opinions please

im trying to generate some cash to buy a building for my museum , so i came up with a little plan to help and i want to know if you guys think its totally dumb or not a bad idea .
so the idea is ti make packs of postcards to sell (all money goes towards museum ) . here are a few ideas for the cards
http://i.imgur.com/wVP7A.png
http://i.imgur.com/ojhXG.png
http://i.imgur.com/ghTba.png
http://i.imgur.com/BlV8c.png
http://i.imgur.com/5Nrqy.png

so i was thinking about 3 or 4 sets of 6 designs 2 of each in a pack for 10 bucks or each card at 2 bucks each

ok so let me know what you think , is it a good idea , bad idea , are the cards dumb , is the idea dumb etc .
as always thanks all you folks of the colorado ar-15 forum community for you support [Beer]

I think selling enough to make any significant savings towards a building might be hard. Assuming this are mockups, final product would want some better font than just Microsoft word type over picture. (What kind of building, $250k, 50k, 5k shack?)

It would be a huge undertaking and I don't know what kind of supplies you have to work with but maybe more one of those events where people pay to mess with/handle WW2 stuff. (Kinda a mix between those machine gun shoots w/ the tank you can fire and a normal fund raising dinner where people pay $100 a plate kind of thing.)

of course id be using other cash as well and we are talking about a building that cost less than 100,000 . while a fund raiser would be great , i have no intention of being a nonprofit so it wont work . i have to come up with a product or i have to get a loan (ill get one anyway ) but a few extra bucks wouldn't hurt for paint , ad space , etc

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Originally Posted by alxone

of course id be using other cash as well and we are talking about a building that cost less than 100,000 . while a fund raiser would be great , i have no intention of being a nonprofit so it wont work . i have to come up with a product or i have to get a loan (ill get one anyway ) but a few extra bucks wouldn't hurt for paint , ad space , etc

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we pay taxes on private venues all of the time...
I think a fundraising event would be allowable as long as its clearly outlined.

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Originally Posted by Byte Stryke

we pay taxes on private venues all of the time...
I think a fundraising event would be allowable as long as its clearly outlined.

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ill look into the legality of that . the big thing is i would want it to be made very clear that it is not a nonprofit in anyway . a.s.s will however donate 1/3 of all money that come from the museum and gift shop to the u.s.o. and wounded warrior programs . we will also make every effort to educate people on firearm safety and life saving/survival skills .
the card idea is to generate some cash but mostly to get folks feeling involved in the project .

not saying you are wrong with the choices of donations, but you might want to investigate WW a little in their recent decisions and statements. They are turning pretty liberal.

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Originally Posted by Byte Stryke

not saying you are wrong with the choices of donations, but you might want to investigate WW a little in their recent decisions and statements. They are turning pretty liberal.

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yeah i was just looking into that . i would like part of the money to go to research and development of prosthetic limbs and supplying wounded u.s. troops with the best technology has to offer .

Personally I hate it when people put script on pictures. It ruins the picture and most of the time the text is hard to read. It would interest me if it had the quotes on the back. I wouldn't have even read all of these except the first quote caught my eye and was easy to read.

The logo at the bottom I don't mind. Especially if it was a touch smaller. It could be a good advertisement.

The post card idea appeals to me though. You might call some museums to see if they sell enough to justify the effort.

Just one guys opinion.

I wish you well on your venture.

What kind of stock are you using? Will the cost of materials over shadow the selling price, don't forget S&H of the product you're selling. I have some heavy stock in storage, let me see what color & weight it is.

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Originally Posted by jim

What kind of stock are you using? Will the cost of materials over shadow the selling price, don't forget S&H of the product you're selling. I have some heavy stock in storage, let me see what color & weight it is.

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honestly jim i was thinking vista print . i know pretty lame but i dont have the money to front for the fancy stuff

Alex, in which State would this proposed museum be located?? Just curious!

Do you know if you will have to pay royalty fees for either the use of the photos or the accompanying quotes?

I agree you might consider moving the quote to the back along with maybe a couple of sentences regarding the historical significance of the photo. Considering you are jobbing it out you might also consider a couple of other choices such as mugs or mouse pads using the same art & quote/description. Don't know your budget or much about Vistaprint though I took a quick glance and their mug prices seem quite high compared to what I sold them for though I'm certain you can source them at a reasonable price. Just a thought to maximize your market.

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Originally Posted by cysoto

Do you know if you will have to pay royalty fees for either the use of the photos or the accompanying quotes?

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not sure , im pretty sure most of it is public domain (as far as the quotes go ) and the pics i have no idea who took most of them let alone if they are public domain yet

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Originally Posted by alxone

not sure , im pretty sure most of it is public domain (as far as the quotes go ) and the pics i have no idea who took most of them let alone if they are public domain yet

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I don't know the answer either but I thought this would be something worth checking into. Having to pay royalties on any of these will eat up a good chunk of the profits rather quickly.

On a separate note, I believe that your pricing structure might be set a little bit low considering that your market might be somewhat limited. You could also look at using the same artwork for t-shirts which will complement the post cards well.

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Originally Posted by BlasterBob

Alex, in which State would this proposed museum be located?? Just curious!

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?????????????????????

bob , sadly i can only afford nebraska

That's going to be a LOT of post cards and I doubt the return will be worth the effort.

Might try a kick starter. Get people to invest now with a "payoff" once you get established. Percent off a purchase, dibs on a one off product, etc.

Look into grants. If you are donating profits to charities, there may be foundations that will help you out. You might want to look at tax status also. Non profit doesn't mean no profit. Non profit grants are popular.

Good luck

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Originally Posted by alxone

not sure , im pretty sure most of it is public domain (as far as the quotes go ) and the pics i have no idea who took most of them let alone if they are public domain yet

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Then you don't have a right to use them. Very little that was created since 1922 is in the public domain at this time. The quotes are not protected but the images are.

Oh, and I thought the last one was a quote from George Orwell.

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Originally Posted by Ah Pook

That's going to be a LOT of post cards and I doubt the return will be worth the effort.

Might try a kick starter. Get people to invest now with a "payoff" once you get established. Percent off a purchase, dibs on a one off product, etc.

Look into grants. If you are donating profits to charities, there may be foundations that will help you out. You might want to look at tax status also. Non profit doesn't mean no profit. Non profit grants are popular.

Good luck

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There's a thought, some sort of concept of "friend of the museum" w/ reduced cost access or a free pack of postcards, discounts or some other "exclusive"?