Not really, maybe a few more. But it's the same core group of about ten that are seriously involved plus maybe another 10 involved somewhat.
With about 450 seniors, we'd hoped for more parents. But the big push will come for the Project Graduation event itself. That night we'll need40+ volunteers.
Hi JHB-
Thanks so much for taking the time to report back on this. Very helpful. Glad to hear that fundraiser went well. Sounds like you have a great community -- the fact that 2 of the winners decided to donate their earnings back to the cause is awesome.
I'm curious how you made out with getting more people to volunteer? Do you feel like more people are on board with the project since you first wrote in December?
Thought I'd give an update on this. We've been plugging away and just concluded the primary fundraiser - an annual dinner, silent auction, reverse raffle. Historically, the tickets go for $100 per couple with each being eligible for the grand prize, a $2000+ VISA card. (Usually equates to the year, i.e. last year was $2009). They don't sell that many tickets, last year 74 (x 2 ppl). A neighboring school did the same model and sold 56 this year. But between ticket sales and silent auction, they still raise $5,000 - $8,000.
Our group just didn't think we could sell $100 tickets so rescaled at $25 per person with a grand prize of only $1000 Visa card. We sold 225 tickets and ended up with about 175 people present and approximately 80 silent auction items. Our three finalists decided to split the prize and two donated their winnings back to the group.
We also had two on-site revenue games (Jewelry Box and Heads & Tails) that I explained in a separate posting.
All in all, it was a really good night. After expenses, we'll net about $9000, which covers our core budget items and offers us some breathing space.
We went with a Mardi Gras theme, which I highly recommend as it's so colorful and you can decorate pretty cheaply. We bought SIXTY DOZEN throw beads online for $25 (plus substantial shipping, but still much cheaper than alternatives).
I was chatting with my cousin who lives in a Chicago suburb. They have a real estate company that sponsors lawn signs for graduating seniors each spring. The signs are in the school colors and say something like "Proud Family of a XXX High School Senior". There is a white space where the first name and last initial of the student is written. Volunteers fan out across town on one night to place the signs.
Not really related to Project Grad but it seems to be a real morale booster even if you live in a larger town. She lives in a city/town of over 100,000. We noticed the signs EVERYWHERE when we visited last spring.
No cost for these as the sponsor pays for the supplies. As always, the challenge is in getting volunteers to follow through. Good luck and keep us posted.
I've volunteered at the last two because the graduation ceremony was evening and the senior parents couldn't miss their own child's graduation to do set up. so parents from lower classes helped out. This year, our ceremony is mid-afternoon, so the timing will work better for us.
From what I've seen and heard, the biggest problem is that there's a high percentage of no shows from the volunteer list that night. In some ways, I wish we were having ours at a commercial location, but it would be a lot more expensive.
I think it will be fun, but it's definitely the hardest school-related project I've ever worked on.
