Fundraising Help!

We certainly appreciate the current economic situation, and how difficult it has become for non-profit and school organizations to raise funds. We'd like to tell you how our program can support your fundraising efforts.

First, we are here to support you by offering you our advice for FREE. We have years of experience standing in your shoes, so we know how it feels to struggle to raise funds.

Second, fundraising can evolve into many things within your organization to raise awareness. You can utilize your skills and understanding of the environment to support your monetary goals. For instance, you may want to couple your fundraising efforts with several eco-friendly activities to which you do all the planning. You can spread the activities out over six to seven weeks. By doing this your serve two purposes:

1. You keep your fundraiser on the mind of the organization's supporters.

2. You impact your organization in a way you may not have done before, since previously you may have just relied on monetary contributions to support extra resources needed within the organization. You or other committee members probably have much to offer that hasn't been tapped in the way of planning activities to support the staff. They will undoubtedly appreciated the extra support at a time where they are probably feeling the pinch due to the lack of monetary resources available to them.

Finally, choose wisely. We offer items that people can justify purchasing in a tough economy. Our green fundraising program items are selected according to quality, longevity and value. We realize there are cheaper alternatives in some cases, but unfortunately many of those products will cause you to have to reach in your pockets to replace them in a short period of time. Of course, we always believe it is important to consider whether or not the item is helping to protect and sustain our environment's resources.

Raising Funds in a Sluggish Economy!

We've had the pleasure of speaking with many PTA boards, Booster Clubs and Non-profit fundraising chairpersons over the holiday season. In those conversations, we often hear how hard these tough economic times are on your fundraising goals.

Don't fret. Take a deep breath, and believe in your supporters. In times like this, people will undoubtedly scale back on many things including what they contribute to some fundraising efforts.

We have several important notes you may pass along to your supporters to help you steadily towards your fundraising goals:

1. Ask your supporters to re-think their normal holiday shopping habits. You may want to ask them to reconsider spending the fuel to head out to the shopping mall or big box store. They can easily shop for their entire family from the comfort of their home via their computer by hitting one site - www.ecolabelfundraising.com.

2. Ask your supporters to re-think their shopping strategy so that it covers practical areas of their family life. In other words, you may suggest that they buy their child a new lunchbox rather than toys they may not enjoy for as long.

3. Tell your supporters that you know and empathize that times are tough, which makes you especially grateful if they support the school, church or non-profit. You do appreciate it, so why not let them know?

4. With all honesty, it a budget-savvy to avoid the bustle of the shopping mall or big box stores. By shopping for your organization, they are better able to avoid getting caught up in the holiday hub-bub that often guilts people into over-extending themselves.

5. By driving from store to store, grabbing lunch here and their while out holiday shopping, costs can really add up! People often overlook those built-in costs to holiday shopping.

We'd love to hear your tips for fundraising in a tough economy! Email your tough-economy fundraising tips over to us at myfund@ecolabelfundraising.com.

School Spirit Shopping Bags and Megaphones!

Do you have school spirit? We are happy to help you raise funds and school spirit by organizing a fund drive with school spirit recycled plastic megaphones and reusable organic cotton shopping bags! The best part is that we will have your school's mascot and name printed on each!

Email us at info@ecolabelfundraising.com for more information. It is easy and fun!

Times Square Going Green

From time to time I like bring to attention a great concept or piece of news I read about that has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with our collective mission in the "green" initiative movement.

I read this article by The New York Times today. Here's an excerpt from the article telling some of the features on the new "eco-friendly" billboard going up in NYC's Time Square:

"The “passive” sign is not studded with light-emitting diodes like so many others in Times Square, but will be lighted by 16 300-watt floodlights. It will feature custom-printed opaque vinyl sheeting bearing the red-and-white Ricoh logo. The sign will be green, nevertheless, a message “to customers, other companies and the world that resources and energy can be used creatively,” Mr. Potesky said. “The point is that there are ways of being environmentally friendly to the planet, even on a billboard.” Unlike the tall propellers in a typical wind farm, the cylindrical Ricoh drum turbines have no sharp blades. They will provide 90 percent of the sign’s power; the rest will come from the solar panels on the sign, feeding electricity to eight collection batteries up in the sign. The drums are so perfectly balanced, Ricoh says, that their rotors could be turned by the wind from a single household electric fan." (New York Times)

Top Five Reasons to Choose an EcoLabel Green Fundraiser!

