Looking for a good fundraising idea? Candle sales are easy and profitable. What, exactly, is a candle fundraiser?

Candle fundraisers are your basic order taker fundraiser. You need to do more than just show pictures of candles. Showing fragrant samples will dramatically boost your candle fundraiser’s results.

The basic concept is the same as all order taker fundraisers. You equip your sellers with a brochure, an order form, and a basic sales script.

The brochure describes the various candle selections and provides details on color, aroma, size, shape, weight, and container type. Price points are usually on the order form itself.

Unlike candy or cookie dough, it’s easy for your sellers to carry samples. Their non-perishable nature makes them a great fit for weeklong sales efforts.

One of the great things about candle fundraisers is how the aroma of your samples makes the selling process so much easier. Most buyers will sniff several samples and imagine how the candles will fill their homes with their pleasant smells.

Perennial favorites are french vanilla, bayberry, apple, pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, holiday pine, melon burst, and citrus breeze.

Candle sizes range from small two-ounce votive candles all the way up to giant three-pound ball or bell-shaped versions with multiple wicks.

Several fundraising companies have candles in decorative shapes like various fruits, animals, wizards, trees, and figurines. In addition, large rectangles, cylinders, half-rounds, and tapers are always readily available.

Some companies also offer container-based candles which burn more slowly and safely. They also avoid messy cleanup problems. Popular styles are Mason jars, jars with handles, jars with screw tops, and square glass containers.

Profitability
Most fundraising companies offer their candles at a 50% discount. Some suppliers also offer a larger discount for higher volume sales.

The average seller makes five to seven sales. Many of these sales are multi-unit buys, so they average about $80 in revenue. That translates to roughly $40 in profit per seller, which is quite good.

Factors affecting your candle fundraisers profitability include freight charges, quantity discounts, quality of the brochure, number of available candle choices, the motivation level of your sellers, and the duration of your fundraising activities. And of course, the most important factor is having fragrant samples in the hands of your sellers.

This product works well for both elementary school and high school fundraising.

Larger groups can easily earn a quantity discount above 50%. As always, do an RFQ fax quote to the candle supplier list and lock-in your best possible discount up front.

Kimberly Reynolds writes about fundraising and how-to advice for fundraiser candle ideas on her website FundraiserHelp.com. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter at www.fundraiserhelp.com

Congress passed and the president signed legislation earlier this year that made filing for personal bankruptcy a much more difficult proposition. At the urging of the financial industry – particularly credit card providers and banks – the new legislation was drafted and approved setting the stage for stricter requirements governing personal bankruptcy. There is a flip side to the new law, one that is actually hurting creditors more than they ever expected; please chuckle with me as you learn just what that other side is.

When President Bush signed legislation making personal bankruptcy a more difficult proposition, credit card providers and banks hailed it as a significant move to reduce the number of deadbeats skirting their financial obligations by filing for personal bankruptcy. The mood, however, has quickly shifted for creditors as an ugly flip side to the new bankruptcy law has reared its head: people are paying off their debt faster than ever before! Realizing that there is no second chance with the new law, consumers are reacting in fear and paying off their debts. So, why is this ugly for creditors? For two reasons:

1. Consumers are not using their credit cards as much, therefore their debt levels are now lower.

2. Consumers are paying off existing debt at faster rates than have ever been seen before.

The result? Less income for the creditors as consumers have wised up. MBNA and Capital One, two huge credit card providers, are seeing their profits sink. Other credit card providers are reporting similar results. Highly dependent on your desire to run up debt, these companies are now seeing their profit margins drop sharply. In a nutshell: high consumer debt equals big profits; low consumer debt levels equals low profits.

I am sure by now you are having the same chuckles as I am. Keep on laughing by paying down your debt and by purchasing what you want with cash. Oh, by the way, ignore the increased flood in your mailbox of credit card solicitations: you don’t want to change the mood of the financial community, do you?

