Sweet souvenirs. Work with a team to brainstorm fundraising ideas that will put everyone’s creativity to a test. Pre-teens will enjoy giving a hand in bake sales, designing cookies, candies and cupcakes or other novelty items to sell for the fundraiser. Make use of easy to understand and identifiable themes that will make the fundraising effort stand out and be recognized within the community. The more creative the presentation and the products are, the more people will want to purchase them. The fundraising organizers may opt to bake cupcakes and cookies with sports-related themes or make hand-made knick knacks and souvenirs that will reflect the sports theme of the fundraiser.

Car wash. Organizers can hold a fundraising car wash at the school parking lot and play some good music while the cars are getting cleaned and shined.  Organizers can also opt to serve simple refreshments while giving a short speech about the fundraiser to raise awareness to those who are participating. Crank up the music and get the cheerleaders do a short number for those waiting in line for the car wash. Make sure to hold your fundraising car wash party in an appropriate place where no one will complain of the noise—or the soap suds!

Scratch cards. There are a number of great scratch card sources over the internet. Some provide cheap bonuses like personalization and design, with a reasonable amount of profit. Scratch cards easily yield up to 80% to 90% profit without the hassle. These scratch cards are pocket-sized booklets with scratch off circles and a coupon pad in the center. Some scratch cards can be personalized or designed with the theme of the organizer’s choice. Scratch cards can also be printed with the team’s photo in front. Each fundraising participant who gets scratch card will scratch two or more circles and will pay the total amounts revealed by the scratch off. Make sure to place amounts that are easily affordable but will raise sufficient funds to meet the fundraising organizers’ goals.

Little league cookie dough. Let’s face it—everyone loves cookies! A little goes a long way for these sugary treats as everybody will surely buy a piece or two. They are easy to sell by piece or by dozens—depending on how good they are!—so organizers must make sure to come up with quality scrumptious cookies that will definitely sell and bring in the money for the fundraiser. A bake sale is a common fundraiser that will also work with sports fundraising. Parents and teachers can come together to bake cupcakes and other handy pastries that are easy on the budget but will definitely sell.

Local pizza store discount cards. Take a trip to the neighborhood’s favorite pizza parlor and ask them to participate in the sports fundraising activity by either being at the sports event or providing some great offers to be printed out on discount cards. Other establishments that may provide great discounts include sandwich shops, local restaurants, florists, dry cleaners and car washes. Make sure that it is a popular service that most people frequent and everybody will enjoy.

Recycling. With the mass of pollution and environmental damage people encounter everyday, it does not hurt to try and help save the earth and what’s left of it. Parents and teachers alike will definitely want to help preserve the environment for their children and the generations to come. Everyone can give a hand in this type of fundraising activity—all they need to do is collect empty ink jet cartridges or soup labels to give back to the local grocery store, who will in turn provide an amount of cash for the little league. Make sure that the business is willing to participate in the cause and support the fundraising activity.

Sports fundraising ball. The high school student council can serve as the fundraising committee for the student body. They can organize a fundraising ball that will be sponsored by local community restaurants who are willing to lend a hand. They can sell tickets for a minimal price, with all proceeds going to the school’s sports programs. They can also approach local musical artists to provide music and entertainment. The student council can also hold a raffle in which half of the pot money will go to the fundraising cause.

Recycling fundraising. With today’s environmental problems, it wouldn’t hurt to get everyone together to recycle newspaper, plastic, aluminum cans, glass and other items. The student body can divide themselves into teams and make it a friendly competition to determine which team can come up with the most newspapers and other recyclable materials to exchange at local businesses which are willing to take them in, in exchange for cash. Make sure to get as much local stores or groceries to willingly help out in the effort to reduce trash and increase funds for the school’s sports programs. For those who want to go an extra mile, they can form a group that will clean up the local park in exchange of a small amount of donation from the local government.

