The Fundraising Battle

School is expensive. From sporting uniforms, to equipment, to field trips or travel, school sports, clubs, and groups, it seems that everyone needs money for something.
Fundraising is the most dreaded part of being part of a school group for participants, coaches, and advisors. It involves hours in the hot sun washing cars, selling baked goods at lunch, and, most recently, sending out emails and text messages through Snap! Raise.
Though it may seem simple, fundraising students, athletes, coaches, and advisors alike struggle to move around the fundraising regulations.
“There’s a lot of red tape—restrictions on how we fundraise and how we use the money,” language arts teacher and debate coach Creed Archibald said. “I think we could do a better job at trusting teachers.”
Highland administration as well as the Salt Lake City School District have a process for fundraising approval that involves detailing what the funds will be used for and being approved through the principal and district employees.
Fundraising guidelines have been a debated topic within Utah congress and the Utah State Board of Education that has progressively made fundraising more difficult. Many of these policies are meant to ensure that funds raised for a group or sport are used for all members of the group.
The difficulty in this lies in groups that intend to use the money raised for something later on, like a school trip or extra uniform.
“Sometimes as a program you want to fundraise for something larger down the line,” Highland principal Jeremy Chatterton said. “So being able to save money for a big purchase can sometimes be a hard thing and that’s where we’re trying to find other ways to do that.”
Snap! Raise is a program that many groups use to fundraise. By entering emails and phone numbers into your fundraiser, the program automatically sends out messages with links to the fundraiser. Then, Snap! Raise takes 10 percent commission from the earnings.
“Coaches and teachers have way too much responsibility on their plate to focus on fundraising,” Nick Tsagalakis, Snap! Mobile Director for Utah, Idaho, and Montana said. “It’s just one thing we’re able to take off their plate.”
According to Tsagalakis, Highland’s winter sports alone raised $48,000.
Through the use of Snap! Raise, Highland’s debate team raised almost $11,000 towards their four-day trip to Tempe, Arizona to compete in a debate tournament. While some students believe that the lack of product being available to donors would make the fundraiser inadequate to events like bake sales or car washes, Archibald believes that is even more effective.
“I think that most grandmas, aunts, and uncles would rather just donate $50 to the program than buy a bunch of mediocre popcorn or cookie dough,” Archibald said.
For Highland parent Heather Erickson, fundraising has always been a difficult task. As a cheer and dance company parent, she has helped with many events and campaigns to raise funds towards the costs that come with these activities including bake sales, car washes, and Snap! Raise.
“Fundraising is frustrating because it takes a lot of time and money to make money,” Erickson said.
Many Highland parents have the same worries about these fundraisers. Some are concerned that programs need to be more transparent on where the money is going and how it is being used.
For tennis team junior Kendra Hall, fundraising isn’t just about the total that can be spent towards team costs, but it also reinforces team bonding and brings everyone together.
“The most effective way to do it is to contact your local businesses and ask if they are willing to partner and support your team,” Hall said.
According to the Utah State Board of Education Fundraising Model Policy, students cannot be required to bring in money, but can be expected to participate in fundraising. This can include putting in a certain amount of emails or phone numbers into Snap! Raise or soliciting to businesses.
But, as travel has gotten more and more common for sports and groups, fundraising has been more needed than ever to cover the costs of transportation, boarding, and food. Highland cheerleading, debate, and even the Highland Rambler in their quest to travel to New York City over spring break amid the battle with fundraising regulations.
Although fundraising policy is difficult to navigate for many, policies are in place to ensure that funds are raised directly for students and the activities they choose to participate in.