GreenFunder: All Together Now

What is GreenFunder?

GreenFunder is a global fundraising site for socially responsible projects and businesses. To GreenFunder, green is 'anything with good intentions'. Projects range from simple student field trips to complex green business start-ups. The site is designed to help anyone - entrepreneurs, nonprofits, teachers, kids - get the funding they need.

Individuals and organizations can test, market, fund, and sell their projects, products, or events - all risk-free, and retain 100% ownership. Projects are featured as campaigns, each with a funding goal and a deadline. Each campaign offers rewards to their funders - products, experiences, and/or recognition - at different funding levels.

Every person has ideas to help make the world a better place. We are excited to offer a tool that allows people to see these ideas through to fruition.

How does GreenFunder work?

Share your project.
Launch a campaign with the wow to turn viewers to funders. Don't worry, we'll help you out!

Spread the word.
Boost your campaign with our cool social networking tools. Your fans will love them too!

Reward your supporters.
Offer unique products and experiences to your supporters for their funding. How can they resist?

Reach your goal.
You keep 100% ownership of your project. Score!

Why GreenFunder?

Traditional ways to raise money are full of risk and uncertainty. If you're lucky, you get loans, debt, grants or investors
- all before knowing if your concept will be popular or sell.

The GreenFunder way is risk-free. Have sales and users before starting your project or spending money.

No red tape, compromise or debt. You own it 100%. Instead of paying back loans, you offer
products and experiences to your funders.

No project too small. To us, 'Green' is any project with good intentions.
A project that helps the community or environment. If it does both, it's even better.

Your success is critical to our success. We're going to work extra hard to help you reach your project goal.
Greenfunder gets 5% of funding of fully-funded projects - and the satisfaction of being able to help!

+ Submit Your Project

Campaign Tips

Tips for a Successful Campaign

These tips will help the success of your project while it is on GreenFunder and afterwards.

Enchant us. Guy Kawasaki, Apple's marketing champ, calls the response to an amazing product "enchantment". How is your project unique and special? Why should we love it? Tell your story. Show us. Get personal. How does your project benefit us and the world? Help us all experience your enthusiasm and vision.

Give us great rewards. Show how we can personally benefit and change the world at the same time. Give us something to tell our friends about. Add a photo and give us a shopping experience.

Get face to face. Start with friends and family, then reach out to alumni groups, local and online clubs, professional associations, your church. Speak to groups. Show a power point. Listen to what people say about your project. Learn. Improve your message. Don't expect us to ante up the first time. It has to sink in. Give it to us in as many forms as possible and then remind us.

Gather a great team. Two voices are better then one. How about an organization who believes in your cause? Tell them about our project and educate them on the sharing tools for your campaign. Having more people involved means more advocates, more credibility, and more exposure to potential funders. You can still have a successful campaign going at it alone, but it's great to have some help.

Get in the news. Weekly and daily newspapers, community calendars, blogs and e-zines, association websites and newsletters, and more. You have a great story. Build personal relationships with writers. Put out well-written press releases with lots of attached visuals and, as your story develops, put out more press releases.

Make us your advocates. Keep your funders up-to-date and excited. Show us how we've been right to support you. Tell us about your successes - new funding, new partners, new ideas - so that we have something new and exciting to tell our friends. And maybe we'll fund more.

Make it easy for us to spread the word. Tell a great story, offer great rewards, get published and grow support. Tell us what's happening so we can tell our friends. Keep it brief, clear, simple, and when possible, visual. Use networking tools - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, SlideShare, and more - so we don't have to work at it.

+ Submit Your Project

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Learn More

All Together Now

By Juanita Chase - Los Angeles, CA, United States

A cleaning company that believes 'GREEN' is being an activist for the environment, the community and our passions. The GQ uniquely targets today’s multi-hyphenate woman and our fellow conscious entrepreneur. Read on...

Who is The Green Queen?
The Green Queen is a conscious company focused on residential cleaning, organizing and maintenance uniquely targeted toward today’s multi-hyphenate woman. Not only do I want to make a difference in individual homes, but I want to make a difference in my community and the world as well. In the paragraphs below you will read "Green Queen in the House" it highlights my home-cleaning side; "Bringing GQ to the streets" highlights my activism and community projects I am participating in; "Our Good Green Intentions" talks about what I need the funding for and what will happen if I do or do not receive it; "Show Me the Green" is the itemized breakdown of what the monies you donate will be used for; and lastly, "Psst..Spread the Word" is my request that keep this going! Pass it around to family and friends. Trust me, EVERY little bit and EVERY one helps. You will find my contact and social info at the end.

I believe that true royalty is not to be served but to serve humanity, and thus enters The Green Queen.

Green Queen in the House!

Today's multi-hyphenate woman
includes the frenzied businesswoman, the overburdened mom and many others. My aim is to bring valued clients and their loved ones back to their center by relieving them of their domestic burdens through the use of nontoxic, eco-friendly cleaning materials and practices. I am dedicated to improving the world- our shared living space- by restoring order to yours.
The Green Queen was created and officially launched by me, Juanita Chase, in January 2009. I wanted to create a self-propelled business that would give me the flexibility and income I needed to pursue a career in the arts. With deep-seated passions for social justice, environmental responsibility and artistic expression, my vision was not only to create a business with the sole intent of making money, but also to create opportunities that would benefit others (our clients, employees) and the world. I want to offer our clients time and peace of mind so that they are able to concentrate on the more important things in life. I personally make all of our own natural non-toxic cleaning products so I know exactly what is going into each bottle and into each home!

