This article was submitted to the Eighth Note by our 2015 Treasurer Charlie Sanders!
Your chapter probably has a lot of passionate people, with a lot of big goals. Maybe you want to repair some worn-out uniforms that your band has had to retire. Maybe you want to have a guest speaker come and talk to your band about some important topic. Or maybe you just want to buy a whole bunch of cookies and baked goods for your next concert reception. Whatever the case, it’s generally the case that, in order to provide the level of service that your chapter is striving for, you’re going to need money to pay for it. And in all likelihood, that money is going to come from your chapter’s fundraising efforts.
Now, not every service project needs to break the bank. There’s a huge number of ways that you can help your band purely through the time and energy of you and your fellow sisters. Some things, however, have costs that you simply can’t get around. These are often the big projects, the kinds of things that make people remember your chapter and the kinds of things that can have a tremendous impact.
There’s a huge number of ways to fundraise, and every chapter is in a different situation. No one fundraising event is going to be the right thing to do for every chapter. At Epsilon Theta, we work the concessions stands at various sporting events in the fall and spring. This isn’t going to work as well at a smaller school, like one that doesn’t have a basketball team or lacks a home arena. But no matter what your situation, there’s always ways for a chapter to fundraise, as long as there are creative and passionate sisters at that chapter.
Almost more important than simply having a fundraiser is being persistent in continuing them. One-off ideas for fundraising can be useful, but a recurring source of income for your chapter will allow your finances to constantly get better as time goes on, and allow you to provide more and more service to your band. When you’re considering what fundraising projects to focus on, take into account whether an idea has the possibility of working again and again.
Some fundraising projects might cost a bit to get started. Basic supplies might be needed, or the project itself might have some inherent costs. It’s important to analyze how much was spent on a project and compare it to how much the project ended up making, to ensure that the time and energy being spent is worthwhile. But even if the numbers aren’t as great as you might hope, don’t immediately toss out the idea. Once you’ve done a fundraising project once, your chapter will have the experience to go and do it better the next time, often for cheaper, and with better results. Persistence is key.
One of the Eight Essential Factors calls for us to have the fortitude and courage to see an idea, to seize upon it, and follow it wherever it may lead us in Tau Beta Sigma. Take this message, and tenaciously pursue your chapter’s next fundraising opportunity. With persistence, you will enable your chapter to become better and achieve even loftier goals.
