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Women across the country have made their green cleaning parties a successful fundraiser for WVE. Thank you for making your green cleaning party a WVE fundraiser, too! Here are some tips on making the event planning a breeze. |
Prepare
• Choose a date that you know will work for you and for people you’re inviting.
• Consider asking a few friends to help you with the planning. You can even ask them to co-host the party and to invite their friends and family.
• Determine which recipes you want to make at your party. You may want to test small batches at home first to help you decide which ones to make at the party, or go with the favorites: Creamy Soft Scrub and All-Purpose Spray.
• Send an invitation at least 1 week in advance and ask for an RSVP. Make sure to include directions to the party location.
• Let guests know that your party is a fundraiser for Women’s Voices for the Earth and that their donations will help eliminate toxic chemicals linked to respiratory and reproductive problems from household cleaners. Set a goal ($100, $300, $500, etc).
• Let guests know that they are participating in a worldwide effort to remove toxic chemicals from cleaners; there have been more than 1,500 green cleaning parties held in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. And, parties have been featured in The New York Times, “Good Morning America”, Ebony, and more!
• Offer people an opportunity to donate even if they cannot attend your party. They can donate online or write a check to WVE. Ask them to refer to your name when making a donation. If they donate online, they can write in the comments section of the donation page: [YOUR NAME] green cleaning fundraiser. If they donate by check, please ask them to write [YOUR NAME] green cleaning fundraiser somewhere on the check.
• Be sure to make copies of the recipe cards before your event. Consider writing or printing the recipes you want to make on poster board and hanging them up on a wall for everyone to see.
• Set up a DVD player or computer to show the Green Cleaning Party DVD. To ensure things run smoothly, test your DVD player or stream the videos beforehand so that you can troubleshoot any technical difficulties before guests arrive.
• Ensure you have enough containers for guests to take home their newly made cleaners.
Cut Costs
• Consider asking guests to bring supplies/ingredients to the party. One person can bring baking soda, another vinegar, the third olive oil, etc. Refer to the supply list guide in the Green Cleaning Party Kit or the recipes to determine how much of the various ingredients you would need. Also, ask your guests to bring bowls, mixing spoons and measuring cups of their own.
• Make it a potluck. Make sure to coordinate who brings what so you don’t end up with all desserts!
Generate Turn-Out
• A couple days before the event, call people you haven’t heard from to encourage them to come and send reminders to those who have replied yes.
Get Creative with Fundraising
• Highlight how inexpensive (and easy!) it is to make non-toxic cleaners at home, and suggest that each person donate what they would have spent on store-brand cleaning products for the year.
• View the Green Cleaning Party DVD found in the Kit (either online or in your DVD player) together and hold a discussion. Remind the guests that WVE is leading an effort to change government policies and corporate practices to protect us from toxic chemicals, and WVE needs the support of individual women like them. (If someone asks a question that you don’t know the answer to, you can refer the individual to WVE’s website or our office.)
• Talk about why you support WVE. Ask others to share if they have any personal experience with toxics in products. A personal connection is the best way to engage individuals in a cause.
• Put out a vase or a basket (or a bucket!) to collect donations. Ask them to give as generously as they are able. Checks may be written to Women’s Voices for the Earth. Print the Party Guest Pledge Form so that you can write down the contact information for everyone who attended. Or, ask your guests to fill out the form when they make their gift. WVE would like to send thank you notes to people who contribute.
If you have a computer or laptop set up at your party, guests can make donations online immediately using their credit cards. Please ask guests to write in the comments section of the donation page: [YOUR NAME] green cleaning fundraiser. This way, we’ll know to credit the donations to your fundraising party.
What to do with your contributions and guest list
Mail the donations, along with the pledge form, to:
WVE
P.O. Box 8743
Missoula, MT 59807-8743
If you have any questions, please feel free to call 406-543-3747 or email wve@womenandenvironment.org. Thank you for your support and HAVE FUN!