Matthew Keegan is the owner of a successful article writing, web design, and marketing business based in North Carolina, USA. He manages several sites including the Corporate Flight Attendant Community and the Aviation Employment Board. Please visit The Article Writer to review selections from his portfolio.

The Moab mountain biking scene in southeast Utah, is often referred to in pilgrimage terms. However, maybe “Mecca” doesn’t quite cut it, as this area is definitely a place to visit much more regularly than once or twice in a lifetime!

You will find an overwhelming number of possibilities for tours, outings and trips. A thorough search on the Internet is necessary, before deciding what area of Moab mountain biking you want to concentrate on.

An important aspect of your research and planning is to make sure what level of experience is needed on the Moab mountain biking trips you plan to do. Not everyone will be comfortable with the technical challenges some of these rides present.

Moab mountain biking offers something for everyone, and with the amazing red rock formations, desert conditions and nature park areas, the scenery is breath-taking enough to make any outing worth your while!

One of the easier introductory rides as far as Moab mountain biking is concerned, is the Courthouse Loop which overlooks part of the Arches National Park. This ride is excellent for families with younger children.

A moderately easy ride is the Klondike Bluffs Trail. It is suitable if you’re new to Moab mountain biking, but it helps to be reasonably fit for this 9.6 mile trip!

This trail will take you past prehistoric dinosaur footprints, and offer you an excellent overlook on the Arches National Park.

Take your Moab mountain biking up a notch in terms of difficulty by going for Bartlett Wash, an intermediate-difficulty ride of 4 miles. There is no clearly marked trail, so you will end up picking your way up sandstone ledges, and play around on an amazing open slickrock area.

Because the slickrock area is so tempting, it is always advisable to bring a repair kit, a pump, and extra tubes, as you will invariably be trying out some jumps and other tricks…

The White Rim trail in the Moab mountain biking area is known for its beauty, and also for its exhilarating biking terrain. The trail circles the area between the Colorado and Green Rivers. It offers some of Canyonland’s most spectacular views.

Then there is the Maze in Canyonlands National Park. It takes you past prehistoric Native American petroglyphs. Stop whenever you like and view incredible scenery over a 4-day trip.

On to the Amassa Back trail which ascends from the Colorado River west of Moab, and climbs up onto rocks surrounded on three sides by the Colorado. This 10 mile trail – with a vertical climb of 1050 feet – is definitely for advanced bikers!

The Moab mountain biking area offers many other rides, such as Flat Pass, Onion Creek, Hidden Canyon, Porcupine Rim and much more.

You will be sure to visit again, once you’ve acquired a taste for Moab mountain biking!

For more information visit Best-Mountain-Biking.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web.

Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

Is it possible to coat granules of dust floating in normal airflows with a reflective coating to increase communication of smart dust particles and MEMS? Be coating on the granules of dust would be charged to promote ionic bonding with nearby smart dust particles. It makes sense to use the dust already in the air to help promote the smart dust mission for communication, surveillance and whether monitoring.

By using methods of coating granules of dust within airflows sprinkled with smart dust, we should be able to send a chemical laser beam into the virtually transparent cloud of particles to power up continuous flight in keeping the system airborne. The coating would collect the energy and store it by way of heat transfer any energy could be slowly used by the smart dust, which is a long for the ride.

Be coating used would also promote high rates of communication between the nodes or motes used in the MEMS smart dust. This would also allow us easy access to the information that was gathered due to the energy that the smartdust cloud would emit. Although this may sound like science fiction and abstract thought; I think I might be onto something here and we need to address some of these issues, as all this seems to be possible with current technologies and the applications for weather monitoring, weather control and weather modification seemed apropos.

For anyone in vaults in military technologies, military communication or are doing research in the field of net centric warfare, I would advise you to look into this concept and consider its possibilities. We must move forward and understand the potential of such technologies in their benefits to mankind. Consider this in 2006, I did.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

(c) Theolonius McTavish 2004. All rights reserved.