Fundraising concerts. Music is an integral part of high school. Get local bands to perform at the school for free and sell tickets for a small price, with proceeds going to the fundraising cause. Watch out for local bands who don’t mind playing for free in exchange for publicity. The fundraising organizers may also want to reach out to local celebrities and politicians who may be willing to donate an amount or sponsor the concert. Local restaurants and pizza parlors may also want to participate by sponsoring the event.

To augment funding for the athletic department, which has had to raise fees to bridge a budget gap, a local boosters group is taking the next step to provide substantial assistance to the sports program.

The Ashland Clocker Club has been growing significantly since its inception last June, said President David O’Brien. The group last week filed paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service to apply to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The nonprofit status, O’Brien said, will allow the group to accept larger donations, and donors will be allowed to write off the cash gift as a charitable donation on tax forms.

“I think that, in the long-term, it’s very important,” he said. “We can take larger donations from people in the community and the funds the group raises will have tax protection.”

During the last few years, the budget for the athletic department has been cut sharply and user fees for high school sports have crept up.

For the 2009-10 school year, fees range from $259 for sports like girls soccer, cross country and lacrosse to $335 for ice hockey. Students who play more than one sport are required to pay the full fee for each sport.

While the group hasn’t held any fundraisers yet, O’Brien said the 60 or so members have been laying the groundwork over the last months.

“The fruits of what was done in 2009 will be seen in 2010,” he said.

The Clocker Club will hold its first fundraiser next month – a Super Bowl Sunday pancake breakfast, O’Brien said. Other proposed fundraising events include a golf tournament, trivia night and community-wide field day.

At first, the group will aim to fund initiatives like honoring student athletes with jackets, pins and letters, O’Brien said, as well as equipment purchases that will help the program as a whole – such as vehicles for custodians who care for the fields, or trainers who have to travel from field to field for after-school practices.

“Ashland High School has no fields of its own,” O’Brien said. “You could have high school kids at fields all over town. … We are trying to get things that will benefit everyone.”

O’Brien said a number of school districts in the state have established booster clubs, which have been especially helpful in the recent economic climate.

“If you look around to most communities now, high school sports boosters are playing a much bigger role,” he said. “They make a difference.”

O’Brien also said that a number of individual sports in town have their own fundraising groups and he hopes that eventually they will all be brought under the umbrella of the Clockers Club.

“We hope to consolidate that into one organization. But that will take some time. The new organization has to justify itself.”

In addition to providing financial assistance to the athletic program, the group also aims to help out with volunteer staffing when needed.

The group is currently recruiting members at various sponsorship levels.

More information and membership forms can be found online at sites.ashland.k12.ma.us/ashland-athletics/home/clocker-club.

(Kendall Hatch can be reached at 508-626-4429 or khatch@cnc.com)

After a fundraising drive by middle school students and a $3,000 donation from the Raynham Lions Club, sports at the Raynham Middle School have been saved.

Parents who paid half of the $325 registration fee up front for the self-supporting programs likely won’t have to make another payment as a result.

“We’re in line for them not to pay any more than that $160 because of the help of the Lions Club and other donations,” said Lori Donohue. She estimates 180 students will participate in the Raynham Middle School’s basketball, softball and baseball programs.

The money will allow Raynham students, but not Bridgewater’s, to participate in the sports.

Donohue, along with fellow parent Laura Tate, helped spearhead fundraising efforts after all sports programs at the district’s middle schools were eliminated from this year’s budget. It was a decision the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School Committee called “tough” but necessary as it struggled to keep teachers in the classrooms and class sizes low.

The School Committee asked the member towns’ park and recreation departments to step up and offer enrichment programs geared toward middle school-age children. But that wasn’t enough for Raynham parent Deb Korotsky, whose sixth-grade daughter, Stacy, plays on the basketball team.

“She gets more practice in the school program for her travel team,” said Korotsky. “The travel team has limited practice time, but in the middle school program she’s practicing every day. She loves the sport. She absolutely loves it.”