Currently GQ boasts a regular client list of 18 and we're growing, and this was secured with only me as the sole employee, imagine what we could do with more staff! I have outstanding "A" reviews across the board on Angie's List and 10 stellar reviews on Yelp! This business that started as a side job has grown immensely over the last two years because there was a need for quality and conscious work! Now that I have become aware of this demand, I am expanding to reach more people as well as broadening GQ services by further developing our cleaning products and adding more household management services in addition to cleaning.

Bringing GQ to the Streets!
GQ makes a difference in our community. This past October, myself and my partner participated in and won the Platinum Participant Award for the 2010 National Foster Care Walk- 'Walk Me Home' Los Angeles. Foster care is a very important issue to us at GQ because we feel that every child deserves a safe and welcoming home. America's foster care system is in desperate need of an overhaul in order to protect and encourage our youth from start to finish as well as transitioning to independence. It is important to us that no matter what your background that every child gets a fair chance at a home and an education.
In January 2011, GQ sponsored a very successful stage production titled FATIGUED. The night of two one acts dealt with the issues and effects of PTSD on returning US soldiers as well as the communities that they are coming home to. During the run of the show we collected donations for care packages that were given to one of our co-sponsors, Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratitude's mission is to send care packages to American Service Members who are deployed in hostile and remote regions of the world. We want to do our part to let our soldiers know they are in our hearts and their sacrifice does not go unrecognized.

Our Good Green Intentions

With the proper funding in place I will be able to help more people and more communities. Your donation will be helping me to really root GQ in our mission of sustainability, eco-friendly practices, social responsibility and artistic expression. We will have a solid base to operate from allowing me to refocus my attention on the growth of the business rather than the survival of the business. This is a challenge for every small business that has a sole entrepreneur who also doubles as the main operating force behind of all of the business requirements. If this is you, you know what I'm talking about! This start up capital provided by you, will help with the basics of the legal requirements, hiring and training employees and equally important, the marketing. I am seeking to become more established and reputable which will allow GQ the room for growth where I can offer more services in addition to cleaning. Ultimately, I'm working to make GQ an umbrella organization for all home management and maintenance needs. It is my vow that GQ will only work with other true green companies and organizations who share the same vision of Earth responsibility.

Without these funds, the expansion of GQ will be difficult and slow to obtain. GQ was started on a shoestring budget shortly after I graduated college and moved to Los Angeles. There was very little overhead when I started this company as a small side job and the funds that have been made and saved after paying my minimum survival bills have gone right back into the business. Through GQ I have made some great strides as far as securing clientele and steady income in the past two years, however now as I venture into expansion, the amount of money required is not at my immediate disposal. As a start up company, GQ is trying to remain sustainable and to keep my debt as minimal as possible. I know that there is a need for GQ services, I've listened to my clients and surveyed those around me, I know that I can meet this demand. I just need a little collective assistance. It is my concern that without this financial support that GQ will become stuck and not live up to its full potential or have the opportunity to offer the goods and services to those who will benefit from them. I believe in community and in the power of numbers, and this is why I am reaching out all of my family, friends and other conscious individuals and entrepreneurs to support GQ's mission.

Show Me the Green!

The money that I'm asking for is solely for start- up costs. Although I have been operating for two years, I was unaware of the things I needed to be a 100% legal and functioning business and now due to expansion, it has become mandatory. The growth of GQ was unforeseen by me at the time of its inception and now that I see the need and demand, I want to be able to offer it as GQ continues to grow and build. Here is a detailed expense list of GQ's need.

Legal Fees
300.00 - Los Angeles business permit and taxes
1300.00 - Annual General Liability Insurance including worker's comp for multiple employees
100.00 - Annual Bonding
Total: $1700.00

Employee Needs
60.00 - Custom Uniforms
350.00 - Cleaning supplies (steam mops, rags, raw materials for cleaning solution, cleaning bottles, bags, gloves, sponges, squeegees)
Total: $410.00

Marketing
90.00 - Eco-friendly personalized stationary- business cards, post cards, banner
500.00 - Online Commercials, Web series and ads - production, post-production, posting
300.00 - revamping of website to reflect our mission and branding
Total: $890.00

These are the minimum costs that I need to give GQ the boost to expand and become a legal operating business. While raising these funds, I will be working overtime on my end. I'll be researching and developing what steps I need to take to become a certifiable green business through the Green Seal and through Green America. Although I only use green practices and products, I want to be recognized and certified as being a legitimate green business. I will be utilizing resources available to us through the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Center (VSEDC), Green 4 All, SCORE and the SBA.

This April, through VSEDC, I have completed an entrepreneurship training program and a thorough business plan. I now have a viable working business plan and a clear vision for the next steps and an outline of the following two years.

Any additional funding to the $3,000 we receive here will go directly into research, development and implementing our expansion. We will continue to become an even more successful, certified and conscious business.

Psst...Spread the Word!

If you believe in me and GQ's mission and the actions that I'm taking, please let others know! If you can or cannot donate monetarily please spread the wealth by giving this project wings! : ) Tell your family, friends, business associates and anyone you think would be interested in what I'm working towards! Your voice has power and I really appreciate you using it! The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one small step! Please feel free to visit, contact and friend GQ at:

www.thegreenqueen.orgblog: http://chasingjuanita.wordpress.com
twitter: thegreenqueen3
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thegreenqueen.org

I will be happy to answer any questions and accept any feedback! Thanks so much!

I am very honored to be launching this project with the kickoff of GreenFunder. I think this is such a great project for like-minded individuals and organizations to collaborate and lift each other up! Green= social responsibility and environmental consciousness! Help me help GreenFunder so they continue to thrive! Use GreenFunder's sharing tools located right here on this page!