Cash back this Fundraising Season!

Would your Fundraising Organization like to receive cash back on their Holiday Wreath Fundraiser this year? Do you know a Fundraising group, or maybe a friend or relative associated with a Fundraising group outside of your community? You've answered 'yes' to both questions? Our Referral Program is perfect for you!

All you have to do:

1. Share your Fundraising info with your friend, family member or anyone interested in raising money for their non-profit organization.
2. When they sign up at holidayfundraiser.com, tell them to include your group information in the comments so Mickman Brothers knows you referred them.
3. Your referred group needs to sell just 75 Evergreen Products during their Holiday Fundraiser.
4. After all sales are complete and the Evergreen wreaths (which smell SO good) have been delivered, you'll receive your Referral Rebate check in December.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Your Organization just got 50 cents back for every 25" Wreath your group sold during their fundraiser, saving your Fundraising Organization some hard-earned money! Cheers all around!

Contact our Customer Service Team with any questions: 1-800-446-4229.

www.holidayfundraiser.com

2011 Wreath Fundraiser Survey Results - Mickman Brothers

We received nearly 600 responses to the eSurvey we sent out in January. Here are some of the results in which you may be interested:

• 98% of the respondents reported they are happy with our products AND the service provided by our Customer Service Reps. 
• 77% of our customers like the change in light sets from plug-in to battery operated LED lights. We are pleased to report that these lights will include a ‘controller’ which will automatically allow for 6 hours of illumination per day – increasing the battery life to about one week! These lights will be available on the Victorian Holiday Gift Wreath and for ‘extra light sets’, not for the Living Tree.
•  79% of the customers that sell 48” and 60” Wreaths prefer the new ribbon with white edges.
•  98% of our customers were happy with our Sales Aids. However, there were a number of comments with some excellent ideas that we will use to make the Sales Aids even better this Fall.
•  69% of the customers were in favor of changing the Holiday Gift Product Order Form from a 3 part form to a 1 piece form – as long as their customers could still get a receipt. As a result, this year we will be changing to the new form. If you prefer the original version of the form, you will be able to request it from your CSR.
•  97% of our customers would recommend our Holiday Fundraiser to one of their friends or family members. We really appreciate this as most of our new customers come from referrals!
•  48% responded that they would like to see an iPhone App from which to sell wreaths. This would look very similar to the iPad App we have had for the past 2 Seasons. Based upon this response, we are currently developing an iPhone App which will be ready for your members to use this Fall!
•  63% of our customers felt that our Natures Holiday Gifts Program assisted their members in selling more products. This is very encouraging. With the plantings we have funded over the past 5 years, over 250,000 trees have been planted in 19 States! See: www.NaturesHolidayGifts.com 

 Thank you for choosing Mickman Brothers for you Holiday Fundraiser last Fall. We sincerely appreciate your support!

John S Mickman
President

www.holidayfundraiser.com
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Fundraising Hints: Organizing your Fundraiser - Mickman Brother Christmas Wreath Fundraiser

As the Fundraising Chaiperson, everyone will be looking to you to come up with an organized, well-thought out fundraiser that will run as smooth as possible.  And with a little planning and effort, this is completely the case!

First, set your fundraising goal.  What kind of funds do you need and what are the funds being used for?  Are your boy scouts trying to save up to attend the next National Scout Jamboree?  Does your Swim Team or Hockey Team need extra funds for gear, traveling, or practice time?  Maybe your Church Youth Group really wants to plan a Missions Trip?  Set your goal.  Stick to your goal.  And let your group know what they're working toward.  The reward is all the motivation they need!

Second, sell to meet your goal.  Sounds simple.  It is simple!  How many items does each organization member need to sell for everyone to reach that goal you have set?  Let your group members know what their individual goal is, and most importantly, make it achievable.  Maybe you need to have more than one fundraiser to meet your goal.  That works too!  Just make your efforts attainable or your group members may get discouraged.  Fundraising should be FUN!

