Scrip
Fundraiser
Handbook
2011-2012
Reloadable
Cards
Scrip Coordinator
Wendy Thibodeau
Phone # 860-583-4104
Email: [email protected]
Table of Contents
Ordering Scrip Summary……………………………………………………….i
Welcome page……………………………………………………………………1
What is Scrip……………………………………………………………………..2
How can Scrip works for you (Assessments)..……………………………….…2
How can scrip make you money (Incentives)…………………………………..3
How do I know how much I have earned………………………………………5
How to get started………………………………………………………………..5
How to order……………………………………………………………………..6
No Computer?.......................................................................................................6
How cards get to you…………………………………………………………….7
Special Orders…………………………………………………………………...7
Payment…………………………………………………………………………..8
Reloadable cards…………………………………………………………………8
ScripNow!................................................................................................................9
Shopwithscrip vs. Handwritten orders………………………………………….9
FAQ……………………………………………………………………………….10
ScripTips………………………………………………………………………….11
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Thank you for considering using the scrip program!
Our goal is that everyone will try and use it regularly. There are 2 ways to
order cards, online and by using the order form that comes home weekly.
This handbook will help guide you through the basics of scrip and
overcome some of the minor hurdles others have encountered.
Meeting your assessment is not an option. How you do it is your
choice. Scrip is the fastest, easiest way to get there!! As head of the
Scrip Committee at St. Matthew, I promise you that using this program is
fast, easy, you may even get you cash back at the end of the year.
It takes a lot of people to run this program successfully. If you are
interested in volunteering time, we can always use another hand, selling at
the masses, fillers, record keeping. If you are interested in helping out,
please call me.
I am always available for questions and concerns. I am also open to
corrections, problems or suggested improvements. I want this program to
work for everyone. So please feel free to call me @ 583-4104 or email
me at [email protected].
Thank You
Wendy Thibodeau
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What is Scrip?
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Cards purchased at discount and used like cash.
Uses include: Groceries, gas, clothes, household items, etc.
You pay face value, difference goes to H.S.A. towards your assessment
No need to sell anything
“Scrip is a term that means ‘substitute money’. When you purchase scrip, you’re
purchasing gift certificates and prepaid cards that are used just like cash. You can use
scrip to purchase everyday expenses like food, clothing, and other essentials, and with
every purchase, you earn revenue for [our school].”
Great Lakes Scrip Company
How scrip generates revenue for you
We, the St. Matthew School H.S.A., purchase gift cards from the Great Lakes Scrip
Company, local grocery stores, and a few other local retailers at a discount. We resell the
gift cards to you at face value. The discount of 2-15% or more is our profit. The profit
earned from the cards you buy is applied to your assessment due to the H.S.A.
You don’t have to sell anything. You are using cards on regular household purchases you
would make anyway. And you are saving money because you won’t have to send H.S.A.
a check for any unpaid balances. You could even earn money!
Last year we raised over $34,000!
Want more information?
Go to www.GLScrip.com Click on ‘How scrip works’
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How can Scrip work for Me?
$150 Groceries gift cards/week (Sept-April)= $262.50 assessment
Add gas, clothes, going out to eat, gifts = PRICELESS!
This is the easiest way to earn your annual assessment without spending any extra
money! Do you go grocery shopping? Do you need to buy clothes and household items?
Do you like to go out to eat or go to the movies? If you said yes to any of these
questions, this program can work for you! It just takes a little planning.
Let’s look at some numbers for a family of 4:
Groceries $150/week x 5% = $7.50
x 42 weeks of school = $315
315
Clothes
$100/ month x 5-15% = $5-$15
x 10mos
= $50- 150
Dining out $50/2x mo. x 5-13% = $2.50-6.50 x 20wks
= $50- 130
Totals
$415- $595
This family could earn $415-$595 in a year. (This does not include orders placed during the
summer which can only make these amounts go up)
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I know we are not all the average family of 4. This is a rough estimate to show the
potential of what you could earn. There are many ways to earn assessment values.
Have a home improvement project? Buy Home Depot/ Lowe’s cards.
Stop & Shop cards can be used to buy stamps, gas, flowers, Dunkin Donuts, prescriptions
at the Forestville branch and some of these services at the other branches.
You can pay off your Kohl’s credit card with Kohl’s gift cards, the only Kohl’s gift
cards that can!
