Fundraising & Promotions Guide 2011 by Momentummedia

AUG

Vol. 7 2011 No. 1

guide

t h e so u r c e fo r s ports boos ter c lu bs and teams

Tips for increasing booster club revenue

Case studies of successful fundraisers

w w w. f u n d r a i s i n g f o r s p o r t s . c o m

*Based on the price of the VSBX-328LED

Turn Your Scoreboard Into a Revenue Stream! Smartronics Electronic Sponsor Panels are a perfect addition for organizations looking to create funding opportunities at sporting events. The innovative design is perfect for a new scoreboard installation, or it can even replace an existing static panel at the top or bottom of a previous scoreboard installation.

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www.VarsityScoreboards.com Circle No. 144

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CONTENTS FEATURED COMPANIES......................................................... FR4 To assist in your fundraising endeavors, we provide descriptions of products and services.

SELLING SPONSORSHIPS....................................................... FR8 In South Carolina, Conway High School offers corporate sponsors many different options.

BRINGING ON THE HEAT.................................................... FR10 At East Dubuque (Ill.) High School, Wingfest fills a whole downtown block.

HORSE SENSE..................................................................... FR12 Virtual horseracing brings in $13,000.

ONE PASS, ALL GAMES........................................................ FR14 Sports passes include four levels of membership.

MONEY FOR DRIVING........................................................ FR18 Participating with Ford and Lincoln’s school programs is an easy fundraiser.

ENDOWING FOR THE FUTURE............................................ FR20 When should your athletics booster club start building an endowment?

ATHLETIC DIRECTORS TEAM UP........................................... FR22 Three high schools team up to raise $125,000 through a golf fundraiser.

LOTTERY LUNACY................................................................ FR24 A night filled with games, food and fun.

A LITTLE BLUEGRASS............................................................ FR26 The 2nd Annual Orange & Bluegrass Festival tripled money raised.

Publisher - Mark Goldberg Marketing Director - Sheryl Shaffer Ad Materials Coordinator - Mike Townsend Editor in Chief - Eleanor Frankel Business Manager - Pennie Small

Circulation Director - Dave Dubin Production Director - Maria Bise Prepress Manager - Neal Betts Production Assistant - Trish Landsparger

Advertising Sales Associates: Diedra Harkenrider, (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Pat Wertman, (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 Business and Editorial Offices: 31 Dutch Mill Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970, Fax (607) 257-7328 • info@MomentumMedia.com

The Fundraising and Promotions Guide is published by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school athletic directors and booster clubs in the United States and Canada. Copyright © 2011 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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F EATURED COMPANIES

Gold Medal Products Co. For 80 years, Gold Medal has led the concession industry with innovations and cost-saving equipment to help fundraisers keep more profits. Gold Medal is the one-stop source for the equipment and supplies for the foods that typically make more than 80-percent profit margins. Unique advantages of Gold Medal’s fundraising products and services: • Products average 70-80 percent profit margins thanks to low food costs and high selling prices. • The machines are durable, and a cinch to clean and run to keep your profits popping for years to come. • Gold Medal is a one-stop shop for concession equipment and supplies to save you time and money. Web site includes: • Online catalog and profit calculator • Support documents to increase profits/overall sales • Videos, webinars, and practical success stories • Additional, profitable fundraising suggestions

The Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program is a profitable, easy, and fun way to raise the money you need and earn big dough.The more you sell, the more profit you earn per item—from $5-$7 for every kit sold. Unique advantages of Little Caesars’ fundraising products and services: • Big profit • Big brand means big sales • Quality and value Web site includes: • Run your sale from start to finish online • Download announcement letters, reminder messages, and more • View products, ingredients, and nutritional information • Buy Pizza Kits online with home delivery

800-543-0862 • www.gmpopcorn.com

888-4-LC-KITS • www.PizzaKit.com

Circle No. 601 • See ad on page FR 11

Circle No. 602 • See ad on page FR 25

SMi Awards To serve your recognition needs, SMi Awards offers fast delivery and prompt, dependable customer service that is backed by 24 years of business experience.The company’s in-house graphics department allows for unique and appropriate customization of awards to ensure quality, and SMi Awards stands 100-percent behind its products with an unparalleled satisfaction guarantee. SMi Awards now offers more than 300,000 unique fundraising and promotional products, all available on our Web site with easy search and filtering options. Unique advantages of SMi Awards’ fundraising products and services: • Customized products allow boosters to generate funds and increase school and community morale • More than 300,000 fundraising and promotional products available on our Web site • The company stands behind its products, answers customers’ phone calls and questions, and guarantees satisfaction.

