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Have a Question About Our Wreath Fundraiser?
Your nonprofit organization might have a lot of questions about how our wreath fundraiser works. Our website is full of information to help you learn more about the Profit With Evergreens® program. You can find specific questions and answers here, arranged by category. Or you can call our office at 1-800-767-7778 and speak with one of our friendly customer service representatives.
1. What makes Sherwood Forest Farms the Best Choice?
Sherwood Forest Farms does not cut down trees or use old growth trees to supply the raw materials for our Christmas wreaths and evergreens. In fact, our evergreens are harvested by trimming the trees. This trimming helps keep the ecosystem healthy and thriving.
Sherwood Forest Farms has been providing nonprofit organizations such as church groups, scout groups, school groups and others with holiday evergreens fundraisers since 1954. Our experience has given us the opportunity to constantly improve the Profit with Evergreens® fundraising program. This experience benefits your nonprofit organization's fundraising efforts.
Here at Sherwood Forest Farms we have a customer service team that works hard to be accessible, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We pride ourselves in offering customer service that goes the extra mile every time! Remember, your success is our goal.
Your nonprofit organization decides your own prices. That is one of the wonderful facets of our program. We feel it is important that every group has the ability to decide their own profit margin and also be sure the prices they charge fit for the community where they sell. In addition, to assist your group in deciding your prices, we illustrate a couple of suggested retail prices on the price list. This gives your nonprofit organization some ideas about pricing to get you started.
We strive to keep the wreath fundraiser as simple as possible. One of the ways we do this is by keeping the pricing simple. There is no calculating needed by you to figure out your cost because all of our prices include shipping and handling (except for Alaska and Hawaii).
One of the great things about our program is the 100% guarantee for quality, fresh Christmas wreaths and evergreens. We stand behind our wreaths and evergreens and want to be sure your customers are happy with their evergreens as well. If you ever have any problems with any product just call our office and speak to one of our helpful customer service team members. If possible, we will ship replacement products or we can credit the group. All you have to do is call Sherwood Forest Farms.
Each Christmas wreath and evergreen is conveniently packaged in an easy to handle plastic bag. No worrying about purchasing bags for the products or the task of bagging every item before passing them out. All evergreens are boxed in sturdy cardboard cases designed to withstand the shipping process.
Absolutely! Every nonprofit organization is entitled to one free sample after September 15th. We feel a sample wreath or evergreen product helps your fundraiser by giving your customers or sellers a chance to experience the quality of our fresh wreaths and holiday evergreens. You can order a sample for your nonprofit group by calling our customer service team. Please give at least 10 days notice when ordering.
Your sales materials (catalogs, sales records, address labels, etc.) are free! All you have to do is sign up for the wreath fundraiser. Call our office to sign up or fill out the Program Sign Up form and fax or mail it to our office. Once you sign up, you can also create your own sales materials and print them out yourself in the My Account area of our website.
Noble Fir grows at a high altitude in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. This means the fresh Christmas wreaths, centerpieces, swags and other holiday evergreens you are getting are hearty, exceptionally beautiful, and fragrant.
2. How The Program Works
2A. Complete program
With this option of the Christmas wreath fundraiser your nonprofit organization may sell both the Case Items and the Direct Delivery Items. The Case Items are ordered by the case and all delivered to your group to distribute to your customers. The Direct Delivery Items are ordered, boxed and shipped individually directly to the recipient. If your group chooses the Complete Program, we would always recommend offering the Direct Delivery Items to your customers also as an easy way to increase your sales.
Yes, we only ship in full case amounts. Also, we cannot mix evergreens products within the cases.
An alternative to ordering in case amounts is our Direct Delivery Gift Program.
Yes, there is a 10 case minimum for ordering. Any combination of 10 cases, i.e. 5 cases of Christmas wreaths and 5 cases of cedar garlands fulfills the requirement. If a group cannot meet the 10 case minimum order there is a $40 surcharge. Even if you order less than 10 cases, cases are still ordered in full case amounts only.
Unfortunately, the way our shipping system works, we cannot guarantee a specific delivery date. We do guarantee your fresh Christmas wreaths and evergreens will arrive within the stated delivery time frame. When we get closer to the actual delivery time frame, we can usually narrow down the dates of estimated delivery within the window. Also, if your delivery is going to be made by UPS/FedEx, we provide tracking numbers to you so you can check with UPS/FedEx on when their estimated time of delivery would be once they receive your evergreens from us. If your delivery is going to be made by a local trucking company, we always request they call the customer prior to delivery, so you should receive a phone call from them.
There are no additional charges for shipping and handling. We strive to keep our pricing simple; there are no hidden costs. Cases shipped to Alaska and Hawaii will incur an additional charge for shipping. Please contact our office for up to date Alaska and Hawaii costs. We do not ship Direct Delivery items to Alaska or Hawaii.
