The name game

Popcorn Palace is ready to give away lots more popcorn! And this time we are letting you pick the flavor.


Twice a week during the month of May, we will post a photo (like the one below) featuring pictures  of several of our fantastic flavors on Facebook. All you need to do to win is correctly identify one of the flavors in the comments and you will win it! For example, "Top: Rainbow"


That means that for each picture, there are four winners - eight winners a week!

So study up on our flavors, keep your eyes on our Facebook page and pick your popcorn on our pictures!

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Rules and Regulations

• No purchase necessary to enter
• Prizes will be awarded to the first fan to identify their popcorn in each picture (four winners per picture)
• Only residents of the U.S.A. are eligible
• We will contact the winners via Facebook message.
• Winners are responsible for responding with their postal addresses, email addresses and phone numbers (for our shipper).
• Postal addresses must be submitted within two weeks (fourteen days) of notification.
• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook . You understand that you are providing your information to Popcorn Palace and not to Facebook.
• Judges decision is final.

Fundraising 101: Choosing the Right Fundraising Program

Once you’ve made the decision to start a fundraiser, there are many questions to consider, but the most important is which program is best for your organization. It’s the first decision that needs to be made as many details depend upon the program that you select. There are three main types of fundraisers to choose from, including: pledges and donations, product fundraisers and event fundraisers.

With pledges and donations, you will ask potential donors for support through monetary or product contributions. In order to gain the support of donors, your organization could contact businesses, ask for help from friends and family members, or go door-to-door.

A product fundraiser is when you sell products that you purchase from a reputable supplier. There are many great fundraising companies that will provide you with information about their products and fundraising program if you contact them. Keep in mind that product fundraisers have different sales approaches, such as direct sales, order programs and online programs. A good idea is to determine which program and sales method would be most profitable for your participants.

Finally, an event fundraiser is an opportunity for the members of your organization to collectively offer a product, service or occasion where profits are raised at that very moment. Event fundraisers can include: bake sales, car washes, walk-a-thons, dances and so much more.

While considering the many fundraising programs that are available, assess how many participants you have and which programs they would be willing to try. Also, judge whether or not your group wishes to conduct a one day event or are committed to a program that will run for a week or more. And of course, consider which program will help you earn the profits your organization is looking to raise.



Hurdling to Success

Disillusioned by many years of bad fundraising experiences, Matt Weldon was tired of watching his athletes put time and effort into fundraising programs where they reaped very few of the profits and benefits.

As the head boys track coach of Elmwood Park High School, Matt was looking for a new way to earn money for his athletes, but he was cautious and more than a little skeptical. His luck changed when the mother of one of his athletes, who worked for Popcorn Palace at the time, suggested the popcorn fundraiser.

Deciding to give it a try, Matt now has a much different opinion of fundraising programs. Between the money his organization has raised and the customer service that they have received, Matt now calls his fundraising experience “triumphant”. After 4 years with Popcorn Palace Matt says:

“We use Popcorn Palace because of the return that the selling brings in. Not only do we earn a fair share of the profits, but the quality of the product literally sells itself. I often get asked before the season starts if we are doing popcorn again because people can’t wait to order it”.

Though the athlete who recommended popcorn fundraising has long since graduated, Matt and his organization continue to work with Popcorn Palace and plan to do so in the future.

Moms love popcorn!

We know that you love your Mom and that your Mom probably loves popcorn! Show her just how you feel by winning her some gourmet popcorn from Popcorn Palace. Just post a photo of you and your Mom (or of your kid and you, if you're a Mom) onto our Facebook page before Mother's Day (Sunday, May 8) and whichever photo gets the most "likes" wins!

Our grand prize winner will receive our special 6-way Iris Tin (pictured) and 5 runners up will win a popcorn flavor bag. Winners will be decided upon based on number of "Likes" so send all of your friends to our Facebook page to vote (Like) for your post. 

Entries will be accepted until midnight on May 7, 2011 and the winners will be announced on the Monday following Mother's Day.


Rules and Regulations

• No purchase necessary to enter
• Entries must be submitted by midnight on Saturday, May 7 2011.
• Prizes will be awarded to ten entrants with the most "Likes" on Facebook
• Only residents of the U.S.A. are eligible.
• We will contact the winners via Facebook message or tweet.
• Winners are responsible for responding with their postal addresses, email addresses and phone numbers (for our shipper).
• Postal addresses must be submitted within two weeks (fourteen days) of notification.
• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to Popcorn Palace and not to Facebook or Twitter.
• Judges decision is final.

Popcorn in one thousand words (not really)

We occasionally post testimonial stories on our blog, but this time we thought we'd let the pictures do the talking - as they say, a picture is worth one thousand words! Check out some of our best fan-submitted popcorn appreciation pics below.  

Share your own pop picks on our Facebook page!

Friend Frenzy!

It's that time again! We have lots of popcorn to give away and we want to share it with all of our friends and followers. All you need to do to win yourself some delicious gourmet popcorn is tell your friends about us.

Between now and the end of April, we'll be giving a way a free bag of popcorn to one of our social media friends whenever we meet certain follower and/or fan levels on both Twitter and Facebook. 

To increase your chances of winning, follow and/or "Like" us and tell your friends to do the same. The more people that join, the more popcorn we will give away. 

Facebook 

For every 30 new "Likes" we get, we will randomly give away a free bag of popcorn  to one of our fans.

So "Like" us at www.facebook.com/popcornpalace and send out the following message to your friends to increase your chances of winning:

Win FREE popcorn by "Liking"www.facebook.com/popcornpalace . The more likes, the more popcorn is given away!

Twitter 

For every 30 new followers we get, we will randomly give away a free bag of popcorn (remember, we have 27 flavors to choose from) to one of our followers.

So follow us at www.twitter.com/popcornpalace and retweet (copy and paste) the following message to your followers to increase your chances of winning:

RT @popcornpalace Win FREE popcorn by following @popcornpalace. RT to increase your odds!

Thank you, and good luck!

Rules and Regulations

• No purchase necessary to enter
• Prizes will be randomly awarded to an existing follower whenever required levels are met. 
• Only residents of the U.S.A. are eligible
• We will contact the winners via Facebook message or Tweet.
• Winners are responsible for responding with their flavor choices, postal addresses, email addresses and phone numbers (for our shipper).
• Postal addresses must be submitted within two weeks (fourteen days) of notification.
• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook nor Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to Popcorn Palace and not to Facebook nor Twitter.
• Judges decision is final.

Fundraising 101: Setting Financial Goals

Before any financial goals can be set, your organization must first decide why you want to fundraise in order to establish a clear overall objective. In order to answer this broad question, consider these more specific questions:

1. Why does your group want to raise money?
Establish the motivation behind your fundraising efforts so everyone is on the same page.

2. What are your plans for the money your hope to raise?
Whether the profits will go towards uniforms, classroom equipment, a trip or a college fund, it is important to understand how the funds will be allocated to help set a goal.

Clearly stated financial goals
will give the fundraising program
a benchmark for success

3. How much money do you need to earn to meet your goal from question #2?
Now it's time to set an achievable and measurable goal for your organization. If you are raising money to purchase equipment, it's always a good idea to research the cost involved, including any
maintenance or repairs that may be necessary down the road. Be realistic and refer to your research to establish how much money you really need.

4. How much time will you need to accomplish your goal?
Most fundraisers will typically run for 2-3 weeks, but the choice is entirely up to your organization. Try to avoid running a fundraiser for too long, as enthusiasm may start to dwindle.

Having this discussion will give everyone in your organization a chance to contribute their input and make sure everyone is working towards one goal.