Seeking a spot of serenity somewhere in the universe, I recently booked a deep-discount dodgy berth on the ‘White Elephant Express Space Shuttle’, to a little known place in a galaxy far, far away.

“IT” (otherwise known as HD 36405.b) is not your average “oddball” exo-solar planet made of rock that wobbles on its end and zips around a nearby star in less than 2.46 days.

Most linear thinkers have a great deal of difficulty even comprehending why on earth anyone in their “right mind” would be interested in visiting a planet called “IT”. Not being a linear thinker with an investment in the “right” answer, I didn’t give a hoot. After all, what does one (who walks on water and listens to miffed mortals all day long) do for a frigging night off, now I ask you?

If truth be told, (after reading random excerpts from “The Itty Bitty Bunkum Book About Life, the Universe and Practically Everything Under the Sun Not To Mention Stuff Going On In Remote Galaxies), I was simply delirious. According to its noted author, Dr. Jarn Leffer, “IT is a ‘must-see’ for those with little time on their hands and a passionate interest in Innocuous Things.”

As planets go, “IT” is a pretty ho-hum celestial pit-stop with perhaps one exception… the welcome notice that reads, “Cosmic Cowboys – Welcome to the furthest unexplored outreaches of the Galaxy … Home to the Flop Fairy and Oodles of Gadflies!”

“IT” is populated by colonies of giggling, green grasshoppers . What else would you expect to inhabit a far-flung, fantasy-challenged hellhole like this? But, what made “IT” strictly speaking a strange place was the fact that the inhabitants munch on green, biodegradable garbage bags just for fun. Lacking masticating capabilities, the gadflies process their food by vigorously jumping up and down on it. No wonder they have no need for fast-food franchises, strip malls or landfills!

Anyway, I picked up this picturesque postcard of the blessed ballyhooing buglugs. They look perfectly happy but don’t be deceived. In reality, they’re just a gang of glad-handing grasshoppers. They don’t play golf, eat burgers, or drink beer — and none can frost a rock! Come to think of it, apart from the company of bugs and the elusive flop fairy, this pathetic planet has precious little going for IT!!

To put “IT” bluntly, life on “IT” is just shy of a tittynope*. The jolly green grasshoppers and the carefully manicured green fairways with sand traps as far as the eye can see certainly make for an utterly harmless world. Regrettably, without a pair of golf clubs, a dimpled white ball, and the notion that 19th hole even exists on this planet — “IT” is about as fun as bag of toads!

Life Lesson 42: Remember to talk to your travel agent before ever embarking on a flight of fancy to a planet called “IT” in a galaxy named “Have-a-Nice-Day”!!

__________

*”Tittynope” for you whiffling word-peckers means “a small quantity of anything left over”.

If you want to know what those green, glad-handing grasshoppers from “IT” look like — ask any four-year old, or failing that request some help from a Flying Saucer Club member.

About the Author

Theolonius McTavish is a somewhat spaced-out time-traveller (of minor relevance and importance in the great scheme of things). When not probing odd things happening somewhere in the depths of the universe, he enjoys chinwagging with all manner of merry folk at www.quippingqueen.blogspot.com

by Rick Hendershot, Marketing Bites

Quite often I get asked what the magic solution is for getting better Google ranking. Sometimes the questions sound fairly naive, something like this:

“I have recently established a site called wazooski.com and would like to rank much higher in Google, Yahoo and MSN. Can you tell me how to do this without spending a lot of money? Can I get into the top 10 within 1 or 2 months?”

This is one of those “rookie” questions. Experienced marketers know that predicting search engine rankings is always a hit or miss affair. SEO practitioners who “guarantee” high search engine rankings are making misleading claims, intended only to sell their services.

Imagine how many sites within any competitive area are going after those “top 10″ rankings. Many of your competitors have been around for a few years, so they have an established site with lots of valuable content, steady traffic, and thousands of sites linking into them. How can you expect just to throw up a site and within a month or two walk away with a “top 10″ position?

