• Executive Directors Column
• Coordinator Expansion Underway
• Dear Booster
• World Kitchens Beef Jerky
• Vendor of the Month - Fair-Play Scoreboards
• Seeking Nationwide Support
• Stickyback Photo Pockets
• Do-It Yourself Fundraiser
• Dutch Mill Bulbs
• Pixbe Offers Digital Printing Opportunities
• Spotlight of the Month - National Hole-In-One Association
• Fast Facts

BUILDING SUCCESSFUL BOOSTER CLUBS
School is back in session, fall is in the air and booster clubs are back into high gear. For many booster volunteers, this is the first opportunity they have had to take an active role within a school club. For many booster clubs, this is a rebuilding year. For the NBCA this is also a time when we find a dramatic increase in inquiries from these people who are seeking clarification, guidance and support.

So I have decided to dedicate my column to addressing the four greatest areas that challenge booster clubs. Starting this month and running through the end of this year I will speak on one of the four major challenges facing boosters.

Booster Club Challenge #1: Increasing Membership
Take a look at the typical booster club and you will find that it contains on average 12 active members who conduct the lions share of all booster club functions. It's member base traditionally represents approximately 45% of the parents from kids within the program and the average membership fee collected is $10 per family, per year. Now let's step outside of this circle and take a look at how we can improve these numbers.

First, it's important to understand two important facts:
1. Most high schools do not keep in contact with alumni and their business supporters, and
2. Most parents do not understand who or what the booster club is or does.

If you doubt this fact I challenge you to take your own survey at your school and ask the following questions to 50 different people. 1. Ask people you know if their high school keeps in contact with them. You will be very surprised to find that unless they attended a private high school, less than 5% receive any kind of communication from their high school. 2. Now ask parents if they know what the booster club is and what it does. Again you will find that the majority really do not have a good idea of what the booster club is.

So how can your booster club increase its membership? Which, as we all know will provide more volunteers, more funds and more opportunity.

Here are 3 key steps you can take to increase membership:
1. Keep in contact with alumni and business supporters: If people don't know what you are doing they don't know you need help. Develop a newsletter and send it out monthly. Build an email list and send periodic email updates to everyone in your list. Invite alumni and business supporters to attend your club meetings and speak. Include key business and alumni on boards and organizing panels. Hold club meetings and after game events at the businesses of your supporters.
2. Promote your booster club: If people don't know about you they won't get involved. One of the most important things your booster club can focus on is helping to make people aware of who you are, what you support and what you offer. Don't keep this just to the parents involved in your program. Contact local middle school's and invite parents to attend special booster activities. Open club meetings to the public and make sure the school newspaper and your local newspaper post meeting dates. Develop a mission statement and post it on the back of membership applications. Develop an annual activity or event that involves your community. Find opportunities to support other worthwhile endeavors.
3. Build value in membership: A tremendous time to hold membership drives are during school orientations and parent nights. If you want to expand your membership base you must open it to parents and supporters outside of the ones who have kids involved. Remember that just because they don't have a kid involved in your program it doesn't mean that they aren't interested in supporting your program. Last, it's important to remember that the more value your membership carries the more enrollments you will gain. Here are some of the easiest ways to build value to your membership:
1. Provide special member only seating and/or parking at events and games.
2. Provide special member only discounts (i.e. 50 cent coffee from concessions).
3. Get local businesses to offer member only promotions or discounts.
4. Hold an annual thank you event for members only (i.e. barbeque or party).
5. Develop scholarships that members can apply for.
6. Give spirit items away with every membership.

Regardless of whether your club is small or large membership is a key component to building a successful program. So start taking charge of your clubs success.

I wish each of you the best of success.
Happy Boostering!

Steve M. Beden
Executive Director

Enroll Your Club

Dear Booster........

The NBCA is now recruiting Area Coordinators nationwide.
- Unlimited opportunity
- No competition
- Part-time or Full-time
- Help make a difference in your community!

To find out more email us your contact information and one of our qualified staff members will personally contact you or click here to learn more: Coordinator Opportunity

Dear Booster,
I have recently been elected as the fundraising chair for our booster club and need some help. Our club is facing a growing need to raise more funds and for the past few years our club has done the same fundraisers each year that are starting to get old and don't produce enough funds. Where can we find a new fundraisers that offer higher yield opportunities?

