Posted on June 23, 2008 in Business, Fundraising by adminNo Comments »

Booster club fundraising is an ideal way to raise money for the sports programs at your local high school. Booster club fundraisers are also big business at colleges around the country. Through their fundraising activities, booster clubs help lure star high school athletes to their football, baseball, and basketball programs every year.

There are some fantastic booster club fundraising ideas available to planners, other than the typical candy fund raisers. Take Iron Man miniature golf tournaments. You reserve a miniature golf course for your group and have each participant ask people to sponsor her per hole she plays. Then, its up to you to run the tournament just like an Iron Man competition, except you play on the miniature golf course. Play 100 holes or as many as you can in two hours. Students can raise $100 by just getting 10 people to sponsor them at .10¢ per hole.

Booster Club Fundraising: Students versus Teachers
Hands down, one of the more exciting booster club fundraising activities you can set up is a student versus teacher sports match, like softball, touch football, or basketball. Many students sign up to play, and the coordinators decide fair teams based on athletic ability.

In the case of basketball, students play each other in 10-15 minute games in a tournament. The team that wins the tournament plays a team made up of teachers from the high school. Both teachers and students seem to love it, as theyre always planning practices ahead of the big day.

Posted on June 22, 2008 in Business, Fundraising by adminNo Comments »

Groups, clubs, and non-profit organizations find that magazine fundraisers are a fine way to raise money for their specific cause. In fact, each year remarkable sums of cash are generated by magazine drives. If youre wondering how to get involved in these fundraising projects, you should either ask around for feedback or venture onto one of the many websites dedicated to fundraising.

Magazine fundraisers have proven time and time again to be profitable, easy, and risk-free ways for schools, PTA groups, booster clubs, school bands, sports leagues and a host of other non profit youth groups to raise money. Oftentimes, these groups have offered great products like Sports Illustrated , Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic to family, friends, neighbors, and business associates.

Magazine Fundraisers and Prize Programs
Oftentimes, companies that run magazine fundraisers will incorporate prize programs. These are especially great motivators for young people. Over the years, a cumulative prize program has proven itself to be the best in getting participants more involved; they also allow the individual child to earn more prizes as he or she sells more magazines.

The goal behind prize programs is to get kids to sell, sell, sell their little hearts out. They have proven particularly effective among younger children. It is a good idea (and recommended) for parents to help younger kids chart their course, in terms of their target clients and sales.

Posted on June 21, 2008 in Business, Graphic Design by adminNo Comments »

Portrait painters are not miracle workers. It takes time to paint a beautiful portrait. Wile the process can often be sped up for special occasions, people commissioning portraits must understand that for instant gratification, they will get far better results at the one hour photo-mat.

Part of the reason portrait painters take so long to complete their works of art can be attributed ti the sittings that are required to complete a portrait. Many portrait painters today do most of their work by using a photo as their primary study, but one or two live sessions are still almost always necessary. Time must also be allotted for a photo portrait to be taken.

Other Time Issues for Portrait Painters
In addition to sittings, portrait subjects must also be available for an initial consultation with the painter where they can discuss aspects of the painting such as the clothing the subject will wear and the pose he or she will be in. A consultation may last only a few minutes, but more often than not it will be closer to an hour. Portrait painters cannot begin their work until they have met with their subject.

Despite the fact that portraits take a long time to complete, their uniqueness makes them well worth the investment. Oil portraits are one of the most personnel gifts that can be given to a loved one and a wonderful way to capture someones likeness for generations to come. They may take weeks to create, but they will last a lifetime.

Posted on June 20, 2008 in Business, Graphic Design by adminNo Comments »

Some companies give trade show booth design little more than a moments thought when they are preparing their trade show presentations. Its very easy to get caught up in perfecting the companys product and sales pitch. If no one stops by the booth, however, all of that work will be for not. While a good product and a good pitch are important, a great trade show booth design is more important than product and pitch combined.

Trade shows are wild affairs that often bear closer resemblances to carnivals than corporate events. Walk up and down the show room floor of any trade show and youll see hundreds of companies hawking their wares just as the carny recruits a passersby to play different carnival games. The biggest difference is that when a carny lands a customer, he makes a few dollars; when a trade show booth lands a customer, the company stands to make hundreds of dollars.

Eye-Catching Trade Show Booth Designs
In order to lure as many people as possible to a trade show booth, it must be striking. A trade show booth should catch peoples attention and draw them in. It should contain all of the persuasiveness of a billboard and all of the energy and flair of a sideshow attraction. If a trade show booth design grabs people, theyll be more likely to linger long enough to be sold on the product.

A good graphic designer can often help with trade show design by adding his or her artistic flair to the booth. If a booth is pleasing to the eye it will attract attention. Graphic designers are artists that excel in creating visually striking images in a business setting.

Posted on June 19, 2008 in Business, Graphic Design by adminNo Comments »

An oil portrait painting makes a great gift for almost any occasion, but they are especially well suited for those major turning points in a persons life. If you or a loved one will soon reach a major milestone, perhaps the best way you can commemorate that occasion is by commissioning the an oil portrait painting. Oil portraits provide lasting reminders of special events for generations.

Many people choose to have portraits made of their children as they approach graduation from high school or college. Graduating from high school or college is one of the most important moments in a persons life. While children (young adults at this point) may not realize the significance of such a day, parents recognize that graduation day is a day that everyone in the family will remember their entire lives. What better way to commemorate the day than with a commissioned oil portrait.

Oil Portrait Paintings as Anniversary Gifts
A silver or golden anniversary is another important event that can be commemorated with an oil painting. Spouse sometimes commission oil paintings of their partner and pull them out as a surprise gift the evening of their anniversary. Children sometimes commission portraits of their parents as well. Either way, the portrait will be a symbol of the great years in the past and the great years ahead.

While its great to commission an oil portrait painting to mark an occasion, you dont have to have a special occasion to commission a portrait. Who doesnt identify with the iconic image of the portrait hanging above the hearth? Portraits add class to any room and give a home an old world feel.