This is only possible within a narrowly defined, highly specialized niche. Say for instance you are going to hold a Wazooski family reunion next year, and want to use the internet to promote it. Chances are a few well placed announcements scattered around 20 or 30 article sites, directories and blogs will generate enough search engine activity to get you good positioning in the search engines. Within a month or two you should get the number one spot for “Wazooski family reunion”, within the top 10 for “Wazooski”, and possibly even an honourable mention further down the list for “family reunion”. Using a blog or two will often speed this process up considerably.

The reason is pretty obvious: there is not a lot of competition for “Wazooski family reunion”. In fact you may be the only one competing for that term. All you really need to do is get your site or your announcements spidered and the chances are pretty good that you will get a high ranking almost immediately.

But try this with a more competitive term and you are talking a completely different game. Considering that most competitive terms have thousands of sites chasing after that illusive “top 10″ ranking, you will be lucky to even get on the radar screen.

And trying to do it within a month or two is almost completely unrealistic.

The Christmas period is a very exciting moment for nursery and school children; they have heard the brilliant tales of Mr Claus and Rudolph and the special day of the 25th of Dec. Right through the build up, school children are on toy websites and in shopping catalogues hunting high and low for the very latest toy for them to have at the top of their Christmas list. At school and pre school the very hottest topic is what action figure they will be asking Mr and Mrs Claus and if he may deliver them loads more toys than their friends.

Each and every Christmas period the toy market researchers and toy shops start making their guesses about what toy will come up as the number one biggest seller for that Christmas. In past years the UK have seen the Nintendo Wii and the Transformers coming in at the top. Picking the best girls toys can be easy with the range of life-like baby dolls.

One of the hottest toys is from the excellent Ben 10 range. Ben 10 is a kids programme from America and is about an American boy called Ben who finds a weird alien watch device that attaches itself onto Ben’s wrist and delivers him with amazing special powers. With Ben’s extra ordinary powers, Ben helps others when they need it as well as get into some fun mischief with his lovely cousin Gwen. With the excellent success of the cartoon series, an amazing range of awesome kids toys have been manufactured, these include figures and lunch boxes.

Another fashionable seller this Christmas will be children’s board games, one of the most world famous being Monopoly. Based on the economic idea of a company owning everything, Monopoly is a fantastic family friendly board game that is mega popular that over 750 million users have played the board game. Throughout its brilliant 100 year lifespan, the adult and children’s board game has seen it move into an online website game, video game and even an iPhone application.

While predications are informative the real sales figures will tell us what toy was the greatest seller this Xmas.

High Speed Internet and Satellite Service

Most people associate high speed Internet access with either a cable or DSL modem. You can however gain high speed Internet access using Satellite service. Most satellite service providers offer high speed connections to the Internet. Some offer better quality support and services than others, so it is important you do your homework and investigate a company’s offerings before committing to satellite high speed Internet services.

Advantages of Satellite High Speed Internet

Here are some advantages of satellite high speed Internet services:

If you already use a satellite service provider for your television programming, chances are you can use the same provider to gain access to high speed Internet services.

Most high speed satellite services offer two-way and high speed access to the Internet that enable a constant connection to the Web.

You can use satellite high speed Internet without tying up your phone line. Thus you don’t have to worry about missing important calls and you won’t have to worry about slow dial up services.

Most satellite providers offer professional installation of high speed equipment when you buy a satellite.

You can get satellite high speed Internet services anywhere in the U.S., making this service more widely available than DSL.

High speed Internet provided by satellite services often results in smooth downloads of audio and video data on the web.

High speed Internet using a satellite service is a good choice for anyone that doesn’t live in the normal access or service area for Cable or DSL services. While Satellite is often more expensive than DSL or Cable, it is a good choice for people that wouldn’t otherwise have access to high speed Internet.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on high speed internet for more information on cable, dsl and other high speed internet services
http://www.highspeedinternetchoice.com

The amazing city of London is the hub of terrific musicals, it leads the path for nonconformity and awesome acting. The plays and west end musicals that are put on are both innovative and great. Which is why the west end of London attracts a host of popular actors and actresses to star in plays such as Chicago and Phantom.

