Fundraising ideas can be local and global. In other words, you can raise money for your school and help people who need a hand-up. Let’s start with the local part. I’m a dad and I did my years of selling candy and cookie dough. Like you, I did what I was supposed to do. But even though I was in the footwear business and sales, I didn’t like hitting up my friends, family and co-workers for money.
In 2004, the world watched the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. That day, my life changed as well. As the CEO of a shoe manufacturing company, I led the effort to ship hundreds of thousands of shoes to those who had literally lost everything. I did it again with Katrina and then with the earthquake in Haiti.
In the process, I learned a lot about families and children who lived in developing nations. Think about your daily budget. How much do you spend for gas and lunch at work? Millions of families live on as little as $2 a day for a family of 4. That’s considered extreme poverty. And, in many developing nations, fewer than 15 percent of the population own cars. Their primary mode of transportation is their feet. Imagine how important it is to have a good pair of shoes.
I’ve placed shoes on an old man who never owned a pair of shoes in his life. I know of a mother who traded a pair of shoes for a goat so she could feed her baby. I’ve seen a young man who wore a pair of shoes two sizes too small and with tape holding them together. These are the situations that happen when there is devastating poverty.
As a global philanthropist and change-agent, these lessons and experiences have stayed with me. That’s why when I developed Funds2Orgs, one of the pre-eminent school fundraising companies in North America, I was clear on what I wanted to do. Having been a father fundraising for his kid’s school, having spoken to countless parents and school personnel and knowing the poverty that exists in the world, I knew we had to create something different.
Funds2Orgs is a shoe drive fundraising company. When you partner with us, you don’t have to ask anyone for money. All you have to do is collect gently worn, used and new shoes. We issue a check based on the total weight.
The thousands of schools, youth groups and boosters that have worked with us know we’re committed to service and support. I’m proud to say that we’ve earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. That means you don’t have to take my word for it. You can see what others are saying about us.
We know schools and groups have tight budgets. Our business model offers the following with no-upfront costs:
- Shoe collection, promotion, and marketing materials.
- A team of fundraising coaches.
- Pick up the shoes you collect.
- A check is issued within 2 business days of the shoes being received and processed at our warehouse.
Our fundraiser and business model have been created on three principles. Think of it as a three-legged stool:
- A shoe drive fundraiser is a unique and creative way to engage people. You raise money, but no one has to open their wallets. Families love giving gently worn, used and new shoes. It’s easy.
- The shoes collected are shipped to micro-entrepreneurs (small business owners) around the world. This is based on my experience of having seen extreme poverty first-hand.
- A shoe drive gives your community a socially responsible way to dispose of shoes. Annually, 600 million shoes are thrown in landfills across our country. We can do better!
Isn’t it time to see how one of our creative fundraising ideas from Funds2Orgs can help you?
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