Making some noise...Week of July 4th, 2014

Hey... it's time to celebrate... the best of summer 2014 is upon us!  Happy week of July 4th!   I say it this way since many of you are off for summer vacation and a well deserved break.  We to are looking forward to some time away from work for some fun in the sun.  There are over 514 fireworks displays scheduled in Michigan this year... so says MichiganFireworks.com (see link below).

http://michiganfireworks.com/events/detroit-fireworks/

So to carry the celebration further I'd like to take a moment to report to you that 2014 has turned into a break out year for Greenfundraiserstore.com .   April of 2014 was a record sales month since we changed over to our e commerce platform and partnership with Amazon.com .  This was planned and expected since I have always said our Christmas is in April.  The month we celebrate Earth Day, the arrival of spring (on the calender at least) and Arbor Day.  So naturally with the focus on our Mother Earth we expected our customers to click and shop for "Earth-minded" products.  Our mission has always been and will be to promote education, awareness and advocacy for "Green Shifts" in the course of daily living.  Our product offerings give you that choice over items that you might find in big box stores that are likely not focused on "ecological/healthy" alternatives.    During this time we were able to provide financial assistance to the Michigan Green Schools Awards and Celebration for Oakland County Michigan.   Additionally we supported the event with a display table and prizes for some of the lucky guests.

http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/Departments/CapitalBuildingProjectsandFacilityOperation/MichiganGreenSchools/tabid/2638/Default.aspx



If the past is any predictor of the future then May and June should have been a calming period for us.  Again... happy to report that May was our best month ever... and then now June has exceeded May. 
All of this is good news since the word is spreading across the country about our unique mission of providing alternatives in the course of daily living and providing a portion of our profits to support green education.  So it is truly a grass roots initiative that our customers are sharing with others and leading to our green shoots of growth.

Another event we were able to provide a donation of goods to was the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Detroit Chapter Green Schools Committee Art/Coloring Contest.   Students were encouraged to enter their creation and top selections were recognized at a luncheon. 

http://usgbcdetroit.org/index.php/committees/24-green-schools

One final thought for June 2014... get outside... do something different... enjoy the best of what nature provides to us in the summer.   My favorite place to visit is the small Northern Michigan town of Glen Arbor.  This town was recently recognized as the most beautiful place in the United States by Good Morning America.  That kind of recognition can be a double edged sword since the sleepy little town is now being flooded with new adventure seekers looking to see what the news is all about. My favorite little shop has in town is "Cherry Republic".   The founder had a vision to create all things cherry with a list too long to get into in this short venue.  I love the vision so much that we now carry a select sampling of Cherry Republic products in our store.

My favorite so far is the Cherry Salsa which is a winner in my household.  It never stays around long.  My point here is that if you have time... get up their and visit... and if you don't... visit greenfundraiserstore.com for our product offerings and we will deliver it right to your door.  Either way... it will be a treat!

Enjoy summer... !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdvITn5cAVc&feature=kp

Regards,

Don Sherman
President and Founder of Greenfundraiserstore.com     
greenfundraiserstore.com



 

  

Earth Week 2014

You'll notice by this months title that after careful consideration it has been determined that drawing attention to the condition and care of the earth for just one day isn't cutting it.   As such.... we begin the movement toward "Earth Week" 2014.    I find it interesting that like any other action in life that we focus on for a short term (day) that it is soon forgotten if not the very next day.   Therefore... the push for a week... to keep the ball moving or to push the needle on the meter just a little longer we have Earth Week.  Maybe next year we'll go for Earth month?

How is April 2014 finding you?  Remember... it seems like a distant memory now... the lovely spring of 2012... the winter that wasn't?   Mother nature showed off her display so early that there were no tulips for the tulip festival.  They had done their thing to soon... fooled out of the cover of the earth by mild temperatures.   I remember thinking then... well... if this is what global warming is about... then what is the harm in mild winters?   Gone are the days of the bitter cold, snow, and all that comes with it.  Wrong again! 