Yes, while your nonprofit organization can run your wreath fundraiser at any time in September and October that works for you, we have specific deadlines for placing your Final Order with us and specific dates for delivery time frames. For the 2010 Season, the Final Order deadline for Before Thanksgiving delivery is 10/28/10 and the delivery time frame is 11/16/10 – 11/24/10. The Final Order deadline for After Thanksgiving delivery is 11/03/10 and the delivery time frame is 11/29/10 - 12/06/10. Most groups use the After Thanksgiving delivery time frame. We do not ship to the warm southern climates for the 'Before Thanksgiving' delivery time frame. The longevity of the Christmas wreaths and evergreens would be effected. The Direct Delivery Gift Items will arrive directly to recipients within the first two weeks after Thanksgiving.
When selling case products your nonprofit group can sell any amount of the Direct Delivery Items. Your group can sell zero or one or one hundred, any amount is a wonderful way for your church, school, scout group or other nonprofit organization to increase profits. Since the evergreens are sold, boxed and shipped individually any amount can be ordered.
No, the Direct Delivery Items are shipped completely separate from the Case Items.
Once your school, church, scout group or other nonprofit organization has made the decision to offer the wreath fundraiser and signed up with Sherwood Forest Farms for the season, your group is ready to start organizing their drive. Here is a basic outline of the steps your group should follow to make this fundraising drive successful:
- Pick a time frame to run the fundraising drive that works with your group’s calendar.
- Once your nonprofit organization receives the sales materials, review the basics of your drive with the sellers and set goals. Some groups pass out an informational sheet to each seller.
- Prepare for your fundraiser by passing out the sales materials to each seller and then at the kick off, send them out to sell, sell, sell!
- Make sure everyone is aware of the deadline for turning orders into the group. We suggest setting your deadline a few days ahead of the Sherwood Forest Farms deadline. This gives you a few days to organize your final order and also allows for straggling orders.
- Compile your orders and turn in your Final Order to Sherwood Forest Farms by the chosen deadline. Use the Final Order Form mailed to you in October or place your order online through our website.
- Give your group a reminder when the time frame for delivery approaches. Some nonprofit organizations set up a phone tree for contacting members to help organize the delivery and get distribution going. Remember, the Gift Items arrive directly to recipients within the first two weeks after Thanksgiving.
- Once your evergreens cases arrive, double-check your order to make sure you have received the appropriate amount of cases. We recommend opening each case to let the fresh wreaths and evergreens breathe. In addition, please check your evergreens for quality because our items are 100% Guaranteed. Please call with any questions. We also recommend that you distribute the evergreens within 1-2 days. We discourage groups from storing the evergreens any longer.
- Once your evergreens are distributed, your group has finished their drive with the Christmas wreath fundraiser. Your invoice will be mailed to your nonprofit organization when your evergreens are shipped. Payment is due within 30 days.
2B. Direct Delivery program only
With this option of the wreath fundraiser your group sells only the Direct Delivery Gift Items. This can be a good option for smaller groups because the minimum order requirement for the Direct Delivery Gift program is only 10 individual items. Your nonprofit organization also would not have to order by case amounts since the items are sold, boxed and shipped individually. In addition, your nonprofit organization does not handle the evergreens because they are shipped directly to the recipients. Essentially, the Direct Delivery Program is a very easy, simple to execute way to run our Profit With Evergreens® fundraiser.
Yes, with the Direct Delivery Program your group must order at least 10 individual items.
While we cannot guarantee an exact date of delivery we can guarantee that each fresh wreath and evergreen product will arrive fresh to recipients within the first two weeks after Thanksgiving.
There are no additional charges for shipping and handling. We strive to keep our pricing simple; there are no hidden costs. We do not ship Direct Delivery Items to Alaska or Hawaii.
Yes, while your nonprofit organization can run your wreath fundraiser at any time in September, October, and November that works for you, your group must turn your Final Order and address labels in to Sherwood Forest Farms by the order deadline. The delivery time frame for the Direct Delivery Gift Items is always within the first two weeks after Thanksgiving. For 2010 the Final Order deadline is November 10th, 2010.
Once your nonprofit organization has made the decision to offer the wreath fundraiser and signed up with Sherwood Forest Farms for the season, your group is ready to start organizing their drive. Here is a basic outline of the steps your group should follow to make this Christmas wreath fundraiser successful:
- Pick a time frame to run the drive that works with your group’s calendar.
- Once your nonprofit organization receives the sales materials, review the basics of your drive with the sellers and set goals. Some groups pass out an informational sheet to each seller.
- Prepare for your drive by passing out the sales materials to each seller and then at the kick off, send them out to sell, sell, sell! Remember to always collect the money at the time of sale because the item goes directly to the recipient.
- Make sure everyone is aware of the deadline for turning orders into the group. We suggest setting your deadline a few days ahead of the Sherwood Forest Farms deadline. This gives you a few days to organize your final order and also allows for straggling orders.
