News ImageOn May 4, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. EDT, Ventureneer will offer a free webinar Prospecting on a Shoestring, that will take the fear and loathing out of prospecting. The free webinar will be taught by Maria Semple of The Prospect Finder. A highly sought after speaker, Stempel helps nonprofit organizations and financial advisors identify their best matches for donors or client prospects. Her firm specializes in prospect research on high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and corporations.

What if you had a crystal ball that could identify wealthy people with a predisposition to support your nonprofit or have their portfolios managed by your firm? This free webinar gives … the skill to use the Internet and local library …
Says Geri Stengel, Ventureneer founder, “What if you had a crystal ball that could identify wealthy people with a predisposition to support your nonprofit or have their portfolios managed by your firm? This free webinar will give fundraisers and financial advisors the next best thing to a crystal ball: the skill to use the Internet and local library to prospect for free.”

Participants will learn to develop a targeted prospecting strategy and locate the appropriate resources without having to buy expensive databases.

The webinar will benefit business owners and executives at companies or nonprofits of any size who are responsible for finding new revenue sources. The webinar will cover:

* Which local and state library resources are available to anyone with a library card, from any computer, anywhere in the world;
* How to use LinkedIn for targeted prospecting of a specific niche market;
* How to stay on top of “need to know” news about that market;
* How to find the local associations in which the target market has memberships.

Participants will get step-by-step instruction in developing their own prospecting strategy. Concepts will be presented in a straight-forward, easy-to-understand style.
By the end of this webinar, participants will have a clear understanding of how to select the right prospecting tools to locate donors or grow a business on a limited budget.

For more information and to register, visit http://ventureneer.com.

About Geri Stengel
Geri is the founder of Ventureneer, an online education and peer support service. An adjunct professor at The New School, she honed her online experience at companies like Dow Jones and Physicians’ Online. Geri co-founded the Women’s Leadership Exchange and is the president of Stengel Solutions, a consulting service for social-impact organizations.

About Ventureneer
Ventureneer.com provides nonprofit and small business advice as well as entrepreneurial and nonprofit training through a new approach to learning: a blend of traditional, formal instruction with informal, peer learning that takes advantage of Web 2.0 technology to capture and share knowledge. Ventureneer’s customized blogs, virtual classes, peer-to-peer learning, coaching, web events, and articles help entrepreneurs make faster, better decisions for their enterprises.

The cards were first issued during the spring semester of 2010, and were loaded by CNB with over $2 million in financial aid refunds. Customized for the college with their logo and colors, the cards seamlessly integrate with the campus ID cards already being utilized by the college as a part of the Heartland Payment Systems’® (NYSE: HPY) OneCard platform.It was a partnership between CNB and Heartland that allowed for the financial aid distribution product.

With the OneCard students can access buildings and parking facilities as well as library and dining services. It can also be used to make purchases on campus at bookstores, vending machines and at laundry machines. But because they also now have a network-branded debit card, students have the ability to expand their off-campus purchasing.

For years colleges and universities have provided students with paper checks when they had a financial aid refund coming.

“That process is inefficient and slow,” said Brud Baker, president and CEO of Central National Bank.
“By moving to card-based financial aid disbursement, the refund process can become much more cost effective for the school. At the same time it provides students greater access to products and services, convenience and security in managing their money. We are all familiar with the cash flow problems experienced by college students. Having their refund in days rather than weeks makes a great deal of difference for them.”

Unlike other financial aid refund cards on the market, students do not need a checking account to carry the CNB-issued card. Additionally, each card carries FDIC insurance at the individual level. Central’s proprietary software also offers a variety of functionality such as SMS mobile and email alerts, bill pay, and internet banking. CNB also drives an on-campus ATM where students can withdraw their funds for no fee. Future releases of the card may also include an international money transfer capability. Such functionality further separates the CNB-issued card from others on the market today.

“We haven’t forgotten about the thousands of international students attending colleges and universities in this country,” Baker said. “Many of them send money back home to their families. We have a perfect solution for them as well.”

The prepaid debit card issued by CNB also satisfies Title IV, Regulation E and PCI requirements.

“This card is a complete, compliant, and cost effective tool for managing the financial aid refund process,” Baker said.

About Central National Bank
Central National Bank is an FDIC-insured financial institution headquartered in Oklahoma and is held by Central Services Corporation. There are eight branch locations throughout the state. The bank reported assets of $505 million in the first quarter of 2010. CNB has been issuing and processing prepaid cards since 2002. www.cnb-ok.com

About Interactive Transaction Services
As a subsidiary of the Central National Bank, Interactive Transaction Services was established to provide marketing, sales, delivery, and processing services for the prepaid card products of CNB. www.itsvcs.com

Theodor Geisel embraced all new technologies and would be thrilled to see his work adapted in this way and shared with a new generation of children.
The Lorax has been adapted for the first time to an interactive book format for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. First published in 1971, it chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, a mossy, bossy man-like creature who speaks for the trees, against the greedy, big-industry businessman, the Once-ler. The story recounts how the Lorax tries to save the Truffula Forest and its inhabitants from disaster at the hands of the insatiable factory owner. The Lorax’s pleas are ignored and tragedy follows. Hope for the future is restored in the next generation when the last Truffula seed is entrusted to a young boy. A Dr. Seuss classic, it also serves as an ecological warning that still rings true today.