800-326-8463 • www.smiawards.com Circle No. 611 • See ad on page FR 25

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Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program

Strapworks, LLC Strapworks provides a new approach to fundraising that includes a great profit margin to your fundraising efforts with completely unique products such as lanyards, wristbands, belts, bag straps, and mousepads using your school colors and logos. Strapworks products are unique, collectable, and profitable. Unique advantages of Strapworks’ fundraising products and services: • Unique, collectable products • Made in the USA • No minimums Web site includes: • Easy navigation • Wide variety • Complete customization available • 10 product lines

541-741-0658 • www.strapworks.com Circle No. 604 • See ad on page FR 21

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FEATURED CO MPANIES

2011 fundraising and pro m ot i o n s Gu i d e

The StadiumChair Company StadiumChair products are perfect for imprinting team mascots, making them ideal fundraisers.The chairs and cushions can be printed on both sides for sponsors who will pay to advertise their business. Fans will love the comfort and durability of these products. Unique advantages why StadiumChair’s products are right for today’s school sports fundraising environment: • The chair can be printed with the team mascot on one side, and the other side is open to sell to companies to advertise their business and show their support. • Booster Clubs and schools can easily earn high returns for minimal efforts—the products almost sell themselves. • The popular StadiumChair is the most comfortable, highest-quality product on the market, giving the fan years of support and use.

Just imagine what you can do!

800-242-7757 • www.stadiumchair.com Circle No. 605 • See ad on page FR 15

JustFundraising.com With $1 and $2 premium chocolate bars, cookie dough, reusable cloth bags, and gourmet lollipops, teams will find JustFundraising.com’s fast service, nationwide distribution, one-case minimum ordering, and easy-to-sell fundraising solutions a good fit for their needs. Unique advantages of JustFundraising.com’s fundraising products and services: • Up to 90-percent profit • No upfront cost on most fundraisers • Price-match guarantee • Easy-to-distribute, dry-mix cookie dough requires no refrigeration • Now available: enviro-friendly, eco-chic reusable cloth bags!

Web site includes:

• 25 proven fundraisers from which to choose • Free gift for new customers • Free information kit

1-800-228-9028

www.allamericanfr.com 888-440-4114 • www.justfundraising.com Circle No. 607 • See ad on page FR 19

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SINCE 1968 F

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F EATURED COMPANIES

Enhance Carpet and Matting Systems, Inc. ECMS is a leader in high-performance sports logo matting. Generate sponsor dollars while branding your athletic programs and enhancing your school with our cleat-resistant and stain proof inset logo carpet and matting, which is great for athletic facilities and entryways. Unique advantages of Enhance Carpet and Matting Systems’ fundraising products and services: • Unique designs specific to your school and sport (football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, tennis) • Create a lasting and functional impression that sponsors can enjoy for years • Use for event promotions, tailgating, or to protect the track entrance for the players entering the field Web site includes: • Current collegiate and high school projects • Free custom design and logo proofs • Benefits and improvements to buildings • Branding your school

404-917-6325 or 404-312-4206 www.collegiatemats.com

Circle No. 608 • See ad on page FR 9

Metro Signs Advertising, Inc. For over 30 years, Metro Signs has been designing and building high-quality custom signs and innovative signage display systems. Metro Signs prides itself on unprecedented service and remarkable turn times for custom signage. Unique advantages of Metro Signs’ fundraising products and services: • Unique product selection that helps draw attention to your message • Customization and design from individual signs to signage integration planning • Speed. Short timelines are not a problem. Web site includes: • Product descriptions and pricing • Easy file transfer for high-resolution images • Design templates for unique products • Picture galleries of our products at work

800-441-0627 • www.1-metro.com

Circle No. 610 • See ad on page FR 21

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Otis Spunkmeyer Otis Spunkmeyer makes it easy to make more money for whatever your team needs. Otis Easy Direct-to-You is a simpleto-execute fundraising program that gives you the support you need—from start to finish. Unique advantages of Otis Spunkmeyer’s fundraising products and services: • As a stable, long-standing company, Otis Spunkmeyer provides peace-of-mind from over 20 years of fundraising experience • The Otis Easy Direct-to-You Fundraising Program requires minimal work. Otis will deliver your order directly to your team, plus unload and stage the product at a location and time that’s convenient. • A wide variety of gourmet-quality flavors and convenient re-sealable, re-usable packaging make it more attractive to customers Web site includes: • Downloadable forms and point-of-sale materials that will ensure a successful fundraising event • Fundraising ideas to easily sell—and make—more dough • Video overview to show just how painless delivery day can be

770-476-7587 • www.spunkmeyer.com Circle No. 609 • See ad on page FR 28

Diamond Yards Engraved Bricks Diamond Yards Engraved Bricks helps schools of all sizes raise the funds they need over and over again. Prices never increase once a program starts, and customers can take advantage of free delivery, free order form design, no minimum orders, and special incentive programs for all paver projects. Unique advantages of Diamond Yards’ fundraising products and services: • 10/10 program—for every 10 big bricks (4” x 8” or 8” x 8” bricks) ordered, the company donates one free brick • Rebate system for referrals • Everyone in the community has a chance to participate

812-430-2725 • www.diamondyardsbricks.com Circle No. 603 • See ad on page FR 13

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F EATURED COMPANIES

Gone Logo

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Varsity Scoreboards

Gone Logo provides custom embroidery and screenprinting for high school and college fundraising projects, with offerings that include stadium chairs,T-shirts, hoodies, and hats.The company offers nationwide distribution along with online graphic designs to help with any artwork needs.

