Sale Organizer Advice

Guest Post by Melinda Gill of Cradle to College, LLC

When I first attended children’s consignment sales five years ago, I found that several sales were donating unsold merchandise to local charitable thrift stores. Then I heard of a sale that was inviting teen parents from a local program to “free shop” items before the thrift store truck arrived. My 17 year old nephew was one of these teen parents. He and his girlfriend were able to get numerous items they could have never afforded for their twin boys. From clothing to a double stroller to bedding and toys, these young parents were tremendously blessed. It was then that I decided my company would be designed to give back to families and community.

The first thing laid on my heart was to offer our consignors 70% of their sold item earnings. This is, on average, higher than any sale I had heard of or participated in. I knew what the extra money would mean to my family and I wanted to pay that forward to other families as well.
In searching for my “dream venue” I found that a partnership with a local church was the best way to go. I approached them with a plan in mind to give back to their preschool scholarship fund and they in turn reduced their rental rate to less than half of normal. In 18 months we have raised nearly $1000 through pre-sale tickets, and have now changed that program to gift them with 50% of every consignor registration fee. The school has also enrolled 18 new families that they have met as a direct result of our events being held at their venue.

Our area has two teen parenting programs, and the directors devised a way for their young parents to “earn” the opportunity to shop from unsold donated items at the end of the sale. Some of the requirements are that these parents must be involved in the program, active in church functions and services, active in school and parenting classes, and volunteer for at least 1 hour during the sale weekend. We invite 6 families from each program, and they are given access to shop for one hour. We also invite 5 (other) families in need from the community, who have been personally referred to us, to the “free shop” as a way to let them know that in hard times there are people who care.

Having seen other sales collect a nominal entry fee at the door, we tried it for our first sale and found that although we were donating the funds to a local food pantry, shoppers were not happy to “pay to shop.” We adjusted the program. For our second and third sales we asked shoppers to bring either a non-perishable food item and/or a personal hygiene item to be donated. In two sales we have raised over 100 pounds of food for our neighborhood food pantry and filled 4 totes with hygiene products to donate to an orphanage in Honduras through a partnership with a local mission group. We also give this group the unsold donated shoes and pajamas.

In an effort to market our business we had reusable tote bags made with our logo on them. At first our goal was to simply pay the bill for having them made. We quickly realized that the funds from the bags could be donated to another local organization or family in need. For our last sale we donated the funds to a breast cancer foundation, in honor of my sister’s best friend. For our next sale we have already chosen a family that will apply the funds to the cost of purchasing their son’s durable medical equipment. We sell about $300 worth of bags per sale and decided that investment in others was better served than an investment in the business itself. The sale itself more than covers the cost of anything we give away.

The upside to donating all that we can is first and foremost to bless families and community. The added bonus that we receive through shared marketing with these organizations is something for which we grateful, but surely not something for which we asked in return. My life philosophy has always been that “the purpose of life is a life of purpose.” Being able to use my company to help families and community has taken my passion and made it “on purpose,” and I am so very grateful for the opportunity.

I encourage each sale owner to identify a need in your own community, connect it to your business, and allow the blessings to flow.

Melinda Gill is the Owner/CEO of Cradle to College, LLC.