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FAQ
Starting a fundraiser
What is unique about fundraising with Crayola Flowers?
A better question is, what’s not unique about fundraising with Crayola Flowers? Crayola Flowers is the first, and only, national flower fundraiser. We’re blazing new trails and we are keenly focused on raising funds and awareness for great causes.
We’ve put a lot of thought into building a platform that's simple and secure. We’ve also developed very useful Cool Tools to help organizations create and manage fundraisers to achieve maximum success.
We offer three different ways to fundraise. Please check out the Our Fundraisers tab on our home page to learn more.
Who can do a fundraiser? (statement of eligibility)
We have different types of fundraisers. With certain exceptions, any U.S. nonprofit (i.e. association, school, religious institution, sports team) can create its own fundraiser. A corporation (for-profit) can set up an Anytime fundraiser and promote it to employees, if the proceeds are to benefit a nonprofit.
Who can qualify as a beneficiary for an Anytime fundraiser?
A beneficiary is a nonprofit organization that receives money as a result of a fundraiser initiated internally or by a company, group or other organization on its behalf.
Please note, we reserve the right to exclude any organization from utilizing or benefiting from our platform at any time if, in our sole discretion, such organization conflicts with our values and our brand.
How long does it take to set up a fundraiser?
For an Occasion-al fundraiser (that’s a fundraiser centered around Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, for example, with all flowers delivered to one location for distribution), it should take you around 10 minutes to register and create your first fundraiser.
For an Anytime fundraiser, your organization’s always-open custom webshop, the process is even shorter. Just register, request a beneficiary (likely the nonprofit with whom you work), and we’ll check things out on our end to make sure everything looks good and beneficiary criteria are met.
To make the process as smooth and quick as possible, we suggest you have the following information available prior to creating your fundraiser:
1) Approximate number of people in your organization
2) Desired flower delivery date, pickup location and time (Occasion-al fundraiser only)
3) Organization logo/picture file for webshop and flyer customization
4) Email distribution list
5) Tax exempt certificate or other document evidencing nonprofit status
Are there any fees associated with fundraising with Crayola Flowers?
No way! Not only do you keep 100% of the donations made through your fundraisers, but we also absorb the credit card fees charged by the payment processor on every purchase.
Why do you need my cell phone number?
Because your security and the security of the platform is our utmost concern, your cell phone number is needed as part of registration in order to send you a log in code each time you want to access the website. This additional layer of security keeps out “injured” soccer players and other bad actors.
In addition, once you create a fundraiser it’s important for participants to be able to reach you if they have questions. Your contact information is only shared with people associated with your organization.
Why should I upload participant email addresses when creating a fundraiser?
Fundraisers prove significantly more profitable when constituents are personally invited to support your organization. When you securely upload an email list, our automated system informs and reminds people to buy flowers that benefit your cause.
And by the way, when you do an Occasion-al fundraiser, you’re provided with a flyer and unique QR code you can print and post anywhere. Just another one of our Cool Tools.
Is my email list safe and secure?
Are you familiar with Fort Knox? No one can guarantee that level of protection but we can say that all of your private information, including any email lists you upload, is handled even more carefully than your great grandmother’s fine china. It is stored in a very safe place, away from prying eyes and encrypted using AES-128 cipher in CBC mode (configured with a strong encryption key) and SHA512 HMAC authentication.
Please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for more details and additional bedtime reading material.
Where are flowers delivered and how are they distributed?
Occasion-al and Buy-the-Box™: All flowers are shipped to the location you choose (typically a school or company) for distribution or sale, and can be delivered to the lower 48 states (sorry AK and HI).
Anytime: Individual bouquets are delivered directly to the recipient at a residence or business address in the lower 48 states.
Why are there certain days of the week when flower delivery is not available?
Our flowers are delivered via FedEx® from our growers around the world and for logistical reasons, Saturday, Sunday and Monday deliveries are not available at this time.
What’s the difference between the Log In Code and Fundraiser ID?
A log in code is a unique 6-digit number you’ll receive via text each time you attempt to log in to your account. This double authentication keeps your information more secure than regular passwords because a bad actor would need both your email and physical possession of your mobile phone in order to gain access to your account.
Your Fundraiser ID is sent via email and it is unique to your fundraiser. Use this ID to track sales and profit in real time. You’ll be able to track performance anytime without logging in by clicking the “SALES TRACKER” tab on the homepage and entering your ID. Also, you may share this ID with anyone you’d like, but it will only give them access to sales data and not to your specific account details.
Your ID will not be functional until the fundraiser has been approved and it is active.
Is shipping included in your price?
Occasion-al and Buy-the-Box™: Yes - because flowers are sent in bulk, economies of scale enable us to “package” the flower and shipping costs together for a lower overall cost.