I don't want to spend much time talking about the return of "real winter".   I know we are still very sensitive to the subject.  In fact this morning we woke to find an additional 3 inches of snow that put us over the record for snow fall in the Detroit Michigan area going back as far as records are kept.  I think the record was set in the late 1890's.  Now we can say "Woohoo... we won... we set the record".
Not really the one I was hoping to be part of!

So the debate rages on about this controversial issue and the two camps are more divided then ever over the issue of "global warming".  One side says... it's  a cycle and human activity has little or nothing to do with it at all.  While the other side show's facts and statistics about carbon emmisions from the industrialization of the world in the past 100 years and sounds a warning alarm.

I find myself kind of caught up in the middle of two camps... almost like political parties that cannot agree.  As time goes on I have gravitated toward a place of putting the "global warming" label aside for one that I believe is more accurate and difficult to contradict.  Is there anyone who has not been effected by the mood swings of Mother Earth?   Like a person experiencing mid life changes our Mother Earth seems to be going through "The Change".   I guess the term in the main stream is climate change.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8US6_yWHNE

This week in our own region in South Eastern Michigan we went from a slow creep out of winter.  Finally seeing the mounds of snow piled up at last recede into the ground.  I have never seen people more enthusiastic about getting out of the house and into cleaning up around the yard.   The spell was broken and we could not be held back.   Shorts and flip flops replaced flannel and boots.  Then with almost no warning.... we witnessed something we never see much around here in early April.  A front passed over and bringing with it hail, wind, and rain like we have never seen in our lifetime.  It left most of us amazed and dazed.  It left others with power outages,  tree's uprooted, and property damaged.    And just when we thought it was all behind us... our temperamental Mother dropped the temps and some more snow.

I want to thank the hundreds of customers who have supported our efforts and given Greenfundraiserstore.com solid footing and a new direction in leading the green ecommerce marketplace.  Our goal is to provide high quaility green product offerings at a resonable price backed up with convenient to the door shipping all done through an effective e commerc platform.  At this time we have built a strong relationship with the millions of customers who click on the premier platform of Amazon.com.   They have responsed in kind by asking for our products to be delivered to their doors throughout the United States.   Specifically we have a strong following on the west coast and are pleased that those in the hot-beds of green living are choosing us as their provider of choice.  We also get a strong audience on the east coast as well. 

Our battery buckets have made it into the Philidelphia Museum of Art.

https://www.philamuseum.org/

And into the award-winning industrial design and branding firm
Fuseproject in San Franciso.

 http://www.fuseproject.com/

And in Quora, Inc. which was founded by two former Facebook employees.  They are located in Mountain View California.  They are a question and answer website where questions are created, answered, edited and organized by its community of users

http://www.quora.com/Mountain-View-CA

 Am I banging the drum?? Hey... why not... it is better than reading about your obituary.          


On the fund raising side of the company we have been able to provide contributions of cash, donations of goods and contributions of time to many local organizations.  This past year we were able to provide a financial contribtution for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in the Visayas regions of the Philippines.  Climate change?  Maybe?

http://www.filipinostarnews.net/featured-post/donations-filamcco-fund-drive-now-100000.html


We were able to provide a contribution to a very active climate change group in Interfaith Power and Light.

 http://www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/


On a local level we continue to reach out to Michigan Green Schools and plan to continue to provide our ability to engage in alternative fund raising for those who are ready to engage.

http://www.michigangreenschools.us/

Last but certainly not least... I want to thank our product partners for providing high quality, unique green products not found in the big box store.  I hope it stays that way.

Soy Clean Products-  Brooklyn, IA

Wash Safe Industries - Harwich, MA

Busch Systems-  Barrie, Ontario, Canada

BioBag USA-  Palm Harbor, FL

Trellis Earth-  Wilsonville, OR

Mirror Lake Organics-  Almont, MI

Cherry Republic-  Glenn Arbor, MI

Maxi Container-  Romulus-  MI

Higher Grounds Trading Company- Traverse City, MI

Eco Bag- Ossining, NY

Without innovative and creative thinking minds who bring us these offerings of green and health alternatives to our course of daily living... we'd just take what were given from the big boxes like "Stuff Mart".

http://storyofstuff.org/

Happy Earth Week... take some time this week to pay special attention to our beautiful garden gift in Mother Earth.... ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsGDiYlMFuk

Winter 2014... Deep Freeze and the Polar Vortex...

