"Free Messages for Free Minds"
Mini Billboards in Every Classroom
7 Hours Per Day - Every Day
TissueBox Donations
Our Story: From Tissues for Kids to Empowering GenZalpha Minds
Impact the elusive GenZalpha audience by donating, embracing, and relating.
The Sneezers Chapter
TissueBox Donations was born out of a retail line of licensed facial tissues for kids called Sneezers. Sneezers boxes were emblazoned with Looney Tunes, Blues Clues, Barbie, Sesame Street and Rugrats, and appealed to mothers with small kids. Sold at Walmart, Target, CVS, Kroger and most every retailer in the grocery, drug and mass sectors, Sneezers started to lose market share to Kleenex and eventually lost its shelf space.
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Leftover Tissues, Overwhelming Gratitude
Stuck with thousands of extra licensed tissue boxes, we were legally obligated to either destroy or donate the extra boxes no longer sold at retail. We decided to blindly donate the tissue boxes to middle and high schools. More than 90% of the middle and high schools that received free tissue boxes emailed a thank-you note and asked for more, or to be put on the list for free boxes of tissues. Tissue Box Donations (TBD) was founded, the list of participating schools grew and we had a few customers that wanted to help the schools while engaging with GenZalphas — Lions Gate Films, Virgin Mobile, and the Discovery Channel, to name a few. After a period of hibernation, TBD decided on the Free Messages for Free Mind concept, a simple way to embrace GenZalpha concerns while allowing sponsors to partner with us. We even added QR codes so GenZalphas would feel tech-connected to each box. From a marketing perspective, our tissue boxes are referred to as “mini-billboards” and/or “cardboard influencers!”
The Birth of Free Messages for Free Minds
We didn't stop there. We partnered with the Ad Council and the US Army to create the "boostUp.org" campaign, addressing high school graduation rates in NYC schools. This successful collaboration solidified our mission: leveraging tissue boxes for positive messages aimed directly at GenZalphas.
Our Growth and Impact Today
Since then, TissueBox Donations has grown significantly
We now have an active network of over 15,000 middle schools, high schools, and colleges across 48 states
Through our "Free Messages for Free Minds" program, we reach millions of Gen Zalpha students with essential supplies and uplifting messages each week
OUR ALL VOLUNTEER STAFF
MICHAEL AYER
FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE VOLUNTEER
Michael has 25 years sales, marketing, and management experience working with the largest companies and agencies in the world.
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ALEXANDER BETZ
MARKETING & ART VOLUNTEER
Alexander is a Business and Marketing senior at Brooklyn College, also a Gen Zalpha consumer and advocate. Alex helps with digital artwork, marketing and graphics.
Tim Caldwell
OPERATIONS & LOGISTICS VOLUNTEER
Tim has 30 years experience in manufacturing, logistics and operations
working at CPGs, Media, Retail, and Pharma.
