It’s the Environment, Stupid.

Posted on April 18, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

Mother Earth and I are on the outs today. It has been raining almost nonstop since early yesterday, and I mean RAINING. With half a foot of water on the ground now, I had to get mighty creative on my drive to work this morning. It was like the aqua version of a corn maze. I kept coming across roads that were feet deep in water and had to turn around, retrace my steps and try again. What a fiasco.

Regardless, Earth Day is coming, and rain or no rain, this is the only earth we have, so I’m still going to fight for it, even as my socks continue to dry out after accidentally stepping into a deep puddle on my way into the office.

The truth is, most of us do next to nothing to reduce our carbon footprint, and equally true is the fact that it takes very little in order to do so. Consider the fact that roughly 75% of the things we throw away are 100% recyclable, and yet we only recycle 30% of that! I know it means taking a few extra steps every day though, which many of us really can’t squeeze in. So the other approach we can take as busy Americans is to patronize companies that go through those extra steps for us and create environmentally friendly products. And just about everything can be safely and effectively recycled if done correctly. Even lapel pins. We have a whole line of eco green pins available that are all made from metal discarded in creating other lapel pins. Perfectly good scrap metal that we simply remelt down, strike out, and voila! Eco green pins.

In a day and age when time is almost more precious than anything else, it’s not always going to be convenient to recycle. But if you simply make smarter purchases in your daily life, you can do your part for the environment without changing any of your habits. From recycled paper, E85 gas, and even eco green pins. So don’t waste any more time, not yours, or the environment’s. Happy Earth Day!

PS: Ma Earth, a sunny day here and there wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it? We’re drowning here.

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Jack and Jane of All Trades

Posted on April 16, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

As the saying goes: some days you’re the windshield, some days you’re the bug. This is true of any person’s life, and of any profession. But I think it rings particularly true for those who work in administration for a living. The assistants, the office clerks, the support staff. I think they quite often feel like “the bug” so to speak. Their job-and I speak from experience-is easily one of the hardest industries to survive in and succeed in, and their contributions to every office are invaluable.

Largely their contributions, while vital, go largely unnoticed if they’re doing a good job. As their purpose is to be the jack of all trades in the office, if they’re doing it right, the office runs without a hitch and everyone is happy. But that means a huge commitment of the administrative professionals, and next week is the week we make a special effort to thank them for all they do.

The 22nd through the 26th of April is the time to cater in lunch for support staff, get them a thank you card, or gift them recognition lapel pins. A good support staff does just that: supports the office. Is someone in the office killer on the phone with customers, putting out fires? Or how about the wiz who makes sure data is input perfectly every time so that reports fire without a hitch? And the multi-tasker who somehow juggles four projects simultaneously without breaking a sweat? Recognition lapel pins address each of these components specifically so that your administrative staff know not only that you’re grateful for them, but for what specifically you’re grateful for. There’s something to be said for that personal touch.

Whatever you do next week to thank your administrative professionals, just make sure it’s something! I know in this office we’re nothing without our receptionist. She’s so much more than that of course, handling customer service, order entry, special projects, you name it. In my opinion she should end up with a whole string of recognition lapel pins, though I’m not sure how comfortable it would be to wear quite that many pins at once.

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Do the tighten up

Posted on April 11, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

In my line of work, charity is pretty much our bread and butter. We make awareness ribbons in every color of the rainbow, including polka dot and argyle. I don’t know offhand what those represent but I’m sure they stand for something. And so I have the utmost respect for charities and non-profits of all kinds and shapes. They work their tails off for literally nothing, all for the benefit of those less fortunate than themselves. But an unfortunate trend is being monitored by statisticians, and that is that people are donating less now than they did 10 years ago.

This is in conjunction with recent studies showing that those with the least money tend to give the largest percentage of their income to charities, and the fact that as our economy struggles, the needs of those less fortunate increase. It’s a catch 22 really, with average Joes and Janes like myself having less pocket money to give away in the first place, all while charities are working on even shoe-stringier budgets. And that’s why awareness ribbons are a great idea.

