PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO
FUNDRAISE FOR YOUR NEW ATHLETIC FLOOR FROM HORNER FLOORING
PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO FUNDRAISE
Horner Flooring is the oldest and longest-standing member of the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA), with maple sports flooring roots dating back to 1891 – the same year the game of basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith.
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PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO FUNDRAISE
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
Fundraising
5
Horner’s Logo Help
5
A Penny Jar
6
A Book Fair
7
Business Donations
8
Restaurant Fundraisers
9
Quality vs. Quantity
10 Large Scale Event: Walk-A-Thon 12 Large Scale Event: Basketball Game 14 Product Sales 16 Keep the Community Informed 17 Grants 19 Questions/Contact Us
CHAPTER 1: FUNDRAISING
Is your school looking to purchase and install a new gym floor? Are you lacking the funds to pull it off? Let us help you with fundraising for a new athletic floor. First, form a fundraising committee specifically for this project. Sharing the financial responsibility with a group of people will add accountability and reduce stress for those working hard to make the dream a reality. Second, remember there is no irrelevant fundraising effort. Every little bit helps and every contributor can feel pride in the new gym floor – regardless of how much they were able to donate.
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CHAPTER 2:
HORNER’S LOGO HELP
Horner is here to help you raise money for your new athletic floor in any way we can. One of the common ways we are able to raise money for you is by displaying logos of local businesses on your new hardwood floor. This is a practice we’ve done for Boys & Girls Clubs around the country, for Faith-Based-Organizations, even for the NBA! To see what your options are, please contact Horner Flooring at www.hornerflooring.com/contact.html.
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CHAPTER 3: A PENNY JAR
Consider putting penny jars in your classrooms. •
The new gym floor will be for the children, why not invite them to help make it a reality so they can feel involved?
•
Kids generally like to help, especially if you put an incentive into place, such as an ice cream party for the classroom that raises the most money per month.
•
Encourage students that no amount is too little, a penny per day per child adds up!
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CHAPTER 4: A BOOK FAIR
Consider having a used book fair at your school with all proceeds going toward the new project. What better way to raise money than encourage students to read new-to-them books for a low price? Ask families and community members to donate books that may be sitting on a shelf collecting dust.
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CHAPTER 5:
BUSINESS DONATIONS
Consider writing to local companies, restaurants, or businesses asking for donations. Offer to have a sponsor plaque that will hang in your gym above the new floor with donor names or donor banners. Mention that it doesn’t have to be a monetary donation – perhaps they can donate snacks or drinks to fundraising events (such as the walk-a-thon mentioned above)
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CHAPTER 6:
RESTAURANT FUNDRAISERS
Ask businesses or restaurants to create their own fundraising efforts for your cause: • 10% of every order on Friday will go toward the fundraising efforts • 10% of the daily revenue, etc. This will help to • promote the business’s reputation within the community • potentially increase their own sales • Increase your fundraising total For their donation to the fundraising effort, consider hanging a plaque for them or their banner/logo in the gym.
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CHAPTER 7:
QUALITY VS. QUANTITY Keep in mind that quality can work better than quantity when it comes to fundraising. A group of small fundraising efforts can be very helpful, but studies have shown that more money is raised through fewer events that are larger in scale. Make sure these large-scale projects are well organized. You could boost your fundraising efforts by featuring product sales, such as food. Why do fewer, larger events work better? – Supporters who are expected to participate in less fundraisers are likely willing to spend more per fundraiser, as opposed to less for multiples fundraisers. – It may be easier on your organization to plan a few big events than to plan several smaller ones
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CHAPTER 8:
LARGE SCALE EVENT: A WALK-A-THON
Have students sign up to walk and find a sponsor (or two or three!) who will pay a small amount of money for every halfmile or mile the student walks. Consider holding the event on your current athletic floor to increase motivation for the new one. Also consider inviting community members to sign up to walk. They can sponsor themselves or find another sponsor.
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PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO FUNDRAISE
To make the event a bit more fun, consider having breaks during the walk for dancing or fun little games, such as a corn-hole toss or ladder ball. Consider offering small prizes for these fun game breaks, such as each win will earn you two tickets. Have a booth or table set up with dollar-store prizes as well as a few “big ticket” items. Set a ticket cost to each item, such as five tickets for a stuffed animal, etc. Have participants choose their prizes based on their wins! Also consider having a concession stand to further raise funds for your organization. If people are walking, they’re likely to get thirsty or want a snack.
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CHAPTER 9:
LARGE SCALE EVENT: BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT/GAME A fundraising event that could bring in a lot of revenue and community involvement is a basketball game or tournament. Consider: • Alumni Team vs HS Varsity Team • Parent Team vs Alumni Team • HS Varsity Team vs Parent Team Include a small dunk contest or a free throw contest (perhaps with an audience vote) to increase entertainment for the spectators.
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PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO FUNDRAISE
• • • • •
Ask the players to volunteer their time Charge admission Keep concession stand open (to increase fundraising efforts during the game) Ask businesses to match an amount raised by the community for the game Ask for sponsors of the game or of a player, in return the sponsor will get their name in the program
A successful example of this fundraiser is Laurel High School. Their goal was to raise $5,000 to $7,000. They ended up raising over $48,000.
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CHAPTER 10: PRODUCT SALES
When deciding upon a product sale fundraiser (such as selling frozen-pizza-making-kits or selling scented candles), focus on the following four characteristics: – – – –
Product Type Brand recognition Quality Customer Service
Product Type: Make sure you select a good product for your community or area. If you’re selling to a family community with small children, maybe open-flame candles aren’t the best product. Maybe a pizza-making-kit would be a better choice, as it could be a family activity and relive the stress parents may feel over planning dinner.
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PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO FUNDRAISE
Brand recognition It’s easier to get someone to support a cause when they know the brand name Quality It’s much easier to sell a quality product than a poor quality product. Remember your goal is to make a profit, but the supporter’s goal is to get something they actually want and will use. Customer Service Make sure whatever product you decide upon is sold by a company that has excellent customer service, with a step-by-step guide to their fundraising process
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CHAPTER 11:
KEEP THE COMMUNITY INFORMED Use social media to help promote fundraisers whenever possible. If the community knows about the project they’ll be more willing to support the cause. Regardless of what fundraising efforts are implemented, consider having a public sign advertising how much money has been raised and how much more is needed to reach your goal. Also, it may help to keep the community feeling involved in the fundraising efforts. GOAL - $100,000
We’ve raised - $25,000
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CHAPTER 12: GRANTS
Community Grants When fundraising for a new gym floor, don’t forget to look for grants! Look for ones that fund renovation or capital projects with an interest in fitness or athletics, or educational facilities in particular. Ask around in your community as well, some have Small Recreation Community Grants.
State Grants Check out The Grantsmanship Center, which has a database which lists foundations by state, including the level of funding offered. This service is free, so take advantage of it! Simply click on your state and explore the possibilities.
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PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO FUNDRAISE
Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Also consider applying for the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant, which is a nationwide grant program which focuses on community-building and facilityenhancing projects. The grant is only for public schools or public parents associations.
Federal Grants The government can also be a financial help when it comes to grants. Check out Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of Education grant!
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PROVEN METHODS FOR HOW TO FUNDRAISE
Questions? Contact us!
Karl Borree - kborree@hornerflooring.com www.hornerflooring.com @HornerFloor http://www.facebook.com/HornerFlooring
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