Fundraising
program is a popular community activity for charitable purposes and is carried
out for occasions like Christmas, School funding, Church fund, Sports teams etc.
It can also be during of occurrence of natural calamities like hurricanes,
earthquakes etc. to help the victims. It is carried out in many innovative ways
like distribution of various articles viz. music CDs, candies, wreaths,
magazines, gift brochures, jewelry items etc; through scratch cards; recycling
cell phones, ink jet cartridges etc. or through direct donations. Fundraising is
an industry by itself with many fund raising companies set up to help
organizations in managing fundraising campaigns. The activities of some of these
companies include writing books, disseminating non-profit news, developing
software, providing volunteer opportunities, web designing, and web hosting etc.
Wreaths
and Christmas trees from Maine are popular among buyers as they carry the
typical scent and freshness of the Maine’s countryside. The scent of fresh-cut
balsam evergreens from Maine cannot be matched. They carry with them the nostalgia of the geographic beauty
and diversity of Maine for people hailing from the region. Maine’s wild
blueberry industry is centered around the barrens of Washington County. These
plump blueberries are famously used for decorating the wreaths. The base of some
of the wreaths is handcrafted with sweet fern twigs (from Mountain Laurel) which
are found abundantly there. The reddish brown twigs provide a nice
background and they help display a Maine tradition at one’s home or office.
Wreaths
from Maine are a common fundraising means particularly during Christmas season.
They are especially chosen because they are made from renewable forest resource
and are environment friendly. The popular ones include those made from Balsam /
pine fir with decorations made of pine cones, holly berries etc. Dried flower
wreaths are suitable only for indoor use, while some of the artificially made
wreaths can be used both indoors and outdoors.
The
wreaths from Maine for fundraising need to be procured selectively from specific
vendors as there are vendors specializing in selling wreaths made from material
procured from a particular region. They can be ordered in bulk to take advantage
of wholesale prices. Some of the companies even accept returns up to 10% of the
order if unsold. During fundraising campaigns, pictures of the product / flyers
can be shown to prospective donors to make their own choice. The potential
donors can be contacted in person (door to door campaign) or indirectly through
telephone or online through internet / websites. The former would require a team
of volunteers. In case of shortage of volunteers to conduct fundraising
campaigns usually schools and churches set up a table at a P.T.A meeting, church
function, or other function, and sell the wreaths right then and there.
Standard wreath sizes used in fundraising can vary from 12 to 36 inches in diameter and can be round or square in shape. The cost of a good wreath can easily vary from 20 dollars to 400 dollars or more depending on size, material used etc. though for fundraising campaigns the expensive ones are best avoided as profit for the campaign has to be added over and above the cost price.