The $10,000 Splash: How to Run a High-Engagement Booster Club Fundraiser with Chris Sharps

What if hitting your fundraising goal meant dumping a cooler of ice water on your band director? That's exactly the fun, high-stakes gamble the Polar Bear Band Boosters in West Virginia used to raise over $10,000 in a single week!

Join host Robin Eissler as she talks with this week's guest, Chris Sharps, the social media coordinator for the Fairmont Senior High School Polar Bear Band Boosters. Chris, whose background is in higher education recruitment, enrollment, and technology integration—including a forward-thinking approach to AI in knowledge management—shares the secret sauce to their massively successful social media fundraising campaign. Discover how cleaning up their online presence, using short-form video, and leveraging the power of alumni storytelling transformed a modest $2,000 campaign into a $10,000 capital replacement success! Plus, find out how accepting credit cards dramatically increased their concession sales.

This episode is packed with tactical, real-world advice to help your Booster Club stop struggling with traditional sales and start seeing major returns on their digital efforts.

Key Takeaways: 

• 7:20 -   Credit Card Sales: Switching to credit cards at concessions boosted sales by 30% to 50%.
• 11:17 -  $10,000 Social Fundraiser: How a "Polar Bear Plunge" challenge raised over $10,000 in one week for a new trailer.
• 19:15 -   Alumni Gold: Use storytelling to tap into alumni and alumni parents, who are often your largest donors.
• 21:43 -   Matching Funds Power: Securing matching funds upfront raised the average donation to about $75 and encouraged more first-time giving.
• 26:03 -   Magic Seven: The power of seven: Consistent daily posts for a week is the key to driving action and donations.
• 28:15 -   Streaming Tech: Invest in tech like external microphones and a gimbal—and watch out for your phone overheating during live streams.