Awareness ribbons do two things. One, they are inexpensive pieces that have a high perceived value to those who purchase them. That means that a pin that costs $1.50 to create can be sold for $5.00 because those buying them know that the money will be going towards cancer research or to feed the homeless, and not into the pockets of a CEO. They are also incentive-builders. While donating to charity is an altruistic endeavor, we also live in a society with an exchange mentality. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. You donate to my charity, I provide you with awareness ribbons to wear and garner more attention for your altruism, and the cause. Perhaps a bit harsh, but entirely true.

So in the world of slowly shrinking purses, consider buying that awareness ribbon from the neighborhood kid raising money for Autism, or buy the bottled water with pink awareness ribbons on them for breast cancer month in October. Feel good, do good, and with awareness ribbons, you’ll look good too.

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Get Kick-started

Posted on April 9, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

Not to brag, but I know a lot of starving artists. Actually, I suppose it would only be bragging if they weren’t starving, wouldn’t it? Regardless, I have more than a few artistic friends out there always tirelessly plugging away at their craft, be that painting, photography, music or writing. They’re all dedicated and they’re all talented. The only thing separating them from achieving the first level of their success is normally money. Until recently, that remained the problem that was hardest to resolve. But then Kickstarter.com came onto the scene.

This website functions as a go between for artists and their backers, allowing creatives to pitch their idea, be it an album, an exhibition, new technology or a book, and then facilitates their backers in donating to the cause. The artist sets up a goal funding total and then have 1 month to achieve that goal. If they meet the mark the money is deposited into the artists bank account and they can realize their dream. If not, the money is returned to the backers and the artist can try again.

What was uniquely interesting about this site though was that it encouraged artists to sweeten the deal by offering perks for certain amounts donated. $10.00 got you the base finished product (album, book, artwork) but the more you donated, the cooler the pay out. Add-ons like bonus features, t-shirts, hand-signed products, and lapel pins turn a $10.00 donation in a $25.00 donation. The artist is still in the black, but the backer feels like they’ve done good *and* gotten good.

We’ve started seeing a lot of requests for lapel pins come in from artists starting a kickstarter.com page, and their designs are wild and creative, just like the artists. These pieces are not corporate or stuffy, they’re colorful, creative, big and bold and are a blast to make. And I should think really neat to receive as well, which is a win-win for the artist and the backer.

If you haven’t checked out kickstarter.com yet, I’d suggest you do so. Find a project you approve of, and consider donating. Not only are you funding a real live dream, you could end up with some really cool swag in the form of lapel pins, as a result!

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Do you wear blue?

Posted on April 4, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

The first rule they always give you when you announce you “want to be a writer”: write what you know. And that’s good advice, unless you need to address something like child abuse when you yourself had a thankfully wonderful childhood. Because quite honestly I have no comprehension of how anyone could hurt a child, since I was given every kindness and advantage as a kid. I’m extremely grateful for the way I grew up, but it means I cannot begin to imagine the pain that having a harsh upbringing carries with it. Thankfully, I can still support the push to end child abuse without having to know firsthand how much it hurts.

The first week in April kicks off Child Abuse Prevention Month, and is known as “blue ribbon week”. It means just what it sounds like: in this first week in April everyone is encouraged to wear blue awareness ribbons to bring attention to this horrible issue in our country. It is estimated that roughly 5.8 million children are abused every year, in a variety of ways, and that’s only reported cases, not the undoubtedly many cases that never get reported.

Obviously buying and wearing blue awareness ribbons is a great way to start a discussion about child abuse, but there’s so much out there to do in regards to this issue that it shouldn’t stop there. Volunteering at an after school program, donating to food banks, starting a fundraising event, and especially just keeping an eye out all can help bring these sad situations to light so that they can be resolved.