Varsity Scoreboards, one of America’s largest and highly trusted scoreboard manufacturers, guarantees the lowest prices in the industry with its state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor scoreboards—save 33 percent or more by buying direct. Varsity Scoreboards can meet the scoring needs of every budget.

Unique advantages of Gone Logo’s fundraising products and services: • Quick turnarounds and combination pricing to maximize profits

Unique advantages of Varsity Scoreboards’ fundraising products and services: • Quickest lead-time in the scoreboard industry. • No funds? No problem. Consider the convenient leasing program. • Toll-free phone lines are available 24/7 to friendly, knowledgeable representatives.

• Multiple color capabilities and combination discounts available

Web site includes: • Same-day quote request • Custom graphic rendering • Full product catalog • Build and buy scoreboards online

800-430-3875 • www.gonelogo.com Circle No. 606 • See ad on page FR 27

All American Fund Raising All American Fund Raising was started in 1968. We have helped sport organizations and clubs raise funds through our brochure and discount card programs. Our American Spirit custom mug program has been successful in helping groups raise funds. Unique advantages of All American Fund Raising’s products and services: • 100% Customer Satisfaction • Custom Products • Family Owned Company • SEE = Simple, Easy, Effective • Great Profits • Great Sportswear Incentives Web site includes: • Online Store • Over 600 magazines • Over 600 different products

800-323-7745 • www.varsityscoreboards.com Circle No. 600 • See ad on page FR 2

HighSchoolBlanket.com Spirit Wraps are custom-designed and easy to order. HighSchoolBlanket.com is working with GroupRateIt–an online, completely integrated social media web platform designed to effortlessly allow athletic organizations to fundraise without ANY money out of their pocket, without ANY risk, stress or commitment associated with traditional retail fundraising programs. Unique advantages of Gone Logo’s fundraising products and services: • Custom logos generate excitement and team pride • High profits and excellent value • No up-front payment requirement • Social media fundraising platform • Free registration Web site includes: • Online customer dashboard • Design examples • Customized school shopping cart • Video introduction

800-228-9028 • www.allamericanfr.com

801-747-1011 • www.highschoolblanket.com

Circle No. 612 • See ad on page FR 5

Circle No. 613 • See ad on page FR 23

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Selling

Sponsorships In South Carolina, Conway High School offers corporate sponsors many different options, including signage, game sponsorships, and a special letterman’s package.

By Mike Phelps Assistant Editor, Athletic Management

onway (S.C.) High School has utilized a corporate sponsorship program to help raise money for its athletic program since the early 1980s, when Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Chuck Jordan first came on board. The program has been tweaked here and there over the years, but the underlying philosophy remains the same. “It’s all about the students,” says Matt Varnadore, Associate Athletic Director of Marketing at Conway, who handles the school’s sponsorship efforts. “We always keep our students in mind and we do this for them to make their time at Conway High School memorable. If you can relay that message to local businesses, they’ll want to help out in any way they can.” Varnadore and a booster club of roughly 30 volunteers are charged each year with soliciting local businesses and organizations for sponsorships. There are usually around 30 corporate sponsors each year. “The booster club gets out in the community and talks to business leaders,” Varnadore says. “My job is to oversee our corporate sponsor list, take care of them, and work with them on whatever they want to do.” Corporate sponsors at Conway have a number of packages available to them. Businesses can place signage on one of three score-

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boards (at the football, baseball, and softball fields), purchase an annual sponsorship which allows them to advertise at numerous events, become a football game sponsor, purchase a membership to the Conway Solid Gold booster club, or join the CHS Letterman’s Association. Membership in the booster club involves hosting fundraisers during the year, while the Letterman’s Association is designed for those who lettered in a varsity sport at Conway and want to continue to support the athletic program. For a small annual fee, participants receive a letterman’s lapel pin and their name listed in the football program. “Our sponsors are phenomenal and we get good response to the program every year,” Varnadore says. “We’ve got people waiting to get

on the scoreboards. All our coaches have done a phenomenal job of creating a good athletic atmosphere in Conway. People enjoy coming to our games and being part of the program in some fashion.” Another popular package is the football game sponsorship program. Businesses can pick a specific home game to sponsor and have the entire night dedicated to their business. Game sponsors are entitled to 12 general admission tickets, use of a “view box,” which is like a press box, and four public address announcements. A game sponsorship at Conway costs $500 for a corporate game sponsor and $1,000 for a non-corporate sponsor. “We cater the view box with food, and there’s television and air conditioning,” Varnadore says. “They

have a bird’s eye view of the game. They’re also able to set up a booth and have giveaways, raffles, and things of that nature. We develop the night around what they want to do. Anything to advertise their business.” For administrators at other schools looking to get a corporate sponsorship program off the ground, Varnadore suggests starting small. “The easiest thing to start with is a banner program––create some sort of signage campaign where businesses can buy banners and put their logo on the fence,” he says. “Then, don’t be afraid to ask business owners and community leaders for help. If they don’t know there’s a need, then they don’t know to help. You’ll find that if you ask, a lot of them are willing.” v

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bringing

on the heat At East Dubuque (Ill.) High School, Wingfest fills a whole downtown block and raises $15,000 for high school athletics.

