small Fee
- Paypal – Small Fee
- Paypal Friends and Family – Free
- Venmo Friends – Free
- Cash App – Free
Avon Fundraiser Earnings
All Avon Fundraisers operate on variable earnings. That means you earn based on your President’s Club Level or based on your sales. Learn what your earnings goals are in your kickstart period and how you earn after kickstart here.
While you may choose not to make money on your fundraiser, it can help you hit other earnings goals for trips, Presidents Club, and even increase your earnings in the campaign your fundraiser order is placed in.
#MoreThanMakeup – My Avon Fundraiser Story
When I started my first Avon fundraiser, I didn’t know about the ways it would benefit my business. Honestly, I actually wasn’t even concerned about how it would benefit my business. I had an already established personal charity project I was working on and I was looking for a way to supplement it and make it better.
A Hug Through the Air
In 2011, I was in a car accident that took the life of my 22-month old daughter Hailey Hallam and her father, my late-husband, Troy Hallam. Following that tragedy, as a way to cope, I wrote a children’s book in honor my daughter. The book is called A Hug Through the Air and it tells the story of a family with a connection that transcends Heaven and Earth. It was titled in memory of my daughter giving me hugs through the air whenever she was too busy to stop what she was doing and give me a hug.
The book was published on Hailey’s birthday in 2013 and we raised money and donated the book all over the country to families who had lost a loved one. I had always wanted to use my book to help other people who were grieving, but alone it seemed incomplete.
After my family’s funeral, I was given a locket as a part of a fundraiser developed by another family who had lost their child. The locket was so precious to me and for a long time I wore it around my neck with a piece of Hailey’s hair inside.
I had always wanted to accompany my book with something else – something tangible that would bring someone else comfort. But I couldn’t find the right accompaniment.
The Hailey Hugs Initiative
Then, in 2018 I joined Avon and I was introduced to Herbie the Hedgehog. And, as I found out, it was a match made in Heaven. I paired the stuffed animal with a copy of my book and I called it a Hailey Hugs bundle. We donated these bundles to area hospitals and to families who were grieving. They were distributed to women who had suffered from miscarriage, children who had recently lost a parent or sibling and families who had lost a child – just to name a few.
The Hailey Hugs Initiative was so successful that I decided to incorporate my initiative into a 501c3 nonprofit organization that raises money to comfort families while they are grieving.
Avon is so much #MoreThanMakeup. Fundraising is just one example of how the Avon opportunity can change lives – not just in it’s representatives, but in the community around them too.
Interested in Becoming an Avon Representative and doing an Avon Fundraiser?
There are so many reasons to become an Avon Representative, but you have to decide for yourself, Is Selling Avon Worth it? When you sign up to become an Avon Representative, you can make $1000 in 90 days with Avon’s Kickstart program. You can also learn how to Sell Avon Online using Social Media and begin sharing your new business with your closest family and friends. Did you know Avon offers a free website so that you can get started sharing immediately?
Sign up to Sell for Avon Now!
Jennifer Francis is a National Leader with Avon and the founder of Timeless Beauty Life – where she encourages people to create their own lifestyle that is timeless by creating memories that last a lifetime.
Jennifer is tied for NUMBER ONE in the country for personal leader development – where she develops her team members and helps them to make more money in the company. She helps other representatives with free tips and training in her Facebook Group Timeless Beauty Lessons.
The Hailey Hugs Initiative
She is also the founder of the Hailey Hugs Initiative, which seeks to provide comfort to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. She is the Author of A Hug Through the Air – a children’s book she wrote in memory of her 22 month old daughter Hailey Hallam.
Jennifer loves giving back to the world around her and encourages her team to do the same, while simultaneously showing them how to create a lifestyle that is more open to making memories with family and traveling.
Connect with Jennifer Francis
You can Find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest or join the growing community of people and discuss how to create YOUR own Timeless Beauty Life. The Timeless Beauty Life Facebook community offers travel tips, organizational tips, recipes, family tips, beauty tips, health tips and so much more. Come discuss YOUR passions with us by Joining the Timeless Beauty Life Facebook Group.
About Avon
New Avon LLC* (“Avon”) is the leading social selling beauty company in North America, with independent sales Representatives across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Avon’s product portfolio includes award-winning skincare, color cosmetics, fragrance and personal care products, featuring iconic brands such as ANEW, Avon Color, mark., and Skin So Soft, as well as fashion and accessories. Avon has a 130 year history of empowering women through economic opportunity, and the company also proudly supports efforts to end breast cancer and domestic violence.
More About the Company
This is the company that puts mascara on lashes and food on tables. That fights wrinkles with one hand and breast cancer with the other. That knows the value of a perfect lip, but still opens its mouth and speaks out against domestic violence and for women’s financial independence. This is the company that not only brings beauty to doors, but also opens them. This is Avon. The company that for over a century has stood for beauty, innovation, optimism and, above all, for women.
What Avon Does for Women
Everyday, Avon brings beauty to the lives of women. At Avon, beauty means more than finding the right lipstick shade for a customer. It means providing an earnings opportunity so a woman can support her family; and championing causes that matter to many women – eradicating breast cancer and ending domestic violence.
