In a novel approach to selling utility services, Verizon is enlisting the help of school children and charities.

Students or non-profit organizations can earn up to $65 for every new customer who signs up. The telecom is pitching its Verizon Velocity fundraising program as an alternative to selling cookies or candy bars door to door.

Students just spread the word, and a Verizon representative makes the sale. Schools get credit when a new customer mentions the school’s name or account. Although I doubt that Verizon is discouraging students from going door to door.

Verizon Products	Donation Amount
Verizon FiOS® Internet	$25.00
Verizon High Speed Internet (768Kbps & 3.0Mbps)	$25.00
DIRECTV®	$20.00
Verizon FiOS® TV	$20.00
Verizon Freedom Calling	$10.00
Verizon Long Distance	$10.00
Additional Line	$10.00

Verizon Velocity partnered with the California State PTA and the program has been going on for a few months at some Orange County schools, including the William T. Newland Elementary School, Hope View Elementary School and Spring View Middle School, all in Huntington Beach. The local PTA gets the money. A few other O.C. schools and groups I spotted on the participant list hail from Westminster and Garden Grove.

Most of those schools happen to be in Verizon FiOS territory, which is a newish form of TV and Internet service over fiber-optic cables. But students can also sell Verizon’s bundled phone and Internet deal offering DirecTV service. Selling all three services — Internet, phone and TV — can get the school $65 per customer. Looks like wireless service is not included.

As an extra incentive, the top three schools will get an extra $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, for their cause.  No one has managed this feat yet.

Any school or charity groups can participate in the program by signing up at this link.

This sales tactic is an interesting approach for a utility, which has experienced roadblocks rolling out its new TV and Internet service. In neighborhoods where the incumbent TV service is offering deals to keep customers, Verizon needs another way to entice new customers and it could be in the form of a neighborhood kid’s school project.

If you are trying to give your local school credit for signing up with Verizon, make sure you call the right number to order service. A list of participating organizations is at velocity.vzcomportal.com/organizations.aspx.

Separately, Verizon also has a little “fundraiser” open to existing customers. Its Refer A Friend program pays out $150 for helping sign up any new customer.

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