What is Paying It Forward about?  The idea behind this concept is to leverage the efforts of each participant and to maximize the monetary impact of the community project.  For example, if you help one person to learn a new task then that person helps three additional people to learn the task.  Each of three people in turn helps three more people learn the task.  The result is that multiples of people get the benefit that started with helping just one person.

How do you implement a process like this in your company or organization?  The company or organization takes the sponsorship role in the process.  The company will determine a set amount of dollars for community donations.  Rather than send the money to a charitable organization, the company invests the dollars in select employees through a Pay it Forward project.

Here is how it generally works.  The company will select a number of employees and then fund each of the employee’s charitable projects.  The selected employee will then recruit additional persons and resources to grow the initial company dollars to a greater amount to accomplish a larger project.

Let’s walk through an example.  A fictitious company, Green Group has decided to embark on a Pay it Forward project to motivate its employees to raise their level of community involvement.  Green Group has decided to donate $10,000 to its Pay It Forward project.  To select employees, Green Group draws employee names from its team of leaders.  Each selected leader is charged with selecting a community project and receives $1,000 as initial funding from the company’s Pay it Forward project.  Now, the selected employee’s responsibility is to grow the $1,000 by recruiting other people and resources to accomplish the community project. 

Let’s think of some sample community projects.  Your employees may want to develop a new playground for a local daycare.  If the total cost to create the playground is $10,000, then you leader must design methods to grow the initial $1,000 company stipend to the project amount of $10,000.  This is where creativity comes into play as the leader and their project recruits will develop fundraising opportunities and seek personal and corporate donations.  They may have a carwash, bake sale or any other activities to raise the additional funds needed.

The real impact is growing the $1,000 company donation into a $10,000 community project.  Now, assume that each of 10 employees that received $1,000 in our example achieved the same results.  This would mean that the company’s initial $10,000 donation has resulted in a $100,000 community benefit.

I suggest that your company consider to Pay it Forward and make your community a better place.

Remember that the children who will be selling any items may have to carry them around the neighborhood. So make sure the items aren't too heavy and that you can carry quite a few at one time easily. Here is a list to get you started fundraising for your school or non-profit organization:

1. Arrange with your school officials to save the empty small milk cartons served with school lunch. Completely open milk carton and rinse with water. Dry the outside with paper towels. Make a single hole punch at the top of one side of the carton and a second hole punch directly across from it. Insert ribbon 12 inches long through both holes, tie a knot for hanging later. Again, make sure the outside of the carton is dry and spread creamy peanut butter all over the carton. Roll in wild birdseed. You can sell these for $1-$2.
2. Have a Saturday Pancake Breakfast, hosted by the PTA or non-profit organization of your choice. Buy your pancake mix, syrup, and any other items, such as orange juice, that you want to serve, at your local Costco or Sam's Club. Recruit your help, plan your location, and sell tickets for $5 each. To cut costs, ask other members of the organization that will not be at the event to donate items such as paper plates, cups, and plastic ware. Several weeks ahead of time, invite your local radio station to the event and send out flyers.
3. Make simple flower pens with silk flowers, floral tape, and ballpoint pens. Using floral sheers or a pair of craft scissors, cut individual flowers off of the main stem. Uncap one ballpoint pen. Cut or tear a 12 inch strip of floral tape off the roll and stretch it to activate the adhesive. Place the bottom of the flower even with the end of the pen and hold in one hand. Using your other hand diagonally wrap both the pen and the flower with the strip of floral tape so that none of the pen shows through. Be sure to wrap the floral tape around itself at least once at the very beginning to ensure that it doesn't fall off. These can easily be sold for $1 each.
4. Sell lollipop grams at school! Buy tootsie roll pops in bulk. Create bookmarks with spaces for students to write messages on them. Punch a hole in the top of the bookmark, either in a corner or the middle, and tie the stem of the lollipop to the bookmark using color coordinating ribbon. These can be sold for 50 cents each.
5. Let's not over look the traditional bake sale. This continues to be a big hit no matter how often you have one. To make it easier for everyone involved, keep it simple. Cupcakes are great, just keep them covered and out of the sun. The icing melts easily, leaving them unattractive and you could end up taking most of them back home. Cookies are your best choice.

You certainly want to have the ever popular oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip and peanut butter stand-bys. However, why not decorate sugar cookies with icing and pretty sprinkles? It's eye catching and delicious. Be creative and have fun!

You can package all of your cookies in sandwich bags, (if using “zip-lock“ type, cut off the top.) and tie the baggie with pretty curling ribbon. Depending on the size of your cookies, you can sell two for a dollar. Smaller cookies may be three or four for a dollar.

In that manner, the fund is not depleted of its assets. The fund does not go bankrupt. You must also not allow your fund to go below a certain amount, whether this amount is $500 or $100,000 .

In addition, you can require those receiving from your fund to do work to earn money for the fund. This can also be a requirement. Let's say web content writing is the work that generates money for your fund, then those receiving from the fund are required to do web content writing .

These writers are required to write in the name of the fund and/or in the name of the company that manages the fund. With this web content is sold, a percentage goes to the writer, a percentage to the company that manages the fund, and a percentage to the fund .

You can also have fundraisers. For these fundraisers you should sell real products, such as new or used books. It is understood that when people purchase these products, a percentage of the money goes to the fund. You should inform those buying these products the amount of money that goes to the fund. They should also know what type of fund, e.g. if it's a fund to buy books or musical instruments for school children. Or it could be a fund to buy clothing to send to needy children in various countries .

If it is a public fund, then you also need a reputable accountant. This accountant can be a "commissions accountant," who understands that the accountant receives a percentage of the monies paid into the fund, say 5%-20% as their accountant fee. They cannot receive more money than the fund itself generates, so that the accountant also cannot deplete the fund of the amount that it generates .