VHS and Zuma Central Texas Food Drive Makes a Real Difference

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Stephan R Vonn

Vandegrift High School, Four Points Middle School and Zuma Office Helping To Feed Hungry Central Texans!

Vandegrift High School and Four Points Middle School, in partnership with ZumaOffice.com, had another incredible holiday food drive supporting the Central Texas Food Bank. The 5th Annual event collected 2,757 lbs. of food for hungry Central Texans at a time when the food bank has an increased need for donations.

Since the food drive’s modest beginnings in 2012, over 11,000 pounds of food equaling 9,269 meals has been collected. Cliff Ellis, head coach of the Vandegrift High School Boys Basketball team, April Dang, team Mom, and Greg Pierce, founder of office supplies company ZumaOffice.com, came up with the idea for a food drive when Coach Ellis was looking for a way for the team to give back to the community.

Pictured left to right: Greg Pierce, Zuma Office, Hope Todd, FPMS, Amy Elms, CTFB, and Coach Cliff Ellis, VHS

“That first year, we asked our fans coming to a game during the holidays to bring a food item, and we put a couple of bins around the school asking for donations,” said Coach Ellis. “What started as a few boxes of food donated that first year has mushroomed into about ten pallets of food being collected each year.”

The key to the food drives growth was including Four Points Middle School in the event in 2013. The efforts of FPMS, led by Coach Hope Todd, have been nothing short of amazing always accounting for over half of the total donations. The school uses friendly competition between the grades to encourage student donations, and the results speak for themselves.

Amy Elms, Community Events Coordinator with the Central Texas Food Bank recognized the achievements of the food drive with a recent photograph with the organizers. “We are always amazed at the donations that come to us each year from Vandegrift and Four Points with the coordination and logistics help from Zuma. It shows the giving spirit of the students and their families and is so appreciated by the CTFB.”

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Zuma Office and Vandegrift High School Launch Central Texas Food Bank Food Drive

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Stephan R Vonn

ZumaOffice.com is again working with students and faculty at Vandegrift High School and Four Points Middle School for the 5th Annual Central Texas Food Bank Food Drive. Non-perishable food items are being collected now at both schools for hungry families in need, and we look forward to another record year of donations.

The food drive started as an idea of VHS boy’s basketball coach Cliff Ellis and Greg Pierce of Zuma Office as a way for the basketball team to give back to the community. That first year, four of the large Central Texas Food Bank donation boxes were filled and a holiday community service tradition was begun.

The Central Texas Food Bank Food Drive has raised over 7400 lbs of food!

The Central Texas Food Bank Food Drive has raised over 8300 lbs of food!

It has mushroomed to include nearby Four Points Middle School, the VHS Honor Society, Student Council and UNICEF, and has now collected over 8,300 pounds of food for hungry central Texans in need for the holidays. Last year’s results were 17 donation boxes showing the incredible generosity of area students and families!

If you’re out around VHS or FPMS before the schools close for the holidays, take by some canned goods and help feed the hungry this holiday season. Zuma is honored to work with these awesome schools and the Central Texas Food Bank!

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Zuma 2015 Charitable Giving Recap – Change to Giving Back Program

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Greg Pierce

We are always excited to make our annual contributions to the life changing charities we support, and to thank our customers for helping us give back. Zuma was founded with the dream of making a difference in people’s lives simply by selling office supplies, but we couldn’t do anything without our caring, loyal customers.

We also want to announce a change to Zuma’s giving back program taking effect in  November. We’ve been debating the way we promote our giving back program for some time. In a way it is patting ourselves on the back, and somewhat bragging about helping our fellow human beings, as opposed to humbly doing good work. After careful consideration, we have decided to greatly reduce the amount of self-promotion for our giving back program.

Zuma will continue with our founding principles of donating over half our operating profits to charity, but no longer will we ask our shoppers to select the charity they prefer we support at checkout. Zuma will continue our business purpose to Do Good Work through donating over half our profits to charity, volunteer work, our annual Central Texas Food Bank Food drive and more. We will simply do it without as much self-promotion.

We pledge to be a better example of writer Elizabeth Bibesco’s inspiring words:
“Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting.”

The V Foundation for Cancer Research

The V Foundation was our #2 most voted for charity!