Jennie B.
Mason Tigers Booster Club


Dear Jennie,
Fundraising has become a mandatory focus for booster clubs and with the continual cutbacks facing extra-curricular programs, it is requiring clubs to focus their efforts on fundraising opportunities that will produce higher yields, without burning out their volunteers. Over the years the association has continued to seek out the best of the best companies and programs that offer fundraising programs your club can use with confidence. If your club is a member of the association you were assigned a fundraising coach who can personally work with you to insure that the right fundraising programs are identified for your review. Take a minute and visit Club Central where you can review fundraising programs from over 140 of the best fundraising companies in the nation. Using your fundraising coach, a local Area Coordinator and the online Club Central tools your club will have no trouble finding the perfect fundraising opportunity.

Send us your Dear Booster.... article and we will select one each month to share with the readers of Booster Trends. To submit your email send to: dearbooster@boosterclubs.org.

Fair-Play Scoreboards
About Fair-Play Scoreboards
Sports fans, athletic directors and administrators have relied on the style, performance and innovation of Fair-Play Scoreboards to stay on top of their game for more than 70 years. Fair-Play Scoreboards, a Trans-Lux company, designs and manufactures quality scoreboards and accessories for high schools, colleges and municipalities. With more than 100,000 installations, the company is an industry leader in LED (light emitting diode) scoreboard technology and wireless sign controls. Virtually every aspect of our products—from design to manufacturing to customer service—is performed from our division headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. Fair-Play’s national network of dealers and service technicians backs our commitment to service after the sale.

Fair-Play Scoreboards makes it easy to choose a new scoreboard or message display for your school. See what other educational institutions are doing around the country by visiting Fair-Play’s website at www.fair-play.com to view an entire gallery of recent scoreboard and message center installations, searchable by sport, location and model number. Try out different scoreboard models and colors using the “build your own scoreboard” feature in the interactive Products section. When you’re ready, print out a specifications sheet and contact a Fair-Play dealer near you for local service—all through the Fair-Play Scoreboards website.

Fair-Play Scoreboards personalizes your school spirit and pride with scoring, timing and messaging systems that your students, parents and supporters will use and enjoy for years and years. We recognize the time and effort necessary to keep a booster club strong and growing. Raise funds for a project that everyone can believe in—a new scoreboard or message display—and unify your membership with a common goal!

Lisa N. Jacobs
Marketing Communications Specialist
Trans-Lux Fair-Play
1700 Delaware Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50317
phone: 515-265-5305 x 1049 | fax: 515-265-3364
www.fair-play.com

NBCA Advocate - This is an ideal opportunity for anyone with contacts to local booster clubs, teams and businesses. The NBCA Advocate position does not require you to make any commitment other than your interest to periodically refer the NBCA to local booster clubs, teams and businesses. NBCA Advocates receive a commission or override for simply referring the association’s services to booster clubs, teams and businesses. This is an outstanding opportunity for any person who understands the role that extra-curricular activities play in shaping our society. If you would like to register and become an NBCA Advocate, please email your contact information or visit BoosterWorld and register today.

Area Coordinators - The NBCA is now seeking individuals who would like to assist local clubs, teams and businesses. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone looking for an opportunity to work part-time, or looking to help make a difference in your community. Coordinators will receive high commissions for introducing the association’s services to businesses, schools and parent organizations. This is an outstanding opportunity for any person who understands the role that extra-curricular activities play in shaping our society. If you would like to register and become an NBCA Advocate, please email your contact information or visit BoosterWorld and register today.

Club Coordinators - The NBCA is seeking individuals who are currently working with or involved with a booster club or extra-curricular program. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone currently involved with a club, team or extra-curricular program and who would like to turn the time you are spending into an opportunity to receive prizes, awards, recognition and compensation. Club Coordinators simply do what they are currently doing, nothing more. If you would like to register for the position of Club Coordinator, please email your name, club affiliation, city and state. Email us today at marketing@boosterclubs.org

Magtech provides a variety of unique ways to display your favorite photos. Our reusable Stickyback Photo Pockets and Frames with our special repositionable adhesive, allow you to display your photos on walls, doors, cabinets and more without harming the surface. Stick’em again and again and again…it works! To display your photos on refrigerators, school lockers and most metal surfaces use our Magnetic Photo Pockets, Frames and “Peel & Stick” Sheets. All of the Magtech photo/frame pockets are reusable and photo safe.

