Coffee Fundraising

Boost Your Fundraiser

2011-10-16T08:04:00.004-04:00

Our most successful fundraisers are administrated by a Booster. These programs have a base of support (even though it may be small) that will take the pressure off the teacher, director or adviser. They meet on a regular basis, plan for fundraising and other events and take ownership of making your program successful.

School Spirit Coffee provides a Parent/Guardian letter with our Sales Package. It is intended to help you inform and solicit the resources of your participants biggest fans - their parents. The notice lets them know when the Fundraiser is beginning, how much you would appreciate their help and how they can do that. This is an automatic jump start to a great fundraiser.

I also recommend that you enlist the help of Boosters in summarizing the forms, collecting the money, placing the order and distributing the products upon delivery. It is the hands on involvement and a measure of their success that will keep them engaged in your program.

Hence the name "Boosters". If you are conducting a fundraiser but not enlisting your Boosters you may have a good sale, but believe me when I say it could be better.

Meet Tamatha

2011-09-10T17:56:00.002-04:00

It is actually hard to catch a picture of Tamatha. She is in motion 99% of the time.

Tamatha joined the staff of School Spirit Coffee last year and has become a valuable part of our family.

A mother of four boys (can you imagine), wife, professional photographer and so much more!!!

Tamatha works with Sandra to fulfill School Spirit Coffee orders. She is conscientious, careful and committed to helping School Spirit Coffee succeed.

Tamatha organized a fundraiser for the Clark County Orchestra (she too is a professional booster Mom) last spring which was a great success and hopefully the beginning of many more fundraisers to help the orchestra of Clark County meet their needs.

School Spirit Coffee is blessed to have Tamatha as part of our amazing team. Thanks Tamatha for all your hard work and commitment to SSC.

Meet Sandra

2011-05-10T14:25:00.004-04:00

Today's post features one of our key employees, Sandra Leal. Sandra has worked for School Spirit Coffee for five years and oversees the daily operations of our Roastery. The only thing she doesn't do is roast the coffee!
Sandra is an expert at labeling the packaging, filling the orders, shipping and quality control. She never takes a short cut with our orders and constantly gives me knew ideas on how to make our production smoother. I seriously stay out of her way once I hand the order over to her, confident that it will be completed with our quality standards in mind.
When Sandra is not at work she is a devoted wife and mother of four beautiful girls, ages 12, 9, 5 and 3. Obviously a busy woman! Her hobbies include dancing, reading, walking and watching her favorite TV shows. Her favorite products that we sell are the Mocha Jo, French Vanilla Cappuccino and Snicker Doodle. She is just learning to drink "real" coffee!

A Fun Day at the Roastery

2011-04-16T21:19:00.003-04:00

This blog has nothing to do with fundraising but everything to do with having a great staff. Tuesday was my birthday and also a day the Roastery is open to the public. I usually arrive somewhat after the staff but this week when I arrived no one was there - at least that's what I thought with concern.

I raised the garage door to reveal a storefront full of streamers and birthday banners. Not just the storefront but as I made my way to the back of the Roastery decorations greeted me everywhere. As I passed a table full of birthday treats, Sandra and Tamatha jumped out and threw confetti all over me! I've made it 54 years without having a surprise birthday party. Needless to say I was surprised and also thankful that they were actually at work!

Just so you know, while we are roasting and packaging your orders, we are also having fun. It is such a blessing to work with people you enjoy and that also enjoy their work. In the next few blogs I will introduce you to the staff the keeps School Spirit Coffee rolling. They are the best.

Arkansas Stixx

2011-03-24T18:03:00.002-04:00

I want to use Arkansas Stixx as a perfect example. After six years of fundraising with schools and nonprofits I have learned that you can't judge the success of a fundraiser by the number of order forms you send out - it's all about how motivated the group is to raise funds.

Since we are a Direct Fundraising Company, we don't have reps all over the states that come to your kick off and generate a big hype to help you raise funds. I am opposed to that type of fundraising, which you would know if you've read previous post.

Arkansas Stixx is a group of 40 members associated with Arkansas State University, that just raised close to $1,500 because they are committed to meeting the financial needs of their group. Awesome! No, they didn't have 100% participation but they have shown passion, which is what I appreciate.

Can you generate excitement for the success of your group, without the hype of overpriced products and cheap dollar store incentives? Then School Spirit Coffee is for you.