The Lorax eBook combines the beautiful original artwork of the book with innovative features that promote reading in young children, including highlighted picture / word associations, professional narrations and custom background audio. High resolution artwork for the iPad and standard artwork for the iPhone are both included in the same app.

“We are very excited about Oceanhouse Media’s rendition of The Lorax,” said Susan Brandt, President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. “Theodor Geisel embraced all new technologies and would be thrilled to see his work adapted in this way and shared with a new generation of children.”

The Lorax Garden app, found in the Kids and Family Games categories, is a fun continuation of where the book leaves off. Players help the Lorax regrow the world’s Truffula tree forests one tree at a time. They can design their own trees and flowers, see them grow right before their eyes in real-time 3D, and share beautiful postcards of the forests they’ve created with friends and family by email.

The Dr. Seuss Senders app contains 100 cards with fun Seussian quotes and sayings that can be sent to anyone who needs inspiration, cheering up or just a smile for the day. Greetings in categories such as love, get-well, congratulations, etc. can be saved to your photo library or emailed to your little ones, grandkids, co-workers, parents, teachers and friends. For less than the price of a single, paper greeting card users get the entire set of 100 Dr. Seuss Senders in a single app.

“We are excited to release The Lorax eBook timed to honor the 40th anniversary of Earth Day,” said Michel Kripalani, President of Oceanhouse Media. “Not only does this book contain a wonderful message for children, making them aware of being kind to our environment, but the interactive features of this app remain true to Theodor Geisel’s vision of teaching children to read. It also looks fantastic in the almost-true-to-size rendition on the iPad.”

Oceanhouse Media has now released nine Dr. Seuss apps since late-November with many more to come in the near future. Dr. Seuss’s ABC, The Cat In The Hat and How The Grinch Stole Christmas! eBooks have all appeared on the App Store’s Top-Paid 100 chart, with Dr. Seuss’s ABC holding the number 4 position for over a week. All three eBooks topped the Books category in the month of March, holding the #1, #2 and #3 spots for over a week. The apps have received excellent reviews and are a runaway commercial success.

For more information on these products and direct links to the App store, please visit www.oceanhousemedia.com/drseuss.

About Oceanhouse Media
Oceanhouse Media, Inc. is an iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad app development company founded in early 2009 by Michel Kripalani, former CEO of Presto Studios and Director of Business Development at Autodesk. The team is comprised of developers with decades of experience, primarily from the videogame business, that now share a common purpose to uplift, educate and inspire through technology. Currently, Oceanhouse Media has over 85 apps on the App Store. The company’s corporate mantra is “Creativity with Purpose.” www.oceanhousemedia.com

About Dr. Seuss Enterprise, L.P.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises was founded in 1993 following the death of Theodor S. Geisel, Dr. Seuss, to conserve and nurture the works of Dr. Seuss by protecting the integrity of the Dr. Seuss books while expanding beyond books into licensed merchandise. The licensing effort is a strategic part of the overall effort to strengthen and protect the relationship consumers have with Dr. Seuss characters. Theodor Geisel said he never wanted to license his characters to anyone who would “round out the edges”. That is one of the guiding philosophies of Dr. Seuss Enterprises.

LSI wrapped 5 SUVs and 50 rear taxi windows to promote the upcoming movie, Kick-Ass.
LSI wrapped 5 SUVs and 50 rear taxi windows to promote the upcoming movie, Kick-Ass.
LSI was recently recognized as a certified 3M™ graphics manufacturer, which means that all their 3M products are eligible for the 3M MCS™ Warranty. Qualification for this program requires rigorous quality control and strict adherence to 3M’s material, equipment and process guidelines.

This certification comes on the heels of LSI’s move to new headquarters. The Brother Boulevard facility is geared toward the production of wide format digital prints, including billboards, point of sale displays, trade show exhibits, and banners. The new space is especially well suited for LSI’s booming vehicle graphics business. LSI has been contracted to wrap 53 18-wheelers for the National Guard, in addition to 5 SUV wraps and 50 rear taxi windows promoting the upcoming movie, Kick-Ass.

In the ID Badge division, LSI recently landed a $1.5 million contract with an undisclosed department of the Federal Government to implement its innovative Badge Management System (BMS). This all-in-one software suite allows users to efficiently collect security clearances, fingerprints, photos and other pertinent identifying data; then issue associated ID badges for use in controlled-access areas.

Eventually, thousands of elected officials, members of the press, Capitol Hill staff, and vendors will be identified through the BMS. LSI has previously implemented Badge Management Systems for Lockheed Martin, Auburn University, the U.S. Army in Korea, and FBI locations in Quantico, VA, and Redstone Arsenal, AL.