Korotsky said some students couldn’t participate this year because of the high cost. After the school district eliminated middle school sports, it reversed its stance and approved the return of the programs as long as they were self-supporting. The user’s fee went up from $250 to $325 per student per sport.

“I think more kids would have tried out for the teams had the price not been so high. Actually, we know some kids didn’t try out because of the cost factor,” said Korotsky.

Frank Gendreau, president of the Raynham Lions Club, said the Lions Club heard of the sports program’s plight through a member and invited the parents in for a presentation on the fundraising efforts the group had put forward already — bake sales, snack tables at sporting events, Crazy Hate days, tag collecting at store fronts and the town’s landfill. He said the Lions also wanted to support the cause, and presented a check for $3,000 to Donohue last Thursday.

“I am a former college professor and I know just how important it is not just for kids to be good at what they do in school, academically, but athletics is an important part of the maturation process and many of these young children would not be able to play because of the very high cost,” said Gendreau, who served on the town’s School Committee in the 1980s.

Gendreau said the Lions Club, which has 55 active members, donates an average of $20,000 to $25,000 every year to local causes including the library, food basket, Boy Scouts, camps for sick children and programs for senior citizens, as well as their own scholarship, eyeglass and hearing aid programs.

Donohue said she is glad the sports programs have been restored.

“Sports really is part of the whole middle school experience, and to return sports introduces the kids to different people to work with on your teams,” she said. “It may sound crazy but, when you’re just playing with the town, you’re not with the same bunch of kids that you’re with on the school teams … It’s all part of the social environment and I think it adds a lot to enrich the middle school experience.”

If you go …
What:  Raynham Middle School sports fundraiser to offset costs of middle school sports programs.
Who: Steve Wronker’s Funny Business Comedy Hypnosis Show.
When: Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.
Where: Raynham Middle School auditorium, 420 Titicut Road, Raynham.
Cost: $10 for students, $12 for adults.
More info:  Contact Lori Donohue at laucfp@comcast.net

The first-ever fundraising program will be offered to all UPA-affiliated college and high school teams at no cost. The program also will be utilized to support U.S. National Teams, as well as club teams competing abroad – such as 2010 World Ultimate Club Championships (WUCC) qualifiers.

“The UPA recognizes there is a need to assist college and high school programs with their ability to cover operating costs and, by aligning with My Sports Dreams, we hope to help address that need,” said Chuck Menke, UPA Managing Director of Business Development and Communications.

“We are confident that My Sports Dreams’ proven fundraising system will translate well to the sport of Ultimate and further enhance the UPA’s membership benefits.”

My Sports Dreams was founded in 2004 to help college, high school and youth athletes pay for necessary budget items such as tournament travel, equipment and apparel. Their clients include more than 15,000 teams at all levels of competition in every state.

Unlike traditional fundraisers that require student-athletes to sell products that deliver only 50 percent profits, My Sports Dreams is a mail-based system that connects athletes with friends, family members and business owners living anywhere in the United States. The entire effort requires less than one hour for each team to raise an average of $4,000-$7,000.

“We are thrilled to team up with the Ultimate Players Association and help their member teams reduce travel, equipment and uniform expenses,” said Jordan Kern, co-founder of My Sports Dreams.

“Ultimate has enjoyed tremendous growth at the collegiate and high school levels and hopefully our involvement will introduce even more athletes to this exciting sport by providing greater opportunities to participate.”

To learn more, or participate in the program, UPA teams can go online to the new fundraising page at www.UPA.org.

For more information about My Sports Dreams, please visit www.MySportsDreams.com or call 800-376-5988, ext. 300.

One of the least reported stories is the intersection of sports and politics.

Most politicians are avid sports fans, and there is a reason for this. Politicians love the limelight but often were not big enough or fast enough to play college or professional sports. Thus they become fans. Exceptions to this rule are professional football players and former Reps. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) and Steve Largent (R-Okla.) and current Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).

