Spring & Otis

Groups use our brochures to sell popular consumer-based products and keep a percentage of the sales. Here's how our brochure fundraiser works:

1. Each participant receives two brochures, an order form, and a money collection envelope.
2. Participants ask neighbors, family, and friends to purchase products from their brochures.
3. Participants gather orders, and money is collected.
4. Participants turn in their order forms and money envelopes.
5. You deposit any brochure money in your account, and submit your order forms to us for processing.*
6. You receive a sales report.
7. We'll email you an invoice for what you owe, and you keep the rest as profit.
8. The order is packed and shipped to the group.
9. Participants deliver the merchandise to their buyers.

*NOTE: We will invoice you for what you owe for brochure sales, and you will receive a profit payment or credit for any online sales.

You will not be charged upfront for any supplies, and they are free if your average sale per enrolled participant is $8 or less. Otherwise, you will incur a 40¢ charge per enrolled participant.

For example, if you run a sale with 100 participants and your total sales are $800, then an additional fee of $75 will be added to your invoice (100 participants x 40¢ = $40).

NOTE: Brochure, online sales, and donations count towards the minimum free supply requirement.

Yes. Buyers can pay by check, cash, money order, or cashier's check. They also have the option to pay using their phone.

Yes. Our prize programs are optional but recommended. You can boost sales by incentivizing your participants. It's important to discuss your incentive plan at your kickoff meeting. Then, continue to remind your participants about your prizes throughout your campaign. This will keep them motivated to sell.

There is no cost to the group for our incentives.

Learn about our prize programs

You'll receive an agreement to sign after you submit our Start a Fundraiser form. It will take at least 7-10 business days to process your order and pack and ship your supplies.

Learn about our timeline.

The key is to balance sufficient time for sales with sustained enthusiasm, so we’ve found a 2-week sale to be optimal. Therefore, we will set your end date for two weeks after your start date by default.

You can always let us know if you need to extend your sale about three-quarters of the way through. To succeed, focus on creating a sense of seller urgency, getting out of the gate quickly, and establishing early momentum.

Yes, selling online is essential to your Spring & Otis fundraiser. Before your start date, you'll receive instructions so your participants can register. Once registered, they can invite friends and family to shop at your store.

Selling online adds a 2^nd way for your group to raise money.

Your online store will include additional products not found in the brochure.

Registration is the most effective way to promote your fundraiser online. Once registered, participants can invite friends and family to your online store using text, social media, and email. They'll also be able to log into their sales portal anytime and track their online sales. If you’re offering one of our prize programs, online sales count towards earning prizes.

When more potential buyers click on the link that your sellers share, your store will experience increased traffic and sales. Once at the store, they'll see the name of your group and the purpose of your sale, which helps to personalize your fundraiser. Encourage your sellers to personalize the visitor experience even more by uploading pictures when logged into their dashboard.

(NOTE: Participants who add their picture are ten times more likely to get supporters than those who don't!)

If using one of our prize plans to encourage more sales, we recommend supplementing it with their rewards. Here are some incentive ideas.

Registration is Key

Getting your group to register is vital to your success, and you want to start strong. 46% register on the first day, and 80% of registered participants sell, translating to an average of $100 in sales per seller! Here are some ideas:

Pro Tips:

• Meet in person or over Zoom to discuss the importance of registration.
• Offer low-cost or no-cost incentives (extended recess, duct tape the principal to the wall, water balloon the principal, etc., based on reaching a set registration level such as 40-50%.).
• Offer a registration prize (or everyone who registers by tomorrow goes into a special drawing).
• Email your parents, asking them to register (principals send an email for school-wide fundraisers).
• The goal is 100% registration, so continue to remind your group throughout your sale.
• Use our leaderboard to promote and boost sales throughout your fundraiser.

You will not receive a unique link for your group. Instead, once participants register, they'll receive their shopping link. They can email or text their link directly from their dashboard and share it on social media.

Yes, people can donate in $20 increments. Your group receives 70% profit from all donations.

You can turn off this feature if you don't want a donation option in your store. Let us know before your fundraiser start date.

Donations do not count toward products sold.

Buyers who visit the store must select ‘Shop Now’ and enter their information. When registering, multiple participants can be added under the same account. Sellers must click the "+" symbol to add multiple participants. When they make a purchase, the prize credit is automatically split up.

Buyers who go directly to the store must select shop now and manually enter the information. Before entering the online store, they must click the "+" symbol to add multiple participants.

Buyers who go directly to the store, select 'Shop Now', and manually enter the information will need to click on the "+" symbol to add multiple participants before entering the online store.

Donations are one prize credit for each $20 donation.

Your online store closes one to five days after we receive your brochure order forms.

We credit your online profit toward your brochure sales invoice. If your online sales profit exceeds your brochure sales invoice, you will receive a check.

If we ship any products or prizes to your group, your profit check is processed five days after the shipment leaves our facility and printed by Tuesday.

If we are not shipping anything to your group, your profit check is processed 24 hours after we close and process your order.

There are no order requirements for a Spring & Otis fundraiser.

You must know your group size and participant goal. Here's how you can estimate your profit:

Calculation Steps

1. Participant Count x Participant product Goal = Products Sold
2. Products Sold x Average Retail Price = Gross Sales
3. Gross Sales x Profit % = Group Profit

Example

1. Let's say you have 60 participants and set your participant product goal at 10. The products sold would be 60 participants x 10 products/participant = 600.
2. Next, determine your gross sales. The average retail price is about $18, so your gross sales would be 600 products x $18 = $10,800.
3. Since your profit is 40%, your group profit would be $10,800 x 40% = $4,320.

Keep in mind our example is only an estimated profit. In reality, participants probably won't sell the same number of products. In addition, the average retail dollars sold per seller will vary.

You may not know how many Spring & Otis brochure orders you get until you collect your order forms. Yet some strategies can give you a ballpark idea. Learn how to. Learn how to track your fundraising progress

But you can track online sales in real time. By logging into your dashboard, you'll see the following:

• Participant share activity
• Registered participants
• Sales updates
• Products sold

Brochure Sales: Money and order forms are turned in at the end of the sale. The money gets deposited in the group's account, and the order forms are processed.

Groups receive sales reports and invoices once orders are processed. The group sends a check for the invoice amount and keeps the rest as profit.

Online Sales: A credit for your online sales profit will appear on your brochure invoice. We'll send you a check for the difference if you raise more money online within five business days after your order is shipped.

Ship to Buyer: Payments are processed within five business days after any prizes are shipped. If no prizes are shipped, your profit check is processed 24 hours after we close and process your order.

Donations: Any profits from donations are factored into your online sales credit.

Groups make 40% off all brochure and online sales.

You also receive 70% of online donations.

(Use the 'Calculate Your Profit' calculator at the top of the page to learn how much money your group can make)

Brochure customers do not pay sales tax.