This year, for the Fourth of July, on the suggestion of a local resident to dress up a city-owned park with flags, our club launched its first “commercial” component of the flag program.  Fifty flags, one tagged for each state, were anchored around the city’s Millennium Park Fountain at City of Irving, Texas - City Hall; then, through community outreach (primarily through the club’s social media efforts which were amplified by the Mayor), 44 of those 50 flags were quickly sponsored by residents at $100 each (some club members, but many not) with a connection to those states.  
The opportunity then also allowed the Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau and Irving Convention Center to join the program, and they sponsored 50 flags surrounding their site in an area of town where we believe there will be many more commercial opportunities.
With these commercial locations, our intent is to dedicate rotating teams of club members to be responsible at these specific locations.  This would allow our club to keep 100% of the proceeds for these special locations.
 
The Irving-Las Colinas Rotary Club established its Flags Over Irving flag subscription program in 2003.  The program has grown to more than 1,500 annual subscribers, who pay $45 per year to have beautiful 3’x5’ US flags mounted on 10’ metal poles and flown in front of their homes five times a year:  Memorial Day, Flag Day, July Fourth, Labor Day/Patriot’s Day and Veteran’s Day.  Neighborhood associations and homeowner groups can also sponsor flags for their neighborhood common areas at $30 each.
 
This residential program has grown so large that we now have several non-profit partners, primarily Boy Scout troops and packs, who deliver and pick up the flags on the five holidays.  Subscriptions are promoted primarily through neighborhood outreach by club members and current subscribers.  There is also a dedicated website, www.flagsoverirving.com, where residents can get more information and subscribe. We also promote it on our Facebook page, our club’s primary social media initiative.