Support your school and make $10,000 a month - EASY!

10 replies
Hey guys,

I was at the gym tonight (you know - that thing that fat people love to give money to but hate to go to,) and I had just finished my 5 minutes of Stair-Master warm up. I was thinking that "Highway to Hell" and "Stairway to Heaven" could be combined into one song to describe that experience, but, I digress.

I have a particular order to my workout - I go, do 5 minutes of cardio to "jump start" my system, and then, do 10-15 minutes of muscle building exercise, and then, do 20-30 minutes of cardio. Based on my research, that's the best way to get the most out of working out.

Anyway, I had just gotten to the leg press machine, and after I put the weights on the machine and was laying down to get the most efficient fat burning muscles a good workout, I started thinking about an idea that Martin Buckley had about a week ago - called "$4800 with Auto Discount Cards." It's a great thread.

In that thread, Martin discussed going out and getting a car repair place to agree to give away a number of services, or discounts on services, in exchange for an influx of new customers. We all know that Car Repair places can typically find new things that need adjustment on cars, etc. He then goes and and tells 500 cards for $10 each, and then, after gas and expenses, makes around $4800 - in probably 2-4 days.

Great idea.

Well, I had an idea about doing the same thing, but, instead of charging $10, you charge $25. However, you go to the local high school, work out a deal with the principal, and get the students to sell them - and for each one they sell, the school gets $15. To really give an incentive, give the top 3 students a REALLY cool prize - laptop, ipad, ipod, cash, etc. If you got 300 students to go out and sell 5 each, you'd still profit $12,000 after printing and prizes, and the school would get $22,500.

Well - I had just gotten down on my machine when I had one of Don Alm's HOT FLASHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (as if I wasn't already sweating enough.)

Instead of doing it one time, (or, rather, in my mind, 3 times a year - a Fall based one, a Christmas based one, and then a Spring Break based one,) why not get the students to go out and sell a "SUBSCRIPTION" to a monthly discount program for $30 a month, and then, after taking your $10 out for your expenses, the school still gets $20. Same scenario - 300 students sell 5 each, the school gets $30,000 EVERY MONTH, and you get $15,000 each month.

Now, go with me a just a tad further.

The first month - you have a sales contest, so you spend $1500 on prizes. It costs you maybe $1,500 (Big Stretch) to have the cards printed up. Well, Your profit for month #1 is $12,500. After that - no prizes, so, $13,500 every month.

Because, what we're doing is getting new businesses each month to give discounts for holders of that card - get the cards printed, mail them to all of your "monthly supporters," and everyone is happy. You may spend $700 a month on postage, but, it'd be a winner all the way around.

It should be an easy sale, too - just sell it once per year - and realize that $30 a month - most families spend that on a good meal going out to eat, or maybe cooking in their home.

Just an idea!

Jeremy
#$10 #easy #make #month #school #support
  • Profile picture of the author IdeaFool
    Nothing inspires me quite like the entrepreneurial mind at work. Fantastic ideas, and with schools hurting for money right now, they might truly go for it. With the numbers you're talking about the school could almost pay for one teacher's salary just from one month of fundraising.

    I would go a step further and get about 4 or 5 local businesses that will honor the cards and remind them that they are helping the schools. They will probably get behind it in a heartbeat.

    Good job!
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  • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
    Jeremy James

    Great Idea!

    I only have one issue with your plan and that's the monthly $30 charge, i think you need to keep your price to the cunsumer low, such as $15 a month and find a way to make more money by selling ad space, etc. to businesses or maybe you could offer a basic discount program for $10 where they only have access to 1-3 coupons or offers from each business and for $30 they get VIP access with unlimited coupons and offers from each business participating on your site. I really think you have the makings for a great money making idea here and i wish you much success with it and if i can be of any help to you, please feel free to just ask.

    All the best,

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author uncle randy 71
    I really like this idea, but I cannot get past this one question

    "why would I give someone $30 per month, or $15 per month, for the privilege to shop at places that I already patronize?"

    I understand doing the one card for a few discounts. But I, as a parent with a teenager in a private school, am really having a hard time digesting another $30 pop.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      uncle randy 71,

      I'm pretty sure the idea is that the offers or coupons on the website will only be offered to paid members and not to the general public, so that is the incentive to become a member and save even more money or get better deals from local businesses that not everyone is getting from the free papers, advertisers, etc. that you get in the mail.