1. You can be proud to ask your supporters to buy eco-friendly, quality products for your fundraiser!

2. Parents that buy a green product to support your fundraiser are more likely to have one more conversation with their child about the environment than they would have otherwise had that day!

3. Educators can integrate lessons about the environment and being eco-friendly into the classroom instruction that will tie in nicely with your fundraiser.

4. Did your Mom ever say, "Do as I do, not as a say?" You are leading by example and children will remember talking about the environment for years to come.

5. Eco-friendly fundraising supports sustaining the Earth's resources for our children and our grandchildren.

GO GREEN FOR HOLIDAY 2008!

Whether or not you have already had a fall fundraiser, it is still to your advantage to add EcoLabel Fundraising's program! Your supports will buy Holiday Gifts, so why not earn 25% of each dollar they spend for your school?

Are We Qualified to Help?

We don't just talk the talk. We walk the walk. Picking a fundraising program is like making an investment. I think every fundraising chair or school staff member making the fundraiser decisions should consider one question, "How are they qualified to help me?"Our organization includes personnel with experience in:

• Fundraising and grant writing for non-profits.
• Fundraising for schools
• Fundraising for Team race programs
• Elementary, Middle School, High School and Collegiate classroom instruction.
• Business-world Information Technology management
• Sales and Marketing in the business and education worlds.
• Professional project management.

Our staff has collegiate degrees and training in:

• Education
• Business
• Sales and Marketing
• Information Technology Systems
• Graphic Design

We are qualified to help you. You can not be everything to everyone, so let us take some of the weight off your shoulders.Welcome to "Respecting our Earth, Raising your Funds, and Educating our Future."

http://www.ecolabelfundraising.com/

Tel: 877-ECO-1141

Fundraising made Elegant!

The new EcoLabel Fundraising site is launching within days (we were hoping we'd be launched on the new site today, but our design team is dotting some last minute i's and crossing some t's, so that it is perfect for your viewing pleasure), so we give you a closer glimpse at one of our products we featured earlier in the week in a group of products.

We love the Earth and enjoy all the resources it provides us. We love that these cards made from recycled paper and vegetable-based inks are so delicate and appealing to the eye!

This is called the "Blue bird" design. The creator of these products really has a eye for delicate and elegant.

Fundraising made elegant!

$16.50, Box of 8

1 day and Counting! Let the Sophisticated Fundraising Begin!

We are looking forward to unveiling our new site! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Fundraising made easy was our goal, and we hope you find it to be simple and lovely!

Thanks for your patience, and supporting us!

Chic Stationery - Fundraising Trendy!

EcoLabel Fundraising is proud to introduce to you a really fun line of stationery products!

Eco-friendly stationery that is chic? Could it be? Ah, yes. It is here, and we are excited about it!

Fair-Trade Soccer Ball - Sporty Fundraising!

The Fair-Trade sporting balls we carry are some of my favorite products. Plus, it is charity "double-dipping" since we donate a portion of our sale to your organization, and the supplier donates a portion of their profit to select children's charities they regularly support as Room to Read and The Boys and Girls Club.

These sporting balls are made by adult workers who produce the balls to receive a fair wage. This doesn't mean the balls cost more to you - the end user. We and the supplier just make less profit. Period.

The balls are Eco-certified and certified Fair Trade. Union-made and vegan. $25.00-$55.00

Eco-friendly Lunch Bags- Fundraising De-Li-cious!

Lunch can be fun and healthy! Pack your kids lunch to make sure they are getting a healthy mid-day meal! EcoLabel Fundraising will be offering these whimsical lunch bags ($22.95) in many patterns. We love the lady bug pattern for girls and the jungle for boys. (or vice versa!)

The fabrics are produced in accordance with strict environmental laws and are Oeko-Tex certified; the coating is made from acrylic and not PVC. The manufacturer uses no chlorine and only water soluble dyes in the production process.

