JANESVILLE, Wis. -- A weekend Valentine’s Day is tough on florists, with businesses reporting up to a 20 percent drop in revenue compared to a weekday holiday.

Add to that the increased competition from online ordering services -- not to mention the stumbling economy -- and it's no surprise that local florists don't believe that Valentine's Day 2009 will be one of their best. One Janesville florist is hoping to buck the downward trend by promising to help out other organizations in need, WISC-TV reported.

Fairview Florist is looking to boost business by making sure that others benefit by their sales.

Tom Carlson, the owner of Fairview Florist, has grown up with the flower industry.

"We're still here. We're in our 82nd year, so I guess we're doing a few things right. But you have to think outside of the box," said Carlson.

The latest result of his "outside the box" thinking is “Flowers for a Good Cause.”

Carlson said he hopes to level the playing field with online businesses that take floral orders and then charge the customers and his store for processing.

"I processed an order yesterday that came from an ordering service in Texas," said Carlson, referring to an order placed by a Janesville resident.

A $3 donation will be made to a number of non-profit organizations for each "Flowers for a Good Cause" purchase made through Carlson’s website, fairfiewflorist.com.

Purchasers can choose what organization they wish to help by entering in a promotion code. For example, an order with the promotion code of "rockhumane" translates into a donation for the Rock County Humane Society.

Many groups in Rock County need the help, especially as jobs in the region continue to disappear, WISC-TV reported.

"It's really putting us in more of a dire need of simple things like this. That three dollars is going to make a huge difference to the animals here and what we can provide to the community," said James Hurley, interim executive director of the Rock County Humane Society.

Nearly 20 organizations are on board with "Flowers for a Good Cause," and the program continues to grow.

By promoting "Flowers for a Good Cause," those 20 organizations benefit financially, and the increased business for Fairview Florist means the program is a "win-win."

"We have all of these people that are passionate about helping their organization, and they're promoting the name 'Fairview Florist,'" said Carlson.

In the month since "Flowers for a Good Cause" went on-line, interest in the program has been steadily increasing.

So anyone considering some belated Valentine's Day flowers can help others while they make up for missing the holiday.