Buy on line with any of the retailers that have online shopping sites!
LL Bean, Land’s End, Old Navy, Kohl’s, JC Penney’s, etc.
Did you know that you can buy school uniform shirts, pants, shorts at all these stores?
Ask your employer if they want to use gift cards as an employee incentive
Gift cards make great Birthday and Holiday gifts, OR buy your gifts using scrip…
We have cards for hotels and car rentals if you are going on vacation.
Encourage family, friends, and co-workers to buy
The possibilities are ENDLESS!
The important thing is you are not spending any more money than you would
already spend on any of these items and you are saving money by earning the
discount towards your assessment.
How can Scrip make money for me?
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Earn a % back for every $200 earned over $300
Instead of an incentive check, apply every dollar over $300 as a charitable
donation on your tax return(Must be documented on separate form to H.S.A)
 Credit cards don’t give you as good as a return
The H.S.A. now offers 2 choices as an incentive to earn more than your assessment.
1.) The first is as bonus checks for every $200 earned over the assessment
balance due as listed in the following table:
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3%
6%
9%
12%
$200 over
$400 over
$600 over
$800 over
$89.85* check
$179.70* check
$269.55* check
$359.40* check
This is based on your oldest child’s tuition. If the sample family above reached $500,
they would earn 3% or…
$89.85!
*Based on child being in PRk4-8 and a parishioner.
2.) The second incentive is to apply every dollar over the $300 you earned and add
it to your charitable deductions on your tax return.
You must indicate your choice on the SCRIP PROGRAM AGREEMENT
form and return by April 30th so we can get the tax information to the appropriate
families.
*****THIS APPLIES TO SCRIP EARNINGS ONLY. *****
Profit made on other fundraisers is NOT considered a charitable donation.
The IRS states, that in order for a tax deduction to be allowed, all of these
conditions must be met:
1. Participant must not be receiving goods or services in exchange for
contribution—this includes tuition reduction, fee offset, field trip payments, etc.
2. Participants must have clearly CHOSEN to allow the NPO (Non-profit
organization) to retain the funds and there MUST be a written, SIGNED
agreement.
3. The NPO must provide an annual acknowledgement for the contribution for the
participant to document their charitable deduction claim on taxes.
Required payments (assessment) are not considered charitable contributions, and
therefore not deductible.
Credit Card Returns
Some of you may say, I get money back by using my credit card and I don’t have
to think about what scrip cards to get. Do you know we have better rates than your credit
card? Check this out:
Let’s say you have met your $300 assessment early. Here are two scenarios:
Family One
 Stop participating in the scrip program and our other fundraisers, and use a
Reward credit card instead.
 In order to earn $89.85 at a one-percent cash reward rate, put $8985 on your
credit card before the end of the assessment period (April 30).
 Keep a zero balance every month to avoid losing your reward to interest
payments.
Family Two
 Reach $300 assessment by Christmas Break
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Buy grocery scrip (5%) at $200 per week for the last 20weeks of the assessment
period. (or whatever scrip you want)
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Earn an incentive check for $89.85
How do I know my assessment profit?
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No more monthly reports
Go to Shopwithscrip.com and log on with your password
o Account Activity link
In the past we distributed a monthly report to each family to keep them up to date
on what they had earned to date. This was time consuming and wasted a lot of paper. To
save time and resources, we will not be issuing these monthly.
For your convenience, you can go to Shopwithscrip.com any time of the day and
look up your most current earnings.
You must sign in under your family name (find out how in the next section)
On the left hand side is a list of links. Click on Account Activity. This page will
take you directly to the amount of earnings you have obtained.
Rebate Distributed refers to last year’s contributions.
Rebates not yet distributed refers to what you have earned so far this year
‘Order Rebates’ reflects what you have earned on scrip alone.
“Voucher Rebates’ reflects what you have earned on any other H.S.A.
fundraisers, such as the magazine drive.
****Even though your assessment and scrip ordering system is computer based, you
can still order scrip. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER TO
PLACE AN ORDER, see “How do I place an order without a computer”.
How do I get started?!
