• Executive Directors Column
• Fundraising Opportunities
• Booster Club Membership Drive
• EFSN Offers Timeshare Fundraising
• Coordinator Expansion Underway
• Dear Booster
• Vendor of the Month -AIM
• Booster Tips
• Seeking Nationwide Support
• Do-It Yourself Fundraiser
• Spotlight of the Month -Mustang Signs & Graphics
• Fast Facts

THE VALUE OF AFTER SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS
Three in ten California teens are unsupervised and not involved in some afterschool program three or more days each week, and these students tend to engage in more high-risk behavior than students who are involved in some form of afterschool extracurricular program. Those are among the findings from a new poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California. The study found that more than three in four respondents said that after school activities help kids stay safe and out of trouble.

For the study, researchers conducted telephone interviews with 604 middle and high school students, 12 to 17 years of age. They found significant unmet demands for afterschool programs. For instance, more than one-third of the respondents said there are not enough after school programs in their areas that interest them. Of these, 77 percent said they would likely participate if interesting afterschool activities were available.

According to the study, teens who are unsupervised after school three or more days per week are:

• About three times as likely as other teens to have done something in the past year that could have gotten them arrested.
• More than twice as likely to have smoked marijuana in the past year.
• More than five times as likely to have used drugs other than marijuana in the past year.
• More than twice as likely to have hung out with gang members in the past year.
• More than five times as likely to have been recruited by a gang in the past year.

Although this study was California based, its findings are inline with similar studies done across the nation. When extracurricular programs are not fully funded, local law enforcement loses one of its most powerful anti-crime weapons and our communities end up paying the price in the long run. Your booster club can play a very important role in helping to insure the continuation of extracurricular programs.

Volunteer your time and support your local booster club.
Sincerely,

Steve M. Beden
President

Grants for Baseball and Softball
Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players Association are inviting letters of inquiry from programs that support young people's participation in baseball and softball for grants ranging from $2,000 to $200,000. Programs that work with youth age ten to 16 and create opportunities for minorities and girls are encouraged to submit proposals. For further information, contact btf@mlb.com or visit www.baseballtomorrowfund.com.

Target Field Trip Grants
The Target Field Trip Grants program will award grants to K-12 educators, teachers, principals, para-professionals, or classified staff to fund field trips for their students. Up to 800 grants of $1,000 each will be awarded to educators throughout the United States. Examples of eligible field trips include art, science, and cultural museum visits; civics projects; career enrichment opportunities, etc. Education professionals who are employed by an accredited K-12 public, private or charter school in the U.S. that maintains a 501(c)(3) or a 509(a)(1) tax exempt status are eligible to apply. Funds may be used to cover field trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, resource materials, and supplies. Applications must be submitted online by November 1, 2006. Visit target.com.

Gifts in Kind
Gifts in Kind International, a non profit organization that provides product donations, including computers, software, office supplies, clothing and personal-care products, is soliciting applications from tax-exempt organizations with a need for physical resources. After school programs may sign up for membership through the organization's web page to become eligible for donations. For further information, go to www.giftsinkind.org.

OPEN ENROLLMENT
Open enrollment is now in process. This is the perfect time to register your club and take advantage of the club building tools, resources, training and support offered to members.

If your club has not received a membership notice, email us today: NABCA Club Enrollment

Enroll Your Club

Dear Booster........

Interested in a completely new and creative fundraising program?

The Education Foundation Support Network (EFSN) is an educational-based support group that controls a $10M Fund specifically designed to support youth and community initiatives throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Arizona. Our program is called A Simple Fundraiser, and operates solely off of cause-related marketing dollars. Simply put, in lieu of spending money on traditional media, companies have agreed to divert marketing dollars back to the community where it can do the most good.

This is an innovative new funding channel that will help consolidate efforts and allow groups to raise more money in less than ever before. To learn more about this opportunity, please contact NABCA today for more details.

