Humankind Water: Your Child Can Help Save Lives

We recently sat down with internationally known speaker TJ Foltz of Humankind Water. Scroll down to learn about his organization's mission and how its exciting relationship with Gifts 'N Things will allow your child to help save the lives of other children through the donation of clean water. 

What makes Humankind Water's mission unique?

There are other organizations that give to the crisis, and we respect them. For example, the water "Ethos", sold in Starbucks gives a nickel from every bottle to the crisis and we applaud their efforts. But we give 100% of our net profits to fund wells and filtration systems in the hardest hit areas of the world. The only other organization we've heard that gives 100% of their net profits is "Newman's Own" (the late Paul Newman's charity), and they've given millions. We're not there yet, but that's something we aspire to achieve."

Why is clean water so important?
Clean water is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT philanthropic effort there is right now, in my opinion, for two reasons. First, how bad the situation is and second, how relatively easy it is to correct it. Few Americans realize this, but the combined deadly effects of bad water in drinking and sanitation makes it the number one killer of children in the world every day. 5000 kids will die TODAY for no other reason than they lack clean water. 

Second, the fix is relatively simple. No miracle drug to discover here, no race for the cure. God bless all those scientists and doctors looking for the cures for as yet incurable diseases, but the truth is you introduce clean water where there is none, and you reduce infant mortality to almost nothing, almost overnight. Of course food is important...it's critical. Of course vaccines and mosquito nets are all crucial. But if you have all those things in place and kids are drinking filthy contaminated water, it won't matter. That's why - just my opinion - but I'm forever saying, "Water is the lowest hanging fruit on philanthropy's tree."

Why should elementary students, parents, and faculty be excited about Humankind Water's relationship with Gifts 'N Things?
Before now, there were two motivating factors to doing fund raisers with Gifts N' Things. The first, let's face it...COOL PRIZES! I know I got fired up about that stuff when I was a kid! Second, I know a ton of kids and certainly their parents...really do care a lot about raising that critical money for their own school need. Whether it's a great, fun, educational trip, or to resurface the gym floor, the money you make is great for your school and it's important to take pride in that. 

Those two factors really ought to be enough. But now it takes a huge extra leap forward. Now, in addition to cool prizes (and good for the school) we just might save the lives of THOUSANDS of children in really needy situations. Imagine. For every student that participates, even if you only sell ONE item, Gifts N' Things will contribute [enough money to supply] clean drinking water for one child for a YEAR! That's amazing!


Closing remarks
One of the unique things about Humankind Water is that because we give away all this money for wells and filters, we have never ever spent a penny (yet) on traditional advertising. Never bought a billboard. Never took out a magazine ad. Never bought a tv commercial. Products today just are not successful without that stuff. But we ...somehow...have to be. And that's why we are dependent upon YOU to tell the story. Share it. Tell other schools. Do presentations. Like us on Facebook and go to the website. 

Above all, make sure you thank the great people at Gifts N' Things. I mean, look at the back cover of the catalog. That's a primo spot to sell some other item. It's costing them money to NOT put another yummy candy or crunchy cookie there. Thank you to Gifts N' Things and every other organization going out of their way to help Humankind Water be successful, because they know that our success actually means kids lives saved. Humankind Water LOVES Gifts N' Things!

Time Management Skills for Kiddos

Time management is fundamentally a learned skill and an overall good practice for children and adults. The importance of developing good time management skills starts at a young age. From simply understanding the concept of time to juggling homework and after school activities, the benefits of having good time management skills are invaluable.

The best way to promote time management is through consistency. Start by integrating time management practices into your weekly routine. Don’t forget to balance work and play. It is easy to get caught up in the chaos of everyday life. Remember, kids still need to be kids.

Below are a few examples of time management practices to get you and your child started on the path to freedom and efficiency!

Invest in a Clock or Watch – This might sound like a “no brainer" but it is an important step in teaching time management to a child. Many people use their smart phones to track everything, including time. If you are a parent that falls into this category, invest in a clock for your home or a watch for your child.

Organization – Organization goes hand in hand with time management. Designate specific places for your child’s belongings. From clothes to toys, your child should know where everything goes. Tasks and chores will take half the time. Even backpacks need a place to live!

Instructions for the DIY BackPack Wall 

Charts – Charts can be a fun way to visually show the tasks that need to be completed. Start by creating a chart for morning or nightly routines. Eventually charts can be created for other weekly routines such as chores or homework. A good example is this free morning chart download from Illi Style. 

