A lot of businesses will plan their donation allocation early in the year. I've found the best success with going into local businesses right after the holiday season to gauge their interest. If you're worried about the six week rule, you could be super organized and start lining up donations for the upcoming year, but in general, I wouldn't worry about the rule. If you start early in January you should have plenty of time to raise your funds!
Our school winter carnival is held in February. When is the best time to ask for donations? Fall requests seem to be too late in the year for many businesses and requests sent after the first of the year do not meet the "six weeks before the event is held."
