Ink cartridge and cell phone recycling fundraisers are very popular because they are super easy and keep millions of useful cartridges and cell phones out of landfills. There are several things your organization can do to make your ink cartridge and cell phone recycling program even more successful.
Be A Good Partner
Be a good partner to your recycling redemption company by following their guidelines. Be sure to:
- Obtain their latest list of accepted cartridges and cell phones
- Update the list regularly and pass it on to donors
- Sort through donated cartridges and cell phones and weed out broken and beyond repair units
- Follow the company’s schedule for redemptions and payment
- Follow shipping instructions, and package large donations conveniently for easier processing (see below)
(FundingFactory offers a fundraising program for ink cartridge and cell phone recycling. Sponsored link.)
Recruit Donations
Remember that you are not limited to your immediate support base for cartridge and cell phone donations; you can reach out to other individuals and groups, too. Some good ways to increase donations are by:
- Calling area businesses and asking them to set aside their used ink cartridges; assign someone to pick the cartridges up to make it even easier on the company.
- Encourage your group’s members to collect ink cartridges and cell phones from their employers, friends, family, and others. You might consider supplying a second outreach letter that can be given to peripheral supporters.
- Set up community collection boxes; attach a letter or sign explaining what can be donated and who will benefit (your group). All you have to do then is regularly check and empty the boxes. Note that some businesses might welcome a drop box at their office, too—they can drop their cartridges and old cell phones in, and so can their employees and clients.
Note that some redemption companies will allow you to supply shipping bags to individuals and groups that they can simply mail in (postage pre-paid) on your behalf; that way, you won’t have to worry about making the rounds to collect donated cell phones and empty ink cartridges.
Protect Your Profits
You can ensure that your collections are protected by packaging them well and according to the recycling companies suggestions before shipping; that way, more of your units will be accepted and paid for. Some tips for packaging large shipments of ink cartridges and cell phones follow:
Lastly, be sure that your packages are labeled correctly so that they get where they are going. If pre-printed materials are provided, use them—they will ensure that the correct addresses and postage are used, and may include an ID number that lets the company know who you are.
You can feel good about this easy recycling ink cartridge and cell phone fundraising project!