We honor the 4th of July - Independence Day with a look at what events in history triggered this holiday - where millions of Americans join together in praise of the Constitution signed by our founding forefathers.
 
On July 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed, making the people of the 13 British colonies along the Eastern seaboard an independent nation. This historic event marks the pride of the people who fought in 1775 over their rights and freedoms from British rule. This is how Thomas Jefferson's famous saying came to pass, "That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
 
Here are some interesting facts that you can share with others when you celebrate this momentous occasion:

US Constitution : On September 17, 1787 the final draft of the Constitution was signed. The sole purpose of the Constitution was to revise the original Articles of Confederation. But through several discussions and debates, it was agreed that an entirely new frame of government be written as the US Constitution. The main issues dealt with distribution in levels of power within the central government, and Congress.

In the end, only 39 delegates from 70 appointed individuals signed the Constitution. These included: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Robert Morris.

US National Flag : Legend has it that Betsy Ross was approached by George Washington to produce the first unofficial national flag called the Grand Union Flag. This was raised near his headquarters on January 1st, 1776.

However, the first official "Stars & Stripes" flag, bearing 13 stars and stripes representing the original 13 colonies was accepted by Congress on June 14th, 1777.

As other states were admitted into the Union, Congress passed legislature to include an additional star for each newly appointed state. The 50th star was added for the state of Hawaii in 1960.

Star Spangled Banner : Inspired by the battle at Fort McHenry, lawyer Francis Scott Key chose to write a poem named the "The Star Spangled Banner". The poem was written to match the rhythm of the English song, "To Anacreon in Heaven".

In 1931, Congress declared the song our official national anthem.

Source: archives.gov

Put first things first. Never start a fundraising project unless you know why you're raising the money and how the money will be spent.
 
Determine your wants/needs. Poll everyone involved in your project including group members and participants to find out what they see as the top funding priorities.
 
Get everyone on board. Once you set a goal, and long before you launch your fundraising project, educate prospective participants on what the goal is and how it will enrich your project. The result: more people will take ownership.
 
Develop and memorize your mission statement. In business, they call it a "value proposition". Sum up the specifics of what you're doing and why you're doing it in two sentences or less. Make sure it has a compelling call to action and include it in all your communications. Memorize it and have your volunteers memorize it.
 
Never miss an opportunity to promote. Use the same vehicles you use to promote the fundraising drive to communicate the program's goal. Utilize the Internet, online forums and chat groups, event-related newsletters, pre-kick-off letters, postcards, emails, flyers, posters, roadside signs, press releases, public service announcements, newspapers, and radio. Include pictures whenever possible.
 
Plant and harvest at the same time. Upon completion of your fundraising project, take the time to thank your participants for their continued support. Remind them of what they helped make happen during your fundraising project.

Source: AFRDS.org

The RVHS Girls Basketball Team raised a profit of $1,300 with this season's Cookie Dough Fundraiser! The team sold 333 tubs of delicious, scoop and bake cookie dough, proving that it is indeed one of the most successful fundraising products. "We were very pleased with the program!", said Coach Lucus Lechman. A slam-dunk performance from a hard working team. Congratulations! 

- Learn More about Gourmet Cookie Dough Fundraiser

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New We Want Your Group / Team Pictures: Do you have a picture of your group/team? Would you like to have it featured and viewed by thousands in our next month's newsletter? Send it to us regardless if you did a fundraiser with us or not. We'd love to feature it. Lucus Lechman and the RVHS Girls Basketball Team from Arizona were very pleased with their recent JustFundraising cookie dough fundraiser. - Lucus Lechman, RVHS Girls Basketball Team - Mohave Valley, Arizona You may send your photo with your team name and a short description to: teampics@justfundraising.com