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November 2009
FundUsNow.com Announces Upgrade
As a direct result of input from customers and member organizations, FundUsNow.com has announced the first in a series of upgrades designed to make FundUsNow.com an even better way for organizations to raise money - and an easier place to shop online.
The first change, effective immediately, is an expanded product selection.FundUsNow.com has added a selection of premium coffees, including a very special organic fair trade blend. These world-class coffees are intended to satisfy even the most discerning of connoisseurs as well as the large contingent of socially and environmentally conscious coffee lovers who asked for this expanded offering.
FundUsNow.com is also proud to announce the addition of a selection of fine teas. There are twenty blends to choose from, including several organic teas and a wide variety of herbals, decaffeinated teas and teas from all over the world.
Additional upgrades are planned for the near future. Soon, customers will be able to access their subscription online, review their orders, make changes, add new products or send a gift. Seasonal coffees will be offered, rotating with the seasons to provide the perfect beverage for the holidays, springtime, summer and fall. These will soon be available to subscribers for one-time-only non-recurring purchase.
Another change effective immediately is the institution of free shipping. While existing customers will see little or no change in the overall cost of their current subscriptions, FundUsNow.com has raised the prices of the original selection of coffees from $8.99 to $10.99 per 12oz bag. This change enables FundUsNow.com to offer free shipping on purchases of $25 or more and reduced shipping costs for smaller purchases. This change will address the many comments the company has received on this matter, without cutting in to the amount given back to the organizations funded through FundUsNow.com.
Another improvement inspired by member organization feedback is the upcoming availability of bulk quantities of coffee. 2.5lb bags, 5lb bags and Office Paks of pre-ground 2.5oz packets will make ordering for an office, concession stand or Kick Start event easier.
Also coming soon is an online pledge sheet. Organizations will be able to enter pledges and Kick Start orders directly into an onlinedatabase. They'll be able to check a funding drive's progress, 24/7, print out pick-sheets, run reports and more.
Along with all of these upgrades, customers and member organizations will see some improved features on FundUsNow.com websites, quicker response times on inquiries and a renewed commitment to be the best fundraising system available anywhere.
August 2009
FundUsNow.com Partners with the United States Postal Service
An enthusiastic contingent from the USPS visited a FundUsNow.com roastery partner in Luray, VA to see what all the excitement was about. Executives from FundUsNow.com and the USPS discussed the array of capabilities which our partnership brings to the table, and to our customers. After a tour of the facility, which included tasting a selection of freshly roasted gourmet coffees, the USPS contingent offered to enroll FundUsNow.com in their co-branded packaging program. Soon, FundUsNow.com shipping containers will bear the FundUsNow.com logo, alongside the familiar USPS eagle! The USPS also committed to provide flexible pickup and packaging services to ensure lightning quick shipment of coffee, fresh off the roast.
Understanding the significance of the revolutionary FundUsNow.com fundraising model, the USPS released this article in its internal newsletter, which is distributed to all postal employees.
August 2009
When Luray, VA city letter carrier Russell Bell learned from Callao Company, a coffee manufacturer and distributor, about a new partnership they were starting up, and that they were talking with our competitors about shipping, he quickly informed Postmaster Kendall Shifflett and OIC Ed Birckhead. A Customer Connect lead was submitted to get the processed started.
Small Business Specialist Pat Walden and Shipping Solutions Specialist Steven Booker met with the company to discuss Priority Mail Shipping with 1-3 day delivery service. When informed of free shipping materials and free carrier pick up, the company was sold!
The partnership involves a new online fundraising program called FundUsNow.com. The concept is to eliminate the need for door-to-door fundraising efforts and allow organizations such as schools, churches, non-profits, etc to conduct drives without the hands-on hassle of storing and distributing the coffee. Donors go directly to the website and the coffee is guaranteed shipped within seven days of roasting.
The first of its kind concept also provides a year-round fundraising opportunity. Once the organization is registered at the website, donors can go there at any time to place an order. Currently FundUsNow.com offers a variety of Callao coffees and plans are in the works to expand with teas and cocoas.
To the delight of Callao and FundUsNow.com, they qualified for both Commercial Plus Pricing and co-branded boxes. They are using two different size Priority boxes with the FundUsNow.com logo proudly displayed.
May 2009
FundUsNow.com launches innovative online fundraising program. With the activation of its first-of-a-kind customizable, online fundraising platform, fundusnow.com aims to change the way schools, community groups, churches, non-profits and other groups raise money.
FundUsNow.com provides hands-on assistance to its member organizations, including in-person guidance from a dedicated account representative. Upon sign up, member organizations are presented with a tool kit designed to make the program as simple and easy as possible. The kit includes an electronic file containing customizable email templates, marketing materials, step-by-step campaign instructions and other information.
Each member organization's name, logo and color scheme is applied to an online shopping site. Organizations simply ask members, friends and family to buy custom-label products online rather than at retail outlets. The initial offering for all organizations is premium coffee. For each 12 ounce bag sold through the store, the organization receives a $3 royalty. Coffee is shipped direct to purchasers, every month.
FundUsNow.com estimates that most organizations can begin receiving royalties within a few weeks of initial contact.
Door-to-door selling is not required for the program to be successful. Because the program is subscription-based, a single annual drive, with fewer participants, can often outperform even a successful traditional, one-time-only drive. Many currently operating programs are placing increasing demands on their members. Kids are often instructed to sell merchandise to 20 or more people per drive. Fundusnow.com recommends requesting 5 subscribers for each member, which dramatically reduces the need to sell beyond immediate friends and family.
With online ordering and home delivery across the continental United States, friends and family who live in other areas of the country can participate.
With no investment, no merchandise, no cash collection and no door-to-door selling, this new model for fundraising is expected to achieve quick and far-reaching adoption by organizations nationwide.
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