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Shopwithscrip.com (Link available on the school website and ecommunications)
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Enter username and password GIVEN TO YOU BY US, in Member’s
Login (orange)box
CHANGE password , in the Profile box and return to Family Home
You have to first register at the Shopwithscrip.com website. As a St. Matthew
school family, we have already registered you. We have only entered your name and
zipcode and created a password for you. This is to ensure that we have all the families
listed for keeping track of all assessments from all fundraisers whether you have access to
a computer or not. If you do not have one, please call me.
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Links for the website are located on the school website and through ecommunications or just type it in the browser bar. Enter the user name and password
given to you in the Member’s Log in Orange Box.
Once you have logged on to the website Shopwithscrip.com, go to the ‘Profile”
Blue box (near the bottom of the page) and click on the ChangeProfile/Password link.
Here you can update your profile as you see fit. You can also change your password from
this page. We strongly suggest that you do so. Once you have changed your password
you can go back to the Family Home link to place an order if you wish.
If you have a friend or family member who would like to create an account, they
can sign on as a St. Matthew Family by clicking on “Create Account” in the Family
signup green box. They will need to enter our Enrollment Code which is
B35BC29F11138. They can only designate you as a receiver of their rebates by letting us
know on the form they submit with payment and we will designate it when we process
the order.
How do I order Cards on Shopwithscrip.com?
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Favorites: Order the same products each week? Add these items to your Favorites
list for easy ordering in the future.
Express Add: Know exactly what you want? Quickly add the items to your cart
using this feature.
Reload: Don’t want to wait for your card to be shipped? Easily add funds to
selected cards here. (Must use cards purchased from the school.)
Specials: Want to order the best discounts possible? Add these items to your cart
directly from the specials list.
Browse: Looking for a gift? Not sure what’s available? Use this feature to shop by
category.
Scripnow! Newest and quickest way to purchase and use scrip. You can order,
pay for (Presto Pay), and PRINT e-Cards for various retailers and use them within
minutes. See separate section for details on this feature!
For a more detailed explanation on how to order cards on Shopwithscrip.com, click on
the User Guide link on the left side of the page after you log in. You are welcome to print
this document for a reference.
****Gift cards kept in our immediately available stock are listed on the order form sent
home weekly. Unfortunately this cannot be set up for everyone in the system at this time.
BUT you can set it up in your favorites. Set up all the cards or just the ones you most
frequently use! ****
Once you have entered all the cards you want, Print the Confirmation Page and submit
with payment. Don’t have a printer or it isn’t working? Just fill out the hard copy form
that will come home weekly (also located on the St. Matthew School website). Indicate
on the form that you ordered online.
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I don’t have access to a computer. Can I still place an order?
Yes! Order forms will be sent home once a week in communications. They are
also available at our table in the church foyer at mass and on the St. Matthew School
website: (www.stmatthewschool.com)
Just fill in what cards and quantity you need, write your family name and grade of
eldest child on it, and submit it with your payment.
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How do I get my cards?
First time orders can be placed in a regular envelope labeled ‘Gifts cards’
or ‘Scrip’.
Your cards will be returned in a large blue envelope. (If you still have
your envelope from last year, feel free to reuse it!) This can be reused for
subsequent orders.
Orders are currently filled on Monday, Wednesday and Friday or after all
masses on the weekend. Receive cards back within 24 hours.
If you do not receive your cards in this time frame, please contact me via
email or phone and I will look into it and get them to you as soon as
possible.
We keep frequently used and local cards in stock. They are available for purchase
through school or after all masses on the weekend. (See Gift Certificate Order Form for listing of
cards kept in stock)
A completed form and payment can be submitted through school any day of the
week. Orders are filled on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and you will receive your
cards on those days. If you sent an order in on Tuesday or Thursday, you will receive it
the next day. ‘No school’ days may change this slightly according to availability of the
fillers. Preschoolers who are not there daily or half day may have to wait an extra day to
get their cards, so plan accordingly. Place orders and payment in the Blue envelope that
is provided for you after your first order. Cards will be returned to you in this envelope
and should be reused for your next order. First time orders can be sent in a regular
envelope labeled ‘Gift cards’ or ‘Scrip’.
If you place your order after mass, you will receive your order immediately.
Special Orders
 Available weekly, orders placed on Monday
 Add to online order or include them with the handwritten order
 Only one payment needed!
 Special order cards delivered by Friday.
The Great Lakes Scrip Company offers hundreds of other cards besides what we
keep in stock. These cards can now be purchased weekly. These orders will be placed
every Monday. You may order any card on the Great Lakes Gift list that is included in
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this packet (this list is subject to change frequently, go online for the most current information).
