Dear Principals, Parent Council Chairs & Fundraising Committee Members...
I would like to take the opportunity to introduce Acorn Custom Cards, a new
and exciting fundraising program designed to be easy to run and fun for students;
a rewarding program that builds self esteem; one that creates something practical yet
priceless; a program that will assist you in reaching your fundraising goals.
Traditional Fundraising
Traditionally, fundraising programs require either something to be sold (often by a parent)
or a sponsored student activity. This is not terribly fulfilling for the student or the sponsor.
School boards, principals/teachers and parents have been looking for a change, not only for
something new to attract interest, but to reflect the ideals of their schools, programs that
encourage student participation and are in support of the school curriculum, programs that
discourage soliciting and incentive-based sales. On all counts, Acorn delivers.
The Acorn Difference
The Acorn Custom Cards fundraising program encourages students to participate in their
schools’ fundraising, not merely by selling but by creating. In a nutshell, Acorn provides all
the materials to run an in-class art lesson. These individual works of art are then
professionally recreated on a custom set of superior quality greeting cards, complete with a
brief biography of the student artist on the back. Imagine...for the first time,
parent(s)/guardian(s) can purchase cards displaying their own child’s art to send to friends
and family, to cherish as a keepsake or to give as gifts. With sales directed solely to the
families, no solicitation is required. The artists are proud of their work and the parents are
proud of their artists. It is a “Win-Win” with Acorn!
Schools Win with Acorn
As with any worthy fundraising program, Acorn’s main focus is to assist you in reaching your
school’s fundraising goals. In this regard, Acorn leads the way. The cost to you for one set
of 12 cards is $10.00. Based on a suggested resale price of $20.00 you will earn a
50% profit margin! And, at $1.67 for a “custom-made” card (compare that to the price of a
generic card purchased at the mall), not only does the school win but the donor wins as well!
Please take a moment to review our website, the Information Form, and the sample cards
included, to familiarize yourself with this exciting opportunity. If you like what you see and
you feel it’s time for your school to take a new approach to fundraising, please, give us a call.
Acorn Custom Cards Our Fundraising Spotlight ...
Innovative Company Tackles Modern-day Fundraising Challenges By: Linda J. Ross, Acorn Custom Cards
Raising money is a lot more complicated than it used to be. With the cutbacks of the 1990's, not a lot of attention was
directed to how money was raised, only how much. Today's fundraisers must look for the money and beyond. Product value,
allergy policies, nutrition initiatives, student safety, sales "incentives", parent participation, staff responsibilities,
school values and curriculum enhancement are considerations that must take into account before choosing a fundraising
initiative.
Parent Councils and Principals are not the only ones struggling with these issues as they try to raise funds for their
schools. Companies that offer fundraising programs also have had to reinvent themselves or fall by the wayside. One
such company, Acorn Custom Cards, has taken an innovative approach to tackling these new challenges. Using a new
technology known as Variable Print On-Demand(VPOD), Acorn transforms student artwork into a set of personalized
greeting cards. While printing student artwork is not a new concept, what is new is that the artist gets his or her
personal information printed on the back of the cards, just like the professionals. As well, unlike in the past where
student artwork programs were based on select pieces chosen to be a part of a compilation, families can purchase their
own child's work. In reality this is all parents are really interested in anyway.
York Region grade 7 elementary student, Russel Prouse, participated in the Acorn Custom Cards fundraising program
last fall in his school. Sheila Prouse, Russel's mother and elementary teacher, organized a highly successful Acorn
fundraiser in her Toronto Board school.
Acorn Custom Cards really seems to have something going here. It addresses many of the concerns present in the current
school environment without losing focus on the main goal - raising money.
According to the TDSB Fundraising Policy Guide, the main areas of concern are inclusiveness, soliciting, incentives and
product value.
In regard to inclusiveness, the Acorn program provides the materials for all students to participate with no obligation to
purchase. This ensures that no student is left out. It also allows the program to be incorporated in to the curriculum and
run as a class lesson, requiring no extra curricular responsibility on behalf of the staff.
Students soliciting sales can be at odds with student safety policies. Today, going door-to-door is simply out of the question.
With Acorn there is no advantage in soliciting sales. The cards are personalized. Therefore the only viable purchasing target
is the students themselves or family members, the proud parents and grandparents that will send the them to their friends.
Incentive programs for "hitting" individual sales targets have become unpopular as well. Often the student's idea of the value
of money is skewed with offers of cheap plastic toys in return for a substantial increase in donations acquired. Incentive-based
programs can conflict with school values of the promotion of collaborative efforts for a common goal. With Acorn it's simple,
the card set is the incentive. When the artists see their humble work miraculously transformed into a professionally finished
product, they are thrilled beyond belief.
When it comes to getting value for the money donated, Acorn seems to have really made the effort. The card quality is as good
or better than you purchase at the mall, at a quarter of the price. If you consider the personalization, families are purchasing
something not only practical but entirely unique. Can you put a value on a keepsake or on the sense of pride the artists feel
when they see the results of their creation?
The TDSB Fundraising Guide states "the goals of fundraising go beyond money to reflect the creative and collaborative
efforts of parents, students, teachers and the school community". In this regard, Acorn has really done its homework. It
provides an opportunity for all students to participate and have fun doing it. Students make a personal contribution to the
school fundraising initiatives not by selling, but by creating. Let's not forget that the focus of fundraising is to raise
money. With the generous percentage of sales the Acorn program offers, it is an excellent, all-round vehicle to assist
schools in reaching their fundraising goals.
ACORN CUSTOM CARDS...putting the FUN in FUNdraising™
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