Ace Hardware 2015 Annual Report Download - page 32

A double-digit increase is
tough to achieve —
especially in fundraising — but the Ace
Foundation did it again with a 22% increase,
raising a record-breaking $7.12 million for
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in
2015. This incredible feat was made possible
through the hard work and dedication of Ace
retailers, store associates, vendor partners and
corporate employees who once again have
demonstrated how truly committed they are to
being “Ace Helpful.”
Retailers see sweet
success by fundraising
with World’s Finest
Chocolate
For the first time, retailer fundraising
accounted for the largest portion of the
total amount raised at an astounding $3.07
million. Helping to lead the charge was an
ingenious initiative proposed by an Ace retailer
in Brooklyn.
Matt Mazzone, owner of Mazzone Ace
Hardware, and his store manager, Liz,
came up with the idea of raising funds by
selling something right at the register that no
customer could resist. And what would that
irresistible item be? Why, chocolate, of course!
Matt had recently sold a box of World’s Finest
Chocolate for a fundraiser that Liz’s daughter
was involved in, and he thought to himself,
“Why can’t I do this for my CMN Hospital?”
He contacted the Ace Foundation, tested
the concept with a few stores in his market,
and it turned out to be a game changer.
One year later, it’s been our fastest-growing,
most popular promotion of 2015, exceeding
everyone’s expectations. Part of the success
was due to how easy Ace made the program
for its retailers. The donation is built into
retailers’ cost of purchase — when they order
their boxes, 48¢ of every bar goes right to their
local CMN Hospital.
Once the ball was rolling, more and more
retailers jumped on board, resulting in the
participation of more than 1,700 stores.
Together they sold over 950,000 chocolate
bars, generating an incredible $450,000 for
CMN Hospitals. It all just goes to show how the
little things can make a big difference when
the Helpful Place is involved!
30 ACE FOUNDATION
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE TOP 10 FUNDRAISING
ACE/CMN HOSPITAL MARKETS
$355,348
HOUSTON
1
$291,485
CHICAGO
2
$123,288
DENVER
3
$102,265
SALT LAKE CITY
4
$89,929
KANSAS CITY
5
$77,364
HONOLULU
6
$72,265
ATLANTA
7
$68,487
PORTLAND, ORE.
8
$67,605
MINNEAPOLIS-
ST. PAUL
9
$61,913
ST. LOUIS
10
YET ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR THE ACE FOUNDATION