Articles
Examples from Other Companies
Unsure of how your company should structure your Terrific Tales initiative? We've compiled examples from some of our most successful participants. If you would like to speak with any of them directly regarding Terrific Tales, contact Center for Companies That Care.
For Terrific Tales '08, Baxter Credit Union raised money to purchase books through Companies That Care's website. BCU, which has operations in 10 states and Puerto Rico, chose to partner with schools in need recommended by employees in three of their geographically dispersed locations. Participating BCU branch employees met with school officials to discuss Terrific Tales, inquire about the schools' needs, and plan the book delivery. BCU held different fund-raisers each week of the month-long CAREDAYS initiative. One week, employees who donated money were able to wear jeans. Other fund-raisers included a raffle for sports tickets and purchase of Candy Grams to send to co-workers. All proceeds went toward the Terrific Tales initiative. At the conclusion of the fund-raising efforts, groups of employees delivered books to the schools. BCU capitalized on the project by including the local press after gaining permission from the schools. A few articles were published in local papers, thereby adding to the excitement! Employees really enjoyed their visit to the schools, and valued the opportunity to see the fruits of their hard work. And, BCU got wonderful feedback from the schools regarding the value of their efforts. BCU was particularly pleased to have a common community initiative that could be executed in its various locations. Best of all, students were nearly 700 books "richer" due to BCU's participation in Terrific Tales!
For Terrific Tales '08, PJM chose to collect money to purchase books for Marshall Street Elementary School in Norristown, Pennsylvania. In order to publicize Terrific Tales, posters were placed around the campus, and an advertisement was placed in the PJM Post, a daily electronic newsletter. Volunteers were also stationed in each cafeteria on kick-off day to get the program off to a good start. The fundraisers were a success! For each five dollar donation, an employee received one entry into a raffle as well as a custom-designed Terrific Tales bookmark. Raffle prizes were American Express gift cards. One of the winners even chose to donate her gift card back to Terrific Tales! Best of all, PJM matched the money raised by employees, thereby doubling the amount of money available to buy books! PJM presented the books to Marshall Street Elementary School at a small in-school assembly in the library. PJM employees then shared a snack of fruit and book-shaped cake with the students and teachers. Finally, the eight PJM employee volunteers split up to read the new books in classrooms throughout the school.
When WellStar Health System committed to participating in Terrific Tales during CAREDAYS 2008, they had no idea how they'd pull it off. By the end of the initiative, however, everyone agreed that it had been a positive experience. WellStar chose to team with Barnes & Noble in Marietta, Georgia to raise money needed to purchase new books from the recommended list provided by Center for Companies That Care. Leadership from each hospital chose a school to support and coordinated efforts with each school. WellStar used a two-prong approach. First, on a given weekend, Barnes & Noble set up an in-store WellStar Book Fair and display of children's books that shoppers could purchase to give to the schools. Then, Barnes & Noble issued coupons that shoppers could use at checkout. For every dollar that was spent in the Barnes & Noble store in coordination with the book fair code, 15% was donated to the Terrific Tales initiative. The book fair code was printed on a bookmark and handed out to employees as well as Barnes & Noble customers. Barnes and Noble provided all marketing materials, posters, and staff assistance to guide WellStar through the process. Although not every Barnes & Noble customer who entered the store on the day of the book fair knew about Terrific Tales, the Barnes & Noble employees explained Terrific Tales to customers and encouraged them to ring up their merchandise using the book fair code. As a result of these efforts, in addition to the books donated by employees, each school received a $600+ gift card with which to purchase additional books. Books and gift cards were delivered by WellStar employees eveand the events were attended by the local press. Employees had a wonderful experience doing good for their community. If your company has participated in Terrific Tales and would like to be featured here, please contact Center for Companies That Care.
- Company-wide raffle
- Pub quiz night
- Book fair
- Golf tournament
- Donations in return for opportunity to wear jeans or dress down
- Donations for each time an employee reads to his or her child
- Softball tournament
- Bake sale
- Miniature golf course
- Charity walk
- Poker tournament
Implementation Suggestions
1. Communicate about Terrific Tales:
Communicate the Terrific Tales initiative to your employees. Consider using banners, posters, and reminder emails. You could also plan a kick-off event to celebrate and familiarize your employees with the initiative. You may wish to focus on the 10 Characteristics of Socially Responsible Employers and how Terrific Tales contributes to your company's goal to be recognized as a caring and responsible organization. Work with your employees to identify local schools that need classroom libraries.
