Candle Confections
How Many Candy Bars Do I Have to Buy? Can Non-Confection Fundraisers take Centerstage?
It’s that time of year again, when the schools start planning field trips, basketball teams need new uniforms, and the debate team needs airfare money for their final match against a school across the country. It is time… for FUNDRAISING.
Oh Boy, the peanut M&Ms, the cases of chocolate bars, and yes, dare I say it? Girl Scout cookies. One look at that nutrition label and you will see that the famous cookies contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil — the primary source of trans fats in the U.S. diet. And then we wonder why there is a childhood obesity problem. So, as the battle for healthy school lunches continues and activists fight for a ban on junk food advertising to children, why is it that we still march on door to door, holding the hand of our five year old while juggling an order form on top of two cases of chocolate delights in the other?
Do our co-workers really want to buy candy from all the other co-workers’ kids? This can only come with one end result… extra pounds, over sugared and caffeinated kids, and of course, the five hours extra we now need to spend on the dreaded elliptical machine.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a girl scout Carmel D’Lite cookie now and then (why they changed from Samoas is beyond me), but do all our children’s fundraisers have to be centered around confections?
Though some schools are getting all the wiser by offering alternatives, such as candles and gift wrap, aren’t people just plain tired of this? There has to be other alternatives and interesting ideas to fill this fundraising gap. Online Auctions.
More and more organizations, including schools, are running online auctions supplied with donated items. Companies donate items, such as dinner for two at a local restaurant or a piece of sports memorabilia, and then the schools post the items to an auction site. By doing an online auction, the schools open up the auction doors to the children’s relatives that may live in a different state or to people that wouldn’t normally give to their program, but wish to buy an auction item. The school can also be rest assured that more of the funds raised will go back to them, as the cost of an online auction runs from a mere 3-9% compared to the 50% some candy bar companies take.
Online auction sites, such as BiddingForGood.com, the leading online auction platform solely for organizations engaged in fundraising for nonprofit causes, open up the possibility of expanding and exceeding fundraising efforts. Schools across the country are raising anywhere from $2,500 to $70,000 per auction.
Hopefully the online auction platform will have a domino effect throughout the nation. This is a great way for schools and children’s programs to meet their fundraising goals with far less trips to the dentist.
About the Author
I am currently the Media Relations Manager at cMarket. I have worked for national non-profit organizations in Washington DC and have been in public relations for 9 years, both in private and non-profit sectors.
As I am now enjoying being a new mom, I find that (as we all do) my priorities have changed. I now focus a majority of my time on how to improve the well being of our children while trying to secure a wonderful lease on life for them.
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