The Simple Steps for a KidsAreStars.com Fundraiser

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Fundraiser Steps & Guidelines
"The Simple Version"

Our Mailing Address:
Memory Maker Greeting Card Co.
873 County Road 426
Berryville, Arkansas 72616

Our phone:
870-480-9700

We believe in simplicity, fun and results! Therefore, we've generated this single page which provides all the basic initial information to conduct a KidsAreStars.com fundraiser. Whether you are a single individual conducting a fundraiser by yourself with your artwork or photographs, or a school of hundreds of children, we can accommodate you and your fundraiser needs!

Below, we gathered the basic steps to starting and completing potentially successful KidsAreStars.com fundraiser. For a more complete and detailed guide for a KidsAreStars.com fundraiser, please refer to the Fundraiser Manual here. Otherwise, all your initial questions will probably be found below. Naturally, please don't hesitate to contact us directly with your questions: robb.mcdaniel@gmail.com

Our Most-Asked Initial Questions:

1. Are there any upfront costs to begin a fundraiser with KidsAreStars?
No. It costs you nothing to begin a fundraiser with us.* A Sales Card (which is a sample 7x5 card featuring the child’s artwork, with sales information inside) is provided for each child participating in the fundraiser free of charge, along with a customized Order Envelope. All that is required is that you get the artwork to us, determine the items you wish to sell, and discuss with us your fundraiser format (described online and in our Fundraiser Handbook).
(* The “Fundraiser In A Box” format requires a 25-cent per packet charge for packet requests over 100. There is no charge for groups numbering under 100 for the "Fundraiser In An Box" fundraiser format. Please see the website or Fundraiser Handbook for more details, or contact us.)

2. Are there any minimum order requirements?
No. There are no minimum order requirements, regardless of the size of your group.

3. What are the freight charges for our school order to arrive?
There are no added freight charges to receive your fundraiser order in the 48 continental United States. (Please contact for shipping surcharges to Alaska, Hawaii and Canada). Online orders, however, are treated as mail orders and are shipped directly to the purchaser. Individual shipping charges are added to online website orders at the time the order is placed.

4. Are there additional costs to provide an online ordering website with your company?
No. The online ordering website for your group or school (set up at OrderKidsCards.com) is provided to you free of charge.

Step 1:
Artwork and/or Photographs: Getting the illustrations to us is the first step.

If you are a single individual or a small group:
You may have photos or scans of your artwork. Simply attach your scans in an email to us. We'll confirm receipt!
For best results, please send the original scanned resolution, and if you are sending photographs, please use a digital camera or smart phone with higher resolutions. We need digital images in the 3000 x 2000 pixel range for best results. If you are a single individual or small group, you may also postal mail your images to us. We'll do the scanning and send the images back to you. Or you can just attach the images in an email to us at robb.mcdaniel@gmail.com Be sure to include all your contact information, and all relevant information regarding your images. If you have titled your images, be sure to either title the images your attach, or provide your titles in your email. We will print the title of your image on the back of the finished card.

If you are a large group or school:
The most efficient way for a large group to submit artwork is setting aside a time for each class to conduct artwork for the fundraiser. Please read the artwork guidelines below. In addition to these guidelines, please make sure that each child's artwork is identified in one of the following ways: 1. The easiest and perhaps simplest method to identify artwork for schools is by labeling the artwork with stickers. These can be printed on standard address labels by merging the following fields from your school database: <Name>, <Instructor>, <Grade Level>. Then, simply place the stickers in (preferably) the upper left hand corner of the artwork. 2. Or, you may identify the artwork by turning the paper over, and in the upper left hand corner, write LEGIBLY IN PENCIL the name of the child. (The reasons for this are explained below.) Bundle each class or group with a paperclip. Then, attach a note under the paperclip the instructor's or leader's name, along with the grade level or group name. Mail the bundles to the address above. Please either send us an email or call us to notify us that you have mailed your artwork so that we may watch for your package.

Guidelines for Artwork

1. Material: Standard white printer paper. 8.5" x 11" works great!

2. Media: The bolder the colors, the better the result. We strongly recommend that children use colored felt markers. These translate beautifully as card illustrations. Even water color paintings work quite well. Crayons also work well provided the subjects in the illustration are filled in with color. This is SO important. Always keep in mind: Bold colors = a fantastic card illustrations! Water color and tempera paints also work well.
We typically do not recommend pastels or chalk as illustration media because they do not ship well.

