Emergency Fund to Support Our Shelters
At long last, our small group of FML folks is ready to propose a fund
raising program to support the shelters on the FML. This group includes Ela
Heyn, Judi Lunn, Georgia Wood, Cheryl Forbis, and Karen Trask. BIG has also
seen everything. I simply contacted the people who had expressed an
interest in starting a fund and have used their good minds to examine this
program from all angles. The primary difficulty I had in forming a fund is
administering the fund without incurring a tax liability for the money that
might be collected. I also wanted a good record-keeping system which would
alleviate any worry on any contributors part that I might take the money and
head for Disney World all by myself. Ideally, the program must be able to
continue without me should I disappear from the FML.
Karen Carby (owned by Sneaker) has contacted me to try help with this
problem. She read my request for funds for Dayna and Foggy and also my
explanation of the considerable (and unrecoverable) expense of caring for
each ferret who comes into a shelter. It just so happens that Karen's job
is helping charities and organizations raise money. She believes her
program can raise money for the shelters while also providing something in
return for everyone who donates to this cause.
The company she represents, Dosh and Associates, works with groups all over
the country which use a Grocery Certificate Coupon Book to attract
contributors. Here is how it works:
SUPPORT OUR SHELTERS FUND RAISING PROGRAM
If you purchase a $25.00 Coupon Book for the FML Shelter Fund, the Coupon
Division of Dosh and Associates will GUARANTEE that you will save $200 on
your grocery purchases when you use the Grocery Certificate Coupon Book.
For each $25.00 Book you order, D&A will place $10.00 in the FML Shelter
Fund. For every $1.00 spent (of the $25 cost of the book), you should
receive $8.00 worth of store coupons. They will maintain a record of donors
for us, and will distribute the funds as needed when requested by our group,
which will be screening the requests. The record of funds received and
distributed will be available to anyone who has donated to the fund, so that
both the company and our group will remain accountable to the FML as a
whole.
There are over 1,200 major name brand products to choose from. Each book
contains twenty $10 certificates that never expire. (Actually, there are 22
certificates, because D&A has donated 2 extra certificates to the FML
program to offset the $1.00 handling charge required each time a certificate
is redeemed for coupons.) On the back of each certificate, you select up to
35 items of your choice from the list of products. You mail the certificate
with a self-addressed, stamped, #10 envelope and $1 to the Coupon Processing
Center address on the back of the certificate. In 10 to 15 days, your
envelope is returned filled with the discount coupons you chose.
You select the coupons you want to receive by listing the number of each
product on the back of the certificate. If you want two or more of the same
coupon, just list it two or more times. The discount amounts vary item by
item and the cap for each certificate is $10, so if you list different
products, you may not receive coupons for the items at the end of your list.
D&A will guarantee in writing that you will receive 6 times your donation in
savings or they will pay you 3 times the amount you donated. Ask for your
personal copy of the guarantee when you mail in your order.
To get an FML Order Form, send an e-mail request to the address of Dosh and
Associates at the bottom of the letter. This program has the potential to
raise a great deal of money for our Shelters while providing something in
return for any person who makes a contribution. If you would like to see a
small sample of the 8 page, 1,200 product Coupon Selection List and a copy
of a $10 Certificate, e-mail D&A to request that they fax a copy to you. If
you have questions about the administration, validity, security or
accountability of the program, please e-mail me (Judith White,
[log in to unmask]). We have seen the entire product list, and we believe
there are discounts available on products in all categories used each day by
all of us.
You can help even more if you will make copies of the FML Order Form and
offer this discount savings program to your family, friends or neighbors.
The shelters may want to offer the books to potential supporters of their
own for their own accounts. Each Order Form has the FML name in the top
left corner, so D&A can keep track of the orders they process for FML. The
same day your order is received, a Grocery Certificate Coupon Book will be
mailed to you.
Dosh and Associates Voice: (352) 795-9590
252 N.E. 2nd Court Fax : (352) 795-3266
P.O. Box 1290 E-Mail [log in to unmask]
Crystal River, Florida 34423 1-800-743-3674
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That is the basic program. Here are the answers to further questions our
group has asked of Dosh and Associates:
1. The back of each certificate clearly states that the Processing Center
pulls 1-3 coupons of each number beginning with the first choice. If more
than one product is desired the number must be listed more than once and
additional coupons will be sent.
2. To back the program they offer the Triple Your Money Back Guarantee and
the Guarantee is backed by the Processing Center. They would not offer a
written guarantee if they could not fulfill the requests. We realize that
similar programs have promised coupons they could not deliver.
3. There are other programs that are similar, except they do not have an
inventory of 10,000,000 coupons at any one time. Some may not have an
inventory at all. One company that we are aware of has had to include an
expiration date on their certificates, because they cannot guarantee they
will have coupons beyond that date. The Processing Center for the FML
program often accepts certificates from other coupon books they did not
print in order to keep the public happy with the industry.