Even some female politicians are big sports fans. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and I had offices near each other in the Rayburn House Office Building at one point and had a running bet on Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers games when the rivalry between the two teams was really hot. Before she got too busy, she was a regular at 49ers games.

And we all know President Barack Obama is a big sports fan. Obama’s campaign manager David Plouffe, in his book about the Obama presidential campaign, goes to great length to discuss how, at tense moments in the campaign, Obama would retire to his hotel room late at night and watch sports on ESPN to relieve tension.

So it came as no surprise when I recently met former Oriole great Cal Ripken at a Washington social function and we wound up talking both politics and sports.

I told Ripken a story about the night he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-game streak that gave him a good laugh.

I had taken over the chairmanship of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in January of 1995. Democrats had just lost control of the House for the first time in 40 years, and were all down in the dumps. No one wanted to do anything to help the DCCC raise money.

For months I had been harassing Maryland Democratic Reps. Ben Cardin (now a U.S. senator) and Steny Hoyer (now House majority leader) to put on a DCCC fundraiser in Baltimore. They had multiple excuses about why it wouldn’t work, but I did not give up.

Finally, one day in the middle of the summer, they approached me on the floor of the House and said they had an idea. What about a fundraiser at Camden Yards the night Ripken broke Gehrig’s record of 2,l30 consecutive games played? The owner of the Baltimore Orioles was a big Democrat and had offered to provide a 75-seat party box in left field for our use that night.

It was an inspired idea. So, on Sept. 6, 1995, the DCCC held a fundraiser at Camden Yards. It was a spectacular evening. Ripken hit a home run to left field (near our box) in the fourth inning and then did a victory lap around the perimeter of the field (passing just under our box) at the end of the fifth inning, when it had become an official game.

We raised $150,000 for the DCCC, and people called me the next morning to thank me for having a fundraiser at the park that night.

This one event put a spark into House Democrats, and we then held a series of sports-oriented fundraisers in the next year, including one at the Super Bowl and at the Pebble Beach golf course in California. Suddenly politics was fun again, and we picked up nine seats in the next election.

I have no idea about Cal Ripken’s politics. I don’t know if he is a Democrat, Republican or independent. However, he got a big kick out of the fact that he had actually played a role in the revitalization of one of the two political parties.

Frost, who served as a Democratic member of Congress from 1979 to 2004, is a partner in the law firm of Polsinelli, Shughart.

]]> http://www.sports-fundraising.com/uncategorized/politicians-might-look-to-sports-to-lift-their-spirits/feed 0 http://www.sports-fundraising.com/uncategorized/school-supports-lacrosse-budgeters-dont http://www.sports-fundraising.com/uncategorized/school-supports-lacrosse-budgeters-dont#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:27:21 +0000 Laura http://www.sports-fundraising.com/?p=391 by Lauren Tiner

Budget Committee member’s votes ended in a 5-5 tie last Thursday night in response to the a petitioned warrant article asking the town to help aid the Gilford Lacrosse Club.

School Board members stood in full favor of supporting the lacrosse program and utilizing extra funds, but Budget Committee Chair Dick Hickok voted last on a pending 5-4 vote, and the petition did not receive the full support the School Board was hoping for.

Prior to voting, Gilford Lacrosse Club President Dan Kallmerten presented the history of the club to the Budget Committee, as well as the benefits an additional sport boost may provide for Gilford students. Kallmerten and Dave Pinkham, the school athletic director, came in front of the committee with a $17,603 budget.

“We feel it is time to come forward. We are here to ask for your support,” said Kallmerten.

The fee per player is about $130 to $150, and for equipment, the cost shoots up to $350 per player. He said that lacrosse is a contact sport for males especially, and that the equipment is subject to breaking here and there, and that the padding for players conforms to the body for optimal safety needs.

“The equipment is very individualized and custom fitted. It is frowned upon on handing down equipment,” said Kallmerten.

