A team effort

The smallest fundraising details seem to be the ones that take the most work. Take, for example, this donation jar:


It looks pretty cool, right? This jar represents the time and energy of three different people.
As I was setting up the Greek Wraps fundraiser and we prepared for our Little League concession stand, I realized we needed something that called out to people to drop in an extra buck or two, should they feel moved by our cause.
I knew exactly what we needed. I see those little square donation containers at local businesses all the time, advertising for one cause or another. But where does one buy that sort of thing?
Not at Party City. I called them up, and the best they could offer me were cups. I searched all through Target and Wal-Mart’s websites, hoping something would jump out at me. Nada.
I found the coolest donation containers online (with locks and everything!), but I didn’t want to pay for the rush shipping to get it by the weekend.
We needed something clear (so you can see the cash adding up and be inspired to add your own dollar). We needed something that didn't look like a fourth grade art project (one DIY site recommended using a milk jug). And we needed something that wasn’t too big for the counter at Greek Wraps.
Since I had class on Wednesday night, Kelly offered to stop at a couple of places and find something. She brilliantly located this:

She saw the potential. She emptied the container, storing the Red Vines in a plastic bag for later consumption. She tore off the label. And then she attempted to cut a hole into that top plastic knob, so people could drop their change right in.
She encountered a problem: the plastic on that knob is really, really hard. She tried using various cutting tools, none of which worked. She passed it along to me, trusting that I could figure it out.
I handed it off to Mike, told him what we needed, and said, “Good luck with that,” as I breezed along to my next task. Ten minutes later, he returned, with a hole cut in the SIDE of the lid. Brilliant!
I cut and pasted an extra Leukemia and Lymphoma Society flyer I had lying around, and voila! It's a pretty cool-looking donation jar, if you ask me.