Calendars & Agendas – Create or purchase a calendar and/or agenda for your child. Teach children to write things down and prioritize their time. Break down tasks or activities into increments of time. Include start and end times. Don’t limit tasks to only deadlines or appointments. Include time for playing and relaxing. Eventually you can begin to color code activities, homework and tasks.

Free Idea Fair Luncheons in Your Area

Over the next few weeks Gifts' N Things will host Idea Fair Luncheons around the region in appreciation for the hard working school communities. These informal luncheons will feature prize giveaways and a free lunch on Gifts 'N Things. Check the list below to see if a luncheon is being held in your area.

Commack, NY

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

11:30am-2pm

Good Taste Chinese Buffet

200 Jericho Turnpike

Mayfair Shopping Center

(631) 543-9583

Langhorne, PA

Thursday, March 27, 2014

11am-2pm

J.B. Dawson’ Restaurant

92 N. Flowers Mill Road

(215) 702-8119

Reading, PA

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Toscani - Wood Fire Grill

1101 Rocky Drive

(610) 678-4060

Center Valley, PA

Thusrday, April 3, 2014

11am-2pm

Melt

2805 Center Valley Parkway

(610) 798-9000

Wilkes Barre, PA

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

11am-2pm

TGI Friday’s (attached to Holiday Inn)

880 Kidder Street

(570) 823-9923

Harrisburg, PA

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

11am-2pm 

Red Robin

5125 Jonestown Road

(717) 540-8600

Exton, PA

Thursday, April 10, 2014

11am-2pm

TGI Friday’s 

301 North Pottstown Pike

(610) 594-6646

Lancaster, PA

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

11am-2pm 

J.B. Dawson’s

491 Park City Center

(717) 399-3996

Tannersville, PA

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

11am-2pm

The Chateau Resort

300 Camelback Road

(800) 245-5900

Fleetwood, PA

Thursday, May 1, 2013

11am-2pm 

Gifts ‘N Things

26 East Locust Street

(610) 944-1400 

If you attend one of our luncheons, be sure to ask how you can win a $50 gift card to Restaurant.com and a $300 Carnival Kit for your school.

5 Tips for Your Child's Fundraising

Make Fundraising a Fun Learning Experience

Fundraising can be a daunting task, especially to young children and can cause them a great deal of anxiety. With a little push you can help your child be more comfortable fundraising and make it an enjoyable experience for everybody involved. To do this, Gifts 'N Things has provided the following tips to make your child's fundraising a fun and successful one.

1) Know The Product
One of the most important things when fundraising with children is that they know what they are selling. We don’t mean they know they are selling candy bars, but rather what is in the candy bar and how it tastes. This is impressive when a young “salesperson” can show knowledge of their product.

2) Go along for the Ride
Going door to door with your child is one of the best ways to have a successful fundraising campaign. By going door to door (preferably in your neighborhood), your child will be able to show their knowledge about the product with your neighbors and work on socializing with people they may not know that well. Most of the time they are more than willing to help support your children.

3) Buddy-Up!

When it comes to children and having to do something outside of their comfort zone it helps to have at least one other child with them. Our next tip is work in pairs or groups. This is a simple way to help make your child more comfortable and you can help the other children with their fundraising too.

4) Don't take over

Often times we see parents doing the selling for the children. Let your child do the work they are given to do. There is a good chance that they fundraising they are asked to do directly benefits them and is given to them for a purpose that cannot be achieved if you do it for your child.

5) Don't Bail Them Out

Our last tip is in regards to your top clients. More often than not, your family and close friends will be more than willing to help your child out. The great thing about seeking support from friends and family is that your child will be more comfortable around them. More often than not, parents end up buying too much of their children’s product. This does help your child meet the minimum requirements for selling but then you have an overabundance of something that cost you money. By setting limits on how much you will buy, your children will be able to know how much they must sell. Approaching close family and friends is a great way for your child to start tackling her or his additional quota.

By following the tips that we gave you you can make fundraising an overall successful experience for both you and your child. Good luck and happy selling!

How to Motivate Children to Fundraise WITHOUT Prizes

Use These Five Ideas to get Students Excited about Fundraising

For years, schools have executed successful fundraiser by awarding prizes as incentives for students to raise money. Sometimes however, prizes are not financially available or students do not desire the available prizes.

The good news is - it’s entirely possible to motivate children to fundraise without product-related rewards. Try using one or more of these five ideas:


1. Focus on the end-goal. Have your students remember what the money is going towards. Is it going towards the school itself, a special cause, or a new playground? If you make the goal real and show what it takes to reach, students will be more likely to engage in reaching it.