The NABCA 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 just took over the position as the president for our gymnastics booster club and want to know if you can tell me whether or not our booster club needs to register as a corporation. I don't see that we have ever registered and don't want to get in trouble. Thanks in advance.
Shari P.
Elite Gymnastics

Dear Shari,
The answer is yes. Regardless of whether your booster club is supporting a school or non-school based extracurricular program you need to register with your state corporation commission as a non-profit organization. Just like any organization you will need articles, bylaws and officers to provide your group with the guidance for making sound club decisions. Take the steps today to help eliminate risk and liability to your organization. To help you with the process, sample documents can be found in Booster Central.

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@boostercentral.org.

Association Insurance Management
Founded in 1989, Association of Insurance Management (AIM) is a national marketing organization specializing in insurance products designed for booster clubs and extracurricular programs.

This month, AIM brings you two of the most asked insurance questions:

Question: I’ve had people tell me that I could be held personally liable for anything that happens in our club. Is that true?

Yes! Because you are directly related to the events that are planned within your club, you are responsible for everything that happens either positively or negatively. If someone gets sick from food that you served at a concession stand and holds your booster club responsible, then your assets could be involved in a lawsuit. General Liability protects the assets of the booster club, but your assets as a volunteer as well.

Question: We have a General Liability policy, why do we need Officer’s Liability?

Just like you wouldn’t expect your home insurance to pay for an auto accident, you can’t assume that a General Liability policy protects you against every risk. A General Liability policy protects you and your organization against lawsuits arising out of bodily injury. Officer’s Liability will never cover an injury claim. Officer’s Liability covers you for suits accusing your booster club of such things as misrepresentation, mismanagement, giving out false or misleading information, and discrimination.

SEVEN STEPS TO FUNDRAISING SUCCESS

1) Know your audience. For most booster clubs it will be parents and community supporters of your extracurricular program.

2) Have the right offer. Make sure your offer is appealing and inviting. Remember that people are hit up for financial support from many organizations - make your offer stand out.

3) Connect your donor to your cause. “Join Our Team” and other distinct language can be used to connect donors to your organization.

4) Give your donor a way to express your cause. Give donors things that they can use to show an affinity for and support of the cause (team hats, mugs, shirts).

5) Thank donors and allow them to give again. Don't shy away from including an appeal for a second gift in a thank-you mailing to your donors, as donors are most likely to give again quickly.

6) Bond donors to the cause. Like a welcome package that gives donors information on the organization and includes a sticker and another ask. Consider a “You Call the Shots” card, i.e., a card that allows donors to indicate the ways they would like your organization to communicate with them.

7) Seize the day. Take advantage of unique opportunities to contact donors and net additional donations. Staying connected with them will increase your level of donor support.

NABCA Advocate - This is an ideal opportunity for anyone with contacts to local booster clubs, teams and businesses. The NABCA Advocate position does not require you to make any commitment other than your interest to periodically refer the NABCA to local booster clubs, teams and businesses. NABCA 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 extracurricular activities play in shaping our society. If you would like to register and become an NABCA Advocate, please email your contact information or visit BoosterWorld and register today.

Area Coordinators - The NABCA 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 extracurricular activities play in shaping our society. If you would like to register and become an NABCA Advocate, please email your contact information or visit BoosterWorld and register today.

MUSTANG SIGNS & GRAPHICS

Looking for a sign or banner for your next booster event? Mustang Signs and Graphics would like to support your organization with the highest quality and most competitive pricing available.

Even when we close our doors and go home at night, we're still just a point and click away. Our Product and Services area provides you with with 24-hour access to our company. From here you can request an estimate, place an order, transfer a file, or review our product and service offerings, all from the convenience of your office or home.

We want to make the process of doing business with us as easy as possible. Visit our online website and let us help you with making your next event or activity a tremendous success: To visit Mustang Signs & Graphics go to
http://www.mustangsigns.com/index.html.