Soy Candle - Fundraising Can Smell Good!

EcoLabel Fundraising is officially rolling out our line in early November, but we wanted to give you a sneak peak of some of the items now!

Each day we will list one new product we will carry. Of course, our line will be much larger than what we feature here, but this will give you a good "feel" for what we will offer.

Enjoy!

Today, we are featuring a soy candle ($23.50, 3" x 3.5" glass pillar) from Bazil Essentials.

Straight from their website here's what they say about their candles:

"Awaken your senses and enjoy the fresh citrus-like scent of lemongrass. Leaves you feeling alive and rejuvenated. 11 oz.

Our soy candles are made with 100% pure soy wax, and scented with only natural essential oils. These 3" x 3.5" glass pillars are lovingly wrapped in tissue paper and packaged in a natural recycled kraft paper box. Made with a Cotton Wick. Burn time is approximately 60 hours.

All Natural Soy Candles are a wonderful alternative to Paraffin Wax Candles (a petroleum based by-product of refined gasoline). Studies have shown that carcinogens released by paraffin wax candles are as dangerous as second hand cigarette smoke and can cause harm to the heart, lungs, circulatory system, and nervous system. This is not only a health concern, but also an environmental concern. Paraffin wax candles release carcinogens into the atmosphere when burned similar to that of gasoline being burned by an automobile.

HERE’S WHY SOY CANDLES ARE BETTER THAN PARAFFIN CANDLES:

* Soy wax is a very clean burning wax, no toxins and an incredibly small amount of soot

* Soy wax burns cooler and longer than petroleum wax, meaning you get more candle for the money

* Biodegradable and water soluble

* Non-toxic...safe for children and pets

* Easily cleaned up with soap and water

* Environmentally sensitive

* A Renewable resource that supports economic growth and US Farmers, AND lessens our dependence on foreign oil

* We use only natural essential oils to scent our candles. No yucky chemical fragrance oils or chemical dyes!! Why would you want to add chemicals to these beautiful, healthy natural candles?"

Pretty fabulous, huh?

Our New Website Sneak Peak!

I thought I'd give you all a sneak peak of our new website! We are set to be up and running on November 1st! We are very excited!

Note: The products shown on this page are not those that we will be offering on our site. These pictures are just for the example.

Long Live the Traditional Non-Profit or School Auction!

We at EcoLabel Fundraising love hearing about the great traditional fund-raising events like Autumn Galas or Annual Auctions. The traditional and anticipation for the supporters and, in a school's case, students, is irreplaceable. We know that it can be daunting for the organizers, but keep up the good work Auction and Carnival event organizers around the country!

Some of our staff talked about those events recently. I recalled back to the day when I would go to and work at the church fund-raising's Fall Festival. My brother and I would look forward to playing the games and eating all those homemade pies! If they had done away with it, we would have been devestated!

Keep it up! I wish I could attend every one of our cooperating or potentially cooperating school or non-profit's Gala, Auction or Festival. What fun that would be!

Having a fund-raising plan is like having a diversified portfolio. We would love to help you raise all that extra money above and beyond your big annual event! Spend your energy on making those memories last for your children and supporters, we'll take the work out of the other fundraising drive for you!

Happy Apple Bobbing, Ring Tossing, Silent Auction Bidding, Craft Making, Bingo Playing, Wheel Spinning, Tractor Racing, Pie Eating, Face Painting......

School and Non-profit Fundraising Made Easy

The much anticipated unveiling of our holiday line for our Holiday Campaign 2008 Fundraising drive is just around the corner. We keep the products under wrap to keep your supporters curious! We also don't want your supporters getting fatigue around what should be an enjoyable time of the year.

EcoLabel Fundraising's Holiday Drive 2008 starts on November 5th!

We have people contacting us constantly wanted to learn more about our program and concerned that they have already started a campaign for this season. Eco-friends don't fret. Many people find it successful to add our program on as a supplemental program to your current fund-raising initiatives.

Getting set up is easy.

First, fill out the registration papers, which you may download from our site.
(temporary site, that is, while our site is being re-built to offer extraordinary functions for participating organizations).

Second, return the completed forms to us.