2. Identify Books:
Distribute a list of the Terrific Tales books your company has decided to collect. Your company may choose to collect books, raise money, or do both.
If you plan to collect books and deliver them to the school yourself:
|
If you plan to raise money and have Center for Companies That Care select and purchase the books on your behalf:
See examples of past fundraising activities
Once you have raised your money, make your donation. |
3. Distribute:
Choose how your company will distribute the books once they are purchased and collected. Your company may send the books directly to the school, ask the school to pick up the books, or deliver them personally. In the past, participants have found it very rewarding to personally deliver the books. If your company chooses to personally deliver the books, you may decide to include a celebration for the students. In the past companies have brought in storytellers to provide entertainment, held small assemblies, or thrown a party for students, which included a focus on literacy. Contact Center for Companies That Care if you would like to get in touch with The Storybook Mom, a storytelling resource.
4. Acknowledge:
Acknowledge the employees who participate in Terrific Tales. If you're interested in media attention, alert the press.
5. Finish Up:
At the end of the collection period (recommended to be two weeks from kick-off), organize the books into classroom libraries.Insert the bookplates into each book if your company has chosen to personalize the books.Count the books and measure the collection against pre-set goals and register your results with Center for Companies that Care.Distribute the books to the selected schools, as planned. Consider building an ongoing relationship with the school(s) your company has just supported. How will you continue to demonstrate your commitment to the educational needs of less-advantaged schools?
Planning Suggestions
Develop a goal for your organization :
Your company might set a goal regarding how many books you would like to collect, the number of libraries you plan to complete, or how much money you would like to raise in order to purchase new books. If you have an employee community involvement committee, include them in your goal setting.
Make sure your goal is realistic:
If you are a smaller organization, you might want to focus on only one classroom library or just a portion of a library. You may be able to partner with other small employers to fill an entire classroom library. A reasonable gauge for one classroom library is a minimum of 100 books. How much does building a library usually cost?
Identify local schools that need libraries:
Work with your employees to identify local schools that need classroom libraries and contact them. If you need help identifying a school contact Center for Companies that Care. What should I say when I contact the school?
Develop a marketing and PR plan:
If you want the public to know about your participation in Terrific Tales, develop a marketing and PR plan to get the word out.
Encourage others to participate:
Invite other companies to join you in supporting Terrific Tales. Send them a note about Terrific Tales.
Ask us!
Center for Companies That Care can consult with you on effective ways to implement Terrific Tales and help your company locate schools that will benefit from your help. Feel free to contact Center for Companies That Care at 312-661-1010 or send an email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
How to Implement Terrific Tales
The strategy and suggestions below provide ideas for implementing Terrific Tales at your organization. This is not intended to be prescriptive, but rather provide food for thought as you develop your own plan. There are only three requirements to participate in Terrific Tales:
- New Books - All books must be new.
- Register - Center for Companies that Care should be notified of your participation to ensure that your company receives the necessary information. You may register your plans through this website or contact Center for Companies That Care at 312-661-1010.
- Terrific Tales Book List - All donated books must come from the Terrific Tales book list. The list was specifically compiled by educators and school librarians to ensure diversity in the collection. Your company may select and purchase the books to be donated on behalf of your organization. Or you may raise money and donate the funds and Center for Companies That Care will select and order the books on your behalf.
Your company will be responsible for:
- Collecting new books from the Terrific Tales book list or collecting money in order to purchase books on behalf of your company
- Distributing the books to local schools that need classroom libraries
- Sharing your results with Center for Companies That Care
Center for Companies That Care will:
- Provide the Terrific Tales book list
- Identify schools across the U.S. that need classroom libraries and share that list with participating companies
- Assist with planning and provide guidance and support to individual companies
- Track the impact of our collective efforts and publicize results
Page 13 of 15