Organic,
Green and Fair Trade: these are three words you don’t usually find in
your kid’s school fundraiser. In a market littered with cheap tricks
and even cheaper products, here’s an alternative to making your next
fundraiser good for the environment, good for small farmers and good
for you!


Many of us have been there… staring down at a glossy catalog, our
eyes glazing over from one crowded page to the next. A small child is
bouncing on their toes nearby, eagerly awaiting your purchasing
decision and thinking only of the plastic toy (made in China) that they
will receive at the end of this for all their hard work. At this point
we close our eyes and point to something at random. This time: a tub
full of cookie dough. The last time: holographic gift wrap that made
your head hurt just thinking how and where or how it was made.


The truth is these items sell.  Schools need to fundraise in order
to offer important services, like after- school programs, classes
focusing on the arts and sciences, even paying for practical and common
sense items like markers, tape and special reading materials. The large
fundraising companies cater to these needs, touting large margins in
exchange for inexpensive junk. We buy because we care about our schools
and our community… but there are alternatives available that allow us
to support our schools while also supporting a more fair and just food
system.


I’d like to introduce you to Equal Exchange Fundraising: a program
of the first and largest Fair Trade company in the United States. Equal
Exchange offers something you won’t find anywhere else in the
fundraising world: organic and fairly traded foods, beautiful fairly
traded gifts and recycled cotton gift wrap (tree-free!). With Equal
Exchange Fundraising, your school or organization can support
sustainability, enjoy award-winning products and make a difference in
the lives of small farmers and artisans across the globe.


Hundreds of schools have made the switch. “I don’t think I could do
any other fundraiser,” said Kim Montgomery, a seventh grade teacher in
Houston, Texas, who has participated in the fundraiser for the past
three years. “The Equal Exchange fundraiser has great products and a
good mission.” These products include fairly traded and organic coffee,
chocolate bars, cocoa, tea, and healthy snacks – things people consume
every day. Here’s a fundraiser that helps fund a school’s valuable
programs – things like arts and science programs – while also
benefitting small-scale farmers who grow really high-quality foods in
remote parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.


The Equal Exchange Fundraising Program also provides an opportunity
to talk with kids about where their foods come from, how wealth is
distributed around the world, and how we can make choices as consumers
to make that wealth distribution fairer. There’s even a Fair Trade
curriculum, Win-Win Solutions.
With this curriculum, your child can learn about the life of a cocoa
farmer and how their daily actions have direct impact on the lives of
farmers across the globe.   


You can contribute to a more just world, be green, raise money for your school and eat well – all in one simple fundraiser. For more information and to sign up for a free info kit, go to www.equalexchange.coop/fundraiser. 


EE6289