CUSTOMER CHARITY VOTING RESULTS

In what will be our last Charity Voting recap, this is how our customers voted when purchasing at ZumaOffice.com during our fiscal year 2015, (charities listed in order of votes received). Our annual donations are based on the percentage of votes for each charity.  To learn more about any of the charities, simply click their name:
1. Best Friends Animal Society – Animal Relief & Rescue
2. The V Foundation for Cancer Research – Cancer Research
3. Fisher House Foundation – Military Families
4. Big Brothers / Big Sisters – Children Mentorship
5. SafePlace – Domestic Violence Support
6. Save the Children – Children Aid
7. Salvation Army – Humanitarian Aid
8. Central Texas Food Bank – Hunger Prevention
9. Year Up – Education For Disadvantaged Youth
10. Prison Entrepreneurship Program – Prison Mentorship

GIVING BACK UPDATE

Since our inception, Zuma has donated well over half our profits to worthy causes. In fact the real number is 80%+ of profits. Zuma has donated over $51,000 in cash contributions and in-kind product donations to the charities we support in our short time in business.

In truth, our business and profit plans were to give back even more by this time. However, we underestimated how difficult it is to start a family business from scratch in an ultra-competitive industry like office supplies and truly make a profit, (the increased price competition created by the failed Staples and Office Depot merger certainly have not helped).

You can be a BIG help to our growth! Social media is a personal and free way to help us reach new customers. “Like Us” on Facebook and “Follow Us” on Twitter. Then share our great offers with fellow businesses and your friends to help spread the word. We promise our social media team will make you laugh!

WHY DOES ZUMA GIVE BACK?

People often ask why we give back. Here’s why:
1. To help worthy causes and make a difference in people’s lives!
2. To add meaning to the work life of all Zuma employees.
3. To be an example to other businesses, and encourage others to adopt a similar “giving back” model.
4. To encourage our customers to volunteer time and donate to their favorite charities.

Should you have any questions regarding our giving back business model, Conscious Capitalism, or would like to discuss the changes to our giving back approach, feel free to email me at gpierce@zumaoffice.com or call 877-473-4097. I would love to converse with you.

Thank you for letting us serve you, and in turn helping Zuma serve others.

Please Note: The charities we support are selected by Zuma staff and customer input, and does not reflect an endorsement by those charities of our company or our products. They are simply great organizations we believe in and support.

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Buy Recycled Office Supplies and Make a Difference!

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Stephan R Vonn

It’s great to see more businesses recycling in their office, and also reusing the materials being recycled by purchasing recycled office supplies. In fact, the office products you use can make a real difference to our environment by reducing waste, carbon emissions, and being gentler to our earth.

First let’s talk about recycling in your office. If you are not already recycling at your company, start today. Most employees want to participate because they already recycle at home, it’s simple to do, and it keeps paper, plastics and glass out of our already overcrowded landfills.

Start by putting recycled bins around the office and even by employee desks. Recycling collection cans like the Rubbermaid RCP295673BE sell for under $8.00, and feature the recycled seal so it’s clear only recycled materials go here. For larger collection needs in break rooms or copy rooms, try Rubbermaid’s 20 gallon Brute recycling containers – item RCP262073BLU – for under $35. Or, simply reuse old cardboard boxes for collecting recycled goods, and tape the recycled triangle seal on the front.

Once your business is recycling, it’s time to start buying recycled products. Many people are surprised to learn there is a glut of some recycled materials today because many people recycle at their home or office, but they are not completing the “recycling triangle” by purchasing items made from recycled material. You will make the greatest impact by switching to recycled copy paper, which is the largest volume paper item used in offices. While it costs a little more than virgin paper, it has the most impact and the savings for our environment offsets the price difference.

Zuma recommends Boise Aspen 100% Recycled Paper to go green.

Zuma recommends Boise Aspen 100% Recycled Paper to go green.

Zuma suggests Navigator premium recycled paper as our best value/quality recycled paper – item SNANR1120. It’s made with a “Super White” formula so it’s high brightness paper, and it contains 30% post consumer waste paper. Or, if you’d like to really go green, consider using Boise Aspen 100% – item CAS054922 – which is made from 100% recycled fibers.

