Fundraising Proposal Presented By Green Schools Montana YOUR REPRESENTATIVE: Cheryl Neithercott (406) 449-6332 Cheryl@GSFundraising.org www.GSFundraising.org GREEN SCHOOLS MONTANA FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN Overview Green Schools Montana is an Earth Day fundraising campaign that will benefit K-8 schools throughout the state of Montana with a terrific fundraising program and the ability to participate in our matching funds campaign from the Montana business community. In addition, the Green Directory Montana will be providing your school with great course material and information to educate your students about the importance of green, environmentally friendly living. Goals and Objectives Raise monies through a statewide, student-based, CandleHeart fundraising campaign, thereby addressing budget cuts and associated school program cuts through sales of a popular, eco-friendly product. Promote Earth Day awareness among school children in Montana. Have local businesses support your school through their Earth Day promotional campaigns. Benefits To Your School An all natural, easy, fun and very profitable fundraising program to help your school raise money around an Earth Day promotion and to provide additional funds year- round from this one campaign. Green education course material provided by the Green Directory Montana that not only teaches basic concepts about being green but also gives students reallife examples of local businesses and how they are being environmentally conscious. Participation in the Matching Funds pool to supplement your fundraising efforts and allow you to provide your students with more resources. Campaign Details The Green Schools Montana team consists of a coalition of Montana business and community leaders, the Green Directory Montana, and K-8 schools throughout the state. Green Schools Montana Fundraising Proposal, Earth Day, 2009 Page 1 Participating schools will conduct a CandleHeart fundraising campaign (details below) and provide students with Earth Day educational materials prepared by Green Directory Montana and other business partners. Partnering businesses will raise funds for and/or make contributions to a Matching Fund which will be distributed to participating schools on a per capita basis (based on student enrollment as of March 1, 2009). Green Schools Montana will identify the winners of two fundraising contests; the winning schools will receive a larger percentage of the Matching Funds distribution. Contest #1: the top five participating schools which raise the largest amount of money per capita will share 10% of the total Matching Fund. Contest #2: the top five participating schools with the largest Candle of the Month sales per capita will share 10% of the total Matching Fund. The remaining 80% of the total Matching Fund will be distributed per capita among all participating schools, including the contest winners. 100% of the Matching Funds will be distributed to schools. Schedule of Events March 16 – March 21: receive fundraising packets from your Green Schools Montana Representative. March 22 – April 5: execute your fundraising campaign. April 6: submit your orders to CandleHeart. April 7 – April 20: Green Schools Montana will compile data from participating schools to determine contest winners. CandleHeart will process candle orders. April 22, Earth Day: Green Schools Montana will announce contest winners and recognize participating schools. We encourage you to hold an Earth Day activity for students and the Green Schools Montana business partners in your community who wish to participate. May 22: Green Schools Montana will announce the Matching Fund total raised by our business partners and make Matching Fund distributions. CandleHeart will disburse the funds raised by your students. Green Schools Montana Fundraising Proposal, Earth Day, 2009 Page 2 WHY CANDLEHEART AS YOUR SCHOOL’S FUNDRAISING PARTNER? CandleHeart has all the elements of a GREAT fundraising product: A popular product that sells itself and is all natural and environmentally friendly. A product people are already buying. A product that is always a top gift item. A non-seasonal product. A product with a high perceived value. A product with a one time sale that delivers monthly profits. A product that returns 35% to 40% of each purchase to your school. Did you know? 8 out of 10 parents purchase from fundraisers. 2 billion dollars a year is spent on fundraisers. Women will purchase approximately 30 candles per year. 80% of women burn candles. CandleHeart gives you your own e-commerce store and has a drop ship program that enables relatives around the country to support your students by purchasing online. CandleHeart uses natural soy candles that are environmentally friendly and a healthy alternative to paraffin candles, which emit soot and toxins. They are a renewable resource and support the American farmer rather than the oil industry and make a great Earth Day fundraising product. Green Schools Montana Fundraising Proposal, Earth Day, 2009 Page 3 What Fundraisers Have You Experienced? ~ Candy Bars ~ Cookie Dough ~ Gift Wrap ~ Greeting Cards ~ ~ Coupon Cards ~ Magazines ~ Fundraising Comparison: Sales of 1000 candy bars= $750 profit Sales of 1000 gift wrap rolls= $3,500 profit Sales of 1000 magazines= $5,000 profit Sales of 1000 candles = $6,000 profit 50% of these “Candle of The Month”= $3150 each month or $37,800 per year If your school has 250 students who sell an average of 10 candles each, your school makes $12,500 dollars. If 20% of those are Candle of the Month sales, your school earns $2,500 dollars each and every month, or over $30,000 dollars per year from one fundraising campaign. CandleHeart also gives you your own e-commerce site where your supporters can buy our collections as alternative gifts for holidays and special occasions. Any time your supporters buy a CandleHeart gift for Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Easter, Christmas, etc., your school receives 35% to 40% of the sales price. It’s the gift that gives twice. CandleHeart Is The Best Fundraising Choice For The Environment Competing Fundraising Options: Magazines: Currently, less than 5% of U.S. magazine paper is recycled, and the U.S. magazine industry consumes an astounding 35 million trees each year. Cosmopolitan uses 328,577 trees every year People uses 546,134 trees Green Schools Montana Fundraising Proposal, Earth Day, 2009 Page 4 Conde Nast Traveler uses 52,734 trees National Geographic uses 505,819 trees. Candy Bars and Cookie Dough: 1 in 6 children in the United States age 2-18 are obese. Between 1980 and 2000 obesity rates doubled among children and tripled among teens. Gift Wrap: Traditional gift wrap impacts the environment adversely during both production and disposal. In addition to tree loss, the timber industry is the third greatest emitter of carbon dioxide emissions affecting global warming. SUMMARY Green Schools Montana provides an excellent opportunity to benefit children financially and educationally throughout the state. This campaign provides yearround residual income for your school through Candle of the Month sales coupled with a powerful Matching Fund program. Please contact your Green Schools Montana Representative to learn how your school can participate. Their contact information is on the cover page of this proposal. We look forward to working with you to help benefit the kids by teaching them to be environmentally friendly and raising money for our schools. Green Schools Montana Fundraising Proposal, Earth Day, 2009 Page 5