4 Ways You Can Successfully Raise Funds With Calendars
September 25, 2013 by Jim Braaten · Leave a Comment
Believe it or not, back during World War II a group of girls well known for selling cookies offered something else for sale other than sweets. You see, butter and lard was in short supply so as part of the war effort this group of aspiring young ladies went door-to-door selling, you guessed it…calendars.
The reason calendars have long been considered a worthwhile product for raising funds is they can be found in every home. In many cases, the typical home will have one in the kitchen, one in the home office, perhaps another in the garage, in the laundry room, you get the picture. So, it only stands to reason folks would want to purchase a calendar and when it goes for a good cause…well, so much the better!
Over the years we have produced and sold calendars for customers many different ways to be used for fundraising. Consider these four ideas:
- As a gift. It’s rather simple. Calendars are purchased at cost and sold at a chosen mark-up. Often times it is within reason to expect that calendars used to raise funds can be sold at double, sometimes even triple their original cost.
- As a money calendar. Here the calendar rules are usually printed and explained on the back cover. The object is several times each month there will be a drawing and a winner is chosen for a specified prize. For instance, the calendar will be consecutively numbered so each recipient gets a unique chance at winning. The calendars may be limited to 1,000 units selling at…let’s say $20 each. Perhaps each month there is $500 given away either in one or several smaller drawings. In this scenario if all calendars are sold it would mean a $14,000 profit for the organization. Of course, this is just one example as organizations are free to develop this fundraiser as they best see fit.
- As a prize calendar. Here the concept works much the same as the previous example, but instead of money, prize packages are given away. It could be trips, gift certificates, merchandise, virtually anything that might appeal to the fundraising crowd. The calendar would spell out all of the rules and often times organizations will have a website where winners are posted so the results can be checked by everyone.
- As a coupon calendar. This sort of fundraising take some additional work, but when done properly it can minimize exposure to the organization for upfront costs. In this example, extra sheets are collated into the calendar offering coupons each month. For instance, if six coupons are available for each month and let’s assume that a coupon sells for $100 each, that’s a cool $7,200 upfront before the calendar is even printed. Produce 1,000 calendars and this breaks down to just $0.10 per coupon/calendar. Now, the organization has in-hands the money needed to produce the calendar usually with profit to spare. Moreover, the organization can still sell the calendar which adds additional dollars in the organization’s coffers.
Honestly, these are just a few of the many ways calendars have been used by organizations to generate much needed funds. Of course, it is up to the organization to check local laws to ensure they are in complete compliance before undertaking any such project.
If you need further help with fundraising ideas or a better explanation of the nuts and bolts of how these programs can work, I urge you to contact our customer service representatives. Each is experienced to ensure your money raising project gets started correctly from concept to completion. They will also share certain advantages or pitfalls based on past experiences to maximize your chance for project success.
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Ordered Too Many Calendars…Now What?
September 20, 2013 by Jim Braaten · Leave a Comment
Occasionally we get calls from customers who ordered too many imprinted promotional advertising calendars and they are still sitting in a box at the end of the distribution period. Their question is now what?
Of course, we respond how this is a great opportunity to do something novel and very much appreciated. Whenever a customer of ours has left-over calendars for the upcoming year we strongly encourage them to make contact with a local nursing home or convalescent care center. You see, these residents often don’t get a calendar. Some may not even have close family or friends.
A long time ago we discovered how many places in our society can make use of those “extra” calendars that a business may have. And guess what? Wherever a calendar hangs with your business message it will drive business to you. Sure, the nursing home resident may not be a potential client of yours…but their visitors who come to see them most certainly could be.
Today, we have a small number of our calendar customers who actually order these “extra” calendars on purpose with intent on giving them away to schools, churches, nursing homes, etc. They reason how having these mini billboards scattered in diverse locations throughout the community can only benefit their overall marketing efforts.
Honestly, we agree. The strategy of distributing calendars for business marketing should not overlook any opportunity. If you put your advertising message on a calendar the goal should be to put that calendar into the hands of the people most likely to need that information. Next, the priority should be to at the very least get it hanging in high-traffic locations where it gets seen.
So, the problem of having calendars left over after the traditional distribution season shouldn’t really be a problem at all. It should be viewed as an opportunity to reach potential new customers. By opening your eyes and mind you will discover there are many appreciative outlets in most communities looking for your generous, caring gift that just so happens to promote your business.
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