Thaw, Learn, Grow — February 2016
- Posted on February 10, 2016
February is full of promise. While winter still holds us firmly in its grasp, the days start getting longer, and plants begin preparing for spring. Soon bold bulbs will peek above the cold and sodden ground, and overwintered crops will extend their first tentative green leaves, setting the stage for spring growth. Now’s the time to plan our gardens, selecting seeds that will determine what we harvest throughout the year.
In February we also celebrate the Lunar New Year, Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, American Heart Month, Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent (and more). Each celebration provides an opportunity to connect with our communities, culture, faith, traditions, and families.
FarmRaiser can help you create authentic fundraisers around these traditions–as fundraisers, advocates for healthy food, and educators– instead of dressing up the same old fundraising appeals in a seasonal story. This issue of the Cultivator is about how to create the real deal, using the FarmRaiser platform–and we actually do sell garden seeds now from High Mowing Organic Seeds in Vermont!
If you’re ready to bring authenticity, connection and education to your organization’s spring fundraising efforts, read on, send us an email, or sign up for a free FarmRaiser account, and start planting the seeds to greater health and wealth in your community.
Locally Yours,
Mark W. Abbott Founder and CEO
“My father taught me that the fate of a seed can be predicted by the health of the soil where it takes root. This is true of summer crops. It can be true, in another sense, of people. We all need a healthy environment and a community that lets us fulfill our potential.”— Will Allen, urban farmer, author, retired professional basketball player, and MacArthur genius grant recipient.
Ideas for Creating Authentic Fundraisers with Themes, Books, and Local Businesses
Imagine you are a politician campaigning to create more jobs in America, and then you get your campaign t-shirts and yard signs printed in Hong Kong– how long do you think it would take before someone noticed, and called you on it? Now imagine you are raising money for a sports team or school gardening club that promotes health, fitness and connection to nature and you were selling candy bars.
FarmRaiser offers you three ways to create harmony between your fundraiser and your cause:
1. Add a thematic and educational element with books. For instance, you can celebrate Black History Month with a book about pro-basketballer-turned-urban-farmer Will Allen, who has inspired a new generation of youth in Milwaukee and around the country to connect with food and farming. See the whole catalog of Readers to Eaters educational books here
2. Choose fundraising products to reflect the season: Try a Valentines-themed Fundraiser with a home-made meal kit, artisan dark chocolate, or a trip to local restaurant that your supporters (and their sweethearts) will be shopping for anyway. Another great winter or spring fundraising idea is a seed sale (see below).
3. Support the businesses that support your community: Local businesses are a cornerstone of every community — they provide jobs and opportunities and they create a unique character and flavor that makes the place you call home special. They also depend on you as a customer. When you sell local products in a fundraiser, the whole community benefits, and people are more likely to know about it and support it.
Sign up for your Free FarmRaiser account and get started today.
If you’re ever need some inspiration or ideas for your next healthy real-deal fundraiser, stop by our blog. We’ve got dozens of posts, hints, tips and tricks to help you get the most from your fundraiser.
| 7 Reasons we Love Seeds Fundraising
If you’re looking for an idea for a high-profit, easy, and healthy winter fundraiser, we have some great news for you: FarmRaiser has just partnered with High Mowing Organic Seeds to bring their seed fundraising catalog to your school, band, team or cause. Reach your fundraising goals by offering the highest quality, 100% certified organic and Non-GMO Project Verified seeds to your supporters and customers. Seed fundraising is easy to do, can be set up very quickly, can be done anywhere in the country, and deliver high profits — read our blog post on 7 Reasons we Love Seeds Fundraising for the full story on how seeds can deliver the results you need to support your cause. One secret to a great gardening and great fundraising is to get started early — now is the perfect time to plan your Spring FarmRaiser — Sign up, or Login today, and prepare for successful harvest. |
A Trove of Ideas and Resources
We’ve been hard at work this winter, moving our anecdotal experience and knowledge onto our blog. If you’re looking for tips for organizing an effective fundraiser, help merchandising your products on the FarmRaiser platform, or a collection of ideas for your next fundraising effort. Some posts we’d like to highlight:
- The full organizer handbook
- The FarmRaiser introductory video
- How to talk to your friends about FarmRaiser – an introductory presentation you can share with your organization
- A Selection of Fundraising ideas for your school or cause
We welcome your ideas and contributions in our comments sections — thanks for your help in creating a new generation of healthy, sustainable fundraising.
Got news you’d like to share with FarmRaiser? We want to hear about it! Write it in the commenTweet to @FarmRaiser or email us at info@farmraiser.com.
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February is full of promise. While winter still holds us firmly in its grasp, the days start getting longer, and plants begin preparing for spring. Soon bold bulbs will peek above the cold and sodden ground, and overwintered crops will extend their first tentative green leaves, setting the stage for spring growth. Now’s the time…