MOBILEPACK YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Transcription

1 MOBILEPACK YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

2 WHAT IS A MOBILEPACK? A MobilePack is a Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) meal-packing event hosted and funded by your church, business, school or other community group. No matter your location in the United States, a MobilePack gives you the chance to instill compassion in your community and improve the lives of undernourished children around the world. WHO CAN HOST A MOBILEPACK? You can host a MobilePack no matter what type of community you re active in. Most often, MobilePack hosts are linked to a church, a business or a school. Sponsoring an event with the backing of a community or organization helps to ensure its success and offers crucial support in planning, volunteer recruitment and fundraising. WHERE CAN I HOST A MOBILEPACK? FMSC will schedule your event anywhere in the continental United States, as long as you secure an indoor facility that has: Unite your Community under a powerful cause. minimum of 2,300 square feet of space to pack and store meal ingredients (about half the size of a standard basketball court) loading dock with a dock plate or a parking lot with a large level area for a semi-truck to unload doorway with 50 clearance, with a clear pathway from the truck drop-off area to packaging room packing area with load-bearing capacity of at least 150 lbs. per square foot Sinks for washing dishes or a dishwasher Think outside the box and ask for donated space at facilities in your community. Good examples of event sites include a school gym, a church fellowship hall, an empty warehouse or a large event hall. WHEN CAN I HOST A MOBILEPACK? You can host a MobilePack event on just about any day of the week during most months of the year. Most events are conducted over 1 3 days, which include set-up, volunteer time and tear-down. We recommend scheduling at least three months prior to the planned event date. Due to volume of events and staff availability, some dates are not available. Check with FMSC staff for a list of black-out dates.

3 WHY SHOULD I PARTNER WITH FMSC? We know you have many choices when selecting a community-building activity, mission project or outreach event. But FMSC MobilePacks are NOT your typical charity event! 10 REASONS TO PARTNER WITH FMSC 1. Experience We ve been feeding the hungry for more than 25 years, in nearly 70 countries. We re the original and largest charity hand-packing and shipping these special meals. 6. Faith-based, yet inclusive We are boldly committed to our Christian faith, yet we respect and welcome all people to pack and partner with us. We work well with the policies of secular businesses and public schools. 2. A tried and tested system We ve successfully produced meal-packing events for more than ten years across the U.S. Our staff is well-equipped, flexible and courteous. We comply with FDA regulations and we re bonded and insured. 3. Life-changing, nutritious food The meals you pack, MannaPack formulas, contain critical nutrients for child development and help speed recovery from malnourishment and illness. 4. Commitment to sustainable food assistance Through our long-time partners, we feed the future of nations rather than just give hand-outs. 7. A Four-Star charity FMSC has received this rare rating of excellence from Charity Navigator for 10 consecutive years. Year after year, we spend more than 90% of all donations directly on feeding hungry children. 8. Globally minded FMSC educates volunteers about hunger-related world issues. We share true stories of the marginalized and their success with our food to instill compassion in your community. 9. A world-class foreign aid organization FMSC provides three ground-breaking meal formulas for specific hunger-related conditions. We are a leader in nutrition for the relief world. 5. Reliable network of in-country partners 99.6% of our meals have reached their intended recipients, even in the most volatile parts of the world. 10. We re growing! The FMSC model works and we re expanding throughout the United States, as we book more events and open more permanent sites each year!

