Method of fundraising for a charitable cause

#This invention relates to methods for raising money for charitable causes and other non-profit organizations. A means and method by which money may be raised for any specific charitable cause or non-profit organization, by the sale of decorative ornaments which are translucent and which have placed inside them a logo or other indicum, or inspirational or motivational slogan, with which the specific charitable cause or non-profit organization is readily identified, is provided hereby.

#There are, of course, many known ways for raising money for charitable causes. Not the least of them is the United Way campaign which is usually carried out in the autumn, and which comprises door-to-door and business-to-business solicitations and the taking of pledges. Other pledge taking campaigns to raise funds are carried out, for example, by public broadcasting radio stations and television networks, appeals over radio and television and in newspapers for college support and scholarship funds, and so on.

#Another popular way for raising money for charitable causes or other non-profit organizations which support charities or provide charitable and/or social services to their community, is to sell items or specific goods, which may be identified with the particular charitable cause or non-profit organization for which money is being raised. For example, poppies are sold in October and the beginning of November to raise money for various veterans associations; daffodils are sold in the spring time of the year to raise money for cancer research; teddy bears are sold to raise money for children's hospitals, and so on. A particular manner for raising money for any particular charitable cause might be to sell ribbons of various colors: Pink for breast cancer research, red for AIDS research, white in support of women's shelters, and/or charitable societies which raise public awareness of violence against women, and so on. Non-profit organizations may also be identified by a particular logo, indicium, or inspirational or motivational slogan, or they may seek to adopt an inspirational or motivational slogan, in association with which they may raise money for their own work—such as hospices, food banks, and the like.

#The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawing in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of example. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example in association with the accompanying drawing in which:

#FIG. 1 is an exploded diagram showing the manner of assembly of a typical decorative ornament in keeping with the present invention.

#Throughout this disclosure, and in the appended claims, use of the words “sell”, “selling”, “sale”, and other variations thereof, is meant to convey the meaning of goods changing hands as part of or as an ancillary transaction to money changing hands, or the pledge of money changing hands, in the opposite direction.

#For example, fund raising for veterans associations and the like, which occurs in October and November of each year, encompasses the provision and wearing of poppies, whereby a donor to the campaign is identified by the fact that he or she is wearing a poppy. However, in quite technical terms, the poppy has not been “sold”; rather, it has been given to the donor as a form of receipt, acknowledging a gift of money from that donor. Accordingly, no “sale” has technically been made, and there are no implications of “sales tax” being paid, vendors' licences being required, and so on. Thus, in the vernacular, a donor may be heard to say that he or she “bought” a poppy, while it is understood both by the donor and anyone to whom the donor is speaking that, in fact, a “sale” in the technical sense did not take place, even though it accompanied the exchange of money from hand to hand. It is in that context that the words “sale”, “selling” or “sold” or variations thereof, are used in this disclosure and in the accompanying claims.

#The present invention provides a means and method for raising money for any single and charitable cause and other non-profit organization, in return for which decorative ornaments having in their interior the specific logo, indicium, or slogan, associated with and thereby identifying that single and specific charitable cause or non-profit organization are exchanged between the single and specific charitable cause or non-profit organization and the donors of money thereto. The specific appearance of the decorative ornament can vary depending on the charitable cause or non-profit organization for which money is being raised; it being understood that similar containers or “baubles” can be used for differing charitable causes or non-profit organizations by inserting differing logos, indicia, or slogans, therein. Thus, the present invention provides the donor of money with a tangible, useful, and long-lasting reminder, by way of a decorative ornament, of the support being given by that donor to the single and specific charitable cause or non-profit organization being supported.