Conservation Made Easy

Keeping warm this winter has been a tough one. The temperatures have been below average all year.  Gaithersburg Heating and Air Conditioning recommends these steps for watch your energy while keeping warm.  specifically if you live in Germantown, Rockville, Clarksburg, or other montgomery county maryland cities that have been hit hard this year.

Looking for an end of year PTA Fundraiser.  Consider hosting a Conversation Fundraiser for Earth Day 2008.  This is a fun and very easy way to teach your students about conservation and raise thousands of dollars for your PTA.   If your not sure this is the right PTA Fundraiser, then let RBC Utilities and Conservation Made Easy provide you a Full Free Report that will show your estimated sales and revenue.

If your cheerleading team needs funds to go on that special trip or maybe they need new uniforms then why not have a cheerleading fundraiser? This could prove to be very profitable and could get your team what they need. A cheerleading fundraiser can be fun for your team and it will give them the feeling that they are truly helping the cause.

There are many cheerleader fundraiser ideas you can choose from for your cheerleader fundraiser. You can put together a cookbook by gathering recipes from all the students, parents or the teachers and if you want a good place to sell them then try at the games that your cheerleaders attend. Get your cheerleaders to hold a cheerleading school for a day and charge for the lessons. Even the older ones can get in on this fun and your up front cost will be next to none if you can hold this at your school’s gym.

Another neat cheerleading fundraiser idea is to hold a raffle, which pays out 50/50. With this type of cheerleading fundraiser you sell tickets and the prize is 50% of all that is collected. You will still end up with a tidy profit. You could even ask for the PTA fundraising on this one. They would enjoy helping out.

Another way to have a cheerleading fundraiser is to set up an actual game between your cheerleaders and one of the teams. This can be fun for everyone and thoroughly enjoyed by the crowds. Everybody loves sports of any kind and this would go over very well without any up front cost. Another cheerleading fundraising ides is to have a rummage sale. Collect from your community anything that they don’t need. You’ll be surprised at what people will donate for a good cause.

Make sure you advertise your cheerleading fundraiser well. For another cheerleading fundraiser idea could be to ask the business of your city if your cheerleaders could work for a day at their establishments for a share of the profits. Fast food services are good at this.

Whenever your collecting for cheerleading fundraiser keep in mind to tell those that are collecting to always mention what the money will be used for and who is collecting it. Tell them to be polite when they collect. It would be a very good idea for them to wear their uniforms, keep good records of what is collected and from whom they collect as this will help with the thank you later. With this in mind your cheerleading or PTA fundraising should be a hit.

There’s a whole bunch of ideas for a cheerleading fundraiser.

There are many good reasons to conserve energy. If we use less gas, oil and electricity we will save money, and the pollution associated with extracting and using fossil fuels will decrease. Reducing greenhouse gas production may help to reverse global warming. In a nutshell - conservation of energy has both personal and societal benefits.

Most people are concerned with making their money last longer and energy conservation can help by reducing our energy costs. Homeowners can do many things to cut down on their energy needs. Perhaps the best thing they can do to is to install better insulation to retain warm and cool air.

Heating and air conditioning are the biggest energy consumers of the average household. Much of the heat and cool air escapes because of poorly insulated roofs, walls, doors, and windows. In fact in a lot of cases heating and cooling is responsible for around 50% of your energy costs. Improving insulation will result in greater conservation of energy and lesser energy costs. Small changes in this area can result in dramatic reduction in your monthly payment to your utility company.

Old cooling and heating appliances should be replaced with newer models which are more energy efficient. Other large appliances like refrigerators can also be replaced with newer models that are designed to conserve energy. Always make sure you read the energy label, if you do, you will often find that a cheap product in fact can be expensive in its every day use because of its energy consumption.

Traditional light bulbs are inefficient because much of the energy they consume is converted to heat. Replacing all your incandescent bulbs with compact florescent bulbs will provide the same level at light with less energy consumption. Even though the cost of these bulbs is greater than traditional bulbs, they last up to 20 times longer, resulting in significant overall savings.

