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Saving the Environment and Teeth at the Same Time
CEDARBURG, WI 2005 - There is no longer any industry in the marketplace that can exist blissfully immune to the changing trends and concerns in society - even a business that makes its name selling items as innocuous as lollipops and candy bars to nonprofit groups. These past few years, as groups around the country began to decry increasing obesity in America and childrens lack of fitness, Cedarburgs FundRaising.com, a national distributor and leader in the United States $2 billion product fund-raising market, began to see it would need an alternative to the sugary treats it offered to many schools.
Thus was born the "Growing Clean Air" tree kits containing seed packets of six to eight tree seeds, a peat moss pellet, a water-resistant growing container and instructional booklet. "Nonprofit groups can raise money by selling something that educates kids and gives them a voice in the current climate change debate," says FundRaising.com founder and CEO Dick Raddatz.
Changing with times is nothing new for Raddatz and his family-owned company. He entered the fund-raising business in 1974, and later began Raddatz Marketing in 1990, located in his own living room. They soon moved to a larger locale, and in 1995, Raddatz had the forethought to secure the domain name of FundRaising.com on the World Wide Web. Business boomed, and the companys name changed to reflect the Web sites success.
"You have to look at developing trends in the economy, and create products that fit into where things are heading," says Raddatz. Even simple things such as water consumption can be marketed. When drinking bottled water began to rise in popularity, FundRaising.com offered bottles with customizable labels, where a groups name could be printed.
Says Raddatz, foresight is the secret in a business where items introduced too late in the game can easily fail. "You need to stay ahead of the trends if you really want to capitalize on them. We like to be ahead of the curve."
As the threat of a "soft ban" of sweet snacks being sold in schools began to be heard, FundRaising.com introduced granola bars for groups to sell. However, the tree kits offer an educational aspect that Raddatz thinks will make the product stand out. Developed in conjunction with a Canadian man who sold similar kits in the 1980s, the instructional booklets teach about the science of trees. "Children are taught that trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, so you can grow clean air just by planting a tree," notes the booklet.
Because of this element, the tree kits are being marketed to science teachers, as well as environmental groups and businesses that want to use as examples of their commitment to the Earth. "The key to the success of these products is marketing them to the right people and groups," says Raddatz. "Using them is a great way to demonstrate concern for environmental issues."
Only listed in the catalog six months ago, Raddatz expects it will take time for the kits to make their mark: "It usually takes two-to-three years for a fund-raising product to become a known thing." Each tree kit retails for $2, with groups receiving 80 cents (40%) of that amount.
In the future, Raddatz anticipates that more alternatives to candy will become popular in the fund-raising market. He also foresees that more nonprofit groups, especially within schools, will need to sell new and interesting fund-raising products in order to build direly needed funds.
Says Raddatz, "With more and more budget cuts going on, more and more student groups will need money. By providing products that apply to the world around them, we like that we help them grow more than just funds, but also help expand their minds."
This story appeared in the Ozaukee County News Graphic on December 6, 2005.
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