Co-op America's RealMoney: Greening School Fundraisers

by Tracy Fernandez Rysavy

If your school or community group needs to raise some cash, think about selling eco-friendly goods from the greenest businesses.

For several years, the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD, had held an annual fundraiser selling Sally Foster gift wrap to raise money for the sixth-grade field trip. But the gift wrap chosen for the sale contained no recycled content and couldn't itself be recycled, whcih concerned a group of green-minded students so much, they called a boycott.

"This particular group of friends called themselves 'the Treehuggers,'" says Miriam Glaser, who teaches sixth-grade science at the school. "I got wind of the boycott, so I met with them, and we started working together as an official school group on green issues."

As a result of the boycott, the PTO saw a significant reduction in the amount of money they earned, and it didn't take them long to agree to meet the Treehuggers to discuss sustainable fundraiser alternatives.

Though it was too late to stop the Sally Foster sale, the Treehuggers decided to conduct a sale of their own, to raise money for compost bins and recycled paper for the school. Glaser helped them find Greenraising.com, an eco-friendly fundraising company.

"I was very excited about how much we raised," says Glaser. "We were all happy with the variety of green products, and the kids felt good that they'd made a difference."

Are you a parent or grandparent who is tired of seeing your child sell unsustainable prodcuts to raise money for his/her school? Does your house of worship or nonprofit run fundraiser programs through businesses whose products could be cleaner and greener? Read on for a variety of responsible alternatives to conventional fundraisers.

Greenraising.com
Started by a group of eco-minded parents, Greenraising.com exists to help schools and other nonprofits raise money from sales of useful green products. Many items come from members of Co-op America's Green Business Network, including EcoBags reusable bags; Laptop Lunches reusable lunchboxes; Fair Trade Zhena's Gypsy Tea, Ithaca Fine Chocolates, and Peace Coffee; and Earth Friendly Products cleaning supplies.

Greenraising.com offers three different fundraising options: 1) Your group can hold an ongoing Web sale, where supporters use your specially designated code on the Greenraising.com online retail store. 2) You can hold a two- or three-week "Website Drive" and earn higher profit margins than with an ongoing sale. 3) You can run an in-person (recycled paper) Greenraising catalog drive.