Coffee roaster offers custom blends for continuous fundraising

In most fundraising schemes, the group raising the money buys something to sell at a profit—wrapping paper, for example, or chocolate bars. California-based Newhall Coffee, however, now offers a program that lets groups sell custom, branded java blends on an ongoing basis and receive quarterly donations in return. Launched last month, Newhall Coffee for a Cause allows qualified nonprofits to sell the blends of their choice from the microroaster and receive a significant percentage of the proceeds from every purchase in return. Nonprofits begin by signing up with Newhall; if it approves their request, it then sends login information. From there, they can use Newhall’s easy-to-use marketing platform to launch a custom web page, complete with a unique web address. Newhall has customizable fliers, brochures, postcards and other marketing materials to help promote sales of its custom-branded and -blended coffees. Each time someone buys coffee from the nonprofit, the order is processed on its site and then filled and shipped directly by Newhall, which contributes between USD 3 and USD 6 per bag as a donation on a quarterly basis. Besides all the many benefits for the nonprofits involved, of course, there’s no denying the generosity benefits that accrue to Newhall itself, not to mention all those increased sales. It’s similar in some ways to a “buy one, donate one” scheme, but adjusted to make room for the nonprofits involved. One to emulate in your own, generosity-minded brand…? (Related: Fitness club replaces dues with charitable fundraising — Online auction site benefits Belgian nonprofits.) Spotted by: Ryan Barton