- Compile your orders and turn in your Final Order and addresses to Sherwood Forest Farms by the deadline. For 2010, the Final Order deadline is November 10th. Use the Final Order Form mailed to you in October or place your order online through our website
- The wreaths and evergreens will arrive fresh to recipients the first two weeks after Thanksgiving. Remember, our products are 100% guaranteed. If anyone receives an item they are not completely satisfied with, your group leader may call our office to receive either a replacement or a credit.
- When the wreaths and evergreens are shipped, your invoice will be mailed to you. Payment terms are net 30 days. Your holiday fundraiser is now complete!
2C. Both Programs
No, your nonprofit organization can choose to sell any of the wreaths and evergreens they like. For instance, you can sell 1 or 2 items only or sell all but a few items. Also, your group can choose to sell only the case items, only the Direct Delivery Gift Items or sell both. Remember, selling the Direct Delivery Gift Items is an easy way to increase your sales and profits with very little extra work. We want you to be able to choose the method that will work best for your nonprofit organization in the community you are selling.
Unfortunately, we cannot send Direct Delivery Gift Items outside the United States.
Your nonprofit organization determines the prices you are going to charge for the wreaths and evergreens. The cost to your group is set, whatever your group charges over and above that cost is your profit. This gives your group the opportunity to decide your profit margin, in addition to making sure the prices you charge are appropriate in your community.
Yes, we suggest making a spreadsheet to keep track of your customers' names, addresses, phone numbers and even email addresses. This not only makes it easier for the person running the wreath fundraiser to organize the distribution of the wreaths and evergreens, it also makes it easier to increase your customer base year after year. You will find you often have return customers. If you already have their contact information at your fingertips, you can easily contact these customers for repeat sales. This creates more time for making sales with new customers.
Our evergreens are fresh from the Pacific Northwest and harvested by trimming trees that are farmed for commercial use. This trimming keeps the trees, evergreens and ecosystem in the area healthy. We do not use old growth trees, nor do we cut trees down.
3. How to sign up for the program
You can call us and we will walk you through signing up over the telephone or you can fill out the Program Sign Up Form and either mail or fax it to our office.
We start sending out the sales materials at the end of August so your school, church, scout troop or other nonprofit organization will receive them the beginning of September. If your group signs up after the first of September, we ship your sales materials out the day after you sign up and your group receives them in about a week.
No, you are not obligated to place a Final Order with us if you sign up. If for some reason your nonprofit organization chooses not to use the Christmas wreath fundraiser, just call our office and let us know.
4. How to place your final order
Yes, your nonprofit organization can place your Final Order and enter the Direct Delivery Gift Item addresses online. We have an ordering system on our website that you as the group leader can access with your Customer number and password. It is a very simple to use system that eases the process of ordering. As always, our customer service team is available on the phone and through email to assist. In addition, if entering the Direct Delivery Gift Item addresses online, your group receives $0.35 off for every address entered.
In October, we will mail to you a Final Order form and instructions on how to place your Final Order. You can then place your Final Order online through our website or you can fill out your Final Order form and either mail or fax it to us. You cannot place the Final Order over the telephone, as there are agreements on the Final Order that need to be acknowledged and signed (this acknowledgement can be done online by accepting the terms and conditions).
Some things to remember before placing your Final Order; make sure your CASE totals are correct and that you use standard numbers (not Roman numerals), make sure the number of addresses for gift items and the number of gift items ordered match, make sure you signed the Final Order form, and make sure all your pertinent contact and shipping information is correct on the Final Order form.
Yes, there is a Final Order form made specifically for each year and you must use the Final Order form we provide for you or place your order online. The reasons for this are first, the Final Order form is a contract and second, the information must be consistent for our data entry department.
You can enter the addresses online through our website or you can mail the labels we provided in the business reply envelope that came with your Final Order Form. If you enter the addresses online, you will receive a discount off your invoice of $0.35 for each address entered. Please do NOT fax the addresses to our office.
Once your order is entered into our system, we will mail to you a Final Order Confirmation. Use this to double-check the information we have on your Final Order. If you have placed your Final Order online, you will receive your Final Order Confirmation via email. If you do not receive email confirmation that generally means you did not finish all the steps needed to place your order online. If you have faxed or mailed your Final Order to us, wait for your confirmation to come in the mail. Final Order Confirmation is always available at our website using your customer number and password.
We have a system in our office to make sure that no orders fall through the cracks. If your group has signed up with us and we have not received a Final Order from you, we will call you in time to place your Final Order.
No, the Final Order Confirmation is just to let you know that we have received your Final Order for your evergreens and give you a chance to double-check your order.
Your customers make checks payable to your nonprofit organization, you send one check from your non-profit organization as payment. We mail an invoice to your group about the same time the greens are shipped out to you. Terms for payment are net 30 days. We accept payment in one of two ways, either a check from your organization ( have your customers write their checks out to your group ) or make Visa / Mastercard payment after receiving your invoice.