4. One thing the Processing Center can not control is the manufacturer's
decision to offer coupons. The Processing Center can only print what the
manufacturers tell them to print. Still, the Processing Center has a
substantial inventory, even when coupon printing for a particular product
ceases. For example, Proctor and Gamble recently stopped issuing coupons in
3 cities. Fortunately, our Processing Center has a 4 year supply of coupons
from Proctor and Gamble. Proctor and Gamble's products for which there are
coupons make up only 17 of the 1200 products available. Thus, when one
manufacturer pulls something off of the coupon market, it really doesn't
affect the buyer that much. It's like changing from Huggies to Pampers or
Jiffy to Peter Pan. A couple of years ago General Mills decided to
discontinue coupons all together. They made a big deal about it until they
experienced the backlash from consumers. Then, they quickly reinstated
coupons and when they did they went overboard, including better discounts
and adding additional products to the discount coupon selection list.
5. The selection list changes from time to time as new products are added
and older products are dropped. So, it is possible for the Processing
Center to be out of a specific coupon. This is why they include 35
selection boxes. They want to be sure customers can get enough coupons to
meet the dollar value of the certificate. People should use the
certificates regularly so they can get the coupons they want. If they don't
receive their first choice in the return envelope, they should put that
coupon as number 1 on the next one they send in since the supply may have
been replenished. Of course, when they reorder a new book, they always get
a book with the most current list.
6. D&A holds a national franchise in the grocery coupon distribution
business with independent broker/distributors in Dallas, Chicago, Tampa and
throughout Central Florida. They are in the process of expanding this
business into other towns and communities throughout the country. They
offer a variety of programs within the Coupon Division, including helping
people and organizations reach their fund raising goals. Efforts range from
national campaigns, such as the Children's Miracle Network to regional
concerns such as the Joel Mauro Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy fund.
Coupon Connection of America is D&A's sister company. Coupon Connection of
America is the #1 distributor of coupons. However, they do not distribute
these coupon books to the public. They have distributors.
Another distributor has a web page somewhere that you could look at to see
more about the coupon books. Of course, they would not be giving any money
to the FML.
7. The advantage to us of having D&A act as order and collection agent is
that the FML has no need to invest in custom printed books. The element of
risk is eliminated, since we will be using their stock to meet our
obligation to the contributors. This also means there is no need to stock
Grocery Coupon Certificate Books and no need to deal with the cost and
hassle of delivery and distribution.
8. Contributors may use MasterCard or Visa when making their purchase. D&A
includes the name of the group in the top left corner of the form. This
allows them to account for all orders, whether the purchases come from
credit cards or checks. They maintain a ledger on each group and disburse
the funds to the group as they have arranged. When the campaign is
complete, they provide a final summary of all donations and disbursements to
the sponsoring group. If the FML continues to use the program, they will
continue to maintain our account.
9. Companies which have used this coupon book as a premium incentive for
sales promotions include: Cellular One, Century 21, Montgomery Ward"s
Electric Ave., RAC Rent-A-Center, The Houston Post, TCI Cable, HBO, and
United Notary Association. Most of the groups that have used the book
recently for fund drives have been religious groups. A number of charitable
organizations have used the book. They are: Children's Miracle Network
(Sponsored by Wal-Mart), Joel Mauro Ducheene Muscular Dystrophy Fund,
Service Care, USA Health Care Providers, and Lexi International.
10. Although a copy of the order form can be downloaded through the e-mail
transmission, D&A must have a signed copy of each order form. D&A does not
accept phone orders. The order can be a fax transmission or mailed. D&A
provides a toll free 800 number for resolving problems and answering
questions.
11. The coupons are the same as you receive in the newspaper with the
exception of: (1) they come to you already cut out, (2) you receive the
coupons you want, when you need them, not what the newspaper decides to
print for that week.
Karen gave an example from her experience:
We can not tell the manufacturers how much discount to put on the coupons.
What I can tell you is I sent in a $10 Coupon Certificate and just received
it back. The contents in the envelope came to $11.85 in discount coupons,
with the least amount being .35 cents, total coupons 17. If someone wants
more than one coupon of a specific item, they must list it again. Keep in
mind you receive between 1-3 for each product listed until they total $10.
Also, start with the most used (#1) to the least used (#35).
BUT WHO GETS THE MONEY?
A group of shelter folks have given us suggestions and concerns about
working out the distribution of funds. This is not easy. We will want to
know who all the shelter folks on the FML are, and we will have to verify
this through their veterinarian or other reliable reference. In order to be
fair to the shelters who hesitate to ask for help, we will divide the funds
equally among the shelters and keep an account of who has used what funds.
Money will not be sent directly to any individual. Instead, we will send a
check to their veterinarian to pay medical expenses, or we will arrange the
purchase and delivery of needed supplies. This may sound overly cautious,
but we must be responsible with your money. Shelter Moms and Dads: let us
know who you are.
In conclusion:
We will gladly answer any and all questions people may want to raise,
whether privately or on the FML. If you have any reservations about why the
shelters need our support, please do not hesitate to ask us for an
explanation.
Cheryl Forbis, [log in to unmask]
Ela Heyn, [log in to unmask]
Judi Lunn, [log in to unmask]
Karen Trask, [log in to unmask]
Judith White, [log in to unmask]
Georgia Wood, [log in to unmask]
Now that we have posted this, Karen Carby will be the best person to ask
about the details of the program. [log in to unmask]
This program is not intended as a substitute for support for your local
shelters or your favorite shelters. Many people enjoy giving directly of
their time and money, and we would never want to discourage that.
PLEASE SAVE THIS POST FOR REFERENCE
[Posted in FML issue 1614]
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