Fundraising on a roll: community groups sell toilet paper to raise funds
Howard Lake | 7 October 2014 | News
Sports and community groups in the UK are starting to raise funds by selling toilet paper. It’s certainly one of life’s necessities, so the potential market is going to be large.
The service is offered by Fairplay Fundraising. CEO Thomas Kollen got the idea from charities in his native Norway: plenty of sports groups, Scout groups and schools there have raised funds for some time by selling toilet paper to supporters. Indeed, the method is used by charities in other countries too, including the USA, Canada and New Zealand.
In the UK initial interest has come from sports clubs, but the service is available to any not-for-profit organisation.
£5 per bag to charity
[youtube height=”450″ width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFdw2rcqA24[/youtube]
Fairplay Fundraising deliver the toilet rolls to the participating group or charity free of charge. Only after the toilet rolls have been distributed and the money collected do they have to pay the company its share.
Organisations sell each bag of 40 toilet rolls for £20, then pay £15 to Fairplay Fundraising, and keep £8 for the organisation.
Netherton Hawks FC fundraise by selling toilet rolls
For example, Netherton Hawks FC has just raised £700. Ten of the children asked their parents to order 100 bags of toilet rolls. The manager himself sold 20. Their total was boosted by an incentive, which is still available to other groups.
Three ways to boost income further
- Like Netherton Hawks, if you make a group order before 1 November quoting FPLAYBOOST20 you will receive 20% extra.
- If you like Fairplay Fundraising’s Facebook page and share the “exclusive campaign” post you will receive an additional five bags for free. You can sell these and keep the whole £20 per bag. This is valid only on a first order of over 100 bags.
- Fairplay Fundraising offer an affiliate scheme. Anyone who has ordered before can refer other groups, clubs or teams. When a referred group makes their first order of at least 100 bags, the referring group receives £100.
Kollen recommends promoting the scheme to supporters three or four times a year. After all, toilet rolls don’t go out of date.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.