Organizations everywhere are starting to see the benefits of staging certain types of fundraisers. As you may have discovered through trial-and-error, some fundraisers are simply more successful than others. We all want to raise as much money as we can for our respective organizations, but there are times when we ought to give pause to other considerations.
Coffee fundraisers have been massively successful in the United States and beyond. It should come as no surprise, mind you. Everyone loves coffee, especially really good coffee. It is estimated that over 200 million people in the United States alone drink coffee on a daily basis. At approximately one dollar per cup, you can imagine how staggering the profits can be. Organizations have an excellent opportunity to tap into this market, and to brew up massive revenues for their respective ventures.
The difficult part of doing coffee fundraisers, is convincing people to compromise their morning coffee routines. It may sound absurd, but many people feel very passionately about the coffee they drink. From what I have been told by some of our readers, Canadians are absolutely fanatic about Tim Horton’s coffee. The challenge for people involved in fundraising, is to convince people to try something new. We have to appeal to their thoughtful side. It is for charity, after all.
One of our friends has had tremendous success by putting a new twist on the traditional coffee fundraiser. Instead of offering people unimpressive gift boxes of coffee, why not consider selling bags of Fair Trade Coffee? If you are not aware of the Fair Trade movement, you should be. It is essentially an effort to ensure that farmers in developing countries are properly compensated for their labor and their products. The movement also tries to address issues regarding the environmental impact of certain farming practices, as well as local economic sustainability.
There is a significant percentage of the population in America that truly cares about what is happening in the world today. The environmental movement has been going strong for decades now, and people have become both active and aware of the issues that affect citizens in America and beyond. These conditions create a wonderful opportunity for fundraisers, as we can give people an opportunity to support two wonderful causes; the Fair Trade movement and your organization! Let your conscience guide you in your fundraising efforts, and help make trade fair.
Michelle Pearson is a former fundraising consultant, and she is passionate about making the world a better place. She is also a contributor to the internet’s preeminent fundraising resource - fundraisingknowhow.com. Learn about the issues surrounding your fundraising efforts, coffee fundraisers, flower bulb fundraisers, and more.
On April 20, 2005, President Bush signed into law the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act, a piece of sweeping legislation that brought about the most sweeping changes in personal bankruptcy law in the last quarter century. This bill, which takes effect in October 2005, passed with the overwhelming support of both parties of congress, claims, through its very name, to offer “consumer protection.” Does it? How are consumers “protected” by this bill?
The purpose of the new legislation, is to eliminate “bankruptcy of convenience”. Sponsors of the bill allege that most consumer bankruptcy cases involve irresponsible spenders who have shopped or gambled their money away and now do not wish to pay their creditors. They rightly point out that bankruptcy costs the credit card companies billions of dollars each year and that those costs are passed on to consumers in the form of higher interest rates. By making it harder for those with problem debt to file for bankruptcy, legislators say that more people will pay their bills, the credit card companies will save billions of dollars, and the resulting savings will be passed on to consumers in the form of lower interest rates.
The bill is lengthy, but key points are as follows:
Those considering bankruptcy will have to pass a “means test.” If their income is above a certain threshold, they will not be able to file under Chapter 7 of the Federal bankruptcy code, which wipes out debt and gives the debtor a fresh start. Instead, they will have to file under Chapter 13, which establishes a five year repayment plan.
There are no provisions in the law for debt problems caused by job loss, illness or other traumatic events, despite studies that show that these are the cause of most bankruptcy cases.
Attorneys will now be responsible for the accuracy of paperwork filed by their clients. This will probably result in fewer bankruptcy attorneys, with those that continue to practice raising their fees substantially in order to offset their additional liability.
In short, most consumers are no longer protected from job loss or illness by being able to file under Chapter 7 and they will have less help from competent attorneys due to the new liability provision of the bill. There is little to “protect” consumers in the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act. The sole benefit for consumers resulting from this bill will be lower interest rates and fees from the credit card companies, who will save billions of dollars as a result of this legislation. Of course, should the credit card companies choose to keep the savings, rather than pass them on to their customers, then consumers will be left with no benefit or “protection” at all.
©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing.
Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding home equity loans.