Third, set your timeline.  Get your members excited about their goal, let them know how to attain their goal and keep them all enthusiastic for a two to three week window of time.  Short and simple!  The excitement can fade pretty fast, so keep your fundraiser going, get it done and celebrate when your group reaches their goal!

Congratulations!  Your (boy scout, hockey player, church group, etc.) has the means to do a little something extra special this year!  What an achievement!

If you'd like more information about Mickman Brothers Christmas Wreath Fundraiser, please visit our website at your conveneince,
http://www.mickman.com/fundraising

Contributed by Sara Laning

Fundraising Hints: Finding Volunteers - Mickman Brothers Wreath Fundraiser

You've volunteered to be your Fundraising Chairperson.  You may have even chosen the Fundraiser your Organization wants to do.  Can you handle the entire fundraiser by yourself?  Will anyone be able to help you?  What's the best way to get other parents or organization members to help out? 

Let all volunteers know that they can job-share.  One person can do a good job, but two people can do a fantastic job!  This can encourage those volunteers with a limited time schedule to sign up.  Knowing they can share their responsibilities with another individual will ease their concerns.  However, be sure to keep both volunteers on task and make sure they're communicating amongst each other to keep your timeline running smoothly. 

Organized Fundraisers can draw more volunteers as well.  Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly update emails and/or meetings are crucial to keep all volunteers up to date on important deadlines and more importantly, lets them know how the fundraiser is progressing.  Are your organization members reaching the fundraising goal?  Do you need a meeting to motivate your boy scouts, church members, or other organizational members?  Keeping everyone up to date on how your Fundraiser is progressing keeps them on task and makes it easier for your volunteers to know what's expected of them.

Personally ask volunteer candidates if they can help.  This sounds simple and straight-forward, but it's often overlooked because the Chairperson doesn't want to 'bother' anyone.  When you can speak face-to-face with boy scout or marching band parents, church members, coaching staff or other volunteer candidates, you can answer their questions and show them what this Organization is all about!  Enthusiasm is contagious!

Now you've gathered up your volunteers.  What next?  How do you get your fundraiser organized?  What kind of goals do you set?  Is there a timeline you need to follow?  Right now is the perfect time to gather information and choose your Fall Fundraiser.  It's never too early to get your scouts, cheerleaders, hockey players, youth groups and any other Organization ready to go!

If you'd like more information about Mickman Brothers Holiday Fundraiser, please visit our website at your convenience, http://www.holidayfundraiser.com/

Contributed by Sara Laning

Evergreen seedlings planted all over the Nation! Mickman Brothers Wreath Fundraiser

Mickman Brothers has funded the planting of over 200,000 evergreen seedlings in the states of:

Chris Mickman planting seedlings in MN.

Arizona: Apache-Seagraves National Forest

California: Plumas National Forest

Colorado: Pike National Forest

Florida: Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest

Indiana:  Indiana State Forest

Minnesota: Sand Dune National Forest; George Washington State Forest; Hibbing area; many others!

Tennessee: Cherokee National Forest

Vermont: Green Mountain National Forest

Virginia:  Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest

Washington: Wenatchee National Forest

Wisconsin: Chequamegon National Forest

Mickman Brothers plants a tree seedling for every Holiday Gift Product purchased.  Fundraising Organizations: boy scout troops, girls scout troops, cub scout troops, high school marching bands, sports teams, church groups, schools and many other groups make the planting of all these evergreen tree seedlings possible through their hard work and fundraising effort!

Organizations just like yours have raised funds of over $40 million to fund their activities using our Christmas Wreath Fundraiser!  Get your Free Information packet today, holidayfundraiser.com  

The Christmas Wreath Spring Rite - Mickman Brothers Holiday Fundraiser

Shared by: John Mickman

Back in 1970's, Mickman Brothers was operated out of the small farmstead where my family lived. The old farmhouse had sloping floors, breezy windows, a dark narrow staircase - and lots of love. My wife and I had 4 beautiful children, Heather, Maegen, John Jr. and Mariah - all 2 years apart. The office was behind the barn which was put together around hand-hewn timbers secured with wooden pegs. Our place was pretty cool and life was good.

