Remsen St. Mary’s Scrip Program
When you purchase scrip, you are purchasing negotiable gift certificates that can be used in stores just like cash. Scrip is issued by national and local retailers where many families already shop. These merchants want to support non-profit organizations and in return ask you to support them by shopping with scrip at their stores. You can use scrip to purchase everyday items like food, clothing and other essentials, and with every purchase you earn money for our church and schools.
How scrip generates revenue for you
St. Mary’s purchases scrip certificates and cards through the Great Lakes Scrip Program and local merchants at a discounted price. We in turn sell the scrip to our customers – you - at face value. The bulk of the discount - from 1 to 15 percent or more - is revenue for our parish and schools! At the end of the fiscal year, half of this revenue is applied toward your designated family’s tuition. The other half – or all of the revenue if you have not designated a family– is directed toward church and school needs. A small amount of the money is needed annually for the operational costs of the program.
Here’s an example; St. Mary’s buys a $25 scrip certificate for Red Lobster/Olive Garden for $22.75 and sells it to you for $25. You spend the $25 scrip certificate at Olive Garden. At the end of the fiscal year, $1.13 is applied toward your (or someone else’s) child’s tuition, and the other $1.12 toward parish and/or school needs or is applied toward the cost of operating the scrip program.
Scrip is "shopping cart fundraising”
The reason for the effectiveness of scrip is simple: families generate revenue through purchases they would make anyway. Groceries, clothing, toys, gifts – even gasoline – can be purchased with scrip.
Figuring that a family can easily spend $12,000 annually on food, clothing and other essentials, our parish of 700 families is spending $8.4 million! Thus if we had 100% participation in the scrip program, we could potentially raise $336,000 annually – without actually spending one more penny than we would have anyway! All it takes is a little preplanning before we set out on shopping trips!
Retailers like Scrip, too
Retailers know that by participating in the scrip program, they will secure a loyal group of savvy shoppers, people like you who actively support these retailers in order to provide a steady stream of revenue for their churches and schools. It is a win-win situation!
Ordering Process
Ordering is EASY and convenient. Order forms are available on the parish and school websites, in the west entry of church, and at the rectory office. Just complete the order form, indicating what store you plan to spend money in and how many “scrip dollars” you need for each store. Add your total and attach your check with the order.
After completing your order you can drop it in the collection basket at Mass, bring it to the rectory office, or send it with your child to school by 9 AM on Monday mornings. The scrip orders are normally delivered back to the rectory office by Thursday afternoons. Orders can then be sent home with a student, mailed if you submitted a self-addressed stamped envelope, or picked up at the rectory. We are not liable for lost or misdirected scrip orders once they leave the rectory office.
For your convenience, there is a limited inventory of scrip kept on hand at the rectory office. Feel free to stop by during regular business hours (8:30 – 3:30) to see if we have what you need. However, to ensure that you receive the amount of scrip you need when you need it, please place an order!
If you have any questions, Jo at the rectory office (786-1437) is ready to assist you. For instance, if you will be spending a significant amount at a store that is not on the list, you may want to call first because some vendors with scrip available are not listed on the form. Additionally, some restrictions may apply. Jo is happy to assist you with such details.
How can you help?
Use scrip! But also, recruit family and friends to use this program! It’s an easy way to earn tuition dollars while shopping.
We are in need of people to recruit additional businesses to participate in the program. If interested please contact the rectory office.
Also, we are looking for ways to make the ordering process even more convenient. If you have suggestions please let us know!