Third, get the word out to your supporters. We offer .pdf brochures you can send as attachments or print out. (although we like to encourage you to limit paper waste and of course print on recycled paper!) We also offer letters you may email out to supporters.

Four, have your webmaster post a link to our site on your site (this is not manatory but high recommended so your supporters can easily find us!)

Fifth, relax, put your feet up. Just wait for the checks with organizations name to come from us.

Are We Qualified?

We don't just talk the talk. We walk the walk.

Picking a fundraising program is like making an investment. I think every fundraising chair or school staff member making the fundraiser decisions should consider one question, "How are they qualified to help me?"

Our organization includes personnel with experience in:

• Fundraising and grant writing for non-profits.
• Fundraising for schools.
• Fundraising for charities as The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training.
• Elementary, Middle School, High School and Collegiate classroom instruction.
• Information Technology program management in K-12 schools.
• Business-world Information Technology management.
• Sales and Marketing in the business and education worlds.
• Professional project management.

Our staff has collegiate degrees and training in:

• Education
• Business
• Sales and Marketing
• Information Technology Systems
• Graphic Design

We are qualified to help you. You can not be everything to everyone, so let us take some of the weight off your shoulders.

Welcome to "Respecting our Earth, Raising your Funds, and Educating our Future."

Humbly yours,

Jeanne Reslan, M.A.T.
Founder/CEO
EcoLabel Fundraising
t.877-eco-1141
www.ecolabelfundraising.com

Welcome!

I have a secret to admit. I may as well start this blog off truthfully, so here goes...I'm not tough enough to be a teacher. Don't get me wrong, most people that know me would say that I am very resilient, can tackle any challenge and have weathered many difficult storms. However, I am not tough enough to be a teacher.

Can someone out there please explain how it is possible to teach for 35 years? Both my parents were in educators. I heard all the stories growing up, yet I still wanted to give it a shot. After receiving my undergraduate Business degree and working for a few years in the business world, I ventured off to get my Master's Degree in Education with rose-colored glasses on the entire time. I found it to be much more difficult than working in the business world. Through it all, I still have the tremendous love of learning.

Fast forward to the present. I started EcoLabel Fundraising with great empathy for teachers and administrators. I was there for a short time - handling the pressures of the classroom, the paperwork, the parents, the administrators and your own family life. My Father was a school administrator, so I understand how all the same pressures fall on the administrator weighing heavily in different areas.

I got to know all the paperwork involved with lesson planning, keeping up with notes to parents and district professional developments plans. I decided, "why not create a system that takes all the work out of it for the staff?" How many lost checks or money envelopes can I teacher chase down?

We created a completely paperless system which is extremely low maintenance for teachers and administrators. We also created a line that is healthy. Healthy for children, healthy for the environment and healthy for learning. I wanted to emphasize that whole "ethical" package by:

• Promoting healthy products for the environment. How can we teach about preserving our Earth only one day a year ? How about promoting the message over the entire year or even two weeks by keeping it on everyones' minds through an EcoLabel Fundraising drive?
• Taking the lesson planning work out of it for the teachers for one week for a lesson a day. We are changing the face of the traditional fundraisers we have seen in schools for the last 25 years which make more work for teachers. Making more work for anyone creates more stress for them which inhibits their ability to do their job the best they can.
• Buying fair-trade products that are manufactured under ethical conditions as opposed to asking our children to sell products manufactured by children in oppressed situations.
  
• Focusing less on asking our children to peddle unhealthy foods as the main focus of the fundraiser.
• Making less work for the school staff so they can focus on educating our children. We ship directly to the home of the person(s) buying products to support your fundraiser. We take payments directly thru our secure website. No check or cash collecting at the school.

We hope our program excites you as much as it excites us. We have investing much thought and time into developing a program that is best for all stakeholders in the fundraising process. Read our next post to learn more about how we are prepared to best serve you in every way!

Welcome to "Respecting our Earth, Raising your Funds, and Educating our Future."

Humbly yours,

Jeanne Reslan, M.A.T.
Founder/President
EcoLabel Fundraising
t.877-eco-1141
www.ecolabelfundraising.com