You are awesome. Your product was perfect… plus you were cheaper anyway, even with the added 2 day delivery charge! Thanks so much! I also really like the reminder, so I don’t forget next year!
~Leslie Pirl-Roth
I recently had the chance to catch up with Leslie Pirl-Roth to discuss her organization, The CW Athletic Booster Club’s, fall and spring fundraisers held in Robesonia, PA. “The CW Athletic Boosters club supports and helps fund ‘the extras’ for all school sanctioned sports here in the Conrad Weiser Area School District High School. The biggest event we fund is the Senior Banquet, where our students get a meal and a plaque! The event is one of two fundraisers (one in Fall, one in Spring) in which we sell BBQ Chicken, made by Kaufman’s, which is a huge deal in our little corner of the world. This is my second year being the ‘CHICKEN LADY’ … but I am also the secretary of our great organization!”
How did Leslie and her team get the word out about their fundraiser? They used several strategies from sharing news of the event through word of mouth to hanging posters, taking out print ads in the school paper, advertising on the school website and just selling the tickets themselves. “We depend on our student athletes to sell them, but we also buy extra chickens because when folks around here see ‘Kaufman’s chickens for sale,’ they will stop and buy some!” The biannual booster event is a real success. Leslie told me, “We make decent money to support our kids.”
For Leslie and the other boosters, the best part of the fundraiser is “seeing how many kids are willing to help us out when they don’t have to.”
Even when things didn’t go according to plan, there was a positive outcome. For instance, “One time we ordered extra chickens but ended up with about one hundred extra. Lots of chicken corn noodle soup was made for the concessions stand.”
“This year, I completely FORGOT TO ORDER THE TICKETS!” Leslie told me. “I was in panic mode, went on line, saw your site, saw your prices and figured out that it was cheaper to use your product anyway, even with a two day delivery charge! I especially like the reminder that I will get from you to order the tickets for our spring event. At any rate, we were ON TIME getting the tickets out to our kids to sell!”
What kind of advice would Leslie share with others planning a similar event? “Get kids to help, they’re young enough to do all the running around!”
“Healing through Sports Foundation (HTSF) is a non-profit, public-benefit organization having the purpose of funding cancer research, patient services, and education programs focusing on prevention. By communicating the benefits of regular participation in physical activity and sporting events, we believe we can make a difference.”
~ James Johnson, HTSF
This July the Healing through Sports Foundation held its 9th Annual Summer Swing Charity Event at the Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. The event featured rounds of golf, a charity raffle, silent auction, cocktails, and a dinner buffet. Attendees could participate in a number of ways, from sending in a donation of a certain amount, buying raffle tickets, attending one or all of the events, to becoming one of the event sponsors.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was chosen as the charity benefactor. The mission of LLS is to “cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.” The goal of the Summer Swing Charity Event was to raise at least $15,000 for the cause of curing blood cancers.
Along with the golf tournament, the charity fundraising event featured a Helicopter Ball Drop Raffle. In this type of raffle, numbered tickets are sold to participants. Then numbered golf balls are dropped from a helicopter above a specific spot on the golf course. The winner is determined by how close to the target, usually a tee or hole, the numbered golf ball lands. Proceeds from the raffle go to the designated charity.
For this event, the organizers chose the Golf Tournament Raffle Ticket. The ticket features a bright blue sky, a well tended green and a golf ball waiting on a tee to be put into play. The ticket has room for information about the event and the raffle. An individually numbered, detachable stub allows organizers to keep track of tickets and prizes.
I asked James how the TicketPrinting.com raffle ticket benefited his particular event. He said, “It clearly communicated what our event was and what we were offering. Also, the quality of the product was outstanding!”
To sell event tickets, James and his team relied on several proven methods: “email, online, and in person.” Reaching out through an email list or listserve to individuals who have had contact with the organization can be very rewarding when it is time to sell tickets. It also pays to maintain an up-to-date online source to disseminate information about the event and sell tickets. Whether an event organizer chooses to maintain a website dedicated to the event or a Facebook Event page, information should be relevant and drive attendees to the event. Leveraging personal contacts can also be very important when planning a similar event. The power of word of mouth sales cannot be underestimated.
What advice did James have for other event organizers? “Have plan and stick to it. A clear roadmap is the key to any successful event.” Real planning and dedication make big events like this possible and successful.
Are you part of the resurgence in the world’s most awesome sport? It’s time for you and all your roller derby gals to get competitive. You can offer public sporting events—your team versus other local rollers. Start planning, promoting, and selling event tickets for your bouts and let your jammers start lapping for the fans! It’s time to lace up your skates, squeeze into your campiest uniform, and get rolling.
Call it like it is: Your team moniker
Roller Derby teams need clever names. Puns reflecting your punk third-wave feminist roots are a sure draw for crowds and fans: the Sandra Day O’Clobbers, the Shevil Knevils, the Beauty School Knockouts, and the Rushin’ Rollettes. Be as violent as you like! Or, choose two words, say an adjective and a noun, that best encompass your team, like the Zany Fembots. Just make sure your name is intriguing and your fans feel like they’re in on the joke.
High noon: When to meet
When you’re ready to brawl, contact other roller derby teams in your area and decide which one your team will battle. You may be able to join a league and schedule a series of derbies. Can’t decide whom to meet first? Create your own raffle tickets and draw a name from a hat. Once you’ve decided upon whom, you need to figure out when. Pick a date and a time for your event. Consider days and times that would work best for the audience you are trying to attract. Audiences for roller derbies are diverse: from families to hipsters to teens, so your breadth should be vast, but conscious about your target audience. Families prefer daytime, weekend event. Teens may be available in the afternoon, after school, and twenty-somethings like to stay out late.
Meet me in the parking lot: Choose your venue:
If your city doesn’t already have a dedicated roller derby rink, you will to find need a venue that can satisfy the inherent needs of the sport. True roller derby typically requires a sports arena or a gymnasium, but you could also convert a large gallery or performance space. If you know of a space that often exhibits artwork or avant garde performance, you may persuade them to host your derby as a way to further the venue’s original intent. Perhaps a very large gallery that could accommodate a derby may choose to have your team battle another team in their space while highlighting related artwork such as photographs of Derby girls alongside your event. If the venue already has a box office or a way of handling ticket sales, that’s a bonus for you, as it makes it easier to sell event tickets.
Shout it out: Event promotion
Get your artists on the job. Your general promotion should be creative and intriguing. Collage-style designs featuring your team portrait or other relevant images can be distributed as postcards. Include the date and time, the venue, the ticket price, the names of the both teams, and information on where to get the tickets (don’t forget to include any relevant URLs). Take it to the streets and pass out the postcards in your derby garb to attract some attention. Hang posters in book shops, record stores, college campuses, and other local businesses. In addition to this, use your website and other networking tools such as Facebook to promote the event.
At the door: Get your event tickets right here
Have fun with these! Use your original promotional designs to create a unique custom ticket, or choose an online event ticket template. These can be printed on demand and are a good way to create the tickets for your event. Remember to include the same pertinent information you used on your postcard or promotional flyer: who, what, when, where, how much. Don’t forget web addresses or phone numbers where people can get more information. Consider creative ways to make those tickets your own! In designing your event tickets, you may include the logo for both teams or photos of the two teams. Individually numbered event tickets with perforated stubs help you keep track of attendance, control the venue, and increase security. Selling event tickets helps you realize some profit for your event, giving your team even more passion to have a great and memorable roller derby battle!
