Fundraising Ideas

Are you trying to fund-raise for a new hardwood athletic floor or a synthetic athletic floor? Are you out of ideas to raise money or don’t know where to start? Here’s a few suggestions and fundraising ideas from us that have worked well for other organizations.

Restaurant Fundraisers:

Ask businesses or restaurants if they would be willing to create their own fundraising efforts for your cause, such as 10% of every order on Friday toward the fundraising efforts or 10% of the daily revenue, etc. Many local restaurants may be inclined to do this, as it may increase their own sales by directing more traffic on a certain slow day.

This will help to promote the business’s reputation within the community, potentially increase their own sales, and increase your own fundraising total. For their donation to the fundraising effort, consider hanging a plaque for them or their banner/logo in the gym.

Business Donations

“It doesn’t have to be a monetary donation, ask for donated snacks or drinks to help increase fundraiser attendance!”

Consider writing to or stopping by local companies, restaurants, or businesses to ask for donations. Offer to have a sponsor plaque that will hang in your gym above the new floor with donor names or to have donor banners. Mention that anything helps, the donation doesn’t have to be monetary – perhaps the business can donate snacks or drinks to fundraising events (such as a walk-a-thon or basketball tournament).

Book Fair

Consider having a used book fair at your school with all proceeds going toward the new athletic floor. What better way to raise money than to encourage students to read new-to-them books for a low price? Consider asking families and community members to donate books that may be sitting on a shelf collecting dust for the cause.

A Penny Jar

Consider putting penny jars in your classrooms. The new gym floor will be for the children, why not invite them to help make it a reality so they can feel involved? Kids generally like to help, especially if you put an incentive into place, such as an ice cream party for the classroom that raises the most money per month. Encourage students that no amount is too little, a penny per day per child adds up!

Interested in knowing more? Check out our FREE eBook: The Fundraising Guide for a New Athletic Floor!

Purchasing a Hardwood Athletic Floor – Installation

When considering purchasing a hardwood athletic floor, it’s important to consider who will install the new floor. You want someone who is trustworthy and reliable and is experienced with the flooring system.

The Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA) has a list of accredited installers on their webpage. Each of these installers and flooring manufacturers are evaluated every two years. These evaluation tests ensure that the installation recommendations are being followed.

Do you want to find a Horner Dealer? We have made it extremely easy, simply type in your zip code on our website and we will give you a list of Horner Dealers near you.

Maintenance Tip: When your floor is installed, make sure to ask the manufacturer or installer the best ways to maintain your floor or for a cleaning demonstration. Many will do this free of charge.

Looking for more information on what to consider when purchasing a new hardwood athletic floor? Download Horner Flooring’s FREE eBook, 10 Questions to Ask When Purchasing a Hardwood Athletic Floor!

Purchasing a Hardwood Athletic Floor – Sustainability

When considering purchasing a hardwood athletic floor, sustainability should be a question to ask yourself or your company. First, consider which LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements you need fulfilled. Then, look at the LEED credits of the company to manufacture your new floor.

For example, Horner Flooring has several LEED credits. To give an example of what LEED credits look like:

• EQ Credit 4.4 – Low-Emitting Materials – Composite Wood
  • (Horner’s manufactured-assembled subfloors are made with urea-formaldehyde-free plywood)
• MR Credit 4.2 – MR Credit 4.3 Recycled Content
  • (Horner ECO PAD Options are made of 90.5% post-consumer recycled rubber)

Subfloors in particular can be made in part with post-consumer recycled materials, combined with sustainable harvested wood. Check out the following table to see where the sustainable wood is typically used:

If you or your company decides post-consumer recycled materials are necessary for your new floor, make sure the gym floor contractor is aware. Many times you can get a quality sustainable product and make eco-friendly choices even without a LEED certified floor, so check out all your options when considering purchasing a hardwood athletic floor.

Also when considering green choices, consider a water based finish for your hardwood athletic floor instead of an oil-based finish. This will help reduce the BOC content. Some state and local laws actually limit BOC amounts, so make sure to check your laws before deciding on a finish.

Building green with a sustainable design is great for the environment, so when considering purchasing a hardwood athletic floor, consider all your options and decide what’s best for your company.

Looking for more information? Download Horner Flooring’s FREE eBook – 10 Questions to Ask When Purchasing a Hardwood Athletic Floor!

Top 10 LEED States Revealed!

Photo by USGBC

Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) revealed a list of 2012’s top ten states for new LEED certifications.  We applaud the effort and dedication each state has given toward LEED certifications and are proud to bring forth more sustainable design to the industry.

USGBC 2012 List of Top 10 States for LEED

Topping the list for a second time is the District of Columbia, followed by Virginia, then Colorado. Massachusetts moved up three positions since it’s place on the list last year. Any predictions on who will top it next year?

According to the USGBC, 2.2 billion square feet of space has been certified worldwide through 2012.

Some significant projects that certified in 2012 include:

• Atlantic Wharf, the first LEED Platinum skyscraper in Boston
• National Football League (NFL) corporate headquarters in New York City, LEED Gold
• Dallas Convention Center Hotel, the fist LEED Gold hotel in Texas

Learn more about LEED on our website!

Questions?  Contact us and one of our LEED AP’s will gladly speak with you!