      Thanks,

      Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author DaniMc
    I actually did something similar back in the 90's. It was a good money maker.

    I had a folding business card (3.5x4 folded in half to the standard 3.5x2 business card size) designed with the schools name and logo on the front. This was high quality, high gloss. My business name was on the back.

    Inside you break the space up into sections. The inside of the top fold was four ads and the inside of the bottom was four.

    Next, you go out and get business to offer discounts in these cards for FREE. Pizza joints, oil changes, car washes, movie theaters all do well. It's free to them so it's not hard.

    You approach the school with the offer to print and provide the cards along with some prizes for the kids.

    The cards are sold for $10 each. The school keeps $5 and you get $5. Printing 1,000 of these cards is $60. If you sell all 1,000...you just made $5k and so did the school.

    Here are some pitfalls...

    1) You can go about this two ways. One way is to give each kid an initial 10 cards in an envelope. By a certain date (two weeks or so) they come back with the remaining cards or the money. For example, if they only sold two cards they bring back $20 and 8 cards. Some kids will sell all 10 right away and some will sell 0.

    If you go this route, be sure to have a mid-campaign follow-up. Some of the kids will have sold all 10 and will be able to sell more. In which case, you get their $100 and give them 10 more cards. If you make it a two week campaign you can come back after one week to refill the kids who sold all. Just make sure it is VERY CLEAR to all teachers and parent when the kids need to have the cards/money back to you.

    Another route is to make an order sheet and staple a card to the top. The kids get the money and write down the persons name/address/quantity. When they bring you the money and the order form, you give them the number of cards they need, hand the sheet back to them and send them on their way.

    Which way you run this is up to you and the school.

    2) Make SURE you have IRON CLAD contracts with the businesses. I was almost ruined at first when several businesses didn't honor their offers! I ended up in court suing them for breach of contract. I won. So...MAKE SURE you have the OWNER of the business sign these contracts. If it is just some low-level manager, they may not have the authority to sign the contract. This made me look bad to the first group I worked with and was a stinging lesson.

    3) You gotta have a hook...Don't just go to the principal and offer to do a fund raiser...they hear it all the time. Instead, go to the band director, computer teacher, coaches, cheerleaders etc... and do a fund raiser for new uniforms or equipment. If you can get one of these teachers on your side, they can refer you to the others and help convince school admins it is a good idea.

    4) Don't forget other groups such as boy/girl scouts, recreation league sports, and church youth groups.

    This can be a big money maker but don't forget to be professional and approach it like a business. Get your contracts in order with the businesses and have a signed agreement with the school.
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    Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Daniel McCoy,

      Thanks for sharing your story, great input and ideas.

      All the best,

      Martin
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      • Profile picture of the author wings2341
        Sounds great, I am highschool chemistry teacher and varsity baseball coach. You may want to try this with private schools and charter schools bc they need the fundraising more than public schools. They don't get district funds. Also talk to athletic directors they are always looking for more ways to make money
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        • Profile picture of the author RRG
          Originally Posted by wings2341 View Post

          Sounds great, I am highschool chemistry teacher and varsity baseball coach. You may want to try this with private schools and charter schools bc they need the fundraising more than public schools. They don't get district funds. Also talk to athletic directors they are always looking for more ways to make money
          This is a much better idea. Always easier (and on a higher moral plane if you ask me) to work with private businesses as opposed to government types. Lots of red tape.

          Plus these guys have already stolen a ton of your money to run their little government schooling/prison scam. Do you really want to help them?
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          • Profile picture of the author wings2341
            Thats true I work at s title 1 school and in getting federal grants left and right for my students. Albeit there 80% free lunch schools. However if you go to athletic directors of poor schools I promise you will itleast get an appointment. My school does this with a local rep with biz cards and sales at local venues. Poor schools have no budgets or funds bc there is no booster club or rich parents. Plus those kids will hussle for you. Just putting it out there.
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  • Profile picture of the author DaveOffen
    I did an interview last month with Guerilla Master Trainer, Barry Plaskow, where we discussed similar scenarios.

    You can listen in at Guerilla Strategies | Local Business Riches

    No optin to worry about. Might be useful to get the old brain cells working on more ideas
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    Visit my blog at www.daveoffen.com for more of my views and experience in Offline Marketing.
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