Friday, January 15, 2021

8 Gifts That Spread Kindness

 Everybody can use a little kindness–especially right now. Times have been tough the past year, so why not take matters into your own hands by spreading positivity to those around you? 


We compiled a list of our favorite ways to spread kindness. We hope you find some inspiration to do something good for your friends, coworkers, and even strangers! 



gifts that spread kindness


You’re Awesome Gift Box

This awesome gift box is the perfect way to show employees or clients how awesome they are! It includes 30 celebratory pop open cards, each featuring a unique quote, and an air plant in a yellow stone pot. It is packaged in a white magnetic closure gift box that is 100% recyclable. You can add a card insert inside the box or add a hangtag on the outside of the box with a positive quote. 


Health & Happiness Heart Jar Opener

Gift someone with a heart-shaped jar opener that has 25 hints to help "get a grip" on health and happiness. Some hints include:

  • Always love yourself and others

  • Laugh

  • Call a friend

  • Give thanks for your blessings


Spread Kindness Set

Spread kindness, not germs. This Spread Kindness Set features a hand sanitizer, a pack of wet wipes, and a fabric face mask. It is bagged up for easy distribution and gifting. 


Certificate of Kindness Award

A fun way to showcase kindness in the workplace is to give out certificates to your employees. If you notice an act of kindness, give that employee one of these kindness awards.


It’s Cool to Be Kind Silicone Bracelet

Reinforce positive character traits & behavior with bracelets that promote respect, kindness, bullying prevention, and standing up for others. This bracelet has messages on the inside and outside. "It's Cool to Be Kind" is on the outside and "Kindness Starts With Me" is on the inside. 


Lucky Bamboo Stalks

This Lucky Bamboo is perfect for bringing good luck to anyone's life. Ancient traditions believe it brings health, happiness, love, and wealth! That seems like something we all need in the new year. Keep these plants in low-to-moderate light. It will grow indoors for years with little care. 


Thoughts to Inspire and Ponder Bookmark

Make reading fun and inspiring with an inspirational quote bookmark. You can even customize this bookmark with a different inspirational message. Consider gifting this to someone along with a book they’ve been wanting to read! 


Comfort and Support Greeting Card

Custom greeting cards, like “Comfort and Support” or “Thinking of You,” are personal ways to communicate with customers, clients, and employees. Add in a note that wishes them well. Send these greeting cards year-round to spread some kindness and cheer! 


Spreading Kindness

We hope that 2021 is good for you, your family, and your business. Kindness keeps the world going around. Do something kind for someone today! 


Skylight Creative Ideas is a full-service promotional products company. We have been a leader in the industry since 1977. Our goal is to provide innovative ideas and top-notch customer service. Exceed your goals with our quality products.


Have questions or want to place an order from Skylight Creative Ideas? Call us at 410.879.8401 or contact us on the website.


Friday, December 11, 2020

How to Make Raffle Baskets and Raffle Basket Ideas

Raffle baskets are huge moneymakers at fundraisers. You might not realize how much work goes into making raffle baskets. Here is a guide to creating raffle baskets for your next fundraising event.



raffle baskets


How to Get Items for Raffle Baskets

Ask local businesses to donate to your cause. Write a letter explaining what the fundraiser is for and what you will use the raised money for. If you can, provide them with your organization’s Nonprofit Employer Identification Number (EIN). There is much more that goes into writing a donation letter, so check out some examples online. 


After you gather donations, you might find that you need to buy more products. These products will fill up the baskets or help you make extra baskets. Head to Skylight Creative Ideas to find tons of fun products. Make these products personalized to your organization by branding them.


How to Choose Raffle Basket Themes

After getting all the items for your baskets, you will want to group everything into themes. This way it makes sense for someone interested in that topic to put their tickets in the basket. 


Common raffle basket themes and items include:


Sports Team: Professional game tickets, sports equipment, sports team gear

Cosmetics: Local hair cut certificate, cosmetics bag, ring light, makeup

Movie Night: Movie theater/Netflix gift card, popcorn, candy 

Date Night: Restaurant gift card, a bottle of wine, heart-shaped chocolate

Barbeque: BBQ grill set, barbeque sauce, seasoning 

Liquor and Beer: Bottle of liquor, beer, koozies, bottle opener

Coffee Lover: Coffee mug, coffee beans, travel mug, a gift card to a local coffee shop



How to Set Up a Raffle Basket 

The size of items you have for each raffle basket determines what you will use to hold them. Add concert or event tickets into a picture frame. Stuff a basket or container with tissue paper to make it easy for people to see what is inside. Add the items into the basket.