Brewing Success

2011-03-22T07:26:00.002-04:00

School Spirit Coffee and Creative Coffees Roastery were featured in the local paper yesterday. The Winchester Sun in Winchester, KY. See highlights and pictures here - http://tinyurl.com/6jub3at

The Value of Fundraising Products and Rewards

2011-03-08T17:55:00.008-05:00

Oh my, I just read on a popular fundraiser's site where the product you are selling doesn't really matter. He states that he can successfully sell a $5.00 bill for $10.00 if the incentives for the students are attractive enough. So what he's really saying is that you can sell overpriced products as long as you dangle a series of flashy rewards for the participants, which on not even close inspection are just cheap toys.

I have no objection to rewarding participants for their contribution to your sale and School Spirit Coffee even promotes that as one of our top keys to success. However, what the above mentioned fundraiser is promoting is manipulation of a child by placing toys for each level they reach. If you sell 10 items you are rewarded a flying helicopter, sell 15 and you get the flying helicopter and a bean bag, and on and on...... Get the point - Go to the dollar store and buy your child a flying helicopter, bean bag and whatever else they are offering. It is junk, a very short lived reward and a wrong message to our children.

We recommend that you incorporate a way to reward the participant, but not with junk. I'm all for cash or gift cards. Set it up so that for every 10 items the student sells they will receive $5.00 in cash, or gift card. Back at the Dollar Store, that would buy a helicopter, bean bag ball and at least three more pieces of junk.

No doubt, by setting up rewards for fundraising participation you will at least double your profit. But PLEASE don't choose a program that promotes that the value of the products you sell doesn't really matter as long as the students can get excited about earning Junk. The value of the products should be a priority, plus the participant's reward should have true value!

Tips for a Successful Fundraiser

2011-03-04T16:50:00.002-05:00

I came across a great article posted on AFRDS about implementing a successful fundraiser. School Spirit Coffee narrows it down to three basics: Set Goals, Stick to your Timeline, and Reward High Achievers. I realize that is an over simplification of the amount of planning and time it takes to raise funds for the organization you are passionate about. This article gives us food for thought and hopefully adds to success of your fundraiser. AFRDS Article

Bring on 2011

2011-01-18T18:21:00.001-05:00

Welcome 2011! School Spirit Coffee continues to broaden our base of schools and nonprofits that use and love our program. Our customers are our best advertisement so it’s my job to keep everyone happy. Not a problem, we have the best fundraising program available and I don’t mean just coffee fundraising.
We had a tough decision to make recently due to the fact that the price of raw coffee beans has gone through the roof. In order to stay profitable we had to choose whether to raise our price or lower the weight of our product. Not wanting to make this decision without the blessing of our top sellers, I emailed our top 10 fundraisers. All but one said “raise your price”. The overwhelming sentiment was that they liked selling a full size product (1 lb), something that you won’t find with other popular fundraisers. Remember the box of 4 chocolates you bought for $15.00? I could go on and on but I won’t because I’m sure you have plenty of those memories also.
My objective is to keep focused on the original mission of School Spirit Coffee - Help Schools and Nonprofits raise money by selling a quality, full size product. It’s nice to know our customers recognize the difference and appreciate our program. They also remind me that this decision shouldn’t have been so tough!

Pumpkin Spice

2010-11-18T18:48:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Spice is flying out the door! Yes, it is the Holiday Season. Our top four coffees are Breakfast Blend, French Vanilla, Hazelnut Supreme and Snicker Doodle - Pumpkin Spice comes in 5th this time of year. So thankful to have the Dream Team working this fall and winter: Sandra, Tamatha and Jeff. Thank you for all the hard work!

Bring It On

2010-08-08T17:16:00.004-04:00

I love summer, the warm weather, sunshine and green everywhere. But I also love school fundraising, so welcome back schools. Last week we kicked of Twisters, TNT Explosion Allstars, Cobra Coffee and several others. We also helped the quality of a baby eagle, which I don't usual do, but he was very cute, happy and made me smile. That was for the Clay City Elementary Patriots, selling soon!
Our new order forms look amazing. We have kept all the coffees from last year, added two loose leaf teas and a Fair Trade Organic from Peru. The forms are still one page and you choose the selling price - keeping it simple is my motto. The easiest way to get started is to complete the Worksheet on our website. You will then be contacted about artwork and details.
Whatever fundraiser you choose this fall I hope it provides great quality and the funds you need.

Roasting Coffee

2010-07-29T09:56:00.001-04:00

Fair Trade for the Fall

2010-06-29T16:39:00.003-04:00

This is the time of year when School Spirit Coffee gears up for the next fundraising year. New order forms, new products and on top of that roasting our own coffee - sweet! The products won't all be announced for another few weeks but I will tell you that we are offering a Fair Trade Organic Coffee this year. Very exciting to have that option for your supporters.
When you shop for a fundraiser, make sure the company you choose puts a fresh face on every year. Evaluating and change are a healthy part of good business.