Using alternative energy sources such as solar panels or wind turbines can greatly reduce the amount of energy needed from traditional sources. The electricity produced by these devices can be fed back into the local power grid if it is not immediately used by the household. This reduces the power bill even further (the power meter runs backwards) while supplying clean power to your community.

Conservation of energy is not just for homes, cars and trucks are available with more energy efficient engines and some can run on alternate power sources such as hydrogen or electricity.

Conservation of energy is something that everyone can contribute to. By being careful in how we use our resources we are building a society for our children and grandchildren.

Your local school, church or other such organization generally hold fundraisers to raise money they may need to accomplish tasks or goals which have been set.

However, most of the time, fundraisers are usually the same old ideas such as holding a bake sale or selling candy bars or having a raffle.

How would you like to try something new and innovative for your next fundraiser?

Check out these unique fundraising ideas!

• For an annual fund raiser, your group might think to sell a ‘Flag Service.’ What you could do is come up with a set amount, say $15-$20 a year, and then the members of your group would come to your home on each Federal holiday and place a US Flag in your yard. Once the holiday was over, the group members would remove the flag from your yard and then place it in storage until the next event when a US Flag is typically flown. The flags are nice and large as well as typically mounted on PVC-type poles. The members of your group would hammer a stake into the ground and and then slide the post on. When you think about it, the initial investment really isn’t too much and after the first year is really hardly anything at all. Once a few individuals in the neighborhood get one, you can be sure that most likely everyone else will want one too. It definitely looks great and adds lots of patriotism and spirit to your local communities around all the Federal holidays.
• Is your fundraiser for a music-related organization? If not, that’s fine too… How about conducting a “Rock-a-thon” fundraiser? The individuals who wish to participate for the event would take pledges for rocking in a rocking chair over say like 10 hours. You could make things interesting as the time stretches into the early morning hours by throwing around water balloons and so forth. Upon completion of rocking, participants would then collect their pledge monies.
• For sports-related fundraiser, your group might think about sponsoring a golf tournament. Solicit your local businesses for prize donations and charge for tournament play.
• Here is a nice springtime fundraiser that you can do during crafttime with kids. You can buy some small clay pots and fingerpaints which can be purchased inexpensively at a craftstore. When the pots are decorated, buy some nice flower or herb seeds to grow. Many people really like these as a personal touch and it would help to raise money for your club or organization.
• Some clubs or organizations do hold a car wash as fundraiser. How about holding a “FREE” Car Wash fundraiser? The members of your group would ask family members and business to get pledges per car. Individuals might pledge 10 cents a car while businesses might be willing to pledge 25 cents a car. You might want to try to set a goal of each member to get at least $2 in pledges but you may be very surprised to see that most members will receive even more! Set up a car washing station with your water, hose and soap. Create your “FREE CAR WASH” sign. All members should collect their pledges after the fundraiser is complete.
• How about a star-studded twist on the standard auction fundraiser? The members of your group could compile a list of all the stars they want to contact and locate their mailing addresses on the internet. You would want to craft a professional letter to forward to their attention indicating your fundraising effort and what it is for. You then want to ask if they will send you something they sign. The item could range from pictures, clothing, books, tapes, CDs, sports items, etc. You may also want to consider contacting your “local stars” such as newscasters, tv personalities, weatherforecasters and so on.

And those are just a few of the unique and fresh ideas for the fundraising project you may have on the horizon!

Author: Colleen Maloney

If you’re looking for some church fundraiser ideas, here are a dozen or so that are fairly easy to put together. These church fund raisers are low cost and take some effort, but they do a great job of raising much needed funds.

Bake Sale
Bake sales are a great way to get everyone together and strengthen the bond with your church. You can do a typical bake sale fundraiser or a Christmas Cookie box sale where you sell tickets and everyone gets to fill up a box with their choice of cookies.

Yard Sale
Doing a big rummage sale or yard sale in the church parking lot on Saturday morning is a fun way to raise funds. You can get people to donate their items for a general sale, sell tables like a flea market does, or even let people sell things from their trunks for a small fee. Put out a general call for items and let parishioners know that you can send a crew around with a truck for big items from the attic or garage.