Anytime: Individual bouquets are typically expensive to send, but our shrewd logistics director negotiated a discounted price of $25.00 to ship from growers around the world to any address in the lower 48 states.
What’s the difference between your three fundraisers?
To help explain, we came up with this really nifty chart comparison because, well...we love charts.
swipe to read more| Anytime | Occasion-al | Buy-the-Box™ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snapshot | Your own customized webshop that’s always open. Anytime someone buys flowers your designated nonprofit earns money. | Typically centered around a holiday (e.g. Mother’s Day) or for an objective (e.g. build a new playground). You choose the flowers to sell. | Your group purchases flowers and sells them at an event (e.g. dance recital, school performance, street festival). |
| Eligibility | Nonprofits and organizations raising money for nonprofits | Only nonprofits | Only nonprofits |
| Number units (bqts) per box | One | Multiple | Multiple |
| Where are flowers delivered? | Everywhere (e.g. residence, business) | One location for distribution (e.g. a school) | One location (e.g. for sale at a dance recital) |
| Price | We set the price Range ~ $50-95+ |
You set the price Range ~ $20-40+ |
You set the price |
| Your “Profit” | 10% of flower price | Depends on price | Sell at your event |
| How long fundraiser lasts | Ongoing/year-round | 2-6 weeks. Fundraisers will have specific start, end and delivery dates. | By event, typically one day |
| Set up time | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
| Distribution time | N/A - flowers are shipped directly to recipient | Depends on pickup window you set | Generally 30 minutes - hour |
| Payment collection | Participants purchase online by credit card. No forms, cash or checks. | Participants purchase online by credit card. No forms, cash or checks. | You collect payment at your event. |
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You’ve mentioned a few times that fundraising with Crayola Flowers is easy and hassle-free. I guess that means you provide slick marketing tools that automate the process?
You bet! (We don’t actually encourage betting, it’s just an expression we like to use). Our platform provides a plethora (good SAT word) of marketing tools to help you maximize participation and profit:
1) Email list uploader so participants can be automatically informed and periodically reminded about your important fundraiser.
2) Printable flyer with QR code for posting in schools, libraries, supermarkets, coffee shops, corporate cafeterias and anywhere else you can think of.
3) Social media shortcuts to easily post and share your fundraiser with everyone who cares about your organization and cause.
We suggest using all of them.
Who can buy flowers to support my fundraiser?
That’s an excellent question and here’s the deal:
Occasion-al: Anyone can participate, however, because flowers are shipped to one location for distribution, the purchaser will need to designate a pickup person other than themselves if they live outside of your area.
Anytime: Anyone can buy and send flowers 24/7 and we ship them anywhere in the lower 48 states. For example, Sylvia Smythe in Walla Walla can send birthday flowers to her niece, Hildy Hildebrand, in Kalamazoo and your organization will make money!
Buy-The-Box™: These flowers are purchased to sell at an event or performance, so anyone attending can snap them up and support your cause.
What price should we charge participants for flowers?
Occasion-al: You set the price, however, we provide suggested selling prices based on our many years of flower fundraising experience. If you price flowers too high for your market, participation may not be optimal. On the other hand, setting the prices too low will limit your profit potential. Remember Goldilocks? Not too hot, not too cold... you get the idea.
Anytime: We set the prices on flowers offered through this type of fundraiser and your organization will receive 10% of gross flower sales! We're completely transparent and every participant will see the amount we'll donate to your organization before they complete their purchase.
Buy-The-Box: The selling price is up to you, but be realistic because you wouldn’t want to be left with excess flowers.
I don’t live in the United States--can I still fundraise with you?
Sorry, but at this time our platform may only be used in the lower 48 states of the U.S.
How much can my organization earn from a fundraiser?
Anytime: We will donate 10% of gross flower sales to your nonprofit. If you consider how many constituents you have and your phenomenal social media skills, that can translate into big money! Try out our Success Estimator Cool Tool to get a general idea of the potential.
Occasion-al: Your profit potential depends on many variables. While creating your Occasion-al fundraiser you’ll get to see how much you can earn in our Sales & Profit Estimator.
Buy-The-Box™: Since you’ll be purchasing your flowers at wholesale prices and reselling them, your profit will depend on your sale price.
We’re a nonprofit, so is sales tax collected on purchases?
Various sales tax laws across states have made things complicated but we’ll try to simplify it.
Occasion-al: Each purchase is comprised of a flower cost and a donation made to your organization. Only the flower cost is taxable.
Anytime: All purchases are fully taxable because Crayola Flowers (not your nonprofit) is the seller.
Buy-The-Box: If you upload a valid tax exempt certificate for your organization we will not be required to charge you sales tax.