The Tour

2010-06-07T19:19:00.002-04:00

Roaster Videos

2010-05-18T13:50:00.003-04:00

Our friend, Patti Stanton, came to Winchester and made three amazing videos of our Roastery. See yesterdays post for the first and I will be sharing the others in the next few weeks.
Today School Spirit Coffee is packaging for Winnacunet High School in Hampton, NH. They created their own label for the boys Lacross team - great job team!

Creative Coffees Roastery

2010-05-17T19:34:00.003-04:00

2010-03-03T19:13:00.002-05:00

I own a great little book called Laughter & Latte. The following is the Introduction by Nicole Johnson. She expresses my opinion of a coffee experience.

Coffee is a universal welcome. It is available to all of us, rich or poor. It doesn't matter what country you live in, what language you speak - you can get a cup of coffee without much trouble. I have had a coffee in almost all fifty states and in eleven countries. I have friends who have sipped cups in England and others who have been served coffee sitting in a grass hut in the desert of Oman. The message is always the same: friendship and warmth. You are welcome here.
Coffee is an experience, an offer, a rite of passage, a good excuse to get together. When someone invites you to get coffee, it isn't because they're thirsty. It might be because they are cold, but more than likely it is because they want to spend time with you. Coffee makes a promise.
People who don't even like coffee usually love the smell and the experience. I have friends who don't drink coffee, but they never pass up the opportunity to go to get some. It's the place, the people, and the passion. They will have hot chocolate or a smoothie or some beverage, just to embrace the invitation to get together.
And that is the invitation of this book. We want to spend time with you. We'd like to get together over a cup of cappuccino or a cafe latte and share a few thoughts on friends and fun, family and faith. The way I see it, you don't need an excuse to get together over coffee, but this is one of the best.

Obviously, that has nothing to do with fundraising, but everything to do with coffee.

Distributing School Spirit Coffee

2009-09-24T18:10:00.002-04:00

School Spirit Coffee products are delivered to our customers by flavor and coffee type, not by individual sellers. Because our coffees are fresh roasted prior to your delivery plus we don't feel it is enviromentally wise to ship 200 boxes, I don't expect that we will ever ship otherwise. Don't be overwhelmed though, I spent this morning at a local school sorting and distributing 1,500 lbs of coffee products. With three volunteers we were done in two hours! Here is how to make it work well for you.
First, sort the coffee by type and flavor and line up in the exact order of the order form. Your first item will be Breakfast Blend Ground and the last item is Mocha Jo. Don't put the Breaksfast Blend Whole Bean by the Breakfast Blend Ground, that confuses the volunteers. Breakfast Blend Whole bean will be after Variety Pak, just like the order form. Inventory the product numbers against the Packing Slips.
Before you start the second step I recommend a very handy tool you can create - cheap and quick. Take a letter size envelope and using a paper cutter (what school doesn't have a paper cutter) slice 1/4 inch off the top and the bottom of the envelope, eliminating the flap and the sealed bottom. Now divide the remaining envelope in half creating two long strips that will slide perfectly over an order form. This is your guide. Make one for every volunteer.
Second, slide the handy tool over the first student's order form and line it up with Breakfast Blend Ground. Move across the order form with your handy tool until you have filled that person's order. Repeat this step for each order form.
Third, pass out the boxes, bags or whatever you packaged the orders in. You're done!
Now wasn't that easy!
Your room will smell amazing while you are sorting and filling the orders. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice

2009-08-29T19:22:00.002-04:00

It's almost fall, Walmart has Thanksgiving items out, Kohl's is selling pumpkin sweaters and School Spirit Coffee has Pumpkin Spice on our order forms. Pumpkin Spice is the most popular holiday flavor of the fall holiday flavors. Even though it seems early for that, the turn around of your fundraiser makes sense. If you are starting a fundraiser this week, your sale will complete in two weeks and the delivery of products is within another two weeks. That's right, by then we are almost in October! The products that you sell now have a shelf live of six months if they are stored at room temperature in your pantry. Coffee can be stored in the freezer indefinitely, not the refrigerator. There is too much moisture in the refrigerator to safely protect the quality of your coffee product. If you store coffee beans, ground or whole, in the freezer only remove what you need per brew unless you are going to use it everyday until is it gone. To sum up - we are in the holiday season, whether you feel like it or not. Live in the moment of summer, but sell for the days to come. By the way - our top products are Breakfast Blend, French Vanilla, Hazelnut Supreme and Snickerdoodle. Pumpkin Spice will never be tops - only tops of the Holiday Flavors.