Binders and file folders are another high use office supply item, and Zuma features view binders, classification folders and hanging file folders which are all made from recycled material. These are available in national brands like Avery, Smead and Universal, and the nice thing with buying our store brand Universal is you can buy recycled content products and actually pay less!

Now review your Break Room and Janitorial Supplies and identify paper items that can easily be switched to recycled products. We all know most companies don’t buy the softest premium paper towels and tissues for the office, so switching to recycled will barely be noticed. Marcal and Seventh Generation brands offer many products in this area, and Boardwalk has some lower cost recycled content alternatives.

Bottle-2-Pen is made from recycled plastic water bottles!

Bottle-2-Pen is made from recycled plastic water bottles!

As a quick guide, these are the product categories that are easy to switch to recycled content products:
Printer paper, envelopes, Post-It Notes, file folders, binders, writing pads, paper towels, toilet tissue, napkins, paper cups. There are also many items using recycled plastic like Pilot B2P pens made with recycled water bottles, and the Bic Ecolution line of pencils, pens and correction tape.

The good news is more people are buying recycled products than ever before, which is good for our planet and good for future generations. Let’s all do good work together by actively protecting our environment, first by recycling in the workplace, and second by buying recycled office and janitorial supplies that are used in bulk in your office. We are here to help with cross references and product suggestions to enable you go green at your business today!

By:  Stephan R Vonn

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Win a FREE Keurig® K-Cup Brewing System from Zuma

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Stephan R Vonn

Refer a New Customer to Zuma and be entered to WIN…plus get 10% Off!

How It Works:

  1. Refer a fellow business or friend to place an order with Zuma.

  2. To enter, when ordering they must type Your Name and the term “Refer a Friend” in the Special Instructions Block at the bottom of the Checkout Page.

    Example:  Jane Smyth – Refer a Friend

  3. This enters both you and the new customer into the drawing for a FREE Keurig® Coffee Maker.

  4. You win no matter what!  All customers who refer a friend will receive an email for 10% off your next order, maximum discount $20.

The number of people who refer friends on promotions is generally low.  We expect to get a handful of referrals, so your odds of winning are REALLY HIGH!

The Keurig® K145 Brewing System makes a perfect cup of coffee every time - and it can be yours!

This Keurig® OfficePRO K145 Brewing System can be yours!

Important Notes:

  • Start telling your friends today.  Entries are accepted from June 1 to June 30, 2016.

  • The “New Customer” must be a verified new shopper with ZumaOffice.com.  Orders by customers/locations who have purchased from Zuma in the past will not qualify.

  • You may enter multiple times.  Refer 5 friends and get 5 entries.

  • Drawing will be held in early July, and free brewer will be delivered by July 31, 2016!

    keurig refer friend rekko

About the free Keurig® K-cup Brewing System:
The Keurig® OfficePRO K145 Brewing System brews a perfect cup of coffee, tea, hot cocoa or iced beverages in under a minute.  With the choice of three cup sizes, you can brew the beverage you love at the touch of a button!

The Keurig® OfficePRO K145 has a list price of $217.50, and Zuma has it on sell now for $119.97.  It can be yours free simply by referring a friend to Zuma.

Thanks for helping Zuma Do Good Work!

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New Product Pages Make Searching Zuma’s Website Even Easier!

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Stephan R Vonn

Online shopping for office supplies can be such a pain, right? Wrong! That is, whenever you order office supplies with Zuma using our helpful new product pages. We’ve restyled our product pages so our bullet points are easier to read, shipping information is more visible and the website overall is easier to shop.

Take a look at how ZumaOffice.com has redesigned our product pages, and added new shopping features to help you find the office products you need fast:

Screenshot (62)

  • Top Seller & On Sale icons that show you Best Sellers and Sale Items.
  • Enhanced “Also Consider” suggestions make it easier to find what you need.
  • Price comparisons of the Big Box office stores to show you the Zuma savings!
  • Tabs which help you find product details, related accessories and more.

 

We’re sure that you’ll find our site easier to shop, but if you still have questions or concerns please contact us toll-free at 877-473-4097 or email customerservice@zumaoffice.com. Thanks for choosing Zuma – together we can Do Good Work!

