Theatre geeks have to fundraise too!
I am a theatre geek (note the -re instead of -er). I love musical theatre and always have. There is no money in theatre. people do it for the love of it. My parents both came from a theatre background and I was lucky to be exposed to Broadway musicals from a very early age.
As I was listening to Sirius XM On Broadway the other day, I heard the song “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof. Theatre buffs may think of Zero Mostel or even Topol, but I thought of Bernie Bucholtz — the 6th grade teacher who played Tevye in my elementary school’s production when I was 10. Recalling Bernie (or Mr. Bucholtz, as I always knew him) singing If I Were A Rich Man made me smile. I wondered if he and his fellow teachers knew that they were instilling a love of theatre and performing with these yearly productions. It was such a privilege to be in the show and learn a sense of community. We were in it together!
You may be asking yourself why I am sharing this with you. What does this have to do with fundraising?? Well, first, it’s part of who I am, and I try to share who I am with each of you — along with great fundraising tips, ideas and help. Second, even theatre geeks need to fundraise! My daughter Emily is at a performing arts middle school (no, it’s not really like Fame; I think they’d get in trouble for dancing on tables and taxis!). There is a 7th grade teacher though that tries to plan a trip for the 7th and 8th graders to go to NYC and see theatre. We happened to meet and start talking one day after school and she was thrilled to know about my book and programs to help raise money. Everyone has questions, and wants to know the secret to making more money.
You see, it isn’t just the schools who need to raise money. The after school programs and sports clubs need help too. Maybe the band needs to raise money to get to the big game, or cheerleaders need help with paying for uniforms (sports teams need help too). Maybe the super smart kids have to raise funds to get to the state or national academic decathlon. Wrapping paper and candy bar sales may have worked when I was a kid, but this is a whole new ballgame (as a theatre geek, am I allowed to use sports references?). You need to find new ways to bring in the money that won’t stress your parents out. Kids have so much on their plates between homework and extra curricular activities that fundraising becomes just another “To Do” on the list.
I can help you! Let me take some of the stress away and show you how you can make more money and stress less! Contact me and let’s set up a complimentary strategy session to help the money keep rolling in (who wants to take a guess at that musical theatre reference?)!
Whether your child is standing in the wings, on the sidelines or on the field, I’m cheering you on and wishing you all the success in the world!
Sarah
Have you signed up to get tips, tricks and ideas to make your fundraising work better? Sign up for my mailing list. I don’t sell your info and I hate spam too! Know someone else who could use my help? Forward this to them!
Sarah has been fundraising for schools since 2008. She is the author of A Mom’s Guide to School Fundraising and has consulted for several schools and clubs. She has been featured on RetailMeNot.com, Scholastic: Parent & Child and The New York Times. She thinks all kids should be able to have a well-rounded education, team uniforms, instruments and support. Don’t you?