3. Signing the artwork: We highly recommend that the child sign the art piece. This personalizes even more the illustration on the greeting card. Please ask the child to sign the artwork in a BOLD color (a black felt pen translates best) so that the signature will show up well on the card after the image has been reduced in size. Signing the artwork is not necessary. The child's name will be printed on the back of the card when designed.

4. Identifying the artwork: Identify the artwork in one of the two methods listed above (either with printed stickers generated on address labels from the school's database, or by hand-writing the name, grade level and instructor name on the back). There are important reasons for accurately identifying the artwork. First, we need the name of the child on the artwork to know which cards to print for their order and to print their name accurately on the sales cards. Next, we ask that the name be in the upper left corner because many pieces of artwork produced by very young children often do not have an obvious orientation. In the event that we are unable to identify the top from the bottom, or the left from the right, we will turn the artwork over and identify the artwork orientation by the location of the name on the back. We will use the child's order envelope as the print order for that child's artwork.
Bundle artwork by class instructor or group instructor. Paperclip the group together and insert the correctly spelled name of the instructor, along with the group, class or grade level. We ask for this information because all of this information is standard text on the back of the card, and standard information on the ordering webpages.

Step 2:
Decide what you'd like to sell

We offer two sizes of boxed cards.
The "small cards" are 5.5" x 4.25", and come 20 to a box with 20 envelopes.
The "large cards" are 7" x 5", and come 12 to a box with 12 envelopes.
These boxes typically resell for $20 per box, with a cost to the organization of $12 per box. (Resale prices are actually up to you.)

We offer boxed cards with either all the cards in the box printed with a single child's artwork, or with artwork featuring each child in the class or group.
Please note: We only print group boxed cards in the smaller note card sized cards. Group boxed cards are priced based on the number of participants, and can be computed below:

From 15—20 Students Cost to the group: $12.00 Suggested Resale: $20 Net profit to the group: $8 per box (or 40%)
From 21—25 Students Cost to the group: $13.00 Suggested Resale: $21 Net profit to the group: $8 per box
From 26—30 Students Cost to the group: $14.00 Suggested Resale: $22 Net profit to the group: $8 per box
From 31—35 Students Cost to the group: $15.00 Suggested Resale: $23 Net profit to the group: $8 per box

You will notice that the percentage profit to the group drops in this illustration after 20 cards, or 20 students, in the box. The suggested resale amount is just a suggestion only. Of course, you may resell your boxes at any price you wish. If you wish to get a better idea of the 40% return for the group on the larger boxes, simply take the costs for the larger group boxes, and multiply by 1.6. This will give you a rough idea of the pricing you might wish to consider retailing the boxed cards for that will provide you the larger margin in profit to your group.

We also offer individually packaged cards.
These are cards individually printed, with an envelope, cellophane-wrapped and sold individually.
These cards are sold to the organization for:
$1 each for the small cards
$1.50 each for the large cards
Suggested resale for these items is generally left to the discretion of the organization.

We also print stationery featuring the child's artwork.
Stationery is printed with a lightened, "water mark" style image of the child's artwork on the stationery paper's writing surface. For best results, we strongly recommend that only certain art media be utilized when deciding to provide stationery in your fundraiser. Please contact us, or view the Fundraiser Handbook for more details.

Step 3:
Decide if you wish to sell boxes of cards featuring only the individual child, boxes of cards featuring all the members of a class or group, or both.

For large groups, to keep selling simple, we recommend that you sell only cards (large, small or both) featuring the artwork of the one child selling the cards. (In other words, all 20 small cards and all 12 large cards feature the artwork of the child selling the cards). You may, however, wish to provide the option of a box with each card featuring the artwork of each child in the class or group. Pricing for these boxes is determined by the number of students in the group or the class. A breakdown of those prices is found in the Fundraiser Handbook. The wholesale and resale prices of the group cards will vary from the standard $12 cost. Your customized order envelopes (for one-to-one sales campaigns) will identify the options available, along with price variations.

For individuals or small groups, all options are open! Just let us know if you would like to offer single illustrations in each box, combinations of illustrations, or both.

Step 4:
Decide what sort of sales campaign you'd like to begin

We offer a variety of sales campaign methods, all of which are explained on the KidsAreStars.com website and within the Fundraiser Handbook.