LSI’s ID Badge division is also partnering with Test Express, Inc., a Memphis-based drug testing company, to develop a paperless drug test intended for use by construction companies. The test will not be certified by the Department of Transportation, due to the agency’s requirement that paper files be kept for years. However, LSI’s paperless test would meet the needs of many industries that don’t require the same hard copy documentation.

The paperless system allows faster processing of test results, dramatically cutting turnaround time while maintaining accuracy. It enables testers to scan an employee ID card and drug test cup prior to the test, and then again after the test to make sure the sample was not switched. The results are then digitally entered and e-mailed to the recipient. The whole process takes minutes, whereas traditional testing systems can take days.

LSI was established in 1975. This service disabled veteran owned, family business provides ID badge software, printers, supplies, and repair services, as well as large format digital printing.

When we reach thousands of businesses we reach millions of consumers
Factory Direct Promos, owned and operated by Jason Tunick, based out of Coral Springs Florida has been streamlining custom eco bags and promotional products at wholesale prices to businesses since 2003. Jason has a background in advertising and marketing platforms for companies and has always been an ambassador for the environment and protecting vital ecosystems from overflowing landfills and litter throughout our streams and rivers. He entered the business-to-business realm to motivate companies to effectively drive both their brand and raise interest in taking a stand for improving the ways we handle waste in our society. Here’s Jason’s take on businesses being eco leaders for America:

“I believe that by interacting with hundreds to thousands of businesses we can reach millions. The consumer must understand that we have a duty to this planet and it cannot be taken for granted. My efforts to help companies promote their brand with eco friendly products is making a small difference, but it is a million small differences that lead to one gigantic positive outcome for all people on this planet. I hope to leave our mark by lightening our carbon foot print on the Earth and establishing a mecca for all generations to come.”

There are many ways for a business to promote their brand with Factory Direct Promos; anything from recycled paper pens to reusable stainless steel water bottles. Amongst the new eco product lines are the 100% biodegradable corn products, often referred to as PLA, an acronym for polylactic acid, which is a strong polymer that biodegrades completely within 30-45 days. Another interesting product is seed paper, made completely of seeded woven material. When these seed cards are discarded they break apart and plant in the soil. Within two weeks a sprout will break ground and a flower is born, what a provocative idea! This versatile seed paper can be used for business cards, greeting cards, promotional flyers, CD cases and much more all custom printed with company logo and message. Jason also recently introduced a line of Grow Green Kits, desk plants or herbs that simply need water to germinate and sprout. His featured lines of reusable stainless steel water bottles are a perfect way to everlastingly promote a business’ brand and be a part of the solution to the plastic bottle waste issue.

The core competency of Factory Direct Promos has always been eco friendly wholesale reusable bags and RPET recycled custom bags. Jason is able to keep a very small turnaround time on the custom imprinted logo bags, delivering within 60 days and in stock wholesale reusable bags are shipped in as little as one week. The recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) material is made from 85% used plastic water bottles. Through a process of heating and shredding the bottle is grained into fine strings of material which are then woven into the recycled bags. Yes, that is correct, the plastic bottle waste is transformed into a recycled and reusable bag. These promotional trade show bags are durable and can then be custom imprinted with company logo, message and colors. This is an extraordinary alternative to plastic trade show bags, which when handed out are typically discarded within 24 hours and add to our waste issues. So for a company to hand out reusable bags is a win-win for the business and the environment. The bag is kept for an extensive period of time, keeping the brand alive in the consumer’s mind and is not thrown away to pile up in a landfill somewhere.

Factory Direct Promos is now making an asserted effort to help spread the word in online eco forums, blogs and social networks. By creating and maintaining an eco blog resource full of updated reusable bags news and information on recycling, plastic waste, and other green issues, Factory Direct Promos is directly engaging the world-wide eco friendly community like never before. Jason’s team writes original articles on the issues green-minded people care about, and portraits of other interesting eco-minded companies and organizations detailing their perspective on methods for a greener planet. This reusable bag blog is the medium to create an active eco community online and tighten the fabric of the web to motivate more discussion and debate on which direction we should move as a people to solidify our planet for the future. So on this Earth Day 2010, the first of the new decade, Jason is reaffirming his oath to the environment and his leadership in the B2B market to help companies promote their brand, environmental awareness, and their inherited responsibility to our planet and future generations.

About FactoryDirectPromos.com
Factory Direct Promos Inc was founded by Jason Tunick in 1996. Located in Sunny South Florida, Factory Direct promos, Inc. is a direct manufacturer of Eco Friendly Promotional Products imported direct from his exclusive factories overseas. The website features over 100 eco products such as reusable and recycled bags, stainless steel water bottles, recycled lanyards, organic t-shirts, corn pens, seed paper bookmarks, seed paper shapes, recycled baseball caps and more. Jason Tunick’s twelve year commitment to finding and using renewable resources in his design, development and manufacturing of environmentally friendly premium products, makes his Eco Life product line a pioneer in the eco movement.

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