Have you grown weary of the same old, same old wrapping paper/candy/cookie fundraisers especially when the products aren’t health or environmentally friendly? So how do you combine teaching children about the Earth and earning money for your schools? My green fundraising committee’s goal was to accomplish both. We started with one program (print cartridges) and after seven years, expanded to twenty different recycling collection programs. Mind you, my school only thought of my committee as a teaching tool so they didn’t push for us to become a financial success. Yet, both can be achieved utilizing the following programs. Check out some of these great programs to get you started:
1. Earn Cash for Waste Programs:
TerraCycle has numerous collection programs where the organization is paid two cents per item. In our case, we collected plastic lunch bags, Capri Sun wrappers, Lays potato chip bags, gum wrappers, energy bar wrappers, markers, glue sticks, and many other items. The kids in the afterschool environmental club counted all of the items. In order for this program to be successful, you need ample space to store the collections. Over the years, due to rising fuel costs, TerraCycle requires a minimum amount of collected product before it can be shipped. For example, energy bar wrappers shipments require a 500 minimum collection. Also, note, their programs fill very fast so some of the above take-back programs are not available. Don’t worry. TerraCycle con-
stantly institutes new programs.
2. Electronic Recycling:
Recycling Fundraiser, Funding Factory, and Buymytronics have fundraising opportunities to buy back electronics which include cell phones, iPhones, iPads, and other digital electronic devices. Some organizations even take back broken items. We worked with both Recycling Fundraiser and Buymytronics.
3. Print Cartridge Fundraising:
Recycling Fundraiser, Funding Factory, and Earthtone Solutions pay for used print cartridges. Again, we used Recycling Fundraiser. By the way, Terracycle pays for the cartridges too.
4. Milk Carton Recycling:
Milkmuny buys certain milk and juice cartons. In turn, the Company makes wallets from the cartons. For Earth Day, we collected the cartons. In retrospect, I should have enlisted the help of more parents since the milk cartons had to be cut up in a certain way. I ended up cutting up 100 plus cartons myself!
5. Shop Green Fundraising:
Greenraising and Koru Fundraising have oodles of great green products to choose from. Each organization has an online shopping web page. The above companies offer various fundraising opportunities such as catalog or website drives where an organization can earn up to 45% of the sales commissions.
6. Snack, Lunch & Assorted Bag Fundraisers:
Everyone is trying to reduce the plastic bag 55