You Can Raise Money By Collecting Shoes
By: Wayne Elsey
I have an awesome giveaway at the bottom of this post about fundraising ideas for schools, athletic groups, boosters, nonprofits or churches.
I’ve had an interesting journey. I’ve been in the footwear business since I was a 15-year-old kid when I took my first job selling shoes at a retail store. I worked my way up and eventually became the president of an international shoe manufacturer. If you know me, you know I love shoes. I have all kinds of men’s shoes in different colors and textures.
In 2004, the world watched the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. On television, I saw a single shoe wash ashore on a beach. I couldn’t get it out of my mind for days. And eventually, I said to myself that I was a fool if I didn’t try to do something. I sent hundreds of thousands of shoes to families affected. During the next 10 years, I shipped over 17 million shoes to people affected by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and in developing nations.
In the years since I saw that shoe wash ashore, I became a social entrepreneur. That means I have a for-profit business that does social good. I founded Funds2Orgs because I wanted to do something unique. As a dad, I remember how much I didn’t like it when my daughter brought home the candy sale envelope. And later, I learned how much people in developing nations need economic opportunities for their own families. I also wanted to help the environment because having been in the shoe business, I knew hundreds of millions of shoes are thrown into landfills and destroyed.
All of these experiences helped inform my team and me as we developed our social enterprise. With our shoe drive fundraiser, parents, volunteers, coaches, and even kids collect gently worn, used, and new shoes. The more shoes collected, the larger the check we issue for the shoes gathered. There’s no need to sell candy. And, there’s no need to ask anyone for money.
We’ve worked with thousands of partners who have helped us become a business with a Better Business Bureau A+ rating.
- When you partner with us on a shoe drive fundraiser, you get a team of fundraising coaches who work with you for the entirety of the campaign.
- We give you the promotion, marketing and collection material.
- One of our team members picks up the shoes from your storage space by truck.
- You receive a Funds2Orgs check within 2 business days of the shoes being received at our warehouse.
As I mentioned, our shoe drive fundraisers are unique. That happened because my team and I learned a lot through the years. This allows us to offer the following
- A fun and easy shoe fundraiser that is proven.
- The shoes collected with our shoe drive partners are consolidated by us and then shipped to developing nations. They become inventory for micro-entrepreneurs, or small business owners, who want and need economic opportunities.
- All our shoe drive fundraisers prevent shoes from being thrown in landfills. Did you know that as the shoes decompose over decades they release toxins into the air? Shoe drives help the environment and in the prevention of respiratory disease.
If you don’t know about shoe drive fundraising, maybe the time’s come to see what it’s all about with Funds2Orgs.
As promised, I’m happy to offer you an opportunity to enter this giveaway to get you started.
neat