The old saying goes... "be careful what you wish for..."  you might just get it!  Many of us look forward to the beginning of a new year.   To many of us it represents a fresh start, a new chapter or perhaps a clean sheet of paper.   With the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season behind us we can finally get back into a new groove now that kids are back to school.  Right?  NOT in 2014! 

Nobody mentioned the words "Polar Vortex" before as far back as I can remember.  I even took a weather class back in the day at CMU and never heard anyone mention a "Polar Vortex".  Well it appears these things are for real since we are now recovering from the nations second one in this short year.   So what does this have to do with anything?  Let me tell you about the conversations in my household and place of business these past few weeks.   How many days can you miss school from a snow/ice event or below zero cold snap?  That seems to be up for debate.   At this point our district has had 11 days off and that my friends is a few too many days according to the rules we know.   All that being said it will be interesting to run up to the end of the school year to see what if anything is done to account for the excessive days.  FYI... I found this handy little link that calculates snow days in your zip code.  Try it!


http://www.snowdaycalculator.com/calculator.php

If we were to believe everything our parents/grandparents tell us... they for sure would NOT have missed most if any of these days.  Are today's generation too soft?  Is it all just an over reaction to the possibilities of what might happen if we venture out in the cold or snow?   I myself use a simple albeit a sad tool in trying to make the determination.   I recall a snowy morning not too many years ago that some might have questioned why school had not been called.  Yes the road were snowy but not excessively so.  Plow trucks were doing their desired best attempt to clear the way or motorists.  Unfortunately there was a horrific crash that led to fatalities of students being transported to school.  Hindsight is 20/20 and your darned if you do... and darned if you don't make the call.  I suppose changing the decision of that day would be easy with the new information.   Sometimes you just can't see it coming. 



I will use that to overlay into my main point for this beginning of the year report on Greenfundraiserstore.com and our progress in the beginning of our 4th year.  Many of you know from past reports that our focus point and business model has evolved into an e commerce strategy.  I am pleased to report to you that 2013 was a record year in growth of sales and new customers clicking/purchasing from our "Little Green Store...".

What we really didn't see coming is the interest on a much bigger national stage.  While most of our efforts and attended events have been right here in Metro Detroit Michigan we have found most of our buyers/shoppers coming from just about every where else.   That is good news in that the message and interest level is now proven and turning the wheels of growth.  Here is what we have seen in 2013 in the way of top region activity:



26 % West Coast-California, Washington, Oregon
15%  Southern States- Texas,  Florida, Georgia, North Carolina
20% East Coast-  New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts
14% Midwest-  Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana
25% All other

Final thing.... in the last quarter of 2013 we were happy to make a contribution to a cause that was very meaning to me on a personal level.  We chose to support "The Philippines American Foundation" in their fundraising efforts for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan "Yolonda".   This had special meaning to me personally since a client and personal friend in Dennis Vista passed away suddenly around the time of this calamity.  Dennis introduced me to the kind and generous culture of the Philippine's.  I later discovered that he had been working on building a mango farm back in his birth place located in the Philippines.  He had created jobs in a green industry and in the end was doing what he loved.

http://www.filamccomichigan.org/

Spring time is just around the corner... right after the next "Polar Vortex".   Keep the faith!

Best Regards,

Don Sherman
President and Founder of Greenfundraiserstore.com

Twas the night before Christmas.... Amazon Drone delivery.... right down the chimney?

It must be the future as we are on the cusp of closing out 2013.   This year as we close out the year I can't help but to think about the science fiction we used to only dream of in comic books and movies.   Who remembers the Dick Tracy comic?  The squared off jaw and squintey eyed Tracy used to talk into his futuristic wrist watch and fly around in a rocket powered trash can.  Never a chance this will become reality?  Think again.   By know we have all seen the Samsung watch.  Looks suspiciously like the Dick Tracy special.  I wonder if there will be a law suit over this?
How about the flying trash can?  Well from some of the YouTube Videos I've seen that is not far off.  How about the water jet powered boots you can slap on... attached by a tether and fly around like Iron Man or Wonder Women? 

