Sunday, September 12, 2010

Link Love

Today’s Link Love post is brought to you by some of the cool causes I’ve seen highlighted this week on the various blogs I read. Inspired by my Fundraising and an Interview post a few days ago, I thought I would let you know about some of the awesome causes that people throughout blog-land are talking about.

From EcoMeg, Ride for the Cure, Texas Style

From Kisse Girl, Our Mission at Work

From A Fresh Beginning, Fashion for a Cause

From A Mom’s Journey, Coach to Cure MD

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Organization ala Laundry Room

Many of you followed my drama surrounding my dryer fiasco and the subsequent purchase of a new one. I’m happy to report that my new washer and dryer have settled in nicely and stepped up to the plate as far as their daily cleaning duties go.

Not long after getting the new ones, I became inspired to give the whole laundry room a little bit of a makeover. Nothing crazy – I’m not painting in there (yet) but I figured I could at least clean it up and organize a bit. Enter Thirty-One (of course). I decided that our Square Utility Totes would be perfection for organizing stuff on the shelving above the washer and dryer. And boy was I right. LOVE how it came out.

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There are a couple more, one for “Kid’s Stuff” and one for “Storage” but you get the idea. I adore things that are adorable and functional!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Fishy Friday?

Alright, it’s the only title I could think of. LOL. I picked up these crazy cute goggled for the kids at Big Lots, and my daughter loved them. And how cute is that, with the colors matching her bathing suit?! *love*

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Fundraising & an Interview

One of the things I LOVE about having my own business is that I can choose to give away a portion of my sales to worthy causes, such as I did earlier this year for Relay for Life.

Awhile back, I was approached about getting listed on a Fundraisers site, called ADH Fundraisers. I happily submitted my information to the site owner, who was at the time still working on the general layout and design of the site. I then kind of forgot about it. You know how it is…you get busy, emails get pushed aside, etc. Well anyway, just a few weeks ago I was contacted by the site owner, Angie, and told the site had launched. She did a great job with it, and it’s a valuable resource if you’re someone searching for the next great fundraising idea for your organization or club. Angie graciously agreed to be interviewed for the blog and tell us all more about the site.

Beth: Angie, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for the blog.

Angie: You’re welcome! I really want to get this site growing and get more exposure to the public.

Beth: What made you decide to start ADH Fundraisers?

Angie: I am an Independent Sales Representative with Avon and I have worked with friends and families setting up and running Avon fundraisers, as well as small groups such as Cub Scouts.  I had a chance to see how simple and beneficial these fundraisers were and wanted the opportunity to help others in need of fundraising.

I own www.ADHSites.com which is a division of www.ADHEnterprise.com, Business Solutions.  I decided to create a website dedicated to Fundraising, www.ADHFundraisers.com. ADH Fundraisers is a place for individuals and business that offer a fundraising opportunity to list their opportunity and information for free.  It is then a place for individuals and groups looking for fundraisers to locate a fundraising opportunity that will benefit them.   The individual or group may then contact any or all of the fundraising opportunities directly to get more information and to get a fundraiser set up. 

I, along with ADH Fundraisers and ADH Sites, also donate websites to individuals and groups running a fundraiser.  The website is beneficial for the group or individual because they can post all of their information about their group or the individual, what their fundraiser is for, they can share pictures, stories, etc.  They can add a News section, Blog, Message board, Donate Buttons, and most importantly, links directly to the fundraiser or multiple fundraisers.

Beth: For non-profits, charities or individuals reading this who may be considering organizing a fundraiser to support their cause, what tips would you give for making a fundraiser successful?

Angie: I would offer the following tips for a successful fundraiser:

1. Find volunteers to help plan, setup and organize your fundraiser. 

2. Decide how you will raise money, whether you will be holding a benefit or selling products for profit.  There are many options available and a list of fundraiser opportunities can be found at: www.ADHFundraisers.com

3. Schedule enough time for the actual fundraiser sales.  If you schedule your event with too small of a timeframe and deadline, you and your organization will not have enough time to reach as many people as you would like.  But, also don’t schedule it for too long as the people ordering their products will be looking for them in a timely manner.

4. Get the word out!  Get as many volunteers and participants as you can, have them tell everyone they know.  Spread the word on facebook and other online avenues.  Contact your local newspaper, as most have an event section and usually will make note of a fundraiser or non-profit organization.

5. Customer service – even though this is a fundraiser and not a business, your fundraiser will benefit from treating people with great customer service.  Be professional and polite, give them information about the group, organization or individual and what the funds are being raised for.  Provide them with a benefit worth their money and/or a good quality product worth their money.  Be sure to Thank them for participating in your fundraiser and deliver their products in a timely manner.

Beth: If there are additional business owners reading this, are they still able to get involved with your site?

Angie: I am accepting more fundraiser ops.  I don’t have any limits – I think the more there is to offer the better.  I also don’t have a limit for Reps with a company, although some fundraisers can be set-up online, some will be in person and if there is a list of Reps, they can find one in their area.

If YOU are a business owner interested in getting listed on ADH Fundraisers, contact Angie and let her know – the more the merrier!

Thanks for tuning in for my first-ever blog interview!!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Promotion

After working SO hard on my business and watching my team just FLOURISH I am so excited to announce that I have officially promoted to Senior Director with Thirty-One. WOOOHOOOO! I just LOVE my job!! Who would have thought, as at the beginning of the summer I was a Senior Consultant and since then have promoted to Director and then Senior Director!!
So many big, fabulous things are ahead for this company, and I am so blessed to be a part of it all.
To celebrate, email me your order this month only and I will take 10% off your total.
Cheers!!

Updated to add - look what was just delivered a minute ago from my Upline Director, as a congrats on the promotion! Thank you Courtney, love you!!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

My son’s room–done!

Okay, I have been meaning to post these pics for days (well, meaning to take them for days). I had to get it done before he got his room all messy again. So far he’s done really well in keeping it clean.

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He’s very happy with the change in color, as well as the change in where everything is. He has a HUGE space in the middle of the floor to mess up play in, so that’s a big improvement.

Now, what room am I going to paint next?

Monday, September 6, 2010

Moosey-Moose

Moose hit 9 months, so here are a few new pictures. He’s weighing in now at 144 pounds. My little angel!!

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Happy Labor Day, all! Back to the routine tomorrow. Woo!