There are many ways to raise funds through ongoing fundraising programs; one of the most popular and easiest for school fundraising groups to use is the “Box Tops for Education” program offered by the General Mills Company.
Box Tops for Education—Simplicity In An Ongoing Fundraiser
Very few fundraisers are as easy to implement and maintain as the Box Tops For Education ongoing fundraiser. All your fundraising group has to do to get started is register with General Mills (call 1-888-799-2444 to register). After that, your group gets the word out to as many supporters as possible to start clipping the 10 cent ‘Box Tops’ coupons from participating General Mills products. Participants can turn their coupons into your group (or drop them in a designated drop box) at their convenience. All that’s left for your group to do is tally them and remit them to General Mills for compensation.
Expanded Box Tops Programs
General Mills has recently expanded the reach of the Box Tops program to include an online Box Tops marketplace and a book club.
Your supporters can shop online at the Box Tops marketplace from more than sixty major retailers (the likes of JC Penney and Land’s End) for other needed items. Your group receives a percentage of every qualifying purchase.
The Box Tops program will also offer your school group book order forms several times each year. Students can buy books (for personal use) and your school will receive one 10 cent box top for each dollar spent.
Benefits Of The Box Tops For Education Program
Box Tops is a great program to participate in because it is easy to register for and easy for supporters to participate in. Supporters simply clip coupons from items they need to buy anyway and turn them in. There is no cost to anyone to get the Box Tops program started.
Potential funds raised can reach a very handsome figure if your group is able to access a good supply of Box Tops. Even small to moderate sized schools find it easy to raise one to two thousand dollars with little effort. General Mills caps the Box Tops collection reimbursement at a lofty $20,000; in addition, the two expanded programs, Box Tops Marketplace and Box Tops Book Clubs, can earn up to $20,000 each for a potential grand total of $60,000 for your group.
A Few Tips For Box Tops Success
The Box Tops program is so easy that it’s tough to add a lot of pointers to it. You can, however, make the life of those redeeming the tops easier by asking supporters to trim the tops before remittance, and asking them to check the expiration date on the coupon.
The real key, though, is getting people to turn tops in. A classroom incentive program, such as a pizza party (donated from a local pizza restaurant) or other reward for the most successful classroom, can go far towards getting kids to get the word out for you. Box Tops programs are most successful with a good outreach for collections and registered marketplace/book club users, which means getting the word out is your big key to success. Once you’ve accomplished that, your battle is mostly won. The Box Tops for Education program is an excellent ongoing fundraiser that helps to supplement larger fundraisers and fill in the fundraising gaps.