Way to Grow Number 3

Let’s talk pledging.  CFK wants you to pledge to recycle, and we’ve made it easy.

How?   Pledge bags!

• Pledge bags are 6 by 9 inch plastic bags that we provide your group for free (click here for a picture).
• We send them to you, you pass them out to your participants.
• Participants place a recyclable item in the bag, sign the back and return it.

Now the fun part.  Hold a drawing every week, month, day, whatever you want, and give out a prize to the participant whose pledge bag you drew.  Award a homework pass, extra recess, chocolate bar, bookmark, whatever prize your group will go crazy for.

Pledge bags have increased participation and earnings for schools across the country, so try it at yours and let us know how it works.  Need an email to send out to parents to let them know about pledge bags?  Click HERE.  Want to order pledge bags?  Click HERE.

Way to Grow Number 2

Here on the CFK blog, we talk about Recycling Trees ALL THE TIME!  In fact, the T, R, E, and S button on my computer are all but worn off completely.  But we just can’t stop ourselves.

Recycling Trees can boost your earnings,

increase participation,

and give your school a lovely new decor…

(Thanks Foothills!)

Recycling Trees are easy to do at your school or organization.  Here’s how…

1. Click here to print off a template for the tree trunk and leaves.  Post the trunk somewhere everyone can see it.

2. Give a leaf to everyone who brings in a recyclable item.  They can decorate the leaf, write their name on it, etc., and place it on the tree.

3. The more items you recycle, the fuller your tree is!

Recycling Trees can be adapted to fit your school or the season!  Try a Field of Flowers, Winter Scene, or Holiday Scene, where each participant can receive a petal, snowflake, shamrock, or heart to place on a paper mural.

Recycling Trees can earn lots of money.  Read all our other Recycling Tree success stories here and here and here and here and here and here and here.

Once you start your Recycling Tree, send us pictures and stories so we can share your success!

Way to Grow Number 1

Our best money-maker over the last 10 years has been contests and collection drives.  They’re easy to do, they get people involved, and they earn a lot of cash.  Plus, we’re giving out bonus money, and everyone’s eligible to get it.  Whether it be having groups compete to see who can bring in the most items, or working together to achieve a recycling goal, contests and drives are the way to grow this fall.

Here’s how to run a collection drive or  contest at your location…

1. Decide on a 6-week time period to amp up your collection and hold a contest or collection drive.  Also, decide if you are going to have classrooms or grade levels compete to recycle the most, or if your group is going to work together to achieve a recycling goal.

2.  Let CFK know when you’ll be holding the drive, and GET THE WORD OUT!  Announce to parents, teachers, and your community.  Tell people what to bring and where to bring it to, and remind them of the bonus money you could earn! Click here to get a sample email you can send to participants.

3. When you’re done with the contest or drive, let CFK know how when and how much you’ll be sending in.  This way, we can make sure to tally all your boxes.

4. IF YOU COLLECT $200 WORTH OF ITEMS, OR 100 CELL PHONES, CFK WILL GIVE YOU A $50 BONUS CHECK!

So, why not schedule your contest or drive today? You’ve got nothing to lose.  You can hold as many contests and drives as you want, and CFK will give you a $50 bonus check once a school year when you collect 100 phones or $200 worth of items.

Check out success stories from schools who did contests here and here and here.

Again with the 10

2009 is the year of the “10″ around here at CFK.

• CFK’s 10th birthday is this year (if you’re sending cake, send chocolate)
• We’ll give you 10% if you tell someone about CFK and they sign up (it’s easier than you think)
• We’re about to tell you our top 10 list of Ways to Grow (if top tens work for David Letterman, they can work for all of us)

Stay tuned throughout the next few weeks as we give you the best ideas for growing your program.  Want a sneak peek?  Check out our full list of green-growng, program-boosting, participant-enhancing ideas here.

10%…and that ain’t bad…

Unemployment this year hit 10%, tipping your waitress 10% will get your soup spit in, and maybe we only use 10% of our brain.

But at CFK 10% can get you a long way.  Refer someone you know to recycle with CFK, and we’ll give you 10% of whatever they make.  They earn $500 in the school year, we’ll send you $50.  It’s our way to say thanks.

All you need to do is tell your referral to mention you when they sign up.  We’ll set it up in the system, and you get free money.

When has 10% looked better?

Click here for more info.

CFK Turns A Decade Old

We’ve been around for 10 years now, and in celebration, we’d like to tell you 10 things we’ve learned since starting up in 1999….

1. Size doesn’t matter.  All shapes and sizes of schools can succeed equally well with CFK.  The key is enthusiasm.  Your school of 20 kids can out-fundraise a public school of 2000 students.  We’ve seen it done.

