Using the Vortx® Coin Bank for Fund Raising or an Offering Device
But for smaller locations, Mini-Wells can be very effective and are a lot less expensive. They work great on counters and tables in stores and restaurants. They are also ideal for churches and schools on tables where children can easily reach them. You can turn Vortx's into effective fund raising devices by attaching a sign-card to the top of the coin launch ramp and adding a "Drop Coins Here" label. We will show you the illustrations and provide the templates at the bottom of this page. A sign card describes the charity or project. We refer to it as the, "Proceeds Go To" sign, just as with the floor model Wells. It helps motivate people to donate more when they can easily see what the project is. There are two small ledges on the back of the ramp to rest the sign card on, and you can secure it with a common spring clamp or a screw (illustrated at the bottom of this page). The "Drop Coins Here" label shows how to place the coins for a perfect launch every time. Without the label instructions, children will often place coins against the "back" of the launch ramp rather than the "side" of the launch ramp which can make the coins shoot out onto the floor. This isn't an issue when the Vortx® used as a toy or coin bank because the child will quickly learn how to launch the coins. But in a retail setting, you want every launch to be perfect and the label helps accomplish that.
|
"This is a report on the Vortx Mini-Wells we purchased for our classroom fundraising at Walton Elementary School. We placed 1 in each of 9 classrooms for 7 school days and collected a total of $506.54 for classroom needs. Our top class collected $123.50 and will earn a class reward to be voted on by those twenty 2nd graders. This means we paid off the entire cost of the Vortx’s and cleared nearly $300 in our first week! We will do this 3 or 4 times per year and are considering getting one of your floor models to place in a store or restaurant near the school. Obviously, the students and teachers love them." Amy Miller, Walton Elementary School, Wakefield MA |
"WE LOVE YOUR NEW SIGN TOPPERS! We have used your Mini-Wells as offering devices in our church for many years. But it has always been difficult for the younger children to place the coins against the side of the ramps. The coins didn't launch correctly every time, and that made other children have to wait. The toppers are a great addition. Now every coin launches perfectly the first time. Thank you for coming up with this great solution." Judy Palmquist, Children's Ministries, The Gateway |
Sign Topper and "Drop Coins Here" Labels
A sign card can be made in any shape such as an animal, house, cloud, car, or whatever shape matches your theme and project. The illustration below is of a simple 5x6 card. You can print it on heavy paper or card-stock in a common printer. We recommend laminating it to protect it and make it stiffer. If you don't have a laminator, you can take it to an office supply store. Most of them provide lamination.
The best signs have a smiling face that matches the theme. Please send us pictures of your signs and we will add them to our examples so others can get some ideas from your experience.
Click here to see a printable PDF template for the "Drop Coins Here" labels which include images of quarters on the side as shown below that help illustrate how to launch the coins. You can affix it to the launch ramp with clear tape that is a little longer than the label. The samples whoen in this picture have been affixed with 2 strips of tape which completely cover and protect the label which has been printed on plain paper. We supply both a black and a white template...your choice.
The label is 4 7/16" long, so the tape should be about 5 1/2" long. Two strips of tape will overlap a little. For best results, place the printed strip of paper on top of the ramp. Make sure it is centered, then press along the edges to create sharp downward creases. The creases will hold it in place as you apply the tape strips over the label. If you are making large quantities, |
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Fund Raising Hints - How to Maximize Your Vortx Income
Be sure to invite everyone to "bring all the loose change from home" The average home in America has $50 worth of coins in jars and under seat cushions which can be an adventure for children to find.
Another way you can raise money with the Coin Banks is to offer the same incentive to drop in a dollar as we do on the large Wells. This is in the form of a little promo card shown on the sign over the large Well. If you would like to offer this, we would be happy to make a custom format for your setting and send that to you as a printable page.
This is even something that could be made into a "letter brochure" that you can post or send home. Parents and Grandparents like this Coin Bank because, as a piggy bank it encourages saving money, and it makes a great show-and-tell at school, especially using some of our Student Guide information about tornados, whirlpools, and planetary orbits that the Coin Bank demonstrates. Dollars add up a lot faster than coins, so this kind of promo will increase the income for your project quite nicely, and we are happy to offer the discount to help you raise more money. It is good for us too. You can raise even more if you offer the Coin Banks FREE for a $50 to $100 donation. Click here to learn more about that option.
If your setting allows, we encourage you to demonstrate the interactive game called "Coin Limbo". Click here to see a YouTube video clip of this game. If you can give people a chance to play it on a table, they will end up putting more money in, and they will be more eager to drop in a dollar and get Coin Banks for their children.
If you are placing the Vortx on a store or restaurant counter, you can run a light decorative chain from around the neck over the back of the counter. Even if the other end of the chain it is not secured to anything, it will give people the impression that it is chained down. We have found that this helps reduce theft. And of course, empty it often so the amount of temptation is minimized.
Click here to see other promotional ideas. A small school in Oregon (USA) used these strategies and raised $7,352 in one day with a Vortx Coin Bank!
We wish you great success, and if there is any possibility of needing a floor-model Well in the future, please let us know. It might be possible to get a sponsor to completely pay for it.