A New Way to Fundraise…Complete Success!

As Winter is setting in, many of us are sighing because the children’s’ fundraisers will be on a break for a bit. We are often inundated with the ‘asks’ of our friends to support their children’s’ schools, sports teams etc that it can become exhausting.

This year I’ve had the opportunity to experience a different kid of fundraising which peaked my interest right way. Fresh from the Farm really is a fresh way to fundraise. I wrote all about it HERE but in a nutshell they allow schools to raise funds by selling fresh, Ontario fruit and vegetables to the community, while supporting healthy eating and Ontario’s farmers.

One of my local schools, Mono Amaranth Public School was participating and I had the opportunity to go and see the action of pick up day and ask the organizer some frank questions.

Christine Bailey is a parent at the school who volunteers on the parent council. She decided to fundraise with Fresh from the Farm simply because everyone needs fresh produce and she saw the potential.  Fresh from the Farm has a package they send along which outlines the entire process and Christine found it simple to implement.

She first sent home pre-made inquiry letters which allowed the families to sign up and even offer to friends. These were returned, she submitted to Fresh from the Farm and they arranged a delivery date. I attended the school on this day and saw the student volunteers laughing and having fun packing the bags for each type of bundle which was ordered.
Christine had a great system; she had the bags laid in two areas, one for each type of bundle:

• Priced at $10, Bundle A includes: 3 lb Carrots, 3 lb Onions, 5 lb Potatoes, and 3 lb Sweet Potatoes
• Priced at $15, Bundle B includes: 8 lb gift box of Empire Apples

Christine had the master list in hand and simply referenced the family name and the student volunteers helped carry the bags home. One brilliant tip which Christine gave was to send along the original order form with the family so they could access if they were ordering for friends and family.

During my time at the school I asked some of the people picking up orders why they chose to place their orders and the answers were all the same…we ALL need produce so it just made sense! This option actually excited the customers who felt good about supporting local farmers.

This program has been amazing to watch! The school raised over $1100 and the students were able to experience it first hand. Bravo to all involved, I’ll be looking to implement at my own school next year.

To find out more, you can phone EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-510-2, Email at contact@freshfromfarm.ca,or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.