4 We ll Help You Succeed! When you sign on to host a MobilePack, you ll get a complete workbook walking you through every step from fundraising to logistics. Here are answers to common questions you may have: HOW MUCH MONEY DO I NEED TO RAISE? As a MobilePack host, you and your community will raise funds to cover the cost of meals you pack. Each meal costs less than a quarter and your minimum MobilePack meal goal is 100,000 meals. Cost Per Meal x Number Of Meals = Your Fundraising Goal Some hosts sponsor 200,000, 500,000 or even 1 million-meal events and a great number sponsor a MobilePack every year. HOW DO I RAISE ALL THAT MONEY? Along with packing meals, raising funds gets your community deeply invested in a solution to hunger. It can be the most rewarding aspect of hosting a MobilePack. Not only will your whole community take on this goal together, FMSC staff will be there along the way to guide you through the process. We will set up an online Fundraising Headquarters (FHQ) customized for your event. This easy-to-use website tracks your donations, builds excitement and provides your community with social media tools to quickly spread the word and raise contributions from friends and family nationwide! Here are some suggestions for other fundraising that have reaped big benefits for hosts in the past: M&M tubes: Your members/employees buy these candy tubes for $1 each, enjoy the treat and then collect quarters to fill the tubes. Each filled tube returned is a $14 donation. Restaurant partnerships: Many chain restaurants in your community will agree to donate a portion of their day s sales to your MobilePack. Corporate sponsorships: Ask local businesses to make lead gifts and become key sponsors of your MobilePack. Consume-less campaign: Invite your church, school or business to give up a luxury such as lattes, fast food, or movie tickets and donate the money they save to the MobilePack. Collect change: Purchase coin-collection boxes from fmscmarketplace.org and set them in high-traffic spots around your community. For kids, make it a team competition to see who can bring in the most change. wareness-creating events: Organize a 5k, walk-a-thon, bake sale or pancake breakfast and collect donations before or during the event. HOW DO I GET VOLUNTEERS TO COME TO MY EVENT? You ll need a minimum of 500 volunteers for a 100,000 meal MobilePack. Volunteers will sign up for 2-hour packing shifts. The number of volunteers and shifts you will need depends on the number of meals you commit to pack. Everything from flyers to Facebook posts (see next question) can help you garner volunteers. Encourage local businesses and schools to join your MobilePack movement! HOW DO I PROMOTE MY EVENT? FMSC has created an online promotional toolkit, including ready-to-use templates for everything from t-shirts to flyers to press releases. Just download, customize with your event name and date, and you re ready to promote! In the toolkit, you ll also find links to FMSC social media sites, where you can download photos, videos and more. There s even a helpful Facebook page for MobilePack Hosts, where you can get advice and ideas. If you would like to create your own materials, you will need them approved by the FMSC Marketing Dept. at mobilepackpromotion@fmsc.org. LEARN MORE FROM OUR VIDEOS! Ask us for DVDs or web links to our helpful videos, How Churches or Organizations Host a MobilePack Event.

5 Dollar for dollar, I don t know of any other charity that has this level of impact. Eric Fields, KeHE Distributors, Inc. WHAT MOBILEPACK HOSTS SAY... Not everybody can go on a mission trip. With FMSC MobilePacks, people can pack food and be a vital part of our mission ministry. It s a powerful way to live out the Gospel. Rev. Gary Olson Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Naperville, IL Our employees have great hearts and want to serve. MobilePack is a great avenue. Dollar for dollar, I don t know of any other charity that has this level of impact. Eric Fields KeHE Distributors, Inc., Romeoville, IL Thank you to FMSC staff for being with us, coordinating our event, and being so easy to work with. From our vantage point, the food packing event was flawless. There hasn t been a single criticism, complaint, or other negative response 100% over-the-top positive instead! Dan Johnson Hilmar Covenant Church, Hilmar, CA MobilePack brings a community together like no other event. I have never experienced so much positive energy in one room. People are still thanking me for bringing a MobilePack to our community. Troy Boe Rotary Club of New Richmond, New Richmond, WI Through this partnership we have been able to educate our congregation around issues of global hunger, provide family-friendly serving opportunities and raise funding for children in need. FMSC did an amazing job coordinating this church-wide event for over 18,000 volunteers at 17 sites, where we were able to pack over 4 million meals for children in Zimbabwe. [It] also provided a great opportunity to invite neighbors, classmates and others in the community, young or old alike, to serve alongside of one another to fight against global hunger. Heather Larson, Director of Compassion and Justice Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL

6 I WANT TO HOST A MOBILEPACK. WHAT NEXT? We are so excited to journey with you through the MobilePack experience! Please contact our team of advisors at MobilePackInfo@fmsc.org and be sure to include your location in the United States. ABOUT FMSC Christian non-profit Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) has tackled world hunger since 1987 by sending volunteer-packed, nutritious meals to 70 countries. These meals are specifically designed to reverse and prevent malnutrition and are used in schools, orphanages, clinics and feeding programs to break the cycle of poverty. In 2014, FMSC welcomed nearly 900,000 volunteers to pack more than 229 million meals through its permanent sites and nationwide MobilePack program. The Minnesota-based charity spends 92% of total donations directly on feeding the hungry and has earned the highest 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for 10 consecutive years. Visit fmsc.org for more information. Turn Hunger into Hope with Your Own Two Hands Feed My Starving Children (HQ) rd Ave. NW Coon Rapids, MN MOBILEPACKS Nationwide PACKING SITES / OFFICES Mesa, AZ Schaumburg, IL Norcross, GA Coon Rapids, MN (HQ) Aurora, IL Chanhassen, MN Libertyville, IL Eagan, MN fmsc.org/mobilepack fmscblog.com 2015 Feed My Starving Children. All rights reserved. YQA15A