Starting a new business was a lot of work, but since my office was at home I was able to spend much time with the kids. They all worked in the business as they were growing up and they all learned to enjoy doing a job well done.

Being the oldest, Heather was quite precocious, learned to 'be in charge' early in life and always had a lot of questions. When Heather was 4 years old, the whole family went shopping on Holy Saturday afternoon to pick up groceries for the next day’s Easter Dinner (since I was the oldest brother, all these family gatherings happened at our house).

This particular Holy Saturday was cold and blustery, like many Easters in Minnesota. After many trips from the VW bus into the kitchen with the groceries, I was looking forward to nice cup of hot coffee. But, when I went to close the kitchen door, I saw that Heather was still standing outside in the cold, warmly wrapped in her red & white checkered winter parka with the red beanie at the tip of its pointed hood. Her plump, rosy cheeks were about the same color as the red of her coat and her little red mittens. She was just standing there, looking quite forlorn - like she had just lost her favorite doll.

Her look was gently tugging on my heart-strings; something was wrong and I needed to fix it. "What's wrong honey", I asked as I kneeled down beside her. As she looked at me I noticed a tear in the corner of one eye. "Oh nothing daddy", she replied. "I'm OK."

I looked at the house as she had been looking, and everything seemed to fine to me; the only thing that was a little unusual was that our Christmas Wreath was still on the door. It looked great, still green and full and I had seen no reason to throw it away - being a frugal person that had been trained by parents that had gone through the Great Depression.

"Come on Heather, please tell me what's wrong. I can tell you are worried about something", I asked again. "Well", she replied, "Do you think that maybe the Easter Bunny won't bring us Easter Baskets tonight when he sees the Christmas Wreath on the door?"

I looked at the wreath on the door and I felt a little tear forming in my eyes. With all the problems in the world and with me trying to scratch out a living with our little family business, my daughter helped to bring the really important things back into focus. "Heather", I said as I held her little face between my well worn, calloused hands, "I don't know for sure if that wreath will scare the Easter Bunny away. But, let's not take a chance. You and I are going to take that wreath down right now - just in case. What do you think about that?"

In return, I received a daughter-to-father smile that only dad's get to experience. A smile from way down deep in your daughter’s heart that fills you up like nothing else can. Beaming in this way Heather said, "OK daddy, let’s do it right now". Then, together my daughter Heather and I took that Christmas Wreath down and put it in the garbage can.

So began the John Mickman Family Tradition of displaying our Christmas Wreath on the front door of our home until just before Easter Sunday - just in case it scares the Easter Bunny away.

This plan worked well for almost 30 years. What happened? Well 12 years ago, not long before Easter, a family of wrens built a house in the wreath on our door and started their own family. And now, each Spring the wrens build a nest and raise a family in our Christmas Wreath. All guests to our home think we're a couple of pine cones short of a full wreath, but we have to keep our wreath up well into May each year as the young chicks break open their shells and grow strong enough to fly away.

So now, the Mickman Household displays our Christmas Wreath from November to May - over half the year. Some say it's crazy - right up until the time I tell them the story of my little girl Heather who was worried about the Easter Bunny!

We're busy tying bows!

With Summer winding down, we are going full bore getting ready for the busy Wreath Season. One large task that needs to be accomplished is to tie almost half a million bows - all by hand -- one at a time. This is a skill that takes some time to develop, and I've found that not everyone has the aptitude for it. You may find this video of tying a Victorian Bow interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-umcofwIkI

Each of the Bow Tying Crew Members take great pride in the finished look for each of their bows, as many of them are Wreath Decorators too; they understand that 'a nice bow is the most telling part of a nice wreath'. I'm sure you will agree: the fine bows our crew ties are a testament to the same high values your organization's leaders pass on to your young members!

John S. Mickman