Hundreds of thousands of companies go through millions of printer and toner cartridges per year. Of these, a huge percentage end up in landfills, despite the fact that there are companies that will pay CASH for them!

If you are looking for a ‘green’ fundraising project with long term possibilities, consider hitting all of your local businesses to see if they have toner or printer cartridges you can collect and turn into money.

There are several companies that buy old print cartridges–some have been around for more than two decades now. Most will even provide you with a kit to start your fundraising effort. There are many businesses that go through a lot of ink–hospitals, insurance companies, doctors’ offices–just to name a few!

Take a minute to jot down different companies that might be approachable. Lawyers’ offices, accountants, architecture firms are a few more ideas. Schools, large churches and even car rental companies are some more that have lots of paperwork. The next step is figuring out how to approach these people.

Depending on what your fundraising effort is going to be for, you may have a hook that is impossible to say no to. Make sure that you come across sounding professional, not whiny. Use the contents of the kit that are sent to you of, or design your own script and approach.

Taking the time to make the list of projected ‘targets’ will help your fundraising efforts immensely. Once that is determined, you and your group can tailor your spiel, or presentation, towards each target accordingly. An opening might go something like this:

“Hi, (insert name of group) has decided to recycle empty print cartridges for a fundraising project this year. Not only is this a ‘go green’ fundraiser and environmentally safe, it will help us achieve our goal of earning money towards (insert goal).”

Then briefly tell the possible donor how easy it is for them to donate and that they would be able to get a form to use for tax purposes–that should cover a lot of their objections.

“This program is fairly simple. Just let us place a collection bin in your business, and instruct your employees to place all empty toner and printer cartridges in it. We will make sure you get a receipt for them  that you may use for tax purposes.”

Many kits recommend simply setting the collection receptacle in the office and handing out a few flyers explaining the fundraiser for the convenience of the business employees, and picking up empty cartridges on a weekly or monthly basis. This is an excellent way to keep a steady flow of funding coming in to your organization.