HappyPurim’s blog

Important: The dates below are simply suggestions. With Purim falling on March 20 in 2011, there’s plenty of time after Chanukah/January 1st to get your fundraiser up and running. There is plenty of wiggle room in this timeline. Please make adjustments to fit your needs, and please keep in mind any deadlines for ordering your Mishloach Manot baskets or supplies. It’s often best to work BACKWARDS when creating your own timeline.

1. In December:
   1. Identify the person/s who will run the fundraiser
   2. Decide on a “theme” for your baskets (not necessary, but popular; we’ll post more about “themes” later).
2. By January 1
   1. Compile (or get from organization office) a list of all the members in your organization. Make sure to double check for accuracy!
   2. Figure out where you’re getting your Mishloach Monos supplies or baskets from.
3. By January 15 – Finalize all details of your Purim fundraiser; *If you’re usingHappyPurim.com’s Mishloach Manot software, this is when you should setup your administrative console.
   1. Pricing
   2. Are you offering any type of deal? (early-bird discount, send to as many as you want for a flat price, etc.)
   3. Reciprocity (with our software you can easily charge a different price for Reciprocity orders)
   4. Delivering the baskets or having your members pick them up?
4. By January 20
   1. Prepare a letter to your members informing them of the details of the Purim project.(HappyPurim has templates available)
   2. If you have a large contingent of non-internet users, prepare a physical order form or download Happy Purim’s order form.
5. By January 30
   1. Have your order forms, envelopes and/or mailing labels printed. (not necessary if you’re emailing your members)
   2. Make sure you have volunteers to help with the folding and stuffing on January 30th.
6. On January 30 (Sunday) – Prepare mailing: Fold and Stuff!
7. On January 31 – Mail or email order forms.  You’ll notice that we leave a 6 week ordering window. Typically 2-6 weeks is a good amount of time. Read this post for a discussion about the length of ordering windows.
8. March 13 11:59pm (Sunday) – Deadline for placing orders.
9. Week of March 13
   1. Pack the Shalach Monos.
   2. Print your “scrolls” – that is, the personalized letters that list all the names of the people sending to each recipient. (If using HappyPurim.com, this only takes a few clicks of your mouse!)
10. March 20 - Purim! – Deliver the Shalach Monos!
11. Sometime after Purim – Bill for reciprocity charges.  Not necessary if usingHappyPurim.com, it’s automated!

You should modify the above timeline to fit your needs. If we missed anything, or you’ve got a suggestion to add please let us know!

This calendar is designed for users of Happy Purim’s Shalach Manot Software based upon our experience. Click here for a post with more details for anyone still doing this manually.)

This entry was posted on October 29, 2010 at 11:58 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.