By John Digman East Dubuque (Ill.) High School Booster Club

hen we started Wingfest about six years ago, we were looking for a fundraiser where we wouldn’t have to beat on people’s doors year after year. We knew that people like festivals, and there was already an annual chili cook-off in town, so I suggested a chicken wing festival. I figured we could host an event for the whole community, and raise some money in the process. When I pitched the idea, there were some people who had cold feet. But like with any other fundraiser, you can’t worry about failing. If you want to succeed, you’ve got to go for it, and that’s what we did. We started small. That first year, eight cooks formed a half-circle in an empty lot in East Dubuque. It was a hit, and every year, it keeps getting bigger. At our last event, we had more than 20 contestants, who lined both sides of Main Street. We charge a $50 entry fee for each contestant, and there are separate competitions for restaurants and backyard cooks. There are winners

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Student-athletes volunteer to help run the events, so when people come to Wingfest, they see our kids are donating their time, and that means a lot. and prizes for different categories, such as barbecue, traditional, and unique wings. There’s a people’s choice award and a showmanship award, which has become a lot of fun. Our judges are celebrities from the community, like local politicians, coaches, and members of the media. At this point, we probably have a 50-50 balance of pros and amateurs, and we have groups like the Lions Club, which has participated every year. Cooks have a good time coming up with themes and razzing each other. It doesn’t cost anything to come to

the festival, but we do charge attendees for sampling the wings. To keep things simple, we sell punch cards with 10 wings for $5. We get a lot of support from businesses too, with corporate sponsorships that range from $1,500 up to $3,500. It’s important to us to keep the event really family friendly. So we have live music, provide free inflatable rides, host games where kids can win prizes, and hold a corn boil, where we give away 125 dozen ears of corn. That’s a lot of corn, but it’s a good way to thank everybody in the community for the support they give us year-round.

We get student-athletes involved, too. They volunteer to help run the events, so when people come to Wingfest, they see our kids are donating their time, and that means a lot. The teams have an opportunity to earn some money of their own too, so if they want to sell ice cream or host a 50-50 raffle, we’ll give them a booth. The first year we hardly made any money. There are a lot of miscellaneous expenses, but we’ve tweaked the formula every year since then, mostly by trial and error. By now we’ve got it pretty well dialed in, and last year, we netted about $15,000. Every year, more people come, and over time, Wingfest has become the signature event of the community. It’s a lot of hard work. But at the end of the day, it’s well worth it. v

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Horse Sense Using video projection, virtual horse racing can be an effective fundraiser. The key is creating the atmosphere of a racetrack.

By Teri Mollison Hudson (Ohio) High School Athletic Booster Club

e just finished our second successful year hosting “A Night at the Races,” here in Hudson, Ohio. If you don’t have anything like it in your community, you should definitely give it a shot. You start by hiring a deejay who has the right set-up, which includes videos of old horse races and a sound system so the deejay can call the races live. It’s not important where the races took place or what the odds were. All that matters is that there are 12 horses in each race, which is what you need to turn this into an effective fundraiser. Next, you need to find the right venue. We rented a party center, which provided a buffet dinner along with beer, wine, and soft drinks. The guests started arriving around 6:30 p.m., which gave everyone time to socialize and bid on the silent auction before dinner started at 7 p.m. The first race began at 8 p.m. We had 10 races with 12 horses in each race. Guests could both “buy” horses and bet on horses in all races. In nine of the races, each of the horses was “pre-sold” for $20 apiece, which raised over $2,000. In the 10th, which we called “The Hudson Derby,” we held a raffle, where people could buy one chance to become an “owner” for $5 or three chances for $10. We had volunteers working the 12 betting windows, one for each horse, and before each

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2011 fundraising and pro m ot i o n s Gu i d e

race, people lined up to place their bets, just like you would at a racetrack. There was a $3 minimum on bets—except for the Hudson Derby, which had a $5 minimum. At the end of each race, the winners split 40 percent of the pot, with the other 60 percent going directly to the booster club. In general, the payout for each winner was around $18 or $20. The “owner” of the winning horse got $50 and a little trophy, but every owner donated the $50 back to the booster club. The deejay ran the videos and called the races, using whatever goofy names the owners chose, which made it a lot of fun. For example some of the volleyball parents named their horses things like, DigIt, Game-Set-Match, and JumpServe.

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• Personalized Logo • Text Along with making money on the • Indelibly Marked • Prevent racing, we sold ads for the event pro• Professional Quality Theft gram, which was 48 pages long and

included the names of the horses and their owners, descriptions of o fit basketballs, the silent and live auction items, and , softballs, a letteretc. from the president of the booster club.

New Industries, Inc.we During the course of the evening, 800-964-8251 kept the activities going with other w.brandnew.net gambling games. Heads or Tails is a simple game of chance in which we sold strings of beads that functioned as a lifeline. People could buy one necklace for $5 or three necklaces for $10. Between the ninth and 10th race, the deejay had all the players stand up while he flipped a coin. To bet heads, your put your hands on your head and you bet tails by putting your hands on your behind. If you bet incorrectly, you sit back down—unless you still have a necklace to use as a lifeline.