Be sure to wrap up the basket in cellophane so that nothing gets lost during transport. Tighten the shrinkwrap with a blow dryer. Tie up the bag with a ribbon or bow for a nice presentation.


Name the baskets with their themes. Print or write out everything that is in the basket in case people can’t see what is inside. Put an overall value on the basket to entice more people to buy raffle basket tickets. 


Find the Perfect Raffle Basket Products

Putting raffle baskets together takes a lot of time and effort. The end results are well worth it to support an important cause. 


Skylight Creative Ideas is a full-service promotional products company. We have been a leader in the industry since 1977. Our goal is to provide innovative ideas and top-notch customer service. Exceed your goals with our quality products.


Have questions or want to place an order from Skylight Creative Ideas? Call us at 410.879.8401 or contact us on the website.

Friday, November 13, 2020

How to Use Branded Products to Show Staff Appreciation

 Times are tough. Show your staff how much you appreciate their support throughout 2020 and beyond. These gifts are a sure way to show that you care. 


Products to Show Staff Appreciation


If you haven’t seen your staff in person in a while, let them know you are thinking of them with some branded products. Thank a group of employees, or select individuals to thank separately. 


Why is it Important to Reward Staff Members?

Employee appreciation is one of the simplest, yet effective ways to keep them motivated and working hard. When your staff is regularly recognized for their work, they feel valued. This results in higher retention rates. It saves your company the cost and trouble of continually looking for new staff.


Overall staff satisfaction is the employer’s responsibility. Overworked employees will eventually burn out and feel unable to produce quality work. Rewards help ensure that your employees are happy, which results in a better work environment overall. Customer satisfaction can increase because they are interacting with genuine, positive employees.


What are Some Swag Ideas for Employees?

The possibilities are endless when gifting your staff with branded products. Consider what your staff enjoys doing outside of work. You can even choose seasonal or holiday gifts so they are specific to the time of year. Think about gifts they will use. Some branded product ideas include:


Branded Beverage Accessories

Whether staff is working from home or in the office, they always need something to drink their coffee and water out of. Get them mugs or refillable water bottles to keep at their desks every day.


Technology Items for Employees

If your staff members require long amounts of time on their computer or cell phone, technology items could make a great gift. This is something that they could use both at work and at home. Help your staff protect their privacy with a webcam cover or gift them with a modern 4-in-1 phone stand. 


Custom Branded Apparel

Design company logo apparel for your employees. Purchase high-quality products for them. Decide from sweatshirts, polos, hats, and more. These types of appreciation gifts are best to purchase with consideration of the time of year. 


Branded Bags

Everyone uses bags. Employees take backpacks to work with their laptops and other items in them. Lunch bags are used almost every day of the week. Tote bags are helpful when grocery shopping. Determine which bag your staff would use most and add customization to it! 


Staff Appreciation Branded Products

Skylight Creative Ideas is a full-service promotional products company and has been a leader in the industry since 1977. Our goal is to provide innovative ideas, top-notch customer service, and quality products to help our clients meet and exceed their marketing and branding objectives. 

 

Put thought into your staff appreciation gifts. Find exactly what you are looking for on our website. 

 

Questions or want to learn more? Call us at 410.879.8401 or contact us on the website.


Friday, October 30, 2020

Is Your Business Ready for the Holidays? Marketing, Promotional Products, and Planning.

The holidays come fast every year. If your business is not ready, now is the time to prepare. Marketing goals, promotional products, and budget planning are just a few things that your business has to consider. 

 

 


Marketing


Marketing efforts entice customers to purchase from your business. Use referral programs as a method to gain new customers during the holidays. Each new person referred by a current customer means a discount or gift from your company. Word of mouth is one of the biggest ways to get a new customer to trust your business.