Here are the campaign methods that have worked best and most efficiently over time:

For individuals and small groups:
Our recommendation is to conduct your campaign via the internet almost exclusively. Send emails, write letters, mail notes and cards, etc. announcing your fundraiser. Enclose in your letters our online order link: www.OrderKidsCards.com We will post your own online ordering page at no charge that can be selected from this homepage. Orders then are placed online. We then print and ship orders. Orders are treated as mail orders, with the purchaser paying appropriate shipping charges to us for their order. Each order is printed and shipped individually. (Yes, we can make arrangements to ship an entire online sale directly to you. Just get in touch with us to work out those details).
Funds are then sent either to you or to your organization on your behalf. Checks during the height of a campaign period are mailed approximately every 10 days. On the date your check goes out to your funded nonprofit, we will mail you a copy of each online order for verification, along with a copy of the letter sent to your organization. As sales slow, we will usually mail a check to your organization or to you when funds reach $100 or more. Naturally, we will remain in touch with your throughout your fundraiser.

For large groups and schools:
The online sales campaign described above has been implemented for large schools. Please contact us about that venue if you are a large school or organization. However, over time, our recommendation (through our own experience) for the simplest, most efficient and most profitable fundraiser for a large school or organization is by following these steps:

1. Conduct an art session based on the guidelines above. Send all the artwork to us as soon as you can.

2. Sell both sizes of cards (small and large), featuring the artwork of the child selling the cards. (Try to avoid the "group box.")

3. Contact us with your decisions as to which items you are selling.

          We will then develop a Sales Card that will be a replica of the card the child is selling. The most successful Sales Card is printed on the 7 x 5 card (so we always suggest that you offer the 7 x 5 cards for sale during your fundraiser). The Sales Card (as described in the Fundraiser Manual) features an exterior of the card exactly as it will appear when printed. The front of the card will feature the artwork of the child, with the back featuring the child's name, the year, the name of the school or organization, and copyright information. The interior will feature sales and price information, and a "thank you" to the purchaser for supporting your organization. The interior space is also open to whatever you wish to express. You may wish to tell where the funds you are raising will be used. You may wish to provide a brief history of your school or organization. The choice for interior text is available to you. Otherwise, we will provide standard sales and pricing information based on the items you will be selling.
          We will also generate customized sales envelopes. These envelopes will contain the name of the organization and the class or instructor's name, and a blank for the child to write their name. An order form on the front of the envelope asks for the purchaser's name and phone number, and places to check the items desired for purchase. Prices for each item are clearly printed on the envelope, with a place for a total at the end. We will use the number of artwork pieces submitted for each class to determine the number of sales envelopes to produce. The sales envelopes are custom-printed for each class or group.

          The sales campaign period will have a definite beginning and an end, when all moneys and envelopes are turned in. Please empty the envelopes and bundle these sales envelopes together by class or group. These envelopes will become our print order. We will enclose an order worksheet to help you determine the amount your check to us will be. When we receive the bundled order envelopes, order form and check, we will begin printing your order.
          When your order is completed (allow approximately 7 to 10 days), we will bundle each order in taped plastic bags with the order envelope on top. We will then gather classes and groups together in the appropriate number of boxes and ship to you. There are no charges for shipping on a completed campaign. Artwork will be returned with your order.

Conducting an online campaign (for large groups or schools):
There is NO CHARGE to you for us to provide you with online ordering capabilities. Please let us know if you would like an online ordering webpage. On that page, visitors will be provided the opportunity to not only place orders, but view a thumbnail of the child's artwork. It's a nice touch and provides your fundraiser with an additional income stream. You can easily send a note home with the child explaining the nature of the campaign. The child will probably already have their Sales Card and Order Envelope. In your note to parents, please recommend they contact friends, relatives and acquaintances at work via email, inviting them to support your fundraiser and order cards featuring your child's artwork directly from you or your child, or online if your contacts are out of town. The order page will have a link to your group's order site: www.OrderKidsCards.com

Lead-times: How much time should be allowed for the fundraiser, and how soon will we receive the product?
We are often asked the amount of time a greeting card fundraiser should involve. And the most general answer is 30 to 60 days. Other factors can enter in, of course, but most fundraisers are begun and completed within this time frame. If you are a small group (under 100 participants), you'll probably see a reduction in the two production times listed below (Sales Card production, and order production), so you'll be able to reduce these times to 2 to 3 days while you compute your own leadtime.
When you and/or your organization fundraiser leadership decides to commit to the fundraiser, here are some general time guidelines:

