Directors, developers, pastors, leaders and principals share many things in common, but today we will focus on one thing… fundraising. When your organization depends on the support of people contributing financially to your cause, it’s like pulling teeth sometimes. Whether you need to raise $100 or $10,000, a cell phone recycling “eco-fundraiser” may be perfect for you.
If you don’t already know how a Get Green To Get Green “eco-fundraiser” works, I will give you a really quick explanation. We pay you to recycle cell phones. Your job is to collect as many phones from your community as possible. You send them to us and then we write a check back to the organization. It’s really cool because Get Green To Get Green pays the shipping. Even an individual trying to raise money for a mission trip or wanting to earn extra income can participate in an “eco-fundraiser”. This phone collection can even last all year around. So here are a few ideas to help get your cell phone “eco-fundraiser” started and to make it a huge success.
1.) Set a deadline. Determine how long you want to do the collection. If you plan on collecting phones throughout the year, it is still advised to have a “launching” event. For example: “We are collecting Cell Phones for… Please have your phones turned in by June 30th”. (If people don’t have a deadline, they are more likely to keep putting it off.) Then after that date, let people know you will still be collecting phones and tell them where they can drop off the phones.
2.) Get the word out! Obviously, if nobody knows about your collection they can’t participate. Newsletters, e-mails and social media should be used as a place to start spreading the news. Use Get Green To Get Green’s resource page to print off posters and fliers to help promote your collection. There are also several other ways to get the word out, depending on what type of organization you are.
- Churches: Make announcements every Sunday. Put it in the weekly bulletin. Make an announcement slide. Set up a collection center in the lobby or in an approved area. It’s good to have someone “manning” the station to answer questions. You could even have someone holding a collection box at the exit doors.
- Schools: Send an information flier home with every student. Keep encouraging the students to tell their friends and family that the school is collecting old cell phones. Have intercom announcements as reminders.
- Non-Profit Organizations / Charities: Inform your partners and supporters through e-mails, newsletters and your web-site. Also word of mouth is one of the most successful ways of communicating this event to your sponsors. Put posters and signs up throughout your facility and invite those who support your organization to do the same.
3.) Call people to action. In order for people to be motivated to contribute or willing to participate in your cell phone fundraiser they must have a cause. Let them know what the money is going to be used for. Digging wells in Africa, buying food for a food pantry, purchasing text books, youth summer camp or rebuilding a community from tornado damage… these are all great “calls to action”. Let them know that their old phone is actually making a difference!
4.) Use the internet. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, StumbleUpon are some of the outstanding ways to inform and educate your followers and supporters online. You can make a Facebook event (e.g. Cell Phone Recycling for The Foundation) to inform people of how to participate. Keep the information in front of your followers with pictures or videos and other fun status updates, letting them know the progress of the cell phone collection. Don’t forget to tag us @GGtoGG. Remember to have fun and be creative!
5.) Stay consistent. We are forgetful people sometimes. How many trips to the grocery does it take you before you remember to bring your plastic bags to recycle? Make sure you are informing people as often as you feel necessary.
6.) Share the success! Using any or all of the methods I mentioned above, tell people how the collection is going. Share with them how many phones you are collecting. Let them know how close you are getting to your goal. Keep it exciting.
With over 130 million cell phones thrown into landfills every year and the average house hold having 3-5 old phones lying around in junk drawers, the Get Green To Get Green “eco-fundraiser” is perfect. Most people don’t know what to do with their old phones and a cell phone recycling fundraiser is a great way for them to donate their “trash” to help some amazing organizations accomplish their goals.
Good luck with your cell phone recycling fundraiser!
