I’m helping Inland Agency with their 3rd Annual “Shop to Stop Breast Cancer” event on March 30 2009 and we have a perfect plan to help you achieve your last New Year's resolution to clean out.
You know the gifts from well-intentioned friends/family that are just, shall we say, “Not you”? A study in the LA Times on 1/13/08 revealed that “83% of American adults received unwanted gifts during the last holiday season and that 47% will (guiltily) foist the ill-suited presents along to someone else.” We’re offering you GUILT FREE RE-GIFTING...not the old, stigmatized type, but the new good-karma type. Moreover, even if you love your new gift…where do you put it??? Clean out those china cabinets, tabletops and jewelry boxes to make room for the new. Now you have a support group who will embrace your regifting…as donations to the Inland Agency’s Shop to Stop Breast Cancer boutique. You can get a write-off and get us closer to the $60,000 worth of items we need for our boutique. We’ll take anything new (old if it’s an antique or an original piece of art.) We are there for you!
So please, grab some shopping bags and walk around your home collecting all those never to be used items (please print the attached inventory sheet… list your items with approximate value and tape to your bag …IA will sign and return a copy for your tax file). Then call Jodee Palmer (951) 697-6565 x224 at Inland Agency and she’ll be happy to pick it up or direct you to the nearest drop-off point.
Thank you to everyone who helped last year and welcome to our first time regifters …Sue
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THIS EVENT-
I’ve been helping Inland Agency (IA) design this new fundraiser…we had several goals when we unveiled this new event two years ago:
1. We wanted more awareness for IA’s breast health programs especially screening for women under 40. Kristi Robinson Olsen helped us emphasize this important resource as the 2008 Honorary Chair
2. We wanted to make “GIVING” affordable for all. Because our format gives the donors money back… dollar for dollar (in play money to shop ) with incentives to give at higher levels…most donors gave at the $100 or more (with twelve $1000 donors) even though they could attend with a $50 donation
3. We wanted to give this wonderful agency some much needed exposure…over 250 donors, volunteers, and attendees participated in the 2008 event helping with quite a buzz of "I’ll be back next year with a friend".
4. We wanted to take the burden off the businesses in town who get asked by everyone all the time by finding another primary source for needed merchandise; 70% of the donated items came from you in the spirit of regifting and you had fun doing it
5. We wanted to make giving fun. After the previews, happy hour and thank yous, the actually shopping event took 20 minutes and the Ballroom of the Marriott was shopped clean. It was fun and exciting…so don’t ever be late for this event.
6. We wanted one financially successful must attend event…instead of the 3 or 4 small event format that most nonprofits hold that wear out their staff, board and the giving community IA wants one memorable financially successful fundraiser. The “Shop to Stop Breast Cancer” event raised $40,000 in its first year and over $60,000 in its second year, with a goal of reaching $100,000 in the next year or two! This will be quite an achievement for a small non-profit so I hope you will help us reach this goal.
Thanks again…
Susan M. Mitchell
Co-owner Riverside Personnel Services, Inc.