1. Conduct your art session (hopefully within days of making your fundraiser decision).
2. Send the artwork to us. Allow 3 to 4 days shipping time.
3. We produce the Sales Cards, and build your online ordering website. Allow 4 to 7 days for Sales Card production process, depending on the size of your group and the number of illustrations your group will be offering. While the Sales Cards are en route to you, we will be building your online ordering webpage.
4. Receive the sales materials (Sales Cards and Order Envelopes). Distribute and conduct your fundraiser campaign. Most sales campaigns are approximately 10 days.
5. Tabulate totals, and send the order and payment to us. We realize this process may take 2 to 4 days, usually over a weekend. (We will enclose a customized order worksheet to confirm numbers and help you organize your total order.)
6. Send us the order (your order worksheet, the order envelopes bundled by class, and payment). Allow 3 to 4 days shipping time.
7. Allow 3 to 10 days production time, again depending on the size of your group, the size of your order, and the time of year.
8. We ship order to you. Again, allow 3 to 4 days shipping time.
Total: Approximately 35 days, which is a very realistic number. (If you are a small group, this total will drop to roughly 28 days.) Size of your group, the number of boxes sold, the number of illustrations submitted for each child, the time of year and therefore printing demand, etc. can all play a role in this final number, but you can easily see that by working quickly and efficiently, we can work together to easily begin and end a fundraiser in 4 to 6 weeks.

The Holiday Season:
We want to provide a quick note about the fall Holiday Season. If you are from a larger group or large school (250 to 600 participants, for example), we've provided below some good timeframe goals to assist you in planning.
Because Christmas cards and holiday cards are still perhaps the most-mailed cards for any holiday, this is our busiest and most fun season! We hire on lots of extra help and are accustomed to working many fundraisers simultaneously. We can in most cases remain within the timeframe listed above, but we want to provide you the "ideal" timeframe below as a suggestion to you for a fast turn around on your order. Keep in mind that these suggested times are general and "best case." And they are "suggestions" only! Moving events earlier or later will not usually affect the success or timeframes of your fundraiser. For example, if your artwork arrives in mid to late October, this probably will have little bearing on the outcome of the fundraiser. We would, however, like to see your sales campaigns wind up by November 10 to ensure a first-week-of-December delivery date.

1. By Mid-September: Be in contact with us. Let us answer your questions, and let us know you've made the decision to conduct a KidsAreStars.com fundraiser. Let us know the type fundraiser you will be offering and the items you wish to sell. We'll prepare for the arrival of your artwork.
2. Late September: Conduct your art session with the children.
3. October 1: Have your artwork to us or on the way to us by this date. We'll then produce your sales materials, which is most often the sample Sales Card featuring the artwork of the child selling the cards (with sales information inside). Each child will also have a customized Order Envelope.
4. October 10: This date will be our goal for us to have your Sales Cards and Order Envelopes to you.
5. October 10 - 24: Conduct your sales campaign. Tabulate your group order, and send it to us.
5. November 1: We receive your order and begin production. Most orders are completed within 2 weeks and on their way to you.
6. Thanksgiving Week to December 1: This is our goal date to have all orders in your hands to distribute to classes.

Naturally, we are very flexible. If your artwork arrives sooner, we can get sales materials to you sooner, you can conduct your fundraiser campaign earlier, and receive your order earlier.

Do you accept orders later than the dates above? Oh, yes! We have worked with fundraisers that have begun as late as mid-November! And all received their orders prior to dismissal for Christmas break. So, again, know that we are quite flexible. Just contact us with your questions or issues.

But we're a rather small group (under 100 students). What is the standard timeframe for our sized fundraiser during the holiday season?
For small groups, if we work efficiently with turn around times, and if you conduct a sales campaign period of 10 days, we have had no problem in meeting a 28 day deadline. So, for the holidays, if you get your artwork to us by October 1, conduct your sales campaign in mid-October, and get your order to us right after the close of your campaign, in most cases we're able to have your order to you the first week of November.