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lot of fun because a large group of people can play together. The winner received $250, and the booster

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club got the rest of the pot, which was close to $500. We held a 50-50 raffle called The Biggest Loser, in which people wrote their name on a losing race ticket, which they tossed into a vase along with a dollar. Volunteers collected the tickets and money after each race and added them to a glass vase at the front of the room, so everyone could watch the pot grow. We picked

one winner as The Biggest Loser and donated the remaining $200 to the booster club. We finished the night about $13,000 ahead. A lot of that money came from the races, but even more came from the horse sponsorships, the auctions, and all the other fun stuff. The key was creating a festive atmosphere and a mixer where people had plenty of opportunities to interact.v

RAISE $1,000’S WITH AN ENGRAVED BRICKS FUNDRAISER Raise $1000’s

• Sell bricks for a project (like school plazas or field backstops) or to individuals for their own use • Sample display brick available • Tips on how to sell bricks • Bricks available in many sizes & colors • Sell bricksin for a project (like school yards or field • FREE delivery continental U.S. backstops) or to individuOur clients have made over $1 Million in profit als for their own use. • Sample Display Brick Available • Tips on How to Sell Bricks • Bricks Available in Many Sizes & Colors • Free Delivery in Continental U.S.

With An Engraved Bricks Fundraiser

Engraved Bricks Available: High School Championships (any sport) Need turf or new lights? Engraved bricks are a great fundraiser. Sponsorships • Memorials EngravedVeterans Bricks Available: High School / Military • Championships Many More(any sport) • Sponsorships • Memorials • Veterans/Military • Many More

812-430-2725 • timturp15@aol.com

www.diamondyardsbricks.com Circle No. 147

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One pass,

all games At this high school, selling sport passes, including four levels of memberships, grossed about $80,000, including sponsorships.

By Bob Poliachik Apex (N.C.) High School Cougar Club

hrough the course of a typical year there are almost 100 varsity athletic events at Apex High School. If one person were to attend all events and pay gate prices, it would total almost $500! And that does not include any JV contests. The Cougar Club All Sports Pass is a great bargain at $50 for an Individual, $150 for a Family (up to five people), $250 for a Benefactor, and $750 for a Gold Sponsor Membership. One pass gets you into all home events, except endowment games and some playoff contests. It is by far our most popular and lucrative fundraiser. An individual pass costs just 10 percent of what it would at the gate for an entire year. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost a no-brainer decision. And the family pass is even less than that. You get five passes for $150. Even if you just go to football games, which the majority of our fans do, it

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We have a Kick-Off Night in mid-August every year where we sell the passes. We provide hot dogs to the folks and invite all of the coaches from all our teams for everyone to meet. pays for itself. All you have to do is flash the card at the gate. The Gold sponsors are mainly comprised of local companies loyal to the sports program. We have around 80 Gold sponsors this season, up from 72 a season ago. Volunteers from the board are given the names of five local businesses— ideally people they know—and ask them if they would like to sponsor. The personal, one-to-one contact helps. We have excellent community support. We treat our Gold Sponsors like royalty, for obvious reasons. Their

sociated sponsorships, on the sports passes. We order our sports passes for multiple years at once to save on the processing fee. Last time we ordered 4,400 cards, and we sell between 1,200 and 1,500 per year. We also like to keep some extras on hand just in case. The company we use (www. customplasticcard.com) changes the colors and background on the cards for each year and the number sequence would restart, so they can’t be used for multiple people.

membership includes: All Sport passes for family members or five business passes; reserved parking pass for football games; sign on the Patron Board at the Cougar Stadium entrance; a 3’ x 8’ banner displayed at Cougar Stadium; Special Recognition Ceremony at Gold Cougar Patron Night; recognition at all home football games by PA announcer; half page ad in the AHS Sports Program; name on a banner in the AHS gymnasium lobby; and a link from our website’s Gold Sponsors page to their business for the entire year. Typically we make around $75,000$80,000 gross per year, including as-

We have a Kick-Off Night in midAugust every year where we sell the passes. We provide hot dogs to the folks and invite all of the coaches from all our teams for everyone to meet. This is usually done a couple weeks before school starts. It’s a great way to build community spirit and help our sports programs. v

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Spend Less Effort Earn Greater Return – Faster High quality Stadium Chairs are perfect for imprinting or embroidering team mascots. Sell this comfortable, patented Stadium Chair to fans and parents – earning higher returns for the booster club – with less effort. The two-piece canvas back can be printed on BOTH SIDES – one side for the Team Mascot, one side for Sponsor Logos (see inset). Contact us for the name of your Local Dealer. Booster Club Guide to For a guide on using Stadium Chairs in your fundraising, go to www.stadiumchair.com fundr aisingfo r sp ort s. com

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Fundraising

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New FuNdraisiNg services available Through EDS R D N S G HUSAVIGN TIPS R E R FIN OAF T YOU

aise more money from your coupon books and

er Boost d e r r Prefe unt Card Disco

ntra iff Ce

l Hig

H SCH

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iCS

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Why Choose Athletic Management Fundraising Services? n Personalization: We personalize the coupon books and discount cards for your school,

providing a customized approach to meet your teamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; specific needs. Our design will capture the spirit and passion behind your athletic program. n Profitability: You earn more profit per sale than the other coupon booklet/discount

card suppliers. n Progressive: We provide a complete reference manual for your fundraiser. Developed

by a successful high school athletic director who has raised thousands of dollars through the use of coupon booklets and discount cards, the manual includes sample letters and tips for both attracting local businesses and selling the book and cards in the community.

