You understand Twitter, you want to make it a part of your booster club's social media strategy, but you're hitting some writers block? Don't dismay, we've got a huge list of things to post. Photos of your participants doing things Rainouts Photos of sponsors and/or their business Playoff schedule Arch rival updates Articles about your club in the local paper or segments on local television Photos of volunteers doing things Updates on alumni (Did they get a music scholarship? … [Read more...]
What Booster Clubs Can Learn From the Olympics
We are totally excited for the Winter Olympics. From the pageantry of the opening ceremony to the awe of the ski jumps, it’s gonna be really fun. (Also, women will compete in ski jumping this year, which is awesome.) Still, we can’t help but notice the context of the competition. There’s a lot going on outside the Olympic Village, and sometimes it’s not pretty. Fans of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi might feel like they are seeing more politics than sports on TV this year. For starters, the … [Read more...]
Valentines Day Fundraisers for Booster Clubs
Be Mine? Before you get all excited about how to entice donors with a Valentine’s-Day-themed fundraiser, here’s a piece of advice: make your donors your Valentine. Send them love letters, chocolate, and flowers (okay, maybe just e-cards with flowers and chocolate on them.) Seriously, show them some love and shoot arrows through their hearts. Be playful. How can you do that? Here’s an example of a Valentine’s day thank you email from UNICEF Australia, which we found in a blog post by Mary Lynn … [Read more...]
Statistics Show, Volunteers Get The Jobs
Despite falling unemployment rates, the job market in the U.S. still looks bleak for many. Some attribute this to high numbers of “discouraged workers” — those recently out of work who have, for whatever reason, temporarily given up on finding a new job. Disheartening as this may be, it presents a valuable opportunity for your booster club and the “discouraged” (or the recently retired, on maternity leave, changing careers, going back to school) to work together for mutual gain. In a recent … [Read more...]
Fundraising Spotlight: #GotTurf?
In Southern California, one high school booster club has taken on an ambitious task. The Scorpion Athletic Booster Club (SABC) in Camarillo began fundraising this fall for their Turf Field Project, a $1.7 million plan to install artificial turf on the Camarillo High School athletic field and resurface the track. While not alone in the scope of their donation, the SABC is one of a small number of booster clubs that have taken on projects of such size. In December, we discussed the club’s first … [Read more...]
Donor Retention: How active commitment leads to long-term loyalty
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to work to inspire active commitment in your supporters. Donors who are actively committed care beyond just a sense of obligation — these are not the people who give once a year to out of a sense of guilt. Actively committed supporters care about the club’s future, and very clearly see their own part in it. Fundraising expert Adrian Sargeant breaks the drivers of active commitment down into three parts: trust, concept of risk, and … [Read more...]