I know first-hand the value of high school arts and athletics activities – and the values they teach.
When I was in high school, I was fortunate to have done it all. Well almost anyway.
I played football and basketball, ran track and played golf.
I sang in the boy’s chorus, participated in musicals and was the president of my class.
In fact, in my high school, it was equally as cool to be in the boy’s chorus as it was to play football.
And we were really good in both...
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In chorus, which involved 120
guys…half the male population of our school…we recorded albums, went on
an annual tour, sang for the Vice President in the White House and
opened the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC my senior year...
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In football, WE NEVER LOST a game
and won state championships in all of my four years. We were so good in
fact, that my high school coach was named National High School Coach of
the Year my senior year.
I learned and benefited from these experiences tremendously.
In fact, I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the person and success I am today without them.
So, I can speak to the value of these activities – and the values they teach – firsthand.
I also witnessed and can share with you what it takes to develop and sustain a winning program.
Like many of you, I’ve also had to do my share of fundraising.
I knocked on many doors. But
instead of selling restaurant cards, coupon books, plants, mulch and
water softener like kids do today, we sold boxes of candy and did a
variety of other, more familiar, fundraising activities.
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When I was a junior, I was the top
salesperson in my high school for one of the activities I participated
in. I sold over 2,000 boxes of candy that year.
But in my senior year, I didn’t want
to work that hard. I wasn’t lazy … I just got smart like kids are
supposed to do from year to year!
So, instead of going door-to-door in
the dead of winter like I had the year before, I devised a new – and
what turned out to be a
much better – fundraising strategy.
And it worked wonderfully!
In fact,
I netted more than double the funds I’d raised just a year before. And rather than knocking on over 3,000 doors
, I called on just 6 people and all told, it
took me less than a day.
When I was in college, I was a
successful middle school and high school coach. In fact, the football
teams I worked with in the two years I coached never lost a game.
During that time, I also raised money and was able to provide my team
with
all new equipment and uniforms, which was accomplished with
just 2 calls.
So I learned very early on how to
raise a lot of funds with very little effort and how to build and
sustain winning programs too.
Now … and for the past 30 years … I’ve been helping non-profit groups professionally.
When I finished college, I was recruited to become a Development Director – or chief fundraising officer – of a high school.
I was tasked with all fundraising,
public relations and student recruitment activities. And, like most
high school staff, I was also given the opportunity to coach too!
It was a lot of work. But it was also a blast and we had a lot of success.
Three years later, I started my own
consulting firm helping schools and other non-profit groups reach their
full and financial potential.
Since that time, I’ve worked with and helped over 400 groups and have helped them raise over 500 million dollars. .........Click Here
Several years ago, I was asked by my son’s high school football coach to help out with their boosters’ club,
which had ACTUALLY LOST $3,000 the year before.
I suggested we do things a little
differently than in years past … that we cut back our efforts in some
areas and expand our efforts in others which would result in raising
more funds and having more freshman (participants) and fans, all with a
lot less work.
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I met with some early resistance. But fortunately, much of what I suggested was actually implemented.
What we did led to immediate and substantial benefits
And the results were remarkable!
In the first year alone, we raised
almost $53,000 more than the year before! That was pretty incredible
for a program that hadn’t had a tradition of winning and is located in a
mostly low to middle income neighborhood.
Today, that same program is raising
so much more money each year that they literally can’t spend it all. In
fact, they’ve started saving to help pay for a new field they’re hoping
for some day!
Program numbers have also increased dramatically. So have the number of fans in the stands.
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