You Keep

Or More Of The Sales! You will receive the following materials to help you attract more businesses and sell all of your discount cards/coupon books: A reference manual prepared by Scott Garvis, Senior Director of Athletics at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Wash., and former District Athletic Director at Burnsville (Minn.) High School – which includes a checklist to follow for conducting your fundraiser and tips for promoting and selling the discount cards

Sample letters and agreements to use in soliciting businesses and finalizing their commitment

Tips for promoting and selling the discount cards or coupon books to members of your community

A flyer showcasing the local businesses – and the total amount of value a purchaser receives – that you can distribute to each purchaser along with the discount card or coupon book

Placards for each of the participating companies to promote the fact that they are proud supporters of your program

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Money for Driving

By partnering with national car manufacturers, this booster club brought in almost $5,000 through a single-day fundraising program.

Melissa Reid Mountlake Terrace (Wash.) High School Sports Booster Club

ur sports booster club is very new. It started last year but only focused on the concession stand. Then a group of us felt there was so much more we could do for the sports teams. So this is really the first year weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been getting organized. The first big fundraiser was May 7 and it was a dual test drive event sponsored by Ford Motor Company. The Drive One 4UR School program, which was developed by Ford in 2007, assists cash-strapped communities in raising up to $6,000 for local high schools in a singleday test-drive event. Lincoln also participates in the Drive Smart For Your School program. So thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another possible $6,000. Photo Courtesy of Drive One 4 UR School Program HQ

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We ended up getting community members to do 283 test drives, which brought in $4,900.

We learned about the fundraiser on Jan. 19 after Harris Ford sent an email to our principal, Greg Schwab. He generally sends any type of fundraising ideas to different groups throughout the school, and he sent this one to us. As soon as I saw it I contacted Harris Ford and said, “We’re in, what do we need to do?” The only commitment from the booster club is to promote the event. Harris Ford handled everything else. So we put up banners and posters and handed out flyers to get people excited about the fundraiser. The booster club has a Facebook page, so we promoted the event through social networking as well.

Other advice is to advertise—a lot. Utilize press releases in a timely way. And use the press materials provided by Ford Motor Company, which are very thorough. v

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To provide an additional fundraiser for us, I also asked one of our local businesses, The Red Onion, to grill food on-site. While this ended up not bringing in a profit, it was a nice way to get more people to the event.

Harris Ford provided 14-16 cars, of which 12-14 were used for testdrives. The other two were placed in a demo area so people could sit in them, try the various amenities,

UT - F R E

an yk onfections

We also had a chance to earn an additional $6,000 via a three-minute (or less) video testimonial. Ford will match whatever we make if our video is chosen. The video can incorporate test-driving, interviews, or overall impressions of the fundraiser. We found a student to do two videos, and we will find out later this year if either of them is a winner.

We held the test drive fundraiser at our school from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We made it clear that this is a free test drive—not a way for Harris Ford to sell cars. There was no pressure to buy.

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We ended up getting community members to do 283 test drives, which brought in $4,900. There were 207 test drives on the cars that earned us $20 each and 76 test drives on the new Ford Focus, with the $10 bonus.

My advice for others interested in signing on for the Drive One 4UR School program is to keep this as two separate events, one for Fords and one for Lincolns, as outlined in the program rules. They run them in the spring (sign up in January) and in the fall (sign up in May). Haing both together meant a ton of test drives to try to get to the maximum number. Separating them would have been more manageable.

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The “Original” ONE DOLLAR BAR

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We worked in conjunction with Harris Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, a local dealership in Lynnwood, Wash. It’s the first time the local dealership was doing this type of fundraiser.

and ask questions. The 2012 Ford Focus came onto the lot that week and there was a bonus $10 per test drive (200 max) available through the Focus Bonus drive.

The way it works is that for each qualified driver, $20 will be donated by the car company to the school, up to $6,000. The more test drives, the more money earned! A qualified driver has to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. There’s a limit of one driver per household.

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ENDOWING

FOR THE FUTURE When should your athletics booster club start building an endowment? This author has a one-word answer: now.