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Zuma T-Shirts Are Here – Get One Free With $125 Order & Spread Good Karma!

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Stephan R Vonn

Don’t you love it when doing one thing accomplishes two? The familiar cliche is killing two birds with one stone, but hey we’re not ones to want to kill two birds. Let’s just say ZumaOffice.com has the perfect way to spread good karma with very little effort.

Zuma has new, really cool t-shirts we’d like give you for free! You get a nice free shirt that looks great, and we get a beautiful moving billboard that spreads the word about Zuma and how we Do Good Work, (that’s the two birds thing).

One of these awesome shirts can be yours for FREE with a $125 order! Here’s how:

Enjoy these top quality shirts! Remember your cart must be at least $125 not counting the shirt!

Enjoy these top quality shirts! Remember your cart must be at least $125 not counting the shirt!

In about 7 – 10 days a new awesome Zuma shirt will arrive at your door!  The shirts are top quality Port & Company 100% cotton and come in white and black. Sizes are Medium, Large, X-Large and XX-Large.

But hurry! Sizes and colors are limited and they will go fast.

Remember to enjoy today, smile randomly at others, and do good work with Zuma!

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Black Friday, Cyber Monday…How About Celebrating #GivingTuesday!

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Stephan R Vonn

We know there are too many great deals out there for everyone to avoid the blitz of consumerism that is Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But, after the shopping rush and bargain chasing, wouldn’t it be awesome if everyone gave back just a little to help those in need?

You won’t see any “Black Friday” crazy deals from ZumaOffice.com. The world really doesn’t need another special offer on office supplies. Instead, we view this season as a time to give thanks for the beauty, blessings and good in the world, and then help others through supporting a favorite charity or community activity that truly makes a difference.

What exactly is Giving Tuesday?

After the commercialism and bargain hunting, let’s all participate in #GivingTuesday!

So what exactly is #GivingTuesday? Here’s a perfect summary from the #GivingTuesday website.

“We have a day for giving thanks. We have two days for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.”

At Zuma, we kick off #GivingTuesday by launching our 4th Annual Capital Area Food Bank Food Drive in conjunction with Vandegrift High School. It helps feed hungry Central Texans and sure feels good knowing it makes a difference, (the last two years we’ve raised almost 6,000 pounds of food – that’s about 4,950 meals!).

Jump into the joy of the season, and consider what you, your business and your family can do for others this #GivingTuesday!

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Zuma Charity Update – Our Customer Votes and Donation Results

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Greg Pierce

We are always excited this time of year to make our annual donations to the great charities we support, and to thank our customers for helping us give back.  Zuma was started with the dream of making a difference by helping others, but we couldn’t do anything without our caring, long-time loyal customers.  Thank you for your support, and for helping us do good work!

It’s very difficult to make a profit in today’s office supplies market, with the major superstores losing money, merging together (Office Depot/OfficeMax,) and creating crazy competition.  We know we must work hard to provide great prices, fast shipping, and personal service to earn your business.  We also know you have many choices on where to buy office supplies, so we are truly grateful for you shopping with Zuma.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research

The V Foundation for Cancer Research is our #2 most popular charity.

I love this quote from Kahlil Gibran:
“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”

Thanks for letting us serve you, and in turn helping Zuma serve others.  Now to the results:

CUSTOMER CHARITY VOTING RESULTS

This is how you, our customers, voted when purchasing at ZumaOffice.com during our fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, (charities listed in order of votes received).  Our annual donations are based on the percentage of votes for each charity:

  1. Best Friends Animal Society – Animal Relief & Rescue
  2. The V Foundation for Cancer Research – Cancer Research
  3. Fisher House Foundation – Military Families
  4. Big Brothers / Big Sisters – Children Mentorship
  5. Save the Children – Children Aid
  6. SafePlace – Domestic Violence Support
  7. Salvation Army – Humanitarian Aid
  8. Capital Area Food Bank – Hunger Prevention
  9. Year Up – Education For Disadvantaged Youth
  10. Prison Entrepreneurship Program – Prison Mentorship

GIVING BACK UPDATE

Since our inception, Zuma has donated well over half our profits to worthy causes.  In fact the real number is over 80% of profits.  Zuma has donated $44,070.44 to the charities we support in our first five full years in business. Most start-up companies take 3-5 years before they reach profitability due to upfront investment, and Zuma is no exception.  However, we made the early decision to be true to our purpose, and donate a minimum of $5000 per year even before we were profitable.

