Cha-ching! (3-17)

If you've ever visited Minnesota, you've likely heard of Bachman's, the garden center chain located in the Twin Cities area (Minneapolis/St. Paul). Now you get to hear about something Bachman's does for the great folks in that region of the country.

The chain's Easter & Spring Blooming Plant Fundraiser taps the company's Lakeville, Minn., growing range to produce holiday-themed plants that will be sold as part of money-earning ventures by local groups. The program is available to organizations within the Twin Cities metro area, and works like this: The organizations get quality Bachman's plants at discounted rates and then sell them in fundraising drives, with each organization getting to  decide the final price point to meet its fundraising goals.

The program has a number of benefits: It gives the garden center a way to connect with the community. It helps brand Bachman's during one of the times a retailer longs to be top-of-mind, Easter. And it spreads holiday cheer with quality plants that are considerably more attractive and hardy than some of the "other" options from the big boxes.

Oh yeah, it also produces plenty of "Cha-ching!" opportunities during the program's run -- and down the road, when someone asks, "where did that beautiful plant come from?"

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