By Mal Scanlan Development Officer, Cretin Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn.

hether you’re at a public school or a private school, an endowment should be the backstop of your finances. It’s the underpinning of everything else, especially the plans for your long-term future, and if you haven’t established one, you need to think about it right away. An annual fund is subject to the stresses of the economy, which we can all see very clearly right now. An endowment is much safer, and even when endowment returns decrease, you’re still going to have a reliable source of income—assuming you manage your funds well. If you do, that’s money you can count on. At a time like this, you need to approach people with the pitch that their gift will put your organization in position to weather financial uncertainties. If your organization is stable and your mission is worthwhile, your key benefactors are going to be supportive of starting an endowment. You tell them, “I know you’ve been supporting this organization for a long time. You’re one of our best friends, and we’d like you to be one of the lead donors to help us start this endowment program.” Operate under the assumption that these people are your strongest supporters. They

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believe in what you’re doing, and they’ve been supporting you consistently over some period of time. Does that mean they’re going to immediately write you a check for $100,000? Probably not. But if they already have a head for business, you don’t need to persuade them about the importance of starting an endowment. They already get it. A few years ago, there was a lot of money for giving. Everybody thought they were rich. It’s not as easy as it was then, but there’s still a lot of wealth out there. In the midst of the financial meltdown, I talked to a gentleman who said, “I may have lost 20 percent of my assets, but those assets were overvalued anyway, and I still have a lot left.” To me, that underlined the importance of having an organizational mission you can effectively communicate to

your supporters. Right or wrong, some people may think there’s a lot of waste in the public school system, and that may make it harder for them to contribute to your organization. But by keeping their money outside the system—by placing it in an endowment—they can protect their money and make sure it goes where they want. Another problem with public schools is the leadership changes so frequently that people hesitate to donate money. My counter argument for them is, “If you put the money into restricted endowments, it doesn’t matter who’s running the school district. If the money is specifically earmarked for athletics, nobody else can touch it.” There are lots of good reasons why people at public schools are setting

up endowments, but they all come down to one thing: kids. You need a new stream of revenue that will carry your program into the future, taking care of the generations to come. The rule of thumb is that you’re always going to reinvest into the endowment. Let’s say you have $50,000 in your endowment, and it earns 8 percent. Each year, you adjust for inflation, distribute half of the earnings, and reinvest the other half back in the endowment. There’s never an easy time to start an endowment, because everybody is always fixated on annual cash gifts. They’re focused on the money they need here and now. But benefactors understand the importance of financial stability, and even if it takes time to set up an endowment, it will keep paying dividends in the long run.v

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Athletic

directors team up

To help restore coaching stipends that were cut from their budgets, three athletic directors teamed up to raise $125,000 through a golf fundraiser. By Ray Moore Athletic Director, Vista Murrieta (Calif.) High School

ith the permission of our school district, Darin Mott of Murrieta Valley, Bill Bree of Murrieta Mesa, and myself, as athletic directors, have established the nonprofit Murrieta Valley Unified School District High School Athletic Foundation. The group provides ongoing support for athletics in the district. Murrieta Valley Unified faced a $14 million budget shortfall in 2010-11, and we are going to lose 23 coaching stipends from the three high schools in our district. So we created a golf event, the High School Athletic Foundation Golf Challenge, to raise money for all three high schools. Last year we had 66 golfers and raised $87,000. The Second Annual High School Athletic Foundation Golf Challenge held April 11 got close to 100 golfers and raised $125,000. Golf is the vehicle, but we arrange this similar to Relay for Life, where each golfer doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to pay a dime. The golfers go out and get corporate sponsors or individual sponsors. Our goal is to get $5,000 per foursome in sponsorships. The minimum we want our golfers to raise is $500. The target goal is $1,250

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The event is a best ball scramble, followed by a luncheon, and we also have a silent auction. Each player gets a packet of gifts. per golfer. We’d love to have the golf course donated but we pay for it. We actually work with a company called Golf for Goodness Sake, which specializes in golf fundraising events and consulting. Our cost per golfer is $49 plus the cost of the luncheon, which is about $10. The event is a best ball scramble, followed by a luncheon, and we also have a silent auction. Each player gets a packet of gifts. Last year we distributed small luggage bags from one of our local vendors at a discounted price. This year we provided

logoed golf gloves we got through Golf for Goodness Sake. Many of our sports vendors donate prizes and are hole sponsors. Last year we had 52 hole sponsors at a cost of $250 per hole. We also have incentives for the golfers in terms of money raised. If they raise $1,250 they get to select an item after the tournament from the Callaway Golf store on the premises. In our first year, they got golf shoes. This year they chose between shoes or a putter. If the golfers raise $2,500 they get to select a prize from the Callaway store

plus a fleece lined jacket embroidered with the logo of the school of their choice from the three participating schools. If they raise $5,000 they choose an item from the Callaway store and a Gore-Tex-like warmup. And if they raise $10,000 they get two selections from the Callaway store and both of the jackets. We pay a discounted price for the Callaway items. The jackets come from one of our local vendors, who handles our sporting goods, and they give them to us at a reduced price. They’ve also donated $900 worth of golf balls for the tournament. All three high schools have joined together for a common goal. We are tremendous competitors in the athletic arena. But when something is going to affect kids in a negative way, we join forces to combat that.v

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Lottery Lunacy

In Westbury, N.Y., an annual night of games, fun, and food has become a staple in the community, and a great fundraiser for athletics.

