When approaching non-school sports groups (specifically Church groups) you need to understand a few things about how they operate. Most will have a youth director or a youth Pastor who is in charge of “all things youth”. This would include budget, activities, ministries, volunteer opportunities, trips, outings, etc. Some youth groups are fortunate to be funded by a generous congregation while others have zero funds unless they fundraise. That’s where you come in! Here are some examples of activities youth groups might participate in (not a comprehensive list but somewhere to start from a planning aspect for activities and trips):
Spring
Easter activities
Sporting event
Senior recognition (graduation)
Summer
Summer Camp
River tubing
White water rafting
Summer missions trip
Ice cream social
Pool party
Fall
Bonfires and Hayrides
Ziplines
Sporting event
Food Pantry event
Retreats
Winter
Ski trip
Ice skating
Coffee shop
Christmas / Holiday Party
What do I do now to help these youth groups raise money?
1.Do your homework. Visit the website and locate the upcoming activities for the youth group. Ski trip, mission trip, retreat - activities that require travel, overnight stay, more than one night while have more expenses per person than a trip to the coffee shop or ice cream Shoppe. Active groups will do multiple things throughout the year - try to establish yourself as the go to person for fundraising with the youth pastor or youth director. Sometimes they may want to do a large single fundraiser to take care of a year’s worth of events or just fundraise per event or activity so the kids who are going participate then.
Research costs ahead of time. If the youth group is going on a midnight ski trip - help figure out the costs associated with the trip per person. Lift tickets, lessons, transportation, food, etc. If the youth group is going on a week long mission trip to Florida then the expenses per person are dramatically different than that of the ski trip. By doing some research you will help save time and show the youth Pastor that you are truly interested and want to help and have some ways to help him/her accomplish those goals.
Keep It Simple Remember that usually these youth are also fundraising at school and also if they are part of a sports team. Don’t bombard them with too many options. Keep it streamlined, simple, easy and a no-brainer.
If you are calling on church youth groups with Summer 2021 in mind, reach out to the sales team and they will be glad to help or brainstorm ideas with you. Send an email with your questions to sales@savearound.com
SOG - Support Our Groups Do you know what SOG stands for? SOG ~ Support Our Groups ~ is the online fundraising offering for groups that don’t want to handle payment collection or book delivery, but still need to raise funds. Support Our Groups provides your group with their personalized shopping web page that can be customized to have the look and feel of the group. The chairperson or the rep can add a logo, photos, and text that tells the story about the group, why they are raising money, their goals, their plans, and any other interesting tidbits they would like to share with their customers. All SOG’s are delivered to the customer’s home address and generate 40% profit for the group.
PART 1
Q: How long have you been in the fundraising space?
A: 46 years
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
A: My favorite hobby is selling coupon books. After all these years there is still nothing I like doing more than helping kids and schools make money.
Q: You have a large family, can you break it down for us?
A: I have been married to my beautiful wife Nikki for 56 years and have 7 beautiful kids, 41 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.
Q: Where is your favorite place to visit?
A: I love the Tampa/Clearwater area but I have to say my favorite is Myrtle Beach. We have been going down for the last 50+ years every Easterand only missed last year due to covid.
Q: What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
A: I am one of the biggest Elvis Presley fans in the world.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Potatoes. Fried, mashed, baked, home fries, hash browns. If there was only one food I could have it would be potatoes.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
A: Spend time with my family. Especially after the passed 25-30 years the kids, grandkids get together at my house on Sunday’s and we have a blast, especially in the summer cooking out on the grill.