2.  One laser cartridge per shipping label = low box value = sad faces all around.

3.  Community is important.  We’ve seen fundraising programs grow exponentially with the help of a few community members.  Get your neighborhood involved in what you’re doing, and watch your program take off.

4.  Not enough packing material = broken items = sad faces all around.

5. Everyone loves a good goal.  Our CFK staff is constantly setting goals for ourselves, and we’ve learned that they work!  Set one for your group today.  If you meet one of our goals, we’ll even give you bonus money–for free.

6.  Not checking the CFK website & blog = missing out on cool stuff = sad faces all around.

7.  Recognition makes an impact. Pats on the back are vital to keeping enthusiasm and excitement levels high.  Reward those around you when you see a job well-done.

8.  Sharing your ideas with CFK = helping other groups expand their program = happy faces all around.

9.  Communication is the name of the game.  How can people participate in your recycling program if they don’t know about it?  How would they know about it unless you tell them?  Get out there and make it known.

10.  Participation in CFK = $ for your group = saving items from landfills = making this world a better place = happy faces all around.

The best birthday present you can give us is your participation and enthusiasm.  We want your program to run the best that it can FOR YOU, and we hope to see you on our 20th birthday.

Ever Wonder Where Your Blogs are Coming From?

Or who that mysterious voice is on the other end of the phone? Let us introduce ourselves!

Left to right, top to bottom:

Jenna:  Jenna is our full-time receptionist. She enjoys reading, lolcats, and she and her husband Mike are expecting their first child in May.

Gerry:  Geraldine, or Gerry as we know her, is our office manager and dedicated CSR. She enjoys playing with her 3 grandchildren, gardening, eating healthy, and being outdoors.

Jackie:  Jackie is our resident cat expert, pickup coordinator, and CFK CSR.  She enjoys showing her Cuddlebug Persians and spending time with her other kitties.

Sara:  Sara is our shipping clerk. When you receive supplies, you better believe Sara had a hand in getting them to you! She enjoys spending time with family and taking long drives in the nearby Rocky Mountains.

Emily (me):  Emily is a CSR and writes for the CFK blog, Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.  She is originally from California, makes her own jewelry, and  loves cooking and being with her husband Jon, and dog Ruby.

Renee: Renee is an Administrative Assistant and CSR.  She is a vegetarian and she enjoys Indian Food, Indie Rock, and spending time with her husband, Austin, and kitty, Nakira.

This is Anna. She moved away in August to attend graduate school at Emerson College, but continues to write for the CFK blog, Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.  She enjoys drawing, painting, and Awkward Family Photos.

And Last but not least, our fearless leader Kerrie. Kerrie likes killer tunes, skinny jeans, and spending time with family and friends.

Now that you know who we are, tell us know who you are! Comment on our blog and tell us about yourself and your school.  Send us stories, pics and recycling ideas! send them to contact@cartridgesforkids.com

We are looking forward to it!

Time for a Story…

CFK is a big group of chatterboxes.  We LOVE talking about recycling, and we love sharing stories about our participants.  We just can’t keep our mouths shut about the program.

BUT, we also want to hear from you.

Please Please Please share your comments, questions, stories, ideas, successes, failures, attempts, concerns, rants, raves, anything you want to gab about.  Post them here yourself, email them to us (contact@cartridgesforkids.com), even call us if you want (800.420.0235).

We’ll listen, we promise.  As much as we love to talk, hearing from our participants is what makes our day.

CFK is Now Accepting Calculators!

As if we weren’t accepting enough items…

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, CFK wants your old calculators.

Wrap ‘em up and send ‘em in, because there’s no reason not to.

Just another way CFK is working to help you earn MORE.

Click here to see calculator values and all the other items we take.

The Right Foot…

So you’ve SIGNED UP with CFK, you have FLIERS, POSTERS, and a designated COLLECTION SPACE, NOW WHAT?

Get the word out!  The more people know about your program, the more participation you’re likely to receive.

Get your program started on the right foot with these simple and creative ideas.

Try all of them, or just a couple, and watch your program GROW!

• Put a blurb in your school newsletter or daily announcements.
• Send out an email to parents and your community.
• Link CFKtoday.com to your school website.
• Send a press release to your local newspaper, radio, or TV station.
• Give fliers to your local Chamber of Commerce.
• Set up a table or have fliers available at school or community events.
• Post your school’s collection on Earth911.com.

Don’t forget about our contests and collection drives that can earn you $50 in bonus money.  Starting your collection with a contest or drive is a proven way to BOOST your earnings.

Click here for even MORE ideas about how to GROW YOUR PROGRAM.

Let us know how you started your school year, or contact us with questions.