During a fundraiser
I know the success of a fundraiser depends on people knowing about it. I’m a super busy person and don’t have a lot of time to devote. How do I remind people to participate in our fundraiser?
That was a trick question. One of the beautiful things about fundraising with us is that our system automatically sends reminders to participants so you don’t have to. That’s why we stress the importance of uploading an email contact list! Just another one of our Cool Tools to make your life easier and your fundraiser super successful. You're welcome!
How often will recipients receive emails?
When you upload a secure contact list, our system will inform constituents about your fundraiser.
Occasion-al: Fundraisers can last from three to six weeks. Depending on the length of your fundraiser, our automated system sends 5-7 “join in” emails to your contact list. Folks like to be reminded, especially when it’s a cause they care about - we all lead busy lives. In addition to emails, our system creates a custom flyer that you’ll want to print and post locally (library, coffee shop, supermarket). You’ll also be able to share the flyer or webshop link via email and social media.
Anytime: Email reminders are sent around holidays and occasions such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Because we ship our flowers throughout the U.S. (outside of Alaska and Hawaii, sorry), anyone can send and receive flowers in support of your organization or cause.
If recipients no longer wish to receive reminder emails, they may unsubscribe anytime.
Can I change any information once my fundraiser begins?
Another really great question. All information that will be viewed by the public goes through a stringent (but really quick) review process prior to taking effect. The online safety of your organization and participants is of the utmost importance to us. For security purposes there are certain details that cannot be changed once a fundraiser begins.
Occasion-al: You will not be able to change flower selection or selling price.
Anytime: You will not be able to change your nonprofit beneficiary. If that’s something you’d like us to do, please contact us.
Can an order be modified or canceled once it is placed?
Occasion-al: Because of the complexity of our logistics, we are unable to process changes or cancellations. That’s our polite way of saying our website is really complicated and it would take many paragraphs to actually describe how it all works. In the end, purchasers will love their flowers and they’re helping a really great cause.
Anytime: It depends. If the delivery date is five days or more from now that's probably enough time to get a hold of our growers and tell them not to pack the flowers. Please contact us as soon as you can and we'll see what we can do.
What happens if I need to pause or cancel a fundraiser that has started?
Once a fundraiser has started, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes so we’ll have to assist you on this. Please Contact Us.
After a fundraiser
Is there a way to track the shipment of flowers?
Occasion-al and Buy-The-Box™: Yes, you’ll receive an email with tracking numbers for your boxes once they are shipped. You can also access shipping information by logging in, clicking “Manage Current Fundraisers” and selecting “Shipping” for that fundraiser.
Anytime: The purchaser will receive a tracking number via email once flowers ship.
How are flowers distributed to Occasion-al fundraiser participants?
When you set up your fundraiser we ask you for pickup location and times, and this information is conveyed to participants. Once the fundraiser ends, you will receive a distribution list via email containing all of the information needed to hand out the flowers easily and expeditiously. You will also be able to access your distribution list through "Manage Current Fundraisers" after logging in.
For my Occasion-al fundraiser, when should my flowers arrive and what should I do with them upon delivery?
FedEx typically delivers by noon on the delivery day, although the exact time cannot be guaranteed. We recommend tracking your delivery with the tracking number(s) provided once your flowers ship.
During warmer weather heat may build up in the boxes, so we strongly recommend that you remove the box tops upon arrival to allow the heat to escape. If you have access to a cooler (35° or higher) to store the boxes until pickup, the flowers would very much appreciate that. If you don’t have access to a cooler, try to store the topless boxes in a cool, dry place until pickup. If flowers cannot be distributed on the day of arrival, if feasible, we recommend cutting the stems, immediately placing them in cold water and storing them somewhere cool until they can be handed out.
My green thumb is not so green--what is the best way to keep my flowers looking beautiful for as long as possible?
Well, we can't help you with your thumb but we can offer instructions to take care of your flowers...:
- Remove flowers from all packaging.
- Now here’s the fun part: Cut stems with a sharp knife or clippers at a 45.6% angle to the vertical (remember that geometry class you liked to skip?) approximately 0.72 inches from the bottom. This allows them to better absorb water. Scissors are good for cutting paper, not flowers.
- If included with your flowers, use floral food packet/preservative as directed. If not, a couple of drops of bleach will help keep the water clean.
- Keep fresh flowers away from drafts and extreme temperatures, which can quickly dry out the flowers and cause wilting. So while flowers look great on window sills, direct sun or drafts can decrease their vase life. Flowers do much better when they are kept cool.
- A clean vase should always have enough water and all stems should be submerged.
- Check and remove dead or wilting leaves and stems, especially those below the water line.
- Be sure to keep the water clean and fresh. Do you like drinking dirty water? Well, neither do flowers.
- Clean vase and change water every couple of days. Relax!