Kallmerten explained that the club started up in 2003 when his son ended his youth lacrosse career and realized there were no other opportunities out there. The club team had a hard time playing school teams, said Kallmerten, since there are certain regulations, but eventually his team worked their way up to the varsity level.

Player numbers continued to increase and in 2007, he started up a girl’s team. He said he ran into some of the same problems, but the turnout for the girl’s team was impressive, with 38 girls. The team eventually made it to the varsity level as well, said Kallmerten.

He said that about one-third of students who play school sports participate in lacrosse. Although the club attempts to provide scholarships to underprivileged players, Kallmerten said the equipment is getting too expensive to provide such opportunities anymore. The club also receives donations, but the program cannot rely on these alone.

“We’ve had problems with fundraising, and compete with other organizations and teams. We are moving forward and look to expand the program as a club and with summer and winter programs,” said Kallmerten. “More importantly, it is an expensive sport, and there is a strong emphasis on safety.”

Selectman and Budget Committee member John O’Brien asked if the program is supported by the students.

Kallmerten said that lacrosse is not as popular as football, although he sees its popularity rapidly increasing.

“It is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. It used to be a Northeast sport, but it spread right through the country at a college level. We had a home playoff game with some snow, and it was still well attended,” said Kallmerten.

Pinkham added that lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in New Hampshire, and that it has “exploded” in the Lakes Region. He said that Gilford can expect about 70 kids, and that the numbers increase on a yearly basis. Pinkham explained that the students have provided the equipment in the past.

“I support the program whole-heartedly. It is a wonderful sport, and I support what it has done for the district,” said Pinkham. “The girls cannot wait to jump to the varsity level. They are pretty excited about it.”

He said they can expect to see some fall sports players participate as well and 10 to 15 students who have never played a sport for Gilford before. He anticipates about 205 to 230 players overall for spring sports, which is almost half of the school.

“We are ahead of other districts as far as participation. We want kids involved academically, and their performance is much higher (when involved in sports),” said Pinkham.

Pinkham assured the committee that most of the same coaches are already in place, and that they also stress the importance of academic excellence to their players.

Committee member Mark Corry asked about donations and funding the club may already be receiving.

Pinkham said that the equipment costs two-thirds more than the transportation and coaches, and the club intends to donate all their equipment, jerseys, nets, and game goals to the school.

Corry also wondered why the club needs the entire $17,603 covered, and Pinkham explained that this money would be split among the four teams.

Committee member Skip Murphy asked what would happen if the club’s extra funds and donations happened to dry up. Kallmerten said that the club would not be able to give out scholarships or aid to players, but that they would attempt to get creative with fundraising. He added that the club has made $1,500 to $2,000 off of some events.

After listening to other comments, Hickok still felt torn over where his vote would lie, since he felt that $17,000 was a lot to ask for this year.

“I don’t know what the right answer is. There is pressure not to disappoint the kids involved,” said Hickok. “I think the school has done extremely well, although they have faced a couple hurdles. These things come along and they are going to be difficult.”

Committee member and School Board Chair Margo Weeks said she supported the program.

“There has been a proven interest. This has proved to be a sustainable program for over seven years,” said Weeks.

She said she agreed with Kallmerten’s statement, that kids need to remain active, and that sports encourage them to keep up their grades. She said the only downside of supporting the program was the financial aspect.

Committee member Sue Greene said she was all for athletics, but she was concerned with balance in the budget and the fundraising aspect, since the club hopes to pay the difference with donations and fundraisers. She said this is also a time to think of the taxpayers as well.

After much discussion and a late entrance by committee member Terry Stewart, the committee decided to allow him to vote as well since he is an elected official. The vote resulted in 5-4, before Hickok’s deciding vote, which created the tie.

Both the School Board and the Budget Committee’s recommendations will appear on the March ballot.