Community Cleanup
A great project for a youth group is to do a community cleanup fund raiser. Essentially, your workers get pledges of so much per pound of trash collected and hauled away. This works especially well when the area being cleaned up is a visible eyesore such as a creek bed or illegal roadside dumping area.

Car Wash
The perennially popular car wash fund raiser is a summer staple and for good reason. Church youth groups can always count on it to raise hundreds of dollars for mission trips and other youth ministry needs.

Christmas Ornaments
You can put together a ‘make your own ornaments’ craft class and charge a small fee to each attendee plus make a little extra on supplies. Buy the supplies in bulk in the off-season and schedule yours near the Thanksgiving timeframe. You can also offer Christian-themed ornaments, nativity scenes, decorations, etc. for sale as well.

Easter Lillies
To have these beautiful flowers available for sale s few weeks before Easter, plant your bulbs in starter pots in February. Store them in a low-traffic area and nurture them along with some grow lights. With a cost of only a couple of dollars apiece, it’s a surefire moneymaker.

Gardening Supplies
Another easy way to raise funds in the Spring is to host a garden supplies event in the church parking lot. Work with nurseries, yard services, landscaping companies, and mulch or pine straw distributors. Use lots of roadside signs and publicize it the week before to attract a big crowd.

Wristband Fundraiser
These low-cost silicone bracelets can be ordered in bulk with your slogan of choice for well under a $1. The right color combination and message can create a huge demand. After all, Lance’s Armstrong’s foundation has sold over 80 million LiveStrong bracelets. Consider phrases like Got Faith?, WWJD, PrayStrong, BeStrong, Trust Your Faith, etc.

Poinsettias
These beautiful flowers always sell well around mid-November. Take orders for various types of poinsettias and deliver a few weeks before Christmas. You can also include wreathes and other holiday decorations in your holiday fundraising and make extra profits.

Recycling
Long-term fundraisers that help the environment are also popular. You can recycle printer toner cartridges or even used cell phones and raise a steady flow of cash. It’s all about getting the word out and having lots of convenient donation points.

Pancake Breakfast
A big breakfast is a surefire draw when there’s a good cause behind it. A pancake breakfast fundraiser is easy to do and very low cost. Read the article for five great profit tips and don’t forget to place a big jar labeled ‘donations’ right next to the cash register.

Portrait Day
Everyone loves to have their picture taken and a dress-up portrait day is a great photography fundraiser. Many companies will give you a big share of the revenue and also provide fun costumes for people to where. For example, you could do regular family portraits or offer 1890’s costumes for an old-fashioned feel. To increase attendance, pre-sell appointment certificates offering a free portrait for $10.

So there you have it, a dozen or so church fundraiser ideas. Select one, run with it, and have fun!

By: Kimberly Reynolds

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Church fundraising has got to be one of the easiest ways of fundraising that is out there. Everyone is willing to give to the church and is more than willing to help in any way possible. Church fundraising is fun and is a way of getting the whole congregation in the mood to help. Depending on what you decided to have as your fundraising product, it should go over very well.
Whether it is baked goods, crafts, candles, hot suppers served, a quilt sale or one of the many choices that are out there it is sure to be a hit.

Another good idea for a Christian fundraiser is a cookbook. However, this type of church fundraising takes more time and effort, but it is well worth it. Collect all your congregation favorite recipes and get them together. Pick out the amount you want to enter in your cookbook and designate someone in the congregation to copy them off. You can have these pages tied together with pretty ribbons and depending on what time of the year it is you can make your cookbook for that season. This is one fund raising idea that always goes over well.

There is no other fundraiser like a Christian fundraiser. You will get all the support you need in getting your fundraiser together and going over smoothly. The congregation is a wonderful place to find the help you need that goes into getting a church fundraising event together. A Christian fundraiser is like no other where there are so many people pulling for the same cause.