No doubt technology is passing many of us by faster than a high speed bullet train.  This year has been one of great hope, progress, setback, disaster, growth/destruction, life/death.  A mixed bag for sure.  As you wade through the list of things yet to do in 2013 try and contemplate the blessings we have as a  nation.  Just a short few years ago we were flat on our backs as a country with massive bankruptcies from institutional titans who were not to big to fail.  Today many have made adjustments to the "new realities" and perhaps it is for the better.

All that aside I want to take this time to say "Thank You" to all who have helped us stay on the mission of growing Greenfundraiserstore.com from a seed that has begun to take root.  If you visited with us at an event or clicked on our store site this thanks you is for.  We certainly are in a different place today then when things got started in April 2011.   Not as much running from event to event.  Not as many hours trying to tweak the plan.

The e commerce store has taken hold across the country and I cannot think of a better operational partner than Amazon for the platform.   One of my favorite things to do is tell people about "who" from "where" has selected "what".   Truth be told I think of this as what Ernie Harwell used to in the golden days when he would announce "That ball was caught by a man from Kalamazoo, Michigan...".  How'd he know that?   Did he really know the man was from Kalamazoo?   What I find interesting is places I've never heard of like Arkadelphia, Arkansas or Sunnyvale California.  I have visited Sunnyvale and will likely return but have not yet visited Arkadelphia.

So in the theme of the celebration of the Christmas season I want to take you to a new reality for the legendary St. Nicholas. Imagine the new stories to be written about the trials and tribulation in the near future when the sleigh and reindeer have to share the air space with the delivery drones from Amazon.  How shocking this will be to Santa and how reindeer will be startled! If you haven't heard this story that broke last week on a CBS interview with the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos Amazon is piloting the use of drones to deliver packages right to the door step.  Science fiction?  Maybe... just like the Dick Tracey watch!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-unveils-futuristic-plan-delivery-by-drone/

What ever happened to "Down the Chimney with Old St. Nick.  Santa may be replaced or perhaps develope his own fleet of smart drones for delivey right down the Chimney?   Only time will tell... but one thing is clear... get ready for the future.

All the best to you and yours as we turn over the calender to 2014.


Best Regards,

Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com

Fundraising made easier... 2.0 platform

Operational Partnership:
This post is intended to provide some instruction on our next steps to make Greenfundraiserstore.com a seemless, simple, and effective fund raising partner for your school or civic group.

First of all we have gone through some major overhauls in our "operating systems" since our original web site build out from days past.   The original site was "cute" but not necessarily the most effective platform.  Let's fast forward to 2013 and looking at our operational parternship with Amazon.

Amazon has millions of customers who visit and shop on line every day.  It is a name that customers know and trust which has been proven by their phenominal growth.  Why not align your self with the most trusted and proven e commerce platform in the history of.... history? 

Enter the partnership and the platform.

 http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&me=A38FNHOO6IEX53&page=1&rd=1


How does it work? 

Simple   You organize your group and direct them to the webstore.   Your group membership can shop on line in our Greenfundraiserstore.com Amazon storefront 24 X 7 any time or day.

 Easy   Upon check out simply include your organizations name after your own name.   Our system tracks orders that come in from your group each week and credits your group for each order placed by your membership.  

Effective   Each month our system will automatically update and send a percentage of profits to your organization. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/details/ref=aag_m_fi?ie=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=&seller=A38FNHOO6IEX53#aag_faq
  

Our new process has no forms to fill out, no complicated registration, no cost or set up fee's.  It is in effect...  a greening of the greenfundraiserstore!

For more information on our brief history and work visit:

 http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=48202209&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

We are adding new products each month so be sure to check in for new updates.


