Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet a really interesting guy, who has a really interesting take on fundraising.

His name is Michael Gibbons, and if there is a more enthusiastic guy about his own cause out there, I haven’t met him. Michael is the founder and president of a new company called Buttons of Hope. He lives with his wife and children in Charlotte, North Carolina.

I caught up with Michael on the phone just a few days ago.

Before we spoke, however, I took a few minutes to read over all the great information posted on his website, buttonsofhope.com. I learned that the company motto is “Putting a Face on Fundraising” and that is exactly what they do.

Basically, the idea behind Buttons of Hope is very simple. Let’s say a cheerleading squad needs to raise money for equipment. Somebody, like their coach or a parent volunteer, would take individual head shot photos of each cheerleader on a digital camera. Then the photographer would email the raw, unedited photos to Michael at Buttons of Hope. Michael would crop the pictures, add whatever text was desired to the photos, and then turn them into 2.25 inch buttons that can be pinned on shirts, jackets, or backpacks, for instance.

Once the pictures are properly edited (which he does at no extra charge!), Michael creates an online gallery where anyone interested in buying a button can go to view the finished product and make a purchase. Michael ships the buttons directly to the buyer, so the cheerleading team doesn’t have to assume any organizational responsibilities, like handling money or making deliveries. This also means that the cheerleading team doesn’t have to sit on any inventory that goes unsold. This could potentially save the team lots of money.

Buttons of Hope charges $4 for each button. The cheerleading group can decide how much it wants to charge above this, which is all profit at that point. So, let’s say the cheerleaders want to charge $10 total. Buttons of Hope would get $4 for their effort, and the school would get $6 for the team. Compared to many fundraising product sales, this is an excellent split. Of course, the group can decide how much or how little to charge.

Since all purchases are made online, Michael keeps track of the sales and sends a check to the team for their portion of the sale. Shipping costs are added onto the cost of each purchase, but this doesn’t cut into the school’s profit at all. I was impressed to learn that Michael doesn’t hide any mysterious “handling” fees that often sting you at check out time. If a package of buttons costs $1.75 to mail, that’s how much the customer will be charged. I like that.

The biggest responsibility that the cheerleaders have is getting people excited to visit the Buttons of Hope website, so they can log in and view the buttons. Fortunately, with so many easy ways to get online these days, that shouldn’t be too difficult a task. Word of mouth will also be an effective tool. Once people see these buttons popping up like dandelions all over the school and town, the buttons will sell themselves!

One of the other things I really like about this kind of a sale is that it can be ongoing throughout the year. With many kinds of product sales, there is a definite start and end date, which can be limiting. Suppose the sale falls at a time when there is a large flu outbreak (as there is now in my children’s school!) That could really hurt the bottom line. With the open-ended button sales online, your group is flu-proof.

I asked Michael when we spoke on the phone to tell me why I would want to use this fundraiser over a traditional product sale event. He responded, “I think the real advantage of Buttons of Hope is that we’re asking people to invest in a person they love, and that love is symbolized by an actual photograph. With a food sale, for example, they eat the food and the food is gone. With a photo button, they have a keepsake from a moment in time that can last forever. That’s a pretty good deal for $10.”

Once people are wearing their photo buttons, they make great conversation-starters, as well. Whether it’s at the Friday night football game, at the salon, or in the supermarket, people are always very curious about the unique pictures on the buttons. This kind of personal connection can actually strengthen the bond between the person wearing the button and the person who’s featured on it.

Overall, I am very impressed by Michael and his company, Buttons of Hope. I think that with the proper amount of promotion and excitement behind this fundraiser it could be a nice little addition to your fundraiser’s toolbox. While I don’t think a team or group will get rich off of a photo button fundraiser, I think the results could be as helpful as many other kinds of product sales. The real selling point are all the intangible benefits that you will realize from this unique approach.

In addition, I’d like to point out that Michael runs a related blog called “Behind the Button”. In his posts, he shares all the inspirational stories he has heard from schools and other groups who have used his product. Besides just helping non-profit groups, Buttons of Hope have also been very helpful in the fight to locate and rescue missing and exploited children. You should really check it out.

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