The best big hollywood star to appear in the west end of London is James McAvoy, better known from films such as Atonement. Mr McAvoy is presently acting in Three Days of Rain, this play is a rich big budget theatre production based within America about an inheritance. The amazing production looks at mothers and fathers, heartache and of course money. Also staring within the play is additionally Nigel Harman who most members of the public might well recognise from the BBC 1 programme Eastenders.

This season can see new shows coming to the theatres of the west end and one of the most anticipated is the musical Sister Act. The musical Sister Act is based around the storyline of a gangsters girlfriend who witnesses a murder and goes on a police protection scheme as a catholic nun. The gangster moll resides and works as a lady of the cloth in a convent and turns the other catholic nuns of the church into a marvellous singing choir. Another terrific hit theatre production this Summer is the hilarious Calendar Girls, the lovely play of a bunch of women within their later years who make a decision to pose naked for a local calendar to generate cash for charity. The comedy Calendar Girls is based upon the film by Tim Firth and is bound to please all ages. Get your hands on cheap, discount tickets for Grease the musical.

With the awesome interest within theatre plays and west end musicals that include acclaimed actors, most theatre goers find it problematic to splash out on the entire ticket price. Happily, this is where LSBO comes in. The world renowned LSBO offer theatre tickets that are up to half price off the face value selling cover charge. Leicester Square Box Office have became the worst kept secret with Londoners, the price savvy bunch of musical and theatre goers know that if they get their musical tickets online or from their many booths in central London, they might get first class seats at amazing prices.

Don’t believe that having a Costa Mesa personal trainer is a luxury reserved only for the rich and famous. There are plenty of trainers prepared to work within your budget. You may be asking yourself “Do I really need a Costa Mesa personal trainer? Why?”

1) One of the key reasons people benefit from a Costa Mesa personal trainer is that they lose motivation to stay with a consistent physical exercise program. Certified Costa Mesa personal trainers can provide structure and accountability, and help you develop a lifestyle that encourages wellness.

2) Number one reason why people employ Costa Mesa personal trainers is to lose weight and get into shape because it works. If you made a commitment to lose the fat and build muscle, a trainer can keep you on course and help you ahieve that goal.

3) If you have any chronic health conditions, injuries or training goals a trainer will work with you and your wellness care provider to plan a safe, efficient individualized plan that considers these needs and enable you to achieve your wellness goals.

4) If you play a particular sport, a performance enhancement specialist will help you improve your skill by showing you new training techniques specific to your sport. A Costa Mesa personal trainer will incorporate skills training into your plan so you improve not only your strength and endurance, but your agility and mental focus as well.

5) If you are an absolute beginner, a Costa Mesa personal trainer is the ultimate physical fitness coach. A good trainer will present you to a very easy effective routine and build efficiently so before you know it, you have the confidence and knowledge to decide what is right for you.

6) Ok, you are already in superb shape, but you’ve been there for years. If you are stuck in the same routine and want to break out of a pleateu, a Costa Mesa personal trainer is the perfect solution. A Costa Mesa personal trainer will jump start, not only your motivation, but your routine as well.

7) a Costa Mesa personal trainer watches your form, monitors your vitals and can provide objective feedback about your limitations and strengths. Most of us tend to neglect some of the subtle signals our body provides. We either drive through pain or give up too soon. Because a Costa Mesa personal trainer can watch what you are doing while you are doing it, they can help push you or slow you down as needed.

Many Costa Mesa personal trainers make house calls. If you don’t have the type or interest in going to a gym, but have a hard time knowing what to do on your own at home, a Costa Mesa personal trainer can bring physical fitness into your living room.

If you want to get the body of your dreams contact Costa Mesa personal trainers.