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.

Lakeland Hills Scores Big with Blackberries!

Lakeland Hills Elementary has been participating with Cartridges for Kids since 2006, and communication with parents is a very regular part of their recycling program.  But in the Spring of ‘09, Lakeland’s program coordinator Alisa Kruse decided to try something a little different. She sent home CFK’s summer fliers, encouraging parents to save their recyclables over the summer.

In the Fall when the students returned, they immediately held a collection drive to gather all the items collected over the summer months.  One of the parents who received a Save over Summer flier was able to collect over 70 Blackberry smart phones from her husbands employer, earning the school almost $450! Lakeland was given a $50 bonus for earning over $200 during their 6 week collection drive, bringing their total to just shy of $500.

The moral of this story is you never know WHO you might reach if you just put the word out! We have lots of great ideas for getting in touch with parents, local businesses, and other potential supporters. Find them all on our website under Ways to Grow.

Way to go Lakeland Elementary!

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.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Recycling Trees

Last fall, schools across the country grew their funds with Recycling Trees…

This fabulous promotion idea came to us at CFK last year, and we couldn’t help but tell everyone about it.  This fall, we want YOU to participate and send us your success stories and pictures. Wanna know more?  Read on…

Q: Ok, what are they?!?!

A: Recycling Trees are just visual ways to represent the recyclables your group collects.  Each student/participant gets a leaf when they bring in an item.  They write their name on it and slap in on the trunk.  Pretty soon, you’ve got yourself one healthy-looking tree.

Q: Do I have to use your template?

A: Of course not!  We at CFK are all about creativity.  Make it your own.  You can even branch off (bad pun intended) and do a winter scene with snowflakes, a Valentine’s Day mural with hearts, or a palm tree with coconuts.  The sky’s the limit.

Q: Yeah, but does it work?

A: One school earned more during their 6 week Recycling Tree campaign than they earned the entire 2007-2008 school year!  Another school earned $400 in 2 weeks!  We’ve learned that participation grows when people get to see their recycling contributing to a group effort.

Q: How do I get started?

A: We’ve made it easy for you.  Click here, print out the template, hang it up and spread the word.

Q: Can I send you my pictures of my completed Recycle Tree along with our results so you can post my pictures to the CFK blog and brag about our school?

A: Of course.

World Teachers’ Day 2009

Today is World Teachers’ Day, and CFK wants to join in by saying….

The focus of this year’s World Teachers’ Day is on the importance of investing in teachers now, even considering the current global economic situation.  By investing in the teaching force, we are ensuring that their knowledge and experience can be used to bring new solutions to global issues, and to lead our children down the same path of global vision and creative thinking.

We here at CFK want to encourage and thank all those teachers out there who inspire, motivate, and energize our kids every day.  You truly make a difference.

Visit the World Teachers’ Day website to send your favorite teacher an e-card, post pictures of how you’re celebrating World Teachers’ Day, and check out pictures from schools around the world.

October Spells AWARENESS

October spells awareness for some of the most pressing issues facing women globally in the 21st century. October is both National Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Cartridges for Kids is here to give our support.  CFK has worked closely with the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation since 2006 and has helped fundraise over $250,000 and recycle over 70,000 cell phones to date. The MKACF was even awarded the title of CFK’s Featured Recycler in October of 2008; you can read the full story here. Their success is accomplished by the thousands of sales associates and consultants spreading the word about recycling.

Each event is an opportunity to raise awareness and perpetuate fundraising. Each color class, each consultation and each convention is a potential discussion about recycling cell phones, inkjet cartridges, and its benefit to the Foundation.

The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation is dedicated to eliminating women’s cancer and ending the epidemic of violence against women.  Each year the foundation donates $20,000 to each of 150 women’s shelters nationwide, awards 15 respected doctors and medical scientists each $100,000 in cancer research grants, and donates over $1 million to organizations like CancerCare inc. and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  Read more about the MKACF’s fight to end women’s cancer and DV here, in their 2008 Year in Review.

The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation is paving the way for a brighter tomorrow for women everywhere, and October is the perfect time to celebrate them and their legacy of giving.

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.

What’s the deal with Leonid Stadnyk?

About a year and a half ago, CFK posted this picture of Leonid Stadnyk and asked you if it was a tiny cell phone or big hands….

Since then, it has consistently been one of our most frequently viewed posts.  Apparently, everybody likes a good perspective shift.  So here’s some more cell phone pictures and recycling info to brighten your Friday.

A few years ago, a museum in Baltimore did an entire exhibit on the cell phone and its impact on everyday life.

Help us reduce the impact old cell phones have on the environment by holding a cell phone drive.

You could even win $50 in bonus money, and that ain’t bad.

This is enough to make you dizzy….Rob Pettit used 5,000 cell phones to create this picture.

If you collect just 100 phones during your drive, we’ll give you $50 plus the value of the phones. Click here for info.

Here’s another Rob Pettit creation.

Check this out…each tiny mark represents 3,315 cell phone users in the U.S.

Just think how much GREENER our world would be if each of them recycled with CFK.

Some pretty cool things to ponder…

Click here to start a cell phone recycling program at your school/organization.  Let’s work together to make this world a GREENER place.