2. Hang “thermometer” posters in the hallways and classrooms to directly track progress. Not only does this directly show how much your team has made, but it inspires the students to reach the top of the thermometer.

3. Show inspirational videos. Is your fundraiser for a specific cause or charity? Showing videos related towards the cause make it even more real. If possible, bring in a guest speaker who represents the charity or cause you're raising money for. If it is not cause-specific, you can still show other inspirational videos that show how positive action and giving can go a long way.

4. Slime the top-selling students. While this might sound ridiculous, this activity creates a lot of hype between the students. It's almost as if students dare each other to do their best at fundraising (and calls for a celebratory school wide slime-ceremony)!

 

5. Create a no homework pass for a day to the top selling student. Rallying students around the idea of no homework often has exponential effects.

Teach Your Kids the Gift of Giving

Children Learn the Gift of Giving with Lil' Shopper's Shoppe

This holiday season, like any holiday season, there will be a lot of shopping. While gift-giving is a key element in the holiday season, how can you get your children to learn a valuable lesson without becoming addicted to their shiny new toys? Teaching your kids about giving is very important. Now is the time for them to learn about spreading warmth and helping others. Lessons you can teach your children this holiday season include:

Thoughtfulness for Others
Witnessing the gratitude of others is a great way to help a child’s thoughtfulness grow and it’s a feeling they will want to repeat. Personalizing a gift is a great way to add a little extra touch and to give a child pride. Whether it is something as simple as wrapping the gift in the child’s artwork,or adding a personal message, small touches go a long way. Make sure to ask for your child’s input. Ask what they think would be best suited for siblings, grandma, grandpa, cousins, etc., and be sure to let the child “present” the present. Feeling included in the gift-giving process is essential to making the child understand thoughtfulness.

The Value of Money
A fun and fantastic way to teach children the value of money is to involve them in the gift buying process. If planning a surprise gift for a child, it may be difficult to include them. However, you can easily incorporate their own wish list into a lesson about value and money. You can teach children about shopping around for the best price and how to get more bang for your buck. This will not only make more thrifty shoppers, but also teach your child about worth and value.

Gratitude and Values
Of course kids love receiving presents at the holidays but what truly makes the season special is the goodwill around them. Perhaps most important of all, a child learns gratitude when receiving gifts. When you involve a child in the buying and giving process, it helps them to better understand the effort behind receiving a gift from others. Incorporating your child in gift giving helps them to appreciate what they receive and be thankful. Children learn to express thanks for big and small gifts, not just the ones at the top of their list that year.

 

 

Free Supplies makes using our Holiday Shop a Breeze

Gifts 'N Things offers a one-stop Holiday Shop for your school. The following list of free supplies makes execution a breeze and running the shop a joy.

Colorful Parent Letters                                                                                                                                  You’ll love these multi-colored letters as they’re the perfect way to invite your students’ parents for a fundraiser. We supply a whole range of these colorful English and Spanish parent letters addressed to both parents and in whatever quantity you need.

Budget Envelopes

With a shopping budget, parents can be very clear about how much they want to give towards the fundraiser. This marries convenience with practicality and makes your fundraiser enjoyable.

‘Coming Soon’ Event Posters

You can spread awareness for your Holiday Shop by using our ‘Coming Soon’ posters. These posters are in set templates that allow you to fill in the essential elements like the date and the place. You can place these in popular hangouts and pull a crowd.

Gift Bags

Any Holiday Shop is only complete with gift bags. Shoppers will have varied interests in the products and different budgets too. We supply three different sizes of gift bags so that you’re never falling short of the right kind of gift bags.

Decorative Tablecloths

Most Holiday Shops we help out with use tables as the standard choice for their display medium.

You can use our decorated and multi-colored tablecloths to help cover up your tables and make
them more attractive and standardized.

Tent Cards

This is a great way to exhibit your wares so that someone can find exactly what he or she is looking for. Our tent cards have been updated with photos and descriptions too, so that you’ll get a lot more from them.

Pre-coded Merchandise

 Our merchandise comes pre-coded, free of cost. Each code corresponds to a specific price. This solves the problem of looking through a list of items to find prices. You can just look up the code instead and speed up the checkout process.

Chairperson Planning Guide

The organizer of any Holiday Shop has a lot of planning to do and many important decisions to make. We’ve worked with many chairpersons in the past and we’ve created a planning guide to make things simpler for you.

Gifts ‘N Things is committed to make things simpler for the organizers of any fundraiser. We also
deliver all re-orders on the very next day, and we have a complete chairperson website.

What do you think of our free Holiday Shop supplies? Let us know in the comments below.

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