What Returns and Participation Does Resource Solutions Claim for Its Group Fundraising Programs?
Updated
Resource Solutions (resourcefundraising.com) presents itself as a product-based fundraiser for churches, schools, sports teams, and other non-profits, and its central claims are about profit margin and participation rather than a published rate. The site promises "the highest profit fundraising ideas," "Best Profits in the Industry," and "strong participation and the best returns," but it does not publish specific profit percentages, per-item returns, or participation benchmarks on the page. So the honest answer is: the claims are directional and testimonial-backed, not quantified — you would need to request the free fundraising packet or contact the company to get actual numbers for your group.
What the site actually claims
| Claim area | What the page says | What is not stated |
|---|---|---|
| Profit | "Highest profit fundraising ideas," "Best Profits in the Industry!" | No percentage, no per-sale margin, no minimum order figures |
| Participation | "Small Purchases, Big Impact"; programs "deliver strong participation" | No participation rate, no group-size requirements |
| Product quality | "quality and satisfaction" for church, school, sports team, or non-profit fundraisers | No pricing on the page |
| Credibility | Member of the Association of Fundraising Distributors and Suppliers (AFDS), described as the only professional association devoted exclusively to product fundraising | No independent performance data |
| Experience | Customer testimonials about smooth process and repeat business | Testimonials are self-reported, not audited results |
The "Small Purchases, Big Impact" heading is the closest the page comes to explaining why participation is expected to be high: the product mix is built around low-ticket, everyday items rather than a single expensive catalog item. That is a plausible mechanism — lower price points reduce the friction of asking supporters to buy — but the page does not attach a number to it.
The product lineup behind the participation claim
The catalog spans several categories, which is relevant to returns because a broader mix lets a group run one campaign across different supporter budgets:
- Drinkware: Tervis Tumblers, stainless insulated tumblers, stainless water bottles
- Food: candy and popcorn, cookie dough and seasonal items, Ultimate Coffee Collection
- Everyday and gift items: socks, trash bags, magazines, custom combos, gift catalogs
The page explicitly notes it is "more than just cookie dough and candy" and highlights magazines, trash bags, and Tervis cups as differentiators. For a coordinator, the practical read is that the program is designed as a single multi-product sale rather than a niche fundraiser — useful if you want one campaign that appeals to different age groups and budgets.
What the testimonials support — and what they don't
The quoted reviews (initials only: V.W., M.L., J.B., K.S., M.E.A., A.W., R.N.) consistently praise three things:
- Process smoothness — "one of the smoothest fundraisers to date," "stress free."
- Responsiveness of the representative — "you always are so helpful and responsive," "a dream to work with, as usual."
- Repeat business — multiple reviewers say they keep coming back or will run the fundraiser again.
One review specifically calls a cookie dough campaign "our best cookie dough in a long time," which is a comparative claim about results but still without figures. None of the testimonials state dollars raised, profit percentage, or participation rate. Treat them as evidence of service experience and retention, not as proof of a specific return.
How to turn these claims into a decision
Because the page withholds the numbers that matter most, the decision hinges on what you can extract directly:
- Request the free fundraising packet (the site's own call to action) and ask for the profit percentage per product category, not just the headline "best profits" claim.
- Ask for a sample profit calculation for a group your size — e.g., "if 50 supporters each spend $20, what does the organization net?"
- Confirm whether there are minimum order requirements or shipping costs that reduce net return; the page does not mention either.
- Ask for references from organizations similar to yours (same type and size), since the posted testimonials are anonymous initials.
- Compare on the same dimension: profit per dollar sold, effort per sale, and product appeal to your specific audience. A high-margin catalog item that your supporters won't buy returns less than a modest-margin item they will.
The AFDS membership is a checkable credential you can verify independently, and it is a reasonable signal of industry standing — but it speaks to legitimacy, not to the size of your check.
Bottom line
Resource Solutions claims industry-leading profits and strong participation, backed by a broad low-ticket product catalog and a long list of positive service reviews. It does not publish profit rates, participation figures, or pricing, so the claims cannot be verified from the site alone. If return on effort is your deciding factor, get the packet and a written profit estimate for your group size before committing — that is the only way to test the "Best Profits in the Industry" claim against your actual campaign.