FUN-RAISING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
It might be exciting and helpful for me to share something we did in Golden Hill that was a win-win-win-win for our neighborhood. We held a Spring-Blooming Bulbs Sale. It was a win for our limited ‘Beautification’ budget, a win for the aesthetics of our neighborhood, a win for our many pollinators, and a win for neighborhood camaraderie.
Here’s how we did it:
I formed a committee of ten.
We selected a wholesale bulb catalog that sells to the public. We chose Colorblends. I contacted them and set up a relationship with a customer service person.
We decided to price each bulb 7.5% higher than we would pay.
We selected various popular bulbs: 10 tulips, eight daffodils, two grape hyacinths, and two alliums. We cut and pasted a picture of each bulb, its name, a brief description, the quantities available, and the price, and distributed this via email to each resident. Attached was a bulb order form with a deadline.
A couple of reminder emails were sent, and in some instances, calls were made to encourage participation.
Once the orders came in, we calculated our “profit” and ordered bulbs for our common areas accordingly. (We also set aside 200 bulbs for the NNW Community.) We then placed the whole order with Colorblends. We chose a delivery date in mid-late October.
When the big order came in, we divided it into individual orders and asked the participants to pick up their orders. We also included instructions on planting.
We then recruited neighbors to volunteer to plant the bulbs designated for the common areas.
When spring arrived, we held a casual “Tiptoe Through Our Tulips” event for residents to view the beautiful blooms in the common areas and some private gardens.
We contacted a local TV station, and they came out to film and featured Golden Hill’s beautiful blooms as a lead-in to their nightly news show.
It was an enormous success, albeit a lot of work! Hopefully, the plants will return year after year, and maybe we’ll add more this fall.
For questions, contact Nancy Mahany at nancymahany@gmail.com.
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