FactoryFunding.com is an established business that can help you raise significant revenue without asking parents to keep chipping in. They do this through an effective recycling program that includes ink jet cartridges, laser toner cartridges, cell phones, MP3 players and all sorts of personal electronics. A complete list of the qualifying items can be seen here.

Here is how FactoryFunding works:

Click here to enroll in Jim Berigan’s FREE year-long school fundraising e-Course!

When you recycle your used ink cartridges, cell phones, laptops, and small electronics with FundingFactory, your recyclables convert to cash and rewards that can get your school or nonprofit organization the things you need — for free.

Getting Business Supporters for your recycling program makes raising funds even easier. Schools and nonprofits with supporting organizations in their communities report more than 3 times the cash and rewards earned than organizations without Business Supporters.

We inspect every item we receive to determine whether it can be recycled or remanufactured — two states that account for 98% of the materials we process.

Collectively, FundingFactory participants have stopped 21 million pounds of waste from being landfilled.

Here are a few success stories from schools that have signed up for and have used FactoryFunding.com:

This video is from the West Boylston school district in Massachusetts.  They have raised $40,686 from FundingFactory.com

This second video is from Elk County Catholic school system.  They have raised $24,210 from FactoryFunding.com.

We were able to catch up with a participant in the program to get some feedback. Sue, a member of the West Corner Campus Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in Endicott, New York, has raised over $100 since she signed up with Funding Factory, recently. She provided some great feedback on how to use this fundraiser in your organization.

Signup

To sign up for the service, just go to the Funding Factory website. There, you will fill out a simple form to get started. They then send you a starter kit for collection of ink cartridges and cell phone batteries. “The signup process was very easy, and if you ever have questions, you just email your representative,” Sue says. “They get back to you ASAP!”

Getting Participation

Sue says she has a hard time getting people to participate initially, but once they do cartridges come in on a regular basis. Right now, they have about a 10 percent participation rate from the PTA members.

To increase participation, Sue has advertised in the PTA newsletter, and reminders go home with students on a regular basis. She also sends reminders to the teachers and staff at the school to bring their cartridges.

The struggle for participation among so many other activities and fundraisers can be hard, but Sue says you must be persistent. She recommends consistent advertising at meetings, frequent reminder notices and hanging posters.

“Also, ask parents to ask their places of employment for cell phones, laser cartridges and ink cartridges,” Sue says. “I am getting the word out for that, too, and am having success!”
Other Advice

Have a support group. “I have a great group of PTA members who help me when I need it,” she says. “Keep track of donations on a spreadsheet [for simplicity].”

“I will continue to do Funding Factory,” Sue says. “What money I raise for our PTA may not be a lot, but every little bit helps. These cartridges are trash, and to see it turn into cash amazes me! It’s a lot of work, sometimes, but the kids are worth it.”

I realize that this makes me incredibly lame, but even though I’m pretty awful at this activity, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it. Because I do. I’m quite impressed by the folks who excel at this. Back in April of 2007, a 13 year-old girl named Morgan Pozgar became the first-ever National Texting Champion and won $25,000 for being able to send a 151 character message in 42 seconds. Amazing. After winning the prize, Morgan reported that she sends over 4,000 text messages per month! That works out to over eight messages every waking hour of the month.

Anyway, the point is, texting has arrived.

So, I was understandably intrigued when I recently learned about an upcoming fundraiser to be held in New Jersey that was using cell phone text messaging as the main hook for raising $100,000. The one-day event is scheduled for February 28, 2008. (There is a great article on the plan here.) The beneficiary for this event is a brain trauma center, not a school, but I think the steps could easily be transferred to a school setting.

The event is called “Text for 10”, and it works like this: The group has recruited 1,000 teens and ‘tweens to form 100 teams of 10 people each. Each individual has promised to be responsible for getting 10 pledges of at least $10. Basically it is 1,000 people getting $100 for a total of $100,000. Possibly more.

At exactly 6:00pm on February 28, all the 1,000 team members will simultaneously text in the pledges they received for donations. Then on “Bank Day”, which is March 5, the captains of each team will deliver the money to a secure bank location.

The organizer of the event realizes that this is basically a variation on the old walk-a-thon event, but she is updating it for today’s youth, for many of whom texting is a part of everyday life. She is using the hook of text messaging as a way to access a segment of the population who might not otherwise get involved for a fundraising event.

She is also using the novelty of the event to her advantage with public relations. There have been teams of recruits form, just because they heard about it locally.

As of this post, there are still a few weeks until the texting party begins. I’m guessing that teams have already been formed and are now busy lining up support. Sometime after the conclusion of this fundraiser, I will re-visit this event and share with you how they did.

Stay tuned!

A cell phone donation collection can be a good additional fundraiser for your school.

Combine the cell phone donation drive with an inkjet and laser printer cartridge collection. Printer cartridges are easy to collect as they are used up pretty fast in school classrooms and offices. Encourage parents to save the cartridges from home too!

When you collect cell phones and print cartridges your school can earn cash for new computers, classroom supplies, gym equipment and more.
Plus now you can get an extra bonus… free gift cards or extra credit for your school.

When you use the Funding Factory program any new participant that registers through from a link on Top School Fundraisers will be able to earn a prize of their choice when they send at least one full* box of cartridges or cell phones within 45 days of registration.

Sign Up Now For The FundingFactory Recycling Program
Prize choices:

• Extra credit for your group
• GeoSafari CD set
• Blockbuster gift card
• Borders gift card
• Cinemark gift card
• Loews Cineplex gift card
• Pizza Hut gift card
• Regal Entertainment gift card

FundingFactory offers a free cartridge and cell phone recycling program that provides collection boxes, free shipping, promotional materials, online accounting and more!

Since 1997 FundingFactory has been offering a free fundraising-through-recycling program for educational and nonprofit organizations. The recycling fundraiser is a year-round program that helps accumulate reliable income for its participants. Many of the most popular brands of inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges and cell phones are accepted through the program.
Sign Up Today The FundingFactory Recycling Program

*One full box is defined as having at least 8 qualifying laser cartridges, 18 qualifying inkjets or 8 qualifying cell phones. The list of qualifying items is available at www.FundingFactory.com.