Best Regards,

Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com
866-752-6626 
info@greenfundraiserstore.com



*Disclaimer- Only products located within the Greenfundraiserstore.com Amazon store front are eligible for a shared percentage of proceeds.  Amazon is not responsible for nor is a participant in fund raising activites of Greenfundraiserstore.com or it's affiliated companies.

2013 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies in Michigan

Press Release:  September 6th, 2013

Today we received notification that Greenfundraiserstore.com was again selected as one of the
101 Best And Brightest Sustainable Companies in Michigan for 2013.   The awards will be presented at a symposium scheduled for September 18th, 2013 at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.   Michigan Govenor Rick Snyder will be in attendance to honor the recipients.

The selection criteria is based on an assesment completed  earlier this year which was judged scored by an indepedent research organizaion.   Area's of assesment include:

Education. The level of education provided to employees on sustainable practices along with industry best practices.

Communication.  The extent of outreach in reporting our results of sustainable business efforts to employees, customers, suppliers and community.
  
Strategic Planning & Operantional Implementation.  The depth to which our organization measures all maters of sustainability and the support of senior management for long term viability of the organization.

Innovation & Problem Solving. The extent to which your organization monitors the entire cycle of your company's product(s) or services(s) to determine the impact and needed changes.

Environmental. The extent to which your organization monitors all aspects of the environmental output as a result of your organizations product(s) or servcies(s).

Building & Grounds.  The extent to which your organization has implemented changes to your building and grounds to impove sustainability and lessen consumption and emisisions.

Community Leadership.  The level of community outreach, monitoring of economic impact , and promotion of sustainable practices your organization provides to the community.

Workforce.  The extent of encouragment and support your organization provides employees for participating in sustainable initiatives at the organization and in the community.

Financial Performance.  Your organizations effectiveness in monitoring its sustainable performance and innovation on improving its financial performance.

Our business has evolved since it's inception in 2010 yet the vision of providing education, awareness, and advocay for "Green Shifts' in the course of daily living remains firmily at the core of the organization. 

Thank you for your kind words of encouragment and support as we continue on this journey.

Regards,

Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com
www.greenfundraiserstore.com

Associated articles:

http://www.grbj.com/articles/77793-association-reveals-2013-class-of-101-best-and-brightest-sustainable-companies

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/governor-rick-snyder-to-kick-off-michigans-101-best-brightest-sustainable-companies-awards-symposium-2013-09-11

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2012/03/new_awards_program_to_honor_be.html

Winding up Summer of 2013....

They say time fly's when your having fun. We must be having a real blast because summer has made a late appearance in 2013 and like Ernie Harwell used to say as the voice of the Detroit Tiger's.... "It's long.... Gone...".

This is a good time of year to get ready for the fall projects that you may have put off during summer and will come ready or not. Check out our Amazon store http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A38FNHOO6IEX53 for some of our most popular tried and true home helpers.

If your like me you pick up a bundle of lawn and leaf bags here and there when your around town. Why not have us ship you the mother load with a bundle of 50 bags? It will cover you for the big leaf fall and perhaps a few left over for spring clean up. I know this looks like a giant lunch bag... but it is actually a standard 16 X 25X 35 50 pound unprinted biodegradable lawn/leaf bag.

 

Hey... look up... better yet... look down.... Wow you better get ready to grab a rake and get busy! The big box store tries to impress you with their impulse crate of 3 or 5 bags... but let's face it... do you really want to promote "Stuff Mart" at your curb? Do you overflow with pride when you drag their bag to your curb. I didn't think so. GO BIG or GO HOME with the greenfundraiserstore fall special bundle of 50... that's right... a few left over for spring cleaning next year... AND your buying from a company with a B corp plan of action. That means that a stated percentage of our proceeds goes toward a stated social mission of "Education, Awareness, and Advocacy for Green Shift's in the course of daily living.

Good news... we just received notice that Greenfundraiserstore.com has been recognized as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies for 2013. We are happy to accept this honor for a second year in a row. We are happy to receive the award and will continue with our mission of promoting "Green Shifts" in the course of daily living!