So while I cannot begin to imagine the way it must feel to have grown up afraid or hungry or simply ignored, I know how it feels to know that it’s happening all around me even though I can’t actually see it. I will be making as many people aware of blue ribbon week as I can, and wearing awareness ribbons as a means of starting the conversation for the entire month. And I’ll probably call my mom up just to thank her for not making me a statistic. Or for making me a positive statistic.

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Go Blue!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

I noticed this morning an abundance of blue surrounding me, enough that I actually did notice. People were wearing blue, certain websites and newsfeeds had gone blue, buildings had blue lights switched on. I’m ashamed to admit that despite working with awareness causes for a living, I had no idea what I was supposed to think when seeing all this blue! Thankfully one of my colleagues is more tuned in than I am and explained that today is World Autism Awareness Day!

In its 6th year, WAAD is a chance for those suffering with the disease, and those who love them, to shine light on a cure and also celebrate these people and their lives. Autism brings with it a certain set of problems, but it also brings unique talents and abilities as well, so this day commemorates both the struggle and the beauty. And while autism awareness products are predominantly multi-colored and puzzle-piece shaped, on this day we all “go blue”.

The correlations as well as the continued mysteries that are tied to autism create a continued need for funding to help the tens of millions of individuals who display symptoms. So in April you’re bound to see a lot of blue, and a lot of puzzle pieces in any number of places, with autism awareness products finding their way into increasingly public places, in the same way that breast cancer awareness products saturate the market in October.

As one of the fastest growing developmental diseases there is no time to be lost, and while it took me a few years to catch on, I certainly won’t forget about World Autism Awareness Day next year. Chances are I’ll even purchase my own autism awareness products to feel really involved and included. And hopefully I’ll clue someone else into this particularly aggressive disease, and get us one step closer to a cure.

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The Day Facebook Went Red

Posted on March 28, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

This has shown me one thing for sure: beliefs build brands. Fast. If you’ve been online AT ALL (which you must be if you’re reading my blog right now) you have most likely come across an article or more likely a Facebook friend who has changed their profile picture to the red equal sign. It got to the point yesterday that pretty much my entire Facebook page was nothing but red equal signs and it was nearly impossible to tell one friend from  another. But so powerful was this symbol that everyone dropped their personal brands in favor of this, to them, important political expression.

This week the Supreme Court has been arguing over a law that was enacted back in 1996, called the Defense of Marriage Act. You can read the endless articles and op-ed pieces about this hearing on any number of news sites, but the ruling and its subsequent possible repeal is not what I’m most interested in in this case. My focus is on its power of emotional branding. In minutes after that red equal sign popped up on the first social media site, millions of other people had adopted it as their own in solidarity with a stance they believed in. This is why things like awareness ribbons are so popular. Because in reality they’re nothing more than 1″ chunks of metal pinned to your shirt or jacket, but their emotional connection makes them so much bigger and grander than their outward appearance.

And traditionally non-emotional issues, and businesses, can learn something from the powerful way the red equal sign swept across the internet. Don’t be afraid to take a stand. Whatever that may be, if you stand up for something, others will find the same courage, and they’ll support you and your brand for it. From awareness ribbons to the golden arches, if you can tie an emotion to an image, your brand will be unstoppable.

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Guest Blog: Custom Pins Provide a Thoughtful Gift

Posted on March 25, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

Anyone looking for a meaningful gift for loved ones, employees or peers should consider the advantage of pins. All of the pins offered on our website offer both style and meaning to our customers. At a low rate, people can positively reinforce the success of their employees, commemorate graduations, congratulate key academic achievements, and more.

Perfect for Many Types of Events

Customized pins can be used to mark key achievements at school or in a business. Additionally, there are pins for awareness campaigns or just to give as gifts. When you provide a present that comes from the heart, your recipient is sure to love it and that is definitely the case with custom pins.

