When Arizona Family Florist in Phoenix hosts canned food drives for community partners, the shop gives donors a gift, including free flowers.
Want to create a holiday charitable event this fall that contributes to your community, generates goodwill and brings more customers into your store? The secret weapon to doing just that is already in your cooler, says Brad Denham of Arizona Family Florist in Phoenix.
For several years, Denham and his team have held a successful food drive in the run-up to the holidays. During the event, donors who bring in items are rewarded with “free” flowers. The simple gesture takes people by surprise.
“The floral gift sets us apart because most people who contribute to food drives never receive anything in return,” he explains. The shop has also offered donors discounts. “By giving away free flowers, we encourage customers to make a generous donation and we become a hub for all those donors.”
Denham is committed to helping charitable groups, but the approach also creates sales opportunities. In fact, “a quarter of customers who come in for free flowers end up making a purchase,” he explained.
Other tips on a successful food drive from Denham include:
Divide and conquer. The fall is a busy time for florists. Before you hold a food drive, discuss the idea with employees and get them on board,” Denham said. From there, “establish a plan for individual tasks. Since these are busy floral holidays, designate a team leader and volunteers to share the work. Doing so will help hold each person accountable and create a sense of ownership among the team.”
Promote like crazy. “The key to a successful donation drive is to get the word out,” Denham said. Arizona Family relies mainly on social media for its promotional push, creating a Facebook Event page and using promoted posts. “To ensure success, we spend a few bucks promoting
the post to our existing customers, as well as targeting Facebook users who like charitable causes, including food banks and other organizations. We also send a press release to the local media, with event details and quotes from the charitable organization and our flower partners.”
Document. “Take pictures of the customers with their flowers and donations in your store during the drive,” Denham said. “These are powerful images. Post photos after your event and send thank-you cards or flowers to volunteers and your partner organization. Report on
how many goods were collected or how much money was raised.”