 

Direct customers throughout your store with easy-to-read graphics and displays. Promote social distancing with stickers on the ground so that people know where to stand while waiting in line. 

 

Make sure that your social media platforms and website are up-to-date. Each new holiday deal and promotion should be updated so that customers are aware of what to expect. 

 


Promotional Products and Gift Giving


Small Business Saturday, Black Friday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day are some major upcoming dates. Get your promotional products and gifts ready for the season of giving.

 

Thanksgiving

Show clients, employees, and customers that you are thankful for them. If you run a small business, a simple handwritten thank-you card will make their day.

 

If your business gives out turkey or ham for the holidays, consider handing out kitchen thermometers to go along with it.

 

Small Business Saturday and Black Friday

These two days are some of the biggest shopping days of the year. Get customers into your store or on your website on these busy days with promotional products. 

 

There are so many places to choose from, so give people a reason to support your business. Offer customers a branded tote bag or blanket with their $75 purchase. 

 

Holiday Parties

It is almost the time of year when companies hold employee holiday parties. This year may be different for these parties due to COVID-19. Find unique ways to still show your employees you appreciate them. 

 

Figuring out holiday gift ideas for employees is difficult. Think about each of your employees’ personalities because everyone is motivated by something different. Take into account the season you are in. Gift a fall scented candle or personalized thermos. 

 


Planning for the Holidays


Set goals that your business wants to meet by the end of the 2020 holiday season. Put thought into your marketing, promotional products, gifts, and planning. 

 

Skylight Creative Ideas hopes that you enjoy the holiday season! We are a full-service promotional products company and have been a leader in the industry since 1977. Our goal is to provide innovative ideas, top-notch customer service, and quality products to help our clients meet and exceed their marketing and branding objectives. 

 

If you have questions about getting ready for the holidays or want to learn more about Skylight Creative Ideas, call us at 410.879.8401 or contact us on the website.


Friday, October 23, 2020

How to Use Branded Products to Raise Money for a Cause

Raising money for a cause is a lot of work. Set a goal and end date that your organization or business wants to meet. Decide what fundraising efforts worked best in the past, and leverage them.

 

 


If you are looking for fundraising ideas for your college or high school, check out our blog post. There are various other causes to raise money for including breast cancer awareness month, local animal shelters, and environmental help. 

 

Use branded products to raise money for a cause. Here are a few fundraising ideas to get your organization or business started. 


 

Donations


Your organization has the option to give out branded products for free with a donation. Make it a set donation amount (ex.: Free t-shirt with a $20 donation). You can also just ask for any donation amount, where people might donate well over $20. 

 

Set up tables asking for donations for your branded products at popular local events and festivals. Ask if any businesses or restaurants want to partner up with your organization and allow you to raise money with your promotional products.

 


Giveaways


If your organization has a connection to a sports team or arena, ask them if you can sponsor a giveaway. Choose from high school, college, and pro leagues depending on your budget. The giveaway could be at the entrance of the game enticing fans to come into the game earlier, or they can be thrown out during timeouts. 

 

Popular ideas for this giveaway include customized t-shirts, sports-themed stress relievers, and drawstring bags. 

 

Although this is not a direct donation to your cause, it gets people interested in what you stand for. Your giveaway grabs people’s attention so they check out your website, follow your social media, and eventually donate to the cause. Your organization can also have people around the events talking about the cause and collecting donations.

 


Raffles


Raffles are quick money makers for causes. They take a lot of planning but are typically very successful. Raffles usually include baskets filled with branded products, tickets to local events, and gift cards. Run your raffles as a silent auction or with raffle tickets. 

 

Add in products to the baskets that people will want to spend their money on. Some great ideas include stainless steel water bottles, hoodies, and hats. 

 


Choose the Right Products for Your Target Audience


There are always new ways to raise money for important causes, so continue to research and try new ideas. Keep donors interested by changing up your annual fundraising efforts.

 

Skylight Creative Ideas is a full-service promotional products company and has been a leader in the industry since 1977. Our goal is to provide innovative ideas, top-notch customer service, and quality products to help our clients meet and exceed their goals. 

 

If you have questions or want to learn more about Skylight Creative Ideas, call us at 410.879.8401 or contact us on the website.