In truth, our profit and giving plans were to give back more by this time.  But, we underestimated how difficult it is to start a business from scratch in an ultra-competitive industry like office supplies.  We are blessed with great customers, awesome employees and wonderful vendors, so we know Zuma will continue to grow and hopefully make a difference as more people hear about our company.

You can be a HUGE help!  Social media is a fantastic and free way to help us reach new customers.  “Like Us” on Facebook and “Follow Us” on Twitter.  Then share our great offers with your friends and spread the word.  We also promise to make you smile with funny and heartwarming posts you’ll want to share.

Fisher House is best known for a network of comfort homes where military families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment.

Fisher House is best known for a network of comfort homes where military families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment.

WHY DOES ZUMA GIVE BACK?

People sometimes ask why we give back.  Here’s why:

  1. To help others who are in need and create joy!
  2. To add meaning to the work life of all Zuma employees.
  3. To educate shoppers about top rated, incredible charities who are truly making a difference.
  4. To be an example to other businesses, and encourage others to adopt a similar “giving back” model.
  5. To encourage our customers to volunteer time and support for their favorite charities.

Should you have any questions regarding our charitable business model, the voting preferences of our customers, or just want to talk about giving back, feel free to email me at gpierce@zumaoffice.com or call 877-473-4097.

Thank you for your business, and working together to DO GOOD WORK!

Please Note: The charities we support are selected by Zuma staff and customer input, and do not reflect an endorsement by those charities of our company or our products. They are simply great organizations we believe in and support.

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Austin Gives Recognizes Businesses Who Give Back

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Stephan R Vonn

Zuma Office Recognizes Winners of Prestigious Award

In 2014, Zuma Office Supply was recognized by Austin Gives, the Mayor of Austin, and John Paul DeJoria with the Charitable Champions Award as one of the most philanthropic businesses in Austin. Also recognized that year were eBay, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Company, both great companies who do good work for others as part of their business model.

This year’s awards were held in downtown Austin and emceed by CBS KEYE News anchors Walt Maciborski and Hema Mullur. The featured speaker and award presenter was Ray Benson, the nine time Grammy Award winner, and leader of Asleep at the Wheel, the beloved Texas Swing band with over 25 albums and fans worldwide. Ray won over the audience with some impromptu music and compelling stories about what giving back means to him, and how he’s worked to help others throughout his life.

Zuma President Greg Pierce with nine time Grammy Award winner Ray Benson at the Austin Gives Awards.

Zuma President Greg Pierce with nine time Grammy Award winner Ray Benson at the Austin Gives Awards.

Austin Gives is about recognition and celebration of business philanthropy, and their goal is for Austin to become the most philanthropic city in the world. It was truly an honor that they recognized how Zuma turns selling office supplies into a means to help others. This is from their website:

“We all know how important business philanthropy is to the well-being and social sustainability of our community. Austin-based businesses have a long standing history of giving back, often with little or no public recognition. Austin Gives: Recognizing Businesses Giving Back is committed to changing this lack of attention and to increasing the level of charitable contributions made to the community by local businesses.

We invite businesses who donate 1% or more of their profits to philanthropy (through monetary donations, donated product or service, or volunteerism) to make the Austin Gives pledge, setting an example for existing and new businesses making our city their home.”

Austin Gives viewed Zuma’s model of donating over 50% of profits to charity, plus our corporate volunteerism with multiple charities as truly above and beyond. This included our annual Capital Area Food Bank food drive, in partnership with Vandegrift High School, which has raised thousands of pounds of food and healthy meals for families all across Central Texas.

Zuma recognizes the winners of this years Austin Gives GeneroCity Awards!

Zuma recognizes the winners of this years Austin Gives GeneroCity Awards!

Zuma sends out special congratulations to this year’s winners, recognizing them as revolutionaries in how business is done the right way — through giving back to the community and helping others. The winners are: Silicon Labs, Yellow Cab and South Texas Money Management. Congratulations to all!

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