Some of you might have caught our press release or one of the subsequent stories in local papers about ABC Fund Raising Inc. partnering with Colorado schools to donate over $78,000 to the Yellow Ribbon Support Center.  To view the article click here.

This was the item on the back cover of the 2011 Kids Are First catalog and at the end of the fall fundraising season, the Yellow Ribbon Support Center donation was the most popular item sold in our catalog.

So I think it’s pretty cool that people supported the fundraiser to benefit their school in the first place, and I think it’s just plain awesome that so many chose to do so by purchasing something to help someone they don’t even know.  This story is a good reminder that in a time when it’s easy to see so many things wrong, a lot of people quietly and thanklessly continue doing things that are right.

There is an interesting article by Tim Sullivan in PTO Today that’s been making the rounds here at ABC Fund Raising Inc. It’s about the differences between sales people in general and sales people in the school fundraising business. Basically, he’s making the point that while we tend to have a healthy distrust of sales people in general, this distrust does not serve us well when working with a good representative at a reputable fundraising company.

He brings up a lot of good points in support of this idea, but in a nutshell he’s saying that the biggest difference is that fundraising companies and PTOs both want the same thing—more money being raised for the school.

This is different than say, buying a car. When you purchase a car, the more money you pay, the more the salesman is going to make–so what’s bad for you can be good for him and vice-versa. But in fundraising, the more a school raises, the more the fundraising company makes. Also, a fundraising company isn’t just looking for a one time sale, but for a relationship with a school that will last for years.

Finally, he encourages parent volunteers to view fundraising reps as resources. After all, they’re professionals in the business, and assuming they’ve been at it for awhile, they’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience about how successful fundraisers are run, and since they really do want their schools to raise the most amount of money with the least amount of headaches, why wouldn’t a parent group use them as a resource?

Sullivan has a lot of insightful points about fundraising, so if you have a minute, I really recommend giving his article a read.

There have been a number of stories in the news lately about bullying. Sadly, many of these have been about students committing suicide after being bullied. This phenomenon has even become so common that we now have a word for it—bullycide.

Statistics show that 17% of children are victims of bullying and that, “it is most likely to occur where there is no adult supervision, inadequate adult supervision, poor supervision, a lack of structure, and few or no anti-bullying rules; it is also more likely to occur where teachers and students accept bullying or are indifferent to it.” The internet has also created a new forum for bullies to operate. In the past victims could at least escape the bullying when they left school, but now a student may be victimized 24/7 and in a broadly public forum.

There is no doubt that this has become a serious problem that needs addressing. Fortunately, Colorado recently passed HB 1254. This law updates the definition of bullying to include cyber-bulling, creates an anti-bullying task force, and provides funding for schools to implement bullying prevention programs.

ABC Fundraising Inc is also joining in the effort to stop bullying. We’re partnering with Block Out Bullying, an anti-bullying program created by nationally renowned speaker and author Richard Paul. By joining this with regular fund-raising efforts we will be able to offer schools the opportunity to add bullying prevention to their regular curriculum without increasing their financial burden.

With all the pressure and danger our kids face in the broader world, we should always be working to ensure that schools are places kids can safely and confidently thrive. Implementing anti-bullying programs now will go a long way toward making this goal a reality.

Happy New Year everyone! One thing I love about this time of year is that things slow down after the holidays, and the excitement and activity of spring and summer is still months away. This creates a great opportunity to take some time for self improvement. For many of us this means things like eating better, getting more exercise or acquiring new skills. In all cases it is important to set goals, understand how to reach those goals and then go to work and stay at work achieving them!

But we have to be honest with ourselves, creating positive change is difficult, and it takes big, bright, positive energy to power you through all the inevitable little things that are going to slow you down and make you want to quit. The same is true with pulling off a big fund raiser. The kick off is crucial, it sets the goal, the strategy, and builds up that positive energy. But from there it’s up to us as fund raisers to work hard keeping the good energy flowing. Having a positive and supportive attitude helps us personally overcome challenges and become a source of strength and confidence for others when they get caught up in the difficulties. In this respect it is important remember that happiness and the things leading to happiness don’t just happen; they’re earned by people taking it upon themselves to make it happen.

Many parent volunteers know that successful catalog and frozen food fund raisers can bring in big money but also big headaches. The good news is that with a little foresight a fund raiser can be smooth, successful and pain free.

One common thing that gets parent volunteers reaching for the aspirin is fund raising companies that deliver items in bulk. The parent group then has to sort through, pack and distribute everything to the students on their own. This might work ok if your school has a team of volunteers in place, ready to dedicate hours or even days completing a tedious and often frustrating job.

Or you can avoid the entire experience by choosing a fundraising company like ABC Fund Raising Inc. that pre-packs and delivers orders directly to the classrooms. In this case the delivery is over in a couple of hours and can be easily overseen by only one or two volunteers.

Another frequent headache with cookie dough and frozen food fund raisers is what to do with orders that get left behind when students are absent or otherwise unable to take the items home. The last thing anybody wants is boxes of rapidly thawing food sitting in the school after everyone has left for the day. The school might have a kitchen but it is usually packed with food for lunch and breakfast. Parents can ferry the items to their home freezers (if they have room) and then back to the school later, but this is hardly a satisfactory solution.

Fortunately, this conundrum is easily solved by choosing a company like ABC Fund Raising Inc. that provides the school a freezer on the day of delivery and then picks it up a few days later. This way items won’t be ruined, and staff and parents don’t need to have their regular routines disrupted by the fundraiser.

These are just a couple of examples of how solving little problems before they become big problems can easily lead to a happy, successful and aspirin free fund raising experience.

Hello and welcome to the new ABC Fund Raising Inc. blog! ABC Fundraising has been your local, Colorado fund raising company for over twenty years. My name is Brian Hughes and I have been working with ABC Fund Raising for five years now.

In this time I’ve worked, and gotten a work-out on many levels of the fund raising business. I’ve gotten weight-training by moving boxes around in our south Denver dry goods warehouse, I’ve worked extremely fast in the 20-below temperatures of our north Denver frozen food warehouse, and I’ve kept up on cardio rushing custom orders directly to classrooms all across the Rocky Mountain region.

In this time I’ve been very fortunate to meet and work with hundreds of wonderful parent volunteers and together we’ve jumped through the hoops, cleared the hurdles and successfully delivered more fund raisers then I care to count.

Throughout this process I’ve been learning the ways schools complete successful, profitable and stress free fund raisers. This blog is aimed at sharing this knowledge and experience with you so that your school can raise the funds it needs to ensure every student receives the best education possible.

It is simply a matter of fact that we live in an era of shrinking school budgets and resources, but by using our successful fund raising strategies, parents can ensure their school remains at the top of its game in good times and bad, and as your local fundraising company, you can leave the heavy lifting to us!