The orders will be delivered to you by Friday. ALL ORDERS MUST BE IN BY
MONDAY FOR PROCESSING THAT WEEK.
This is a great way to take advantage of specials that retailers will offer.
Sometimes retailers will offer promotions. I.e. Bath & Body Works may increase their
discount by 2-5% at Christmas time.
We will try to keep you up to date on these in my monthly newsletters. You can
also get the latest list from their website www.glscrip.com and click on Retailer list by
category.
How can I pay for my order?
 Cash
 Check
 Presto pay
Checks and cash are the primary form of payment. Credit cards are not accepted
as the fees negate the rebates.
You may also wish to pay online through Presto Pay. (See separate flyer for more
information).
Presto pay is directly connected to your bank account and you don’t have to worry
about loosing a check or cash when submitting your order. It also allows for sooner use
of reloaded cards and Scrip now! purchases!
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What cards can I RELOAD and how does this work?
Log on to Shopwithscrip.com
Select “Reload” and choose your merchant
Enter in the card #
Select your amount and “add to cart”
Card will be reloaded in 24hours if paid by Presto Pay, if paying by check
or cash, youwill need to submit to us and wait for it to be processed.
Several of our cards, whether in stock or special orders, are now reloadable. This
means you can save your card, go to Shopwithscrip.com, Click on Reloads, enter the
card number and reload it for any dollar amount (each card does have a max limit). Send
me the payment for the reloaded card and a copy of your receipt. I will release it once I
receive the payment or you can pay for it by using Presto Pay and start using your card in
24 hours. This can save time and the environment by not throwing away your cards.
DO NOT reload cards at their respective store. Reloading cards at the
stores will not count towards your assessment
Only cards bought through us will be able to be reloaded.
Cards available for reloading:
AMC • Barnes & Noble • Gap/Old Navy • Burger King • CVS • Domino’s Pizza
Exxon/Mobil • Gymboree • Lowe’s Home Improvement • Papa John’s
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Starbucks • Sunoco •Bath & Body Works •BP •Chevron •Clarion/Comfort
Suites Franchises • Hyatt •JC Penney •Jiffy Lube •Whole Foods
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What is Scrip Now!?
Newest and quickest way to purchase and use Scrip
Order, pay for and print e-Cards for various retailers and use within
minutes
To use ScripNow!, go to Shopwithscrip.com and click on “ScripNow!” Click on the card
of choice (there is a limited amount of retailers at this time). Order in any amount at $10
increments, and pay with Presto pay. Within minutes, they will email you a secure link to
a printable e-card that can be redeemed in the store or online.
ScripNow! Cards available:
99 Restaurant • Amazon.com • Home Depot •Old Navy/Gap •Chili’s •CVS •Dell
•iTunes •JC Penney •Land’s End •Lowe’s
Why you should use ShopWithScrip vs handwritten orders
 Convenience
 Accuracy
 Secure
This site offers you convenience. ShopWithScrip is a fully secured web application
allowing you to place orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year, from
any internet connected computer!
ShopWithScrip is more accurate than traditional paper order forms; discounts, products
and denominations are updated immediately by GLSC as changes occur.
ShopWithScrip provides timely family reports showing purchase history and current
order status.
How do I stay informed about changes?
Shopwithscrip will send you emails with promotions and card changes as they become
available. You will need to enter your email address if you wish for these. If you do not
wish to receive these you may opt out on your profile page. I will also be sending out a
monthly letter with updates, hints to use scrip and progress report.
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Gift Card FAQ
Why do I have to wait to get my cards? Why can’t I just pick them up at the office
when I need them?
The gift card program is run by volunteers through the Home and School Association
which is separate from the school administration. There is not space at the school to sell
the cards nor are there enough volunteers to run the program on a daily basis. Gift card
buying may need a little planning, but they are still readily available within 24 hours of
your request. If you place your order on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, most will
receive the order the same day. Check out ScripNow! For the quickest way to get
cards!
I want to use the gift card program but cannot find the stores I use on the order
form or special scrip list…
We try to keep a wide variety of local stores in stock. Unfortunately we can’t include all
of them. If you are interested in a particular store and enough people are interested, I will
investigate the possibility of getting discounted cards from them. Also some stores do not
offer gift cards or cards at a discount.