By Wally Kakareko W.T. Clarke High School (Westbury, N.Y.) Booster Club

e’ve held a fundraiser for the past four years called Lottery Lunacy, which is a reverse number drawing. We post the numbers, say 1 to 300, on a board, and then we pick the numbers in reverse order. So if your number is drawn, you get taken off the board until there is one number left, who is the winner and receives $1,000. In between, every 25 tickets or so, we do something fun, like trivia or a question for a prize. We call it an indoor tailgate party. You sit at a table and bring whatever you want to eat and drink: whether it’s champagne and caviar or Buffalo wings and a bottle of wine. We sell tickets at $20 for two people. Most people reserve a table of 10 for $200. Or you can sit wherever you want to and meet people and make new friends. We set up the hall at around 5 p.m., putting the tables up and decorating the room, then we start pulling the numbers around 7:30 p.m. I handle the MC duties and keep things fun and loose. It also keeps costs down so we don’t have to hire anyone. Every 15 minutes we try to break things up with a trivia question. We pass out a sheet with

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This is our main fundraising event each year. The first year we only had about 110 people but we’ve gotten it to a high as 465 people. 10 questions on it and whoever gets the most right without Googling on their cell phones wins a prize. We also spice things up a bit by asking if people have certain items in their possession at the time. For example, we might ask who has the most toothbrushes or the most credit cards. We once had a woman who had 47 credit cards. The winners get $25. We conduct a 50/50 raffle by using playing cards. I have four decks of cards with blue backs and red backs. We charge $5 a card. I rip the cards in half, with half going to the person and the other half in a bag. Then I

Facebook, and word of mouth. We go around to local businesses and solicit donations and prizes. We have a local deli that donates a six-foot hero. We also receive gift certificates to local restaurants, sports tickets, and gift baskets (e.g., basket of cheer or a day at the spa) from various businesses in town.

pick the cards in reverse. I will tease the audience and say, “Okay, who has a red back? Everybody with a red back stand up.” Then when they stand up I tell them to sit down because they’re out. We continue until the last card is drawn. Then I might say, “Who has the eight of spades?” One person will get up screaming, thinking they’ve won. But they forget there are four decks of cards. It’s a lot of fun.

This year’s fundraiser was held April 30 at the Levittown Hall in Levittown, N.Y., which is near us. We rent the hall for five hours for $150. At the end of the night we tip some of the workers for helping us clean up. Those are our expenses, and this year we made $7,000.

This is our main fundraising event each year. The first year we only had about 110 people but we’ve gotten it as high as 465 people. We advertise the event via the school Web site,

The planning for this event starts about a month to six weeks in advance. It’s a pretty easy fundraiser to do if you have four to six reliable people to help make it work.v

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A little

bluegrass

The 2nd Annual Orange & Bluegrass Festival tripled the money it made last year, raising $1,200.

By Mark Kirk Vernon (Fla.) High School Athletics Booster Club

ur town, which is 32 miles north of Panama City Beach, is so small that we cannot depend on local businesses to help us with fundraising. So we tried to figure out a way to raise money without having our kids hit up the six businesses that we can pull from. Bonifay, which is within 10 miles of us, has an annual rodeo where they raise a lot of money. Chipley, which is 12 miles away, has a watermelon festival, which does well. We introduced the Orange & Bluegrass Festival two years ago. Bluegrass is real big down here on the Florida panhandle, so we thought it was a great idea. It’s a way to have a fundraiser without asking people to donate. And the name of the festival is real catchy because our school colors are blue and orange, so it worked out well. Last year’s event was held at our football stadium and was challenged by extremely hot weather as well as other logistical issues. We started to plan early this year, and with the gracious help of the Washington County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and The Groves RV Retreat in Vernon, which donated use of its facility, we were able to offer a fantastic event, in a cool, beautiful setting. The Groves RV Park is billed as, “The Florida Panhandle’s Premier RV Retreat,” and consists

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Danny Hood, one of our football coaches, has a bluegrass band. And he knows a lot of other bluegrass bands from the area. So he asked them to help us out. We had six bluegrass bands and one gospel band perform at the festival at no cost to us. of 350 pristine acres surrounded by three lakes with over two miles of shoreline. There are also lots of oak trees and shaded areas. The Washington County TDC gave us $3,000 to promote the event and we used the money to hire a local marketing and media relations firm, The Goulding Agency, who built us a Web site (www.orangeandbluegrass.info), developed TV and radio advertising spots, and made up 100 8 x 16 color

posters and 1,000 black and white flyers to help generate interest. Danny Hood, one of our football coaches, has a bluegrass band. And he knows a lot of other bluegrass bands from the area. So he asked them to help us out. We had six bluegrass bands and one gospel band perform at the festival at no cost to us. Our booster club is very small so instead of us doing all of the concessions, we recruited 11 food vendors

and 12 arts and crafts vendors to participate. Admission to the festival was just $5 for adults, with children under 6 admitted at no charge when accompanied by an adult. We made money off of the gate and the vendors, whom we charged a flat fee. We charged the food vendors $50 each because they needed water and electrical hookups. And we charged the arts & crafts vendors $25 each. We also hired a local rental company that set up an inflatable slide and obstacle course for the kids. We charged $5 for kids in fourth grade and up. The younger kids were admitted free with a parent. We kept half of the proceeds. As the festival grows we will charge more. This year we made $1,200 and tripled our money from a year ago.v

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