A lot of you saw our email a couple of days ago about the new 2015 calendar. About how we know it's WAY before you need next year's calendar.

The only reason we even sent that email was because of how many people missed getting one last year when we ran out...

Well, a funny thing happened when that first email went out. Since we released the calendar so long before the end of the year, a couple of our friends in schools called & said, Hey, this'd be a perfect fundraiser for us. Any way you could see making it available?

They also said they'd send chocolate chip cookies.

It was tough, but how could we say no?

(For the record, we like to pretend we're all steely-eyed, making clear business decisions & all that captain of industry stuff, but when it comes down to it, we're powerless over chocolate. Just in case you're thinking of asking us for something...:-))

It got us thinking. An amazing number of you work with schools & non-profits & we've known for a long time that what we do is really good for fundraising. There's something magical that happens when you get out & hear stories from the people in your neighborhood & tell them stories. Even better, when you can leave something like a StoryPeople story behind. It becomes much more than fundraising; it becomes a community.

So, we're asking you on this one. Do you have a school, or non-profit, that's looking for a good way to fundraise? That's looking for a good way to build community? Because right now, our favorite idea for this is the calendars. You can sell them the same way we do: one for $19.95, or two for $35. & since it's for a good cause, we can do a pretty sweet deal for you, so your group actually makes all the money you need to get those new books. Or pay for that class trip. Or fund whatever wild thing you've imagined. (& calendars are just the beginning. We have lots of other possibilities, too: prints, books, greeting cards...)

Of course, you already know how many stories there are to choose from. We're pretty sure there's a story that's perfect for almost any group you can think of. Unless it's a group that's mean. To be fair, if they're mean, Brian could probably write a story, but knowing how he writes, they probably wouldn't like it. So, never mind. Almost any group you can think of, as long as they're not mean.

If you have a not-mean group like that, give us a call at our toll-free number 866.564.4552 & we can help you decide if it makes sense to go from there.

We'll look forward to hearing from you...

Until then, with love,

The Crew at StoryPeople

P.S. We know it's the very end of summer. No one in their right mind is thinking of next year yet & especially no one's thinking of the projects next year that need funds. But, once we heard how the calendar would make such a great fundraising thing, we couldn't wait to let you know.

It's no big deal if you don't know of any groups who could use it. You can still get one for yourself & anybody else you think could use a completely delightful & colorful year. Yay! Drop in to storypeople.com & get them while they last: one for $19.95, or two for $35.

(& don't worry if now is too soon. We'll let you know again later on. If there are any left. HA!)