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Ask a furniture store to donate a chair or love seat if possible. Sell the tickets for $1 during the JV game or girl's game (if a double header). During the last two minutes of warm-up for the varsity game, draw a name. This person gets to sit in the best seat (if you have a love seat, they get to choose someone to sit with them). They also get popcorn, a pop and their name entered into the drawing to be held at the end of the season to win the chair (if the store is willing to give it away). The chair is placed on the sideline or on the stage if you have a small gym. You'll make lots if you do fundraising for both men's and women's basketball games.

Schools are fiscally stretched in funding today's wide range of student activities, and that's where Dutch Mill Bulbs can help. Tightened budgets have increased the need for booster clubs to financially assist their respective activities (i.e. sports teams, bands, orchestras, cheerleading, etc.) where fiscal budgeting - or lack thereof - falls short.

Bulbs are our business - our only business. We are the flower bulb fundraising specialists. Unlike other fundraising companies that carry various lines of products (candy, magazines, cookie dough, pizza kits, etc.), we only handle flower bulbs. Because of our expertise and relationships with Holland's best suppliers, we guarantee our product will grow and bloom or we'll replace it. In other words, working with Dutch Mill Bulbs is risk free! There are no up front or hidden costs. Sales brochures and support materials are provided free of charge. There are no shipping charges. Customer service is only a toll free call (or fax) away. Best of all, customers earn a minimum of 50% profit on every sale, and can choose from prize or cash awards. Every item in both our fall and spring programs sells for $5.00, so selling Dutch Mill Bulbs is fun and easy for both the group and the group leader.

Clubs continue to face increasing needs to provide financial support. Dutch Mill Bulbs is there to help. We take great pride in our involvement with local community organizations, sports teams, and school sponsored events. Dutch Mill Bulbs remains dedicated to provide profitable, fun, easy-to-sell and easy-to-manage fall and spring fundraising programs.

PIXBE OFFERS DIGITAL PRINTING OPPORTUNITIES
Baseballs, Footballs, Basketballs, Hockey Pucks, and Xmas Ornaments are just a few of the curved surfaces that can be used with Pixbe’s digital printing process. A machine that is portable enough for same day game fundraisers and promotions. With the digital printing process there are affordable prices with large profits for your booster club.

Pixbe will discount the prices to all Booster club members so that they will be successful in their fundraising efforts. Pixbe will discount all products 50% for Booster Clubs thru Dec 1st as an introductory offer. With retail pricing at $14.95 to $19.95 you have a tremendous potential for much larger profits than in the past.

PIXBE is a provider of a multi-color digital printing process specifically designed for curved and flat surfaces. The printers can be deployed inexpensively, providing manufacturers and retail specialty outlets with an onsite cost efficient alternative to brand any item in any quantity without the long lead times and setups currently experienced for specialty branding. The machine is portable enough for you the NBCA Member for same day game fundraisers and promotions. Sincerely

The applications are limited only by the imagination and PIXBE can deliver whatever the market demands. These services for fundraising are now available through Pixbe directly or starting in August from our website. Most fundraising efforts can’t afford the purchase of a machine for onsite capabilities. The turn around time on products is 2 to 3 days with shipping UPS Ground.

PLEASE CONTACT PIXBE AT 925 308 7900 FOR ORDERING OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND IDEAS. ASK FOR THE INFO DEPARTMENT. THE WEBSITE WWW.PIXBE.COM WILL BE FULLY OPERATIONAL OCT 1ST.

National Hole-In-One Association
National Hole-In-One Association (NHIOA) was formed in 1981 to assist golf tournaments in charity fundraising by adding the fun and excitement of large hole-in-one prizes. In 1994 Grand Prize Promotions (GPP) was formed to help with fundraising and promotions at other events. Combined we have insured prizes at over 300,000 events and paid over $40,000,000 for winners.

We believe that school activities and sports are an integral part of the community. We work with booster clubs to develop sponsorship programs that build new fundraising opportunities at sporting and other events. You can use our contests to attract sponsorships for football kicks, basketball shots and other fun contests with big prizes. The sponsor gets the visibility they desire from your crowds and you get to profit from the sponsorship.

There is tremendous potential for booster clubs because every school is an important part of its community. Our promotions are designed to help you leverage that status into fun fundraising activities with sponsorships that promote local businesses and provide fun and participation for your fans.

For More Information:
www.hio.com
www.grandprizepromotions.com
800 527-6944

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