Affordable Investment

Throwing together an event will often come with strict budget constraints. The great thing is that these items are inexpensive, yet a meaningful way to commemorate important moments. Everything about the ordering process was easy: We talked to representatives who easily answered our questions and shipping was quick.

Stock and Custom Pins

There are thousands of stock designs from which people can choose. If consumers want something customized, they can have pins designed. Our customers love the ability to sift through the categories and really find the perfect pin. There is something for every type of event and every type of consumer.

Custom pieces can be ordered in sets of 100. This makes the items great for school groups, businesses and more. Our prices are low and our quality levels are high. Investing in custom pins is a chance to really commemorate graduations, landmark achievements and more.

Next time you are looking to reward a large group or spread awareness about a great cause, be sure to contact us about providing you extraordinary custom pins.

 

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Guest Blog: Lapel Pins for All Occasions and Causes

Posted on March 22, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

Americans are often looking for ways to support great causes. For example, in 1973, Tie a Yellow Ribbon around the Old Oak Tree helped instill a sense of pride, appreciation and awareness in civilians for returning military veterans. Since then, Americans have eagerly espoused the ribbon concept and proudly wear lapel pins celebrating a vast number of causes. There appears to be no limitations to the extent of Americans’ sympathies and empathic connections to worthy causes.

Astute employers and corporations that recognize and encourage employees to follow their hearts reap the benefits of employee loyalty and gratitude. By providing employees with supportive lapel pins, employers demonstrate their eagerness to connect with their employees’ compassion. Employees will surely appreciate and respect management’s heartfelt support.

We feature an extensive line of lapel pins that represent support for dozens of popular and well-known causes. Our impressive collection includes somber designs as well as lighter, optimistic expressions of support. Some items feature creative, delightful colors. All items in our awareness collection are crafted with quality materials.

March is National Employee Awareness Month. What better time to share your corporate appreciation with your loyal employees? For a nominal cost per lapel pin, you can offer them their choice of pin to support their favorite cause.

We feature ribbon-style lapel pins as well as a variety of other designs. All are in stock and ready to ship. If you need something customized for a local cause or goal, we can do that. We can craft an item based on your design or suggestion. A quick, toll-free phone call to our custom pin specialists and your order will be completed sooner than you might think.

In addition to standard metal pins in a variety of colors, we also carry cloth ribbons and zipper pulls in our awareness collection. Of course, our extensive inventory includes pins in a wide variety of shapes for many other purposes.

With Americans’ growing awareness for a myriad of social and health concerns, public support in the form of a lapel pin grows exponentially. Show your employees you care and that you stand with him by supporting a great cause with a lapel pin.

 

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Like clockwork?

Posted on March 21, 2013 by jessica.n@pinmart.net

A number of years ago I could always count on a few things when either fall or spring came around: weather changes, clocks turned ahead or behind, a change in wardrobe. And another thing I always noticed was an upswing in fundraising drives from schools. At the beginning and end of a school year is when most extracurricular groups are either storing up for next season or replenishing from a season well spent. Awareness ribbons, school mascots, and academic achievement lapel pins would fly off the metaphorical shelves and another season would would be properly kicked off.

But much like the odd weather patterns we’ve had for the past few years, fundraising pushes are no longer a biannual, clockwork event. They have instead started creating campaigns that sustain throughout the whole school year, and sometimes even into summer vacation. They’ve gotten more savvy, doubling up and holding events during already scheduled basketball games, chorus concerts or pep rallies. They save money on space, have a built in audience, and a healthy buzz. Lapel pins, however, are still part of that strategy, which makes sense. They’re sought after, cost-effective and powerful.

So just like our first day of spring yesterday heralding only a bone-chilling 20 degrees for a high, fundraising has morphed into an all together different animal. But unlike weird weather, there’s nothing wrong with a smarter, stronger, longer fundraising push to help keep the arts and sports in our schools. And did I mention that lapel pins look just as good on a parka as they do on a tank top? Weather is no match.

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