For more than four decades, Mickman Brothers, a family-owned business based in Minnesota, has offered a holiday fundraiser for schools, church youth groups and Scouts. It has become a popular way for Scouts to finance their adventures as it has become a highly anticipated tradition in the communities where Scouts have started selling.
This year, Scouts can bring holiday cheer to their communities by selling Christmas wreaths, door sprays, tabletop trees and festive centerpieces, either in person or online. The company, founded in 1977 by John and Chris Mickman, has added an online fundraising platform during the past couple of years to help youth better reach potential clients through this increasingly favored method of buying.
Now is the time to start planning your unit’s fall fundraiser, and the company’s online resources are just one way Mickman Brothers can help your Scouts succeed. To learn more, visit their website at www.holidayfundraiser.com.
Traditional and online selling
Through their Traditional Program, in August or September, Scouts and unit leaders begin organizing their holiday fundraiser and start selling in September through October, submitting order forms to Mickman Brothers, which then fills those orders and sets up a delivery date, usually in late November or early December. Scouts pick up the products and then distribute them to their customers.
Allow for at least three weeks to sell. All orders should be in by the first week in November.
The Online Fundraiser is done through Gift It Forward. This site, at GiftItForward.com allows customers to input a Fundraising Code when they make their order. These codes are assigned to individual units, so when the code is applied, units earn $8 per item sold. When an item is purchased on Gift It Forward, there’s an opportunity for the buyer to say which Scout they’re buying it through.
The online method allows Scouts to continue promoting Gift It Forward until mid-December.
Through either selling program, Scouts can expect a nice profit to help fund their Scouting adventures. The fundraiser can yield hundreds, even thousands of dollars in profit for ambitious sellers.
Supporting the environment
One of the reasons Mickman Brothers is a popular choice with Scouts is because the company understands conservation. The quality Christmas decor is harvested in a sustainable manner — the boughs are harvested without cutting down the trees, so the trees can continue living and providing for years to come. Some of those trees were ones the company helped plant.
Since 2007, Mickman Brothers has supported the planting of more than 800,000 evergreen seedlings in state and federal forests and lands across 49 states.
You and your customers can help the environment, too. The small and tabletop Christmas trees are live trees that can be planted after the holidays are over.
Every beautiful fresh product — trees, wreaths and door sprays — are adorned with festive decorations, including pinecones, jingle bells and ribbons.
For the wreaths and door sprays, customers will have their choice of several different wreath themes and sizes: Classic, Victorian, Cranberry Splash and Wintergreen — all made from freshly harvested evergreen boughs. The indoor decor, such as tabletop trees and centerpieces, are perfect for adding that special touch inside the home.
Selling tips
Mickman Brothers has been a longtime friend of Scouting by supporting their local council and participating in many Scouting Jamborees. The company will host a Facebook Live on Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. CST to share fundraising tips, specifically for Scouts. If you miss the broadcast, you can always catch a recording on Facebook or YouTube. Those who choose Mickman Brothers as their holiday fundraiser can be signed up for weekly emails. Each email will be full of sales tips and ideas presented via short videos. The emails will also feature important dates and details to know.
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How much are the wreathes on average?
Hi. Let’s start with $25 and up for the items. The wreaths that go on the door are $40. I really like the fundraiser, but the persons in charge better understand housing bulky items once the inventory comes to town. Still, more pros than cons.