If you choose a hot supper as your church fundraising idea, selling the tickets in advance gives you the money to buy the supplies and you know how many to cook for. Many times the congregation donates the food for this type of Christian fundraiser so that the church can keep all the profits. If your idea for a church fund raiser is a craft sale, everyone will make a few crafts and donate them for the cause and will be there to sell them also. Any Christian congregation enjoys getting together for a fund raiser regardless of what work is involved because they are doing it for their church.

The joy of giving will give you a very profitable Christian fundraiser. Not only from the congregation, but from anyone that happens to come by. If your church fundraising event is well advertised, it should be a big success. Any fund raiser needs to be organized and can be easy or difficult depending on the amount of people you have access to. Just be sure it is clear what each individual is expected to do before you begin.

Church fundraising is fun and effective, but it needs to be done well, and can be hard work.

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Having faith and doing good does require funds that is why the demand for church fundraising ideas is very high because they are of low cost and take some effort, but they do a great job of raising much-needed funds. The number of selling of the fundraising product to your supporter displays a direct reflection of your fundraising group and will further create a permanent image that will effect your present and future in fundraising. For instance higher quality church fundraising products will leave people with a favorable image of your cause and will also make your present and next church fundraising easier resulting in higher profit.

If you are looking for some church fundraising ideas, then there are a dozen or so that are fairly easy to arrange. These church fundraisers will take some of your effort, and will help in raising much-needed funds.

1. You can make arrangements for sale for raising fund for your charitable organization. For instance bake sale and yard sale can be a great way to raise fund. Arranging for Bake sales are a great way to strengthen the bond with your church where you sell tickets and everyone gets to fill up a box with their choice of cookies. Much in the same manner you can arrange for yard sale and get people to donate their items for a general sale like a flea market does. Make arrangements of sending a crew around with a truck for big items from the attic or garage.

2. Another easy of fund raising is by supplying gardening equipments in the spring or arranging for Easter Lilies sale or Poinsettias sale around mid-November. Hosting a gardening supplies event in the church parking lot can be profitable. Next you can do to raise fund for the charity is by growing lilies in February and then storing them in a low-traffic area, nurturing them along with some grow lights. You can also arrange for Poinsettias sale. Poinsettias are beautiful and highly demanded flowers. Apart from these you can also make arrangements for wreathe and other holiday decorations in your holiday fundraising to make extra profits.

3. Self made Christmas ornaments as well as Wristband can make a great way to raise funds.

4. Community Cleanup and Car Wash is another very popular concept of fundraising.

5. A big breakfast is a god idea to draw the attention of the donor when there is a good cause behind it.

There are many more ideas of raising funds, which can help you to collect revenue for your charitable organization.

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If you have children, there is the inevitable chance that you will encounter an elementary school fundraiser. It comes with the territory of putting kids through either public or private school. Fundraising can be a great way for parents to help support local schools, expand their child’s educational well-being, and increase their child’s social skills.

There never seems to be adequate funding available for educational purposes. Holding a fundraiser can help bring in extra revenue so schools can offer additional programs and activities for kids of all ages. Your level of involvement will vary depending on how much you choose to participate in a school fundraiser.

When it comes down to holding the fundraisers, volunteer parent groups, such as the PTA or PTO, are usually the ones left to spearhead the projects. If you find yourself becoming actively involved in a volunteer parent group, you can bet your bottom dollar that you will have to participate in a fundraiser.

But it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. In fact, many fundraisers act as a social gathering place for parents and kids alike. It is also a chance for parents to work with their children and find out what their day is like at school. You can meet other children, teachers and school officials by working with a fundraiser.

If you have played a role in an elementary school fundraiser, you may already have a great idea that has been tried and tested successfully. If so, then great! Stick with it because there is no need to fix something that isn’t broken. As long as your method continues to raise substantial funds, then there really isn’t a strong need to change things up.

Here are just a few ideas to consider for fundraisers:

• Auction off dollhouses
• Auction off kids’ artwork
• Hold school carnivals or play days
• Sell specialty items such as candles or flower bulbs
• Host a bake sale or chili supper
• Sell wrapping paper and ribbons around the holidays

But if your school is looking for a new and fresh way to raise money, then there are plenty of options available. The best place to start looking for new ideas is by going to the Internet. There are countless web sites dedicated to elementary school fundraisers that will help spark an idea for your group. You may even find personal testimonies on what projects worked and why they were successful.

