Guest post by Wayne Elsey.

Fundraising ideas should be fun and different. I’m a father and grandparent. When my daughter was a young girl, I remember year after year selling candy or whatever I had to sell for the latest school fundraiser. My grand-kids are not yet in school, but I’m expecting to be hit-up by my daughter asking me to write a big check. Or, maybe not. Maybe those kids and parents will know that fundraising doesn’t have to be a painful experience. And, they’ll know it can do so much social good.

I think fundraisers should be engaging. The more fun they are the more people will want to participate. The more people participate the more money that will be made. In today’s world of social responsibility, I also think fundraisers should raise money for a local cause like a school, but also make a broader impact.

Those are the lessons I’ve learned since I became a global philanthropist and change-agent. With my team, I developed and grew one of the leading school fundraising companies in the U.S. called Funds2Orgs. My journey involved hundreds of conversations, but today we have awesome partners who’ve joined our shoe drive movement.

Funds2Orgs is a shoe drive fundraising business. We’ve worked with thousands of schools, boosters, youth groups and others. Funds2Orgs issues a check based on the total weight of the shoes.

What that means is no one has to donate money; all they have to give you are their gently worn, used and new shoes.

One of the reasons we have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau is because we’re committed to providing our shoe drive partners with everything necessary for success. With our proven approach, we give schools and education groups the tools they need for an engaging and fun fundraiser with no out-of-pocket costs.

• A team of fundraising coaches is always at the ready to support our partners from start to finish.
• The shoe collection, digital promotion, and marketing materials are provided.
• Our driving team coordinates with our shoe drive partners to pick-up the shoes.
• A check is issued by Funds2Orgs within 2 business days of the shoes being received and processed at our depot.

3 Social Impact Benefits

There are three cool reasons to do a shoe drive fundraiser.

1. A shoe drive fundraiser is creative, fun and different. Families and supporters will like knowing they can support your cause by giving gently worn, used and new shoes.
2. They’ll also like knowing the shoes are shipped around the world to developing nations for micro-entrepreneurs. These small business owners sell the shoes in their communities. Shoe drives can be a philanthropic way to give people around the world a hand-up and not simply a hand-out.
3. Did you know that annually over 600 million shoes are thrown in landfills across America? As you can imagine, that’s not a good thing. It’s harmful to the environment. Shoes can take up to 80 years to decompose. And, while they are breaking down, they release poisonous toxins into the air. Shoe drive fundraisers are a socially responsible way to dispose of unwanted shoes.

Isn’t it time you discovered how Funds2Orgs can give you creative fundraising ideas?