5 Things You Should Know About Mobile Concession Stands

These days, a snack at the ballgame is a whole lot more than peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Concession stands are stepping up their game, serving fresh, hot meals, and making a bundle in doing so. In Ohio, the Lowellville Rockets Booster Club relies on the money they make from serving up wedding soup and stuffed pepper sandwiches to buy uniforms for all of the school’s athletic teams — their concession stand is so profitable it’s “really the only fundraiser [they] do,” according to club volunteers. … [Read more...]

Should Sugary Drinks be Banned in Fundraising?

New USDA Rules Restrict Sugary Drinks and Snacks Say goodbye to sugary snacks and drinks between classes! This is the last semester before USDA rules will restrict snack sales during school hours in public schools across the country. These include traditional junk food like chips and sodas, as well as more subtle sugar-containing beverages, like Powerade and Gatorade. Some states, such as California, had already banned these drinks in a piece of legislation that would have kicked in this fall. … [Read more...]

You Do Not Have It Covered: 20 Tasks for Volunteers

Sometimes a volunteer catches you flat footed. “You guys need anything? Can I help out?” There’s certainly a lot that you, a booster club leader, need to do. You could use some help. To-do lists are so tightly spooled in your head it feels like they’re going to start fluttering out. Yet it feels like more effort to train this volunteer than to do things yourself. You’re tempted to tell them that you have it covered, or that there’s nothing small enough for them to take on. Don’t give in. Do … [Read more...]

Kill Bad Fundraisers

Sometimes fundraisers stop generating value. Good booster clubs must know when to kill them. Behind the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory lies a peaceful graveyard of discontinued flavors. Marked by grey headstones, they sit memorialized on a windswept carpet of fallen leaves. These ideas were put to rest after they ran their course, buried but remembered. For Ben and Jerry’s, the graveyard’s humor suits their quirky brand image, a kind of anti-corporate, self-deprecating humor engraved in the … [Read more...]

How Good Record-Keeping Saves Nonprofits from High-Turnover

Watching the 2000 film Memento again, I realized that high-turnover volunteer organizations such as booster clubs suffer from serious amnesia. In the film, 30-something Leonard can’t create new memories because of brain trauma suffered during an assault. Imagine a person who can’t remember the lessons of the past, or the opportunities set to present themselves in the future. Lacking a system of good record-keeping, that’s the situation of most booster clubs. In Memento, Leonard compensates for … [Read more...]

93 Fundraising Ideas for Booster Clubs

I put this list together to help get you started brainstorming the next perfect fundraiser for your booster club. Where indicated, the examples link to templates and checklists from actual booster clubs. These useful links can help you plan your own fundraisers. Most fundraisers listed here have actually been done, either by clubs I've interviewed, Boosterland contributors, or booster clubs in the news. Stay tuned for smaller thematic posts or “top tens” like sports fundraisers, and food … [Read more...]