I heard if you don’t use a gift card in a certain period of time they lose their value or
there is an extra charge.
This is true for some cards BUT not for ours. All of our cards have no expiration dates or
late use fee. So feel free to keep them as long as you want before you decide to use them.
Remember the card must state on the back if it has an expiration date or late fee.
Many stores are going out of business. What happens to the store’s card if I am
holding on to one?
We usually get plenty of notice from the scrip company that there is trouble before you
even hear about a store closing on the news. I will try to keep you aware of any
situations I here about. Unfortunately a local store may close, but there are still distant
stores open. I don’t always hear of those until it is too late. If you are holding on to a
card after it goes out of business, then you are out of luck. We cannot reimburse you as
we do not get reimbursed ourselves. I will let you know where other stores are open, if
that is the case.
I got a Backordered Slip with my order. What does this mean?
Occasionally we run out of cards before stock is refilled, especially when someone orders
a large volume of the same card. Hold onto your slip. Usually your card will come in
within a week and will be sent home to you. We do keep track of who we owe cards to.
I received the wrong card. What should I do?
DO NOT send the card back to school with a note. This usually ends up in one of the
fillers hands who does not have a copy of your original order and may not have even
filled your order. Please call the Scrip Coordinator, Wendy Thibodeau who will arrange
for you to get the correct card. This is also important for our records. Depending on
when the order was place and when you return it, reports are made which include
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discrepancies. We need to account for every card. We also want to make sure you get
the right assessment value.
Why is the online discount different than the printed list I received?
Retailers can change card denominations and discounts at any given time. They also
offer temporary increased discounts at various times of the year. I get emails about
changes every week. I try to keep you updated on changes and specials in the monthly
newsletter. You can stay updated by checking out the website before you place your
order.
Shopwithscrip.com Scrip Tips
These are tips that came out last year, as needed I will add to them throughout the year.
Some of these may have change slightly since they were first printed as they may have
changed, so please review
Tip #1 “What happens if we order on line, but when we get to mass, you have run out of
inventory of one of the items?” Feel free to substitute the card as you have in the past.
Just make sure you cross off the one that is unavailable and write in what you substituted
with. When we ‘release’ the order online, we will make the appropriate changes. This
goes for if you discover you made a mistake after you printed out the order.
Tip#2 If a family or friend wishes to register with Shopwithscrip and donate their
assessment to your family, have them register with their own name. When they submit
their order have them designate on the order who it is to go to. We will set their account
to go to the designated family. You cannot do this when you register.
Tip #3 All our local scrip cards (Cards we have to get ourselves and not through Great
Lakes Scrip Company) have an INV after their name in the list. You will be getting a
higher rebate/ assessment with the INV cards. Cards we stock through GLS cannot be
designated.
Occasionally, Great Lakes run specials on the cards they offer such as 99
Restaurant or LL Bean. You can see what is on special on your home page. If it has a
special offer, you will receive the higher rebate/ assessment.
Tip #4 Change in vocabulary. You will start seeing new language in my news letters to
you. This is because if you use the website they will be referring to these items
differently and I want you to become familiar with them.
1) Rebate formerly known as assessment value/profit %
2) Voucher formerly known as Fundraisers
You will still here us use the term fundraiser. Just know that they are one and the same
when reading your “rebate” reports.
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Tip #5 Please use the Blue Envelopes for weekly scrip orders only. Our fillers frequently
find school business items in these envelopes. Please submit these items separately or
they may not get processed in a timely manner as we don’t go through the blue envelopes
every day.
Tip #6 On the confirmation sheet you will notice there is a spot to write how order will
be picked up. As we already have a system in place for this, please disregard this section.
Tip #7 Once you reach $300 you can designate another family to receive your rebates. Or
maybe you have friends and families who would like to donate their rebates to yours. Just
make sure you or others designate on the form that you wish the rebates to go to what
family.
Tip #8 Don’t forget to check your family account page for your total earnings towards
your assessment. Just click on “Account Activity.” It will list what you earned from scrip
and from fundraisers known as “vouchers”. They also total it for you.
Tip #9 Be aware of stores with similar names; i.e. Walbaums and Walmart, double check
your order before you go to the “confirm” page to make sure you selected the cards you
want. There is a fee for all returned cards.