by jewelryladi » Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:59 pm
My company has a fund-raiser program. Nobody gets free jewelry. Instead, half the profits go to me, the other half to the non-profit.
However, often with the non-profit's permission, I give them the amount they'd normally get out of my own pocket. (Thereby getting a tax deduction.) I then turn it in as a regular show and keep the free jewelry. I do this if I have a particular need to build my kit or if they're offering something special as a hostess free item that I need. (For instance, for the past few months they've been offering free watches for shows over $400, and I didn't have any in my kit.) Also, it's useful when the cause I want to donate to isn't exactly a registered non-profit, like my cousin's adoption fund.
We also have a "jewel pool." It's a fund-raiser with a twist. We sell squares for $3 each. A third goes directly to the non-profit, the other $2 goes to buy up to $100 in free jewelry for the winner, assuming all 50 squares get sold. The non-profit gets $70 for each completed sheet. While selling the squares, people also carry mini-catalogs to show what the person could win, and of course, orders are being taken along the way. The winner is chosen at an open house where the jewelry is on display and orders are taken then, too.