This single venue prompted the following success email last week from Sherry in Oregon:

Do you or your school have a Special Event coming up this spring?  A fundraiser auction?  School Carnival?  Awards Dinner?  5K or 10K run?  How about setting up a display with signup sheets to sell boxes of your group's note cards to benefit your group?  One of the most successful fundraiser ideas in the spring months is the 'special event' venue.  This is an event where the entire school's parents are invited, or where the entire community will gather.  We'll help you set up a tabletop display featuring the artwork of one of more classes in your school.  We'll even design signup/order sheets, and a standup display board.  The result?  Normally you'll get overwhelming response!  People are in a giving frame of mind, and love the unique and refreshing artwork of children, featured on something practical and useful like greeting and note cards.

Considering a KidsAreStars.com Art-Based Fundraiser....
AND you're head of a PTO from a Large School?

          If you are head of a PTO from a large school or organization, we know that the first response to your task of gathering artwork from 600 or 700 students can be daunting.  We have some very simple tips for you:  You can still conduct a profitable fundraiser, and keep it very very simple. 

The 1-Step Fundraiser

The 1-Step Fundraiser is a method developed by one of our own clients who is head of a school of over 500 students.  This is by far the simplest, most efficient method to work with large numbers of students, while generating the highest potential revenue.  Everything from your end takes place in a single simple step.

How does it work?  We send you a packet of information for each student in your school. 

The packet contains:

1.  A letter to parents from you describing the fundraiser, what items your group will offer, the costs, the dates, etc.  Be in contact with our office to let us know what points you wish to cover in your letter.  We'll write the letter for you, and email a sample to you for your approval.  Within the letter will be suggestions on sales to family and friends.  On the back of the letter are guidelines for parents in helping their child create their artwork at home.
2.  A blank piece of paper which will be used for the artwork.
3.  A customized order envelope naming the items your group will offer for sale, with pricing of the items.

At the end of your sales campaign period (usually a week), the packets are returned to the school.  Remove the checks made out to your group, and send all the packets, containing the artwork and order envelopes, to us, along with your order form.  We'll generate your order and return everything to you.

This extremely simple and efficient method requires very little time from you or your leadership.  Just call us if you have questions and/or to begin this fundraiser method.

Hint:  Because you will be in control of the orders and artwork coming to us, by making sure that every piece of artwork generated has an order attached to it, you will automatically qualify for the $1 additional Participation Bonus for every box your group sells!  This can be a very powerful and lucrative fundraising method for your group.

Below are additional tips and advice in working with an entire school:

Tip #1:  Don't be overwhelmed!
If you are a large school, and you wish to generate the artwork first so that we may generate 7 x 5 Sales Cards for every child, you are probably fortunate to have an art instructor on staff who works with all the children.  Our advice?  If you would like to have all the children represented in your fundraiser, and wish to provide every child with a prototype sales card, work with the art instructor.  Provide the simple guidelines for artwork to the art instructor (8-1/2 x 11 standard printer paper, felt markers as the medium, name on the back).  And we'll work with you on everything else.

Tip #2:  Consider working only with a small handful of classes 
If you're a school of 600 or 700 kids, and you don't have the benefit of a fulltime art instructor to work with in your art classes to create artwork for your sales cards, consider focusing on 1, 2 or 3 classes, a particular grade level, or a group of teachers who share your enthusiasm.  Remember that each class can easily generate $1000 in revenue (based on number of boxes sold and your resale price).  For example, if your revenue goals are $3000, consider working with 3 or 4 classes of students.  Also, consider the "special event" venue (see above), especially this spring.

Create Multiple Streams of Revenue

          "Multiple streams of revenue"?  Don't let that phrase scare you!  Creating several streams of revenue for a single fundraiser is just as powerful a concept as creating multiple streams of income is for any successful business.  Why?  Because multiple profit streams take the pressure off making a single campaign successful.  Rather than relying on a single method to raise funds selling these wonderful greeting cards, you'll be relying on several simple methods.  Combining the revenue of each of them will usually more than meet your fundraising goals. 

          How can this "multiple streams" idea apply to your art-based fundraiser?  A KidsAreStars.com program employs at least 3 different ways to generate revenue.  And each of them can be employed through a single decision to work directly with our office.  Set it up, and we'll support you to completion.

Revenue Stream #1:  Person-to-person campaigns
          We'll generate Prototype Sales Cards, featuring how the cards will appear in the 7 x 5 version on the outside, and with a miniature art gallery and group pricing and descriptions on the inside.  This is a POWERFUL sales tool because viewers will see just what the cards will look like, get to see what each child's drawing looks like, see the pricing you've set, and allow everyone to hold a real example of what they will be purchasing.  In addition to this, we'll also send you customized order envelopes listing each item you've chosen to offer, along with pricing and who checks are to be made to. 

Revenue Stream #2:  Internet Sales
          We support you with Internet sales as well!.  When we generate your Prototype Sales Cards, we're also generating your OWN website, with a miniature art gallery of each child's artwork, a description of each item you're offering, and a link to a shopping cart page.  This method is extremely powerful because your entire fundraiser could conceivably be conducted online.  Simply send a note home with the child recommending that parents send an email with your order link enclosed (we provide a sample email for you).  Parents contact the friends, relatives and acquaintances in their email address book, and copy and paste a letter.  This is especially successful with friends and relatives who live outside their area.  We will fill the order, ship to the purchaser, and we'll transfer the income to you.

          Keep in mind that this website is a vehicle for you to use FOREVER.  Your fundraiser revenues from this single campaign vehicle are available to your group to continue to generate income for you year after year.  AND, with each new group you work with, and each new fundraiser you conduct, you'll get an additional webpage and order capabilities.

Revenue Stream #3:  Single Event Venue
See description above...   We feel you'll see the value of this method, and see how simple it is to create your revenues through simply 'showing up' for a special event.