Can our children submit more than one piece of artwork?
          We actually encourage multiple pieces of artwork from individual children for all groups for our Spring fundraisers. Spring fundraisers generally consist of note cards and all-occasion cards. If your school or group is considering producing all-occasion card themed artwork (e.g., "Happy Birthday," "Get Well Soon," "Thank You," etc.) it simply makes sense to offer boxes of cards featuring several pieces of artwork for each child. Even if your group is considering more generic artwork for blank note cards, offering multiple pieces in a box makes the completed box by a single child even more endearing.
          However, for the holiday greeting card season, we tend to request that artwork submissions be limited to one per child if the group is over 200 children. Because of the time constraints of the holiday season (there's usually only an approximately 6 week window of printing time for all fundraisers), along with the deadlines we must respect so that parents and friends receive their holiday cards in time to mail out for the season.... and because in most years, all the printing for holiday fundraisers occurs at the same time, we simply request that for large schools and organizations we limit artwork to one per child.
          With that said, however, know that we are very flexible! We are accustomed to working with a variety of fundraiser scenarios and look forward to the opportunity to speak with you about your fundraiser. In other words, we're willing to discuss your situation and work with you in whatever manner will make your fundraiser as successful as possible.

Finally, to begin a fundraiser, here's the information we will need from you to set up your file:

1. Fundraiser contact person.
Please let us know the name of the person leading the fundraiser who we will be in contact with throughout the campaign, even if it is you. Please confirm with us your email address and phone number.

2. Your shipping address (and mailing address, if it is different from the shipping address).
These are the addresses where we will send sales materials, your final order, and checks from online website sales.

3. What items do you wish to sell?
The most common items are both sizes of cards, with each box of cards featuring only the artwork of the child selling the cards.
We can also provide group boxes by grade levels. (See above.) There are 20 smaller note card size cards, with envelopes in one type box, and there are 12 larger greeting card size cards in the other size box. The group box features the artwork of all the children in a class or group and is made available in the smaller note-card size. We also offer the individually packaged single card in both sizes as well. Just let us know if you would like to offer both sizes. And then let us know if you also wish to offer group boxes.

4. Would you like to provide additional back of card text and images?
We have a standard back of card format that is available as a default setup, that includes attributing the original artwork to the child, and usually information such as grade level, teacher's name, and the current year. We also have several groups and organizations who have taken advantage of the back of card to spread the word about their organization or school. We've even provided photos of each child on the back of the card. You may send us your logo and text, and we can draw up an example to send you. For examples of how the back of your cards can appear, refer to the Fundraiser Handbook.

5. Would you like to have an online ordering webpage?
There is no additional charge for the webpage, and parents and staff can send an email to all their friends and relatives around the country to invite them to order cards to benefit your school. You may view current campaign ordering webpages by going here: www.OrderKidsCards.com

6. Would you like to provide a selection of interior printed messages?
There is no additional charge for this service. The most common way is for you to provide us with 2 written messages, with the 3rd option to be left blank. But again, we are very flexible. Just let us know the interior text options you'd like to offer.

7. Sales Materials
Please let us know the sales format you would like to work with (briefly outlined on the website, and described in greater detail in the Fundraiser Handbook). The most common fundraiser format includes the sample Sales Card and customized Order Envelope. The sample Sales Card is generated for each child, and is a 7 x 5 card that features the child's artwork on the front, with the back of card as it will appear in the finished product. The interior of the card describes the fundraiser along with the items to be made available. It will also provide the interior messages you will be offering, if you choose to have them available. We will also include a printed customized order envelope for each child, which is an order form for purchasers to place orders for the items you will be selling, and space for them to select an interior message or to leave the interiors blank.

8. What is the official name of the fundraiser?
Such as, "The 2011 <Name of Your School> Holiday Fundraiser" or something like that. This title will be used in your sample Sales Cards, on your order envelopes, and in your online ordering webpage (if you choose to have one).

9. To whom should purchasers make their checks?
This information will be printed on the order envelopes.

We realize that you will have questions!
We are here to answer your questions!
Please feel free to call or email at the contact information above.

We LOVE doing these fundraisers! You'll love it too!
And our goal is to help you realize substantial results from your efforts.
While we know that the task can be a challenging one (especially for large schools and organizations),
please know that we will be available to you to support you, to answer questions,
and to always try to keep things simple and fun,
with the highest regard for providing you and your fundraiser
the highest quality end product possible!

We look forward to meeting you!

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Copyright © 2011 KidsAreStars.com