Brown is attempting to give the gift of wrestling this March, hatching the “Ticket For Kids” drive to give youths an opportunity to see the NCAA Division III wrestling tournament by raising money for tickets to the championship event.

“Kids who aren’t exposed to what wrestling really is have a misconception about what it is,” Brown said. “So, if a kid’s going to their first meet they have to see some action. They’ve got to see some excitement.”

Brown considers Saturday morning of Division III national tournament the most thrilling. Wrestlers have All-American honors notched, so they open up and wrestling a less conservative style.

“There’s a lot of rolling around on the mat,” Brown said. “There’s kids going for throws you don’t see Division I wrestlers try.

“I want to give kids a taste of how fun and exciting the sport can be.”

The goal is to raise at least $10,000 for 1,000 tickets to the final day’s early session. Tough economic times have led to numerous denials and some ignored requests. But, Brown, the owner of Direct Marketing Solutions in Cedar Rapids, had raised about $4,500 at the start of the week, only $500 short of his goal at this time. His drive sounds like that of the competitors he loves to watch.

“I’ve got to get more aggressive and work harder,” Brown said about reaching his fundraising goal. “I have to do a better job of getting people to understand what getting those kids down there can mean to the sport.”

The focus is to distribute the tickets through schools and youth organizations in the region, including parts of Illinois and Minnesota. The tickets are

He has actively courted both individual and corporate sponsors. Cedar Rapids Marriott boosted his totals with a recent gift of $2,000. He said personal donations average between $25 to $30, ranging from $10 to $100.

“I’m going to do a much broader appeal here in a couple weeks out in the wrestling world,” Brown said.

Brown was introduced to the world of wrestling as a youth in Davenport, but never competed in high school. He became hooked watching Dan Gable wrestle in Ames one night during the 1969-70 season. Brown has had season tickets to University of Iowa duals for more than 20 years, but his love extends to all levels and forms of wrestling, which is evident in his weekly and well-respected blog called, “The View from Section GG.”

He’s a selfless promoter of a sport he applauds for the requirement of work ethic, dedication and sacrifice.

“I got to thinking what can one fan contribute at all,” Brown said. “I just came up with ideas. I found the wrestling community can be incredibly supportive of any idea you come up with that will help the sport.”

Cornell Coach Mike Duroe remembered Brown approaching him with the ticket idea at the conclusion of the 2009 championships. He followed up in the fall, receiving permission from the NCAA in October.

“This guy’s a patriot for wrestling. He does an awful lot for the sport,” Cornell Coach Mike Duroe said. “I think it’s a phenomenal thing to bring in more fans.”

Iowa Conference Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen and Coe and Cornell athletic directors John Chandler and John Cochrane were contacted by Brown. Yrigoyen said they did the leg work for him with the NCAA, proposing it to Assistant Director of Championships for Division III, Anthony Holman, during a site visit in September.

“We got the blessing from the NCAA and Jim has run with it,” Yrigoyen said. “Apparently, he’s had some decent success.”

They gave Brown specific guidelines on what he can do raising money. The NCAA combed through the details before giving permission.

“There are rules about extra benefits and making sure some of his stuff doesn’t go to prospects,” Yrigoyen said. “It was clear Jim had in mind a younger fan group, which will then help you stay away from any NCAA implications.”

Intentions are solely to promote the sport as a fan, and this isn’t Brown’s first effort. He hosted a social for fans during this event the last two years,

“He’s trying to create avenues for the sport to be more visible,” Duroe said. “It means a lot here in Eastern Iowa, but it means a lot on the national level, too.”

Duroe said it’s nearly impossible to gauge the impact the gesture will have on the kids or the sport. Once the fuse is lit, however, it could result in sparking a kid to become a major contributor to wrestling.

“You never know who is going to be the next star,” said Duroe, recalling wrestling stars like Troy and Terry Steiner and Brandon Slay attend clinics as youths. “Just getting a kid excited about something could lead to greatness for that individual (and the sport).”