It is also important to realize that fundraising takes organization, and your volunteer group needs to maintain that practice in order for your fundraising project to be triumphant. Delving out responsibilities and following up on tasks is essential to successfully raising money.

Another thing to realize if you are holding a fundraiser that sells products is the items need to be of a quality nature. You don’t want to pawn off something on your customers and have them disgusted with their purchases. They will remember it the next time you hold a fundraiser and you may find yourself losing paying clients.

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Running a home today is a big job, and in most households in extra $40 or $50 a month to make a real difference in the quality of life for the family. We’ll here are some practical ways that you can possibly save that much off your electric bill.

This first one was a big eye-opener for me,

1. Service your air-conditioning unit.

Having your central heating, cleaned and inspected yearly is a very good idea.

There are coils on the inside of a central air-conditioning unit that the air flows through to be heated or cooled and circulated back into the house. When these coils become clogged with dust, dirt, and mold, an accumulation of this restricts the air flow which makes the unit less effective and the motors in the unit work harder and longer, because of the restricted airflow.

So keep your central unit clean inside and out, it can make a dramatic difference in the efficiency and the cost of your heating and cooling.

2. Tighten it Up

There are many areas of your house, especially around windows and doors that allow too much conditioned air to escape.
I saw a neat door boot on TV that fits both sides of the door for the bottom of it for a quick and simple fix to stop drafts in that area. Check the seal between the window frame and the house if is not tight enough use some caulk to seal the cracks.

3. New Siding and Windows

If your windows are very old, replacing them with modern insulated windows can make an huge difference. The initial investment is large, but the added comfort and large savings in energy is usually worth it. Siding is also helpful, especially when used with an insulating barrier between it and the house. I plan to do my windows and siding as soon as possible.

4. Hot Water

Your hot water heater is an energy guzzler. You can lower the temperature of your hot water to save energy and still have water that is plenty hot enough for everything you need at the tap. I have the water at my wheel store turned down all the way so that I can use hot water only, and still have my hands under the water. You will probably have to experiment with your house, where people are taking showers and such, but it is an easy adjustment, so you can get yours set like you want it. To adjust the temperature of your heater, First, turn off the power to it. Then look on the side of the hot water heater, There are usually two removable panels. Remove the panels, and underneath, you will see a dial that you can turn with a screwdriver to adjust the temperature of the water heater, you want to adjust both dials to the same setting. Start by turning it down 10° and going through your normal routine, if it is not made an undesirable impact, repeat the process until you reach the level that is just hot enough for your needs. Another point about your water heater is that although it is insulated additional insulation can help conserve energy.

5. Flip the Switch

Turn off lights, and all that other stuff when we’re not using it. Turn off the lights when you leave the room, even if you think you’re coming right back will make a difference in your bill. Putting a power strip and surge protector on your electronics can be switched off to prevent power drain when not in use as well as protecting your expensive electronic equipment from electrical surges.

6. Replace it Instead of Fixing It

Older appliances generally consume more electricity. So if your washer or dryer or dishwasher or some other appliance breaks down, you may want to consider replacing it with a more efficient model instead of repairing it.

7. Conservation through High technology

And I want to round out this list with another discovery that I made, it is a new technology put out by Xedia called the X-Power Energy Saver. They say you can save up to 25% off your electric bill by plugging it in. It is a small cylindrical capacitor that you plug into an outlet in your home that tunes your electricity to make it more efficient. The items such as fans and other inductive loads on your system use much less electricity, as well as operate cooler and have a longer life if this unit is on the same phase with them. I can’t say that I am an expert on how it works, But I have seen it demonstrated that it does work, and it comes with a six-month moneyback guarantee.

Do your part to conserve power by using less electricity in your home and enjoy the benefits of more money now and a cleaner, healthier, environment for our posterity.

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