Keeping it Personal

2009-08-10T17:28:00.003-04:00

My favorite emails are from our repeat customers. They say something like "Hi Debbie, we are back to school and will be ready to start our fundraiser on Sept. 1st." It's personal and friendly, even though I haven't met many of our customers outside of Kentucky. The reason is obvious, it's because I am available. When you email or call School Spirit Coffee you will be talking to me. Personal contact with customers is important and one of the most helpful benefits a fundraising company can offer you. Organizing and operating a fundraiser is a big job and I have found that my customers appreciate being able to reach me with a question or problem. That's why I love to get those friendly emails that tell me we are doing something right.

Tis the Season

2009-07-19T19:48:00.002-04:00

It feels like October in KY, unseasonably cool, but we are fast approaching August. With the teachers and students returning to school comes the challenge of funding those programs we love - band, chorus, sports team, cheerleaders, clubs, group trips and even schools themselves. Boosters all over the states are putting their heads together trying to come up with the best fundraiser ever. Planning, Timeline and Rewarding, previously mentioned in an earlier blog, are my keys to success whether you are selling coffee or flowers. Plan for success by making sure you have chosen a company that provides a quality product AND excellent customer service. Don't be tricked by companies that offer incentives that look like they came from the dollar store or special services that they are actually going to charge you for. At School Spirit Coffee, our customers come back year after year because they know we care about their success. I'm looking forward to a great year with School Spirit Coffee!

Blogging 101

2009-07-10T20:38:00.004-04:00

Here's the scoop on blogging. When you post a comment, the program is going to ask you for a profile. If you have an account with one listed then by all means use that. However, you do not need to create an account - use the Name/URL, insert your name - no URL needed. That post will be sent to me for approval and then you are live. I want to hear from you. Thanks

Summer Planning

2009-07-09T19:33:00.002-04:00

Wow, am I in the midst of planning for School Spirit Coffee 2009/2010! We have new order forms, new flyers, updated website and much much more. Mocha Jo (Hot Chocolate) is back by popular demand - yes, I heard you!!! Our coffee selection and quality has never been better. Top four - Breakfast Blend, French Vanilla, Hazelnut Supreme and Snicker-Doodle are still offered in the popular Variety Pak. Did you notice I spelled Snicker-Doodle differenly? There is a company that notified me that they have a trademark on the name Snickerdoodle. Can you believe that? It's like a trademark on French Vanilla - not going to happen. Anyway, I don't want any trouble so I have changed the spelling. Same product and great taste, one of my personal favorites. My customers are the best and I am privileged to help with their fundraising needs.

2009-06-16T19:25:00.000-04:00

I kind of let the blog thing be forgotten for awhile. I'm back!
School Spirit Coffee wants to hear from you, successes and failures in fundraising and why you think that happened.
I've been on three sides of fundraising. The passionate booster parent, a supporter of organizations and the owner of a fundraising company. Since my daughters are grown I'm no longer a booster parent, but I am still on two sides of fundraising. If you knock on my door I'm going to buy something from you. In the past year I have bought a duck pot holder, microwave popcorn, candles, Chistmas ornaments and believe it or not School Spirit Coffee.
First the pot holder - it is shaped like a large duck puppet, bright yellow. The mouth opens to grasp your hot items from the oven. Why did I buy that? Because the cute little seven year old across the street was raising money for her school.
The popcorn, candles and ornaments were purchased for similar reasons. The popcorn was not that great, but it helped a little boyscout. The candles and ornament are still in my bureau waiting to be given away as friendship or hospitality gifts. They are smaller than they looked in the catalog.
OK, this is my favorite. Our local high school soccer team sold School Spirit Coffee last year. One of the soccer team members knocked on our door selling School Spirit Coffee and we bought 3 lbs - two English Toffee, one Snickerdoodle. She had no idea that we were actually the ones they were buying the coffee from. Why did I buy that? Because they knocked on our door!
In summary - I would say that you will have customers that will buy something just because you are selling, but how much better it would be to sell something they are looking to buy again when you are back next year.

Let's Begin

2009-01-12T20:34:00.000-05:00

Coffee and Fundraising are my passion. Well, next to my husband, two daughters and Jesus! It is what I do. I am starting this blog to get your feedback not only from School Spirit Coffee Fundraisers but about fundraising in general. Let me know what works for you and what doesn't. You are the experts, you know what you need so let's begin a learning experience for everyone. When you post an idea let us know if you are a teacher, booster, student or whatever. Those in your position will be able to relate.
I am looking forward to a great learning experience.
Debbie Hohman
owner - School Spirit Coffee