Great discussion at our table regarding fundraising... our facilitator had
gathered ideas via the web from many club, and compiled a list from those emails
of what people are doing across the country.

We started out with a hand out listing general, long term fund raising that many
clubs do: membership fees, running shows, ads & sponsroships for shows
(including banner ads on club websites), ads in club newsletters, concessions at
shows, T shirts/hats/etc with logos, equine services directory sold at local
tack stores & clubs, cookbooks, running L program clinics or instructor
workshops.

Several participants also mentioned that they sell vendor sites at their shows
(recognized and schooling shows); prices on vendor spaces began at $50 & went
up. Most clubs charge more for "premium" spaces, ie, by the door, etc.

Other special fundraising events listed on our handout included tack sales,
garage sales, silent auctions at award dinners, chinese auctions of donated
labor, raffles of donated items, car washes, pony club kids (caring for horses
at camps/clinics/shows, or by selling hand made horse cookies), purchasing a
ring by the buy a brick/buy XX feet by sponsor.

Our group talked about a silent auction done at the regionals for region 9
recently. They got donated items, then the proceeds of the auction went to the
GMOs the show volunteers were from. The GMOs got a % of the proceeds based on
the % of volunteer hours their GMO members contributed. They plan to have this
grow every year. The host GMO did not benefit from the auction.

Several GMOs have raised significant funds via raffles. One gal discussed how
each year a local electronics store donated a large screen TV, then the club
sold raffle tickets. They got to use the TV w/ the sponsor banner displayed at
the horse fair, shows, etc. for running GMO & promotional videos... then did the
raffle at the awards banquet at the end of the year. Usually the item is
purchased at a significant discount by the GMO, not entirely free.

At the Raleigh CDI there was a dunking booth, and for $5 you bought a ball to
try to dunk trainers. the trainers got to display advertising at the dunk tank.

Other GMOs have built judges booths by selling ad space on the booth. The booth
can be mobile (ie, built on a trailer), and the ads are not placed on the side
that faces the ring. Design the ad space & selling price to pay for the booth.



Joann Messersmith
Dakota Dressage & Eventing





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