A Helping Hand Paul Dozier, a musician who is part of a popular quartet in Michigan, of- fered to help the Storm with a concert. His daughter played with the pro- gram, and he knew it was looking for ways to earn some additional revenue. The idea came together easily, but
Taylor was more involved in the or- ganizational side of the community- wide event. It was much more com- plex, especially since he initially was considering more traditional tech- niques to raise money. Dozier’s quartet played the concert
at a signifi cantly reduced rate. The fi rst year the Storm hosted the show, it also featured a comedian—another perk arranged by a family member of one of the team members. The team last year organized the show a second time, and even though Dozier’s daughter was no longer on the team, he offered to help. His daughter now attends the University of Detroit Mercy on a basketball scholarship. The lesson for high school sports programs is to begin leaning more on parents and alumni. They’re often- times willing to lend support through resources and connections, especially when it means it could lessen mon- etary pressures. “We were going to have a tradi- tional fundraiser, and they’re great … but when you limit all your efforts to one event, the momentum gets roll- ing and it adds pressure on the parents
COACH & A.D. TAKEAWAYS
• High school sports teams can implement fundraising methods used by club sports to create new revenue streams.
• Use resources offered by parents or alumni to build publicity for events and fundraising efforts.
• Traditional fundraising methods are still effective if you get complete support from assistant coaches and players.
36 March/April 2013
and organizers to know that they have a deadline,” Taylor says. Timing is important, as Taylor
quickly learned. The fi rst year of the event, the program had a lot of turn- over and the concert was held before tryouts. That meant the roster wasn’t set and the organization didn’t have
“It’s amazing
how people are willing to help … for something that benefi ts children …
”
buy-in from as many parents who didn’t yet know whether their child would be part of the program. Taylor said attendance this year was much higher than the year before, par- tially because of the lessons learned from the inaugural event. Organizers also issued press releases, catching the attention of a local television sta- tion that interviewed Taylor about the event during a live broadcast. In addition to the musical perfor- mance, the event featured a silent auc- tion. The Michigan Storm was able to receive some popular memorabilia donated by residents, including items autographed by former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, Notre Dame alumni and former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis and boxer Tommy Hearns. Taylor says proceeds from the concert were used for general pur- poses. That includes tournament and equipment costs that help drive down fees for parents. Given the ris- ing costs associated with playing a club season, Taylor says fees could have risen as much as $150 per play- er this year, but instead the program was able to keep fees the at the same level as the previous year. If that had not been the case, Tay-
lor says the program “certainly would have lost girls.”
Organizing A Fundraiser On the other hand, revenue created by the silent auction was targeted to- ward specifi c purposes, Taylor says, helping the girls pick out new uni- forms or other merchandise that gets them excited about the program and upcoming season. He sees that as an important aspect in motivating the team to make a strong effort to rally support for the organization. “Targeted fundraisers will get the children involved, but in general you have to provide incentive for the par- ents too,” Taylor explains. “Every- thing goes to benefi t the child, and incentives and timing is crucial. You should do it when you have your ros- ter set and everyone is on board. “Another part of targeted fund- raisers is you should let the children have a say in what they want to use the money for. Then the children get more excited about selling.” The payoff is nice, but organizing
such an event takes its toll. The fi rst year is the hardest because programs are going through the growing pains of making the initial arrangements. You have to reserve the venue, make sure the performers are on board and paid for, and you must orchestrate the masses of volunteers and parents who are going to be involved. That’s what most programs can ex-
pect, but Taylor says it wasn’t diffi cult for him. The quartet was familiar with the venue and because the performer had a daughter in the program, nego- tiating a date and rate was a breeze. The silent auction is much simpler and the payoff has greater potential. Taylor says pictures of the items are posted on the Internet and because it reaches a wider audience, there is the promise of greater revenue. High school programs can hold auctions in connection with team banquets or other events. But using a team website and orchestrating it over the Internet can lead to bigger returns. “It’s a stress, but because of the suc- cess of the concert, we probably will do two more fundraisers this year,” Taylor says. “The beauty of some- thing like the silent auction is that
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