What happens if someone has an issue with their flowers?
Don’t worry, be happy. Flowers are Mother Nature’s amazing gift to us, and while she might be close to perfect, there are things beyond her (and our) control that may affect the quality of the flowers. For instance, while rare, improper handling or shipping delays caused by extreme weather may result in damage to flowers. Also, please keep in mind that improper care and handling by participants (e.g. leave in a hot car, don’t cut stems and/or place in water right away, etc.) may result in quality issues.
Any claim for damaged flowers may only be made within 24 hours of pickup and must be accompanied by photos showing the damage. Claims should be submitted by the participant to the following email: something-happened-to-my-flowers-and-I-am-sad@crayolaflowers.com (ok, try support@crayolaflowers.com). Please note that any refunds given to participants will be reflected in the amount of the check sent to your organization.
What’s your refund policy?
Quality
We guarantee the freshness of our flowers if you promise to cut the stems before placing your arrangement in a clean vase with clean, cool water. And sing to them. Flowers especially like lullabies. Anyway, if you’ve done all that and are still unhappy, we’ll make it right.
Please note we cannot be responsible for quality issues related to improper care and handling (e.g. flowers left in a hot car, stems not cut and/or placed in water right away, participant doesn’t pickup, etc.).
Important: In the case of any refunds issued, the donation portion of the related purchase will be deducted from the organization's overall profit.
Shipping Delay
We cannot be held liable for delays related to weather, shipping or any other cause outside of our control which results in delayed arrival. By participating in our fundraisers, all purchasers accept the possibility that they may receive flowers after the scheduled delivery date. Under such circumstances, no refunds will be issued.
Cancellations and Order Changes
If our grower has not yet processed an order, it may be canceled for a full refund. However, once an order is placed it may not be modified. If timing permits, a purchaser may cancel their order and create a new one.
What happens if flowers don't arrive by delivery date?
Our flowers are sent by FedEx (you'll receive a tracking number) and, on rare occasions, factors beyond our control (e.g. weather, goats loose on a busy highway, volcanic eruptions or customs control) can result in shipment delays.
Occasion-al: You can notify participants about your adjusted pickup time by logging in >My Navigator tab >Manage Current Fundraisers >Manage Fundraiser >Shipping>Shipping Delay Email.
Anytime and Buy-the-Box: While we understand the delivery date is important to you and your recipient or event attendees, we cannot issue credit for late arrival due to circumstances beyond our control.
When do we, or our favorite nonprofit, receive funds?
Occasion-al: In approximately 2-4 weeks after pickup date we will mail a check for profit (minus Profit UP used and any claims/credits).
Anytime: We will remit a check to the beneficiary organization (minus any claims/credits) on a quarterly basis.
Buy-The-Box™: You receive your money as you sell the flowers at your event.
Can I fundraise for more than one organization?
Yes, of course you can. However, for security reasons, you may only register one email address per organization.
Can I do Occasion-al and Anytime fundraisers simultaneously?
Yes, please do. We encourage everyone to set up an Anytime fundraiser because it's always open, potentially generating money for your organization round-the-clock. In addition, before holidays or for a purpose (e.g. build a playground), your organization should take advantage of our Occasion-al fundraiser.
What is “PROFIT UP?”
Profit UP is a unique feature that allows you to add a box or more to the delivery using profit already generated by your Occasion-al fundraiser. You’ll be able to Profit UP as long as there’s enough to cover the cost of at least one box. There is no cash outlay on your part, the amount is simply deducted from profit already generated. This brilliant idea was created as a result of the Floral Procrastination Principle, which states that “many who intend to purchase flowers simply wait until it’s too late.” So Profit UP provides another opportunity for people to buy flowers on the spot (during pickup) and support your organization. View illustration
Fundraiser sales did not meet expectations. How can we do better next time?
Experience tells us the most successful fundraisers have the following in common:
1. Participant contact emails were uploaded.
2. Flyers were printed and placed in high traffic locations (such as local library, Starbucks® and supermarket - with permission). [Occasion-al Fundraiser]
3. Social media was used to spread the word (we make it easy).
4. Flower prices set by the fundraiser administrator were “Goldilocks” (just right - not too high and not too low). [Anytime and Buy-the Box Fundraisers]
Please don’t be discouraged. We hope you’ll consider setting up a new fundraiser for a different holiday or occasion - often the second time around is a charm.
What is “Profit”?
Occasion-al and Buy-the-Box: Profit (amount donated) is the difference between the sale price you set and your flower cost.
Anytime: Profit is 10% of gross flower sale price.
Who’s making the donation for each purchase made?
Crayola Flowers will remit donations directly to beneficiary organizations (nonprofits).
Can I feed flowers to my pet?
No. Not a good idea.
