Dodgen MS Music Dept. - Chuck Jackson "Our profits from Encore Fundraising have helped us In the Fall of 2007, Charles R. Jackson, DMA., director of bands at Dodgen Middle School in Marietta, Georgia, began his favorite annual fundraiser for the seventh year in a row with Encore Fundraising, specialists in developing fundraising programs for middle and high schools. The entire music department, including the Bands, Chorus and Orchestra, took part in it. Over 90% of his 400 students participated, and many parents did their part to help. Ten days later, they had generated $143,000 in sales and earned an astounding total of $57,000 -- in pure profits!
The best fundraiser in 30 years. "I've been a music teacher for over 30 years," Dr. Jackson said, "so I've done every kind of fundraiser you can imagine. But I've never found anything that can generate such a high level of profits with so little work in that brief period of time." Jackson admits that he was very skeptical the first year he went with Encore Fundraising because the product line was frozen foods -- cheesecakes, danishes, pizzas, and cookie dough. He'd had his share of bad experiences with other fundraising companies, and he was concerned that he might end up with ruined, thawed out products, messed up orders and hundreds of unhappy customers. "I took a chance with Encore, and it really paid off." Jackson said.
Starting strong The first year with Encore was full of surprises -- all good ones, Jackson recalls. The school bands sold $60,000 worth of frozen goods and earned $24,000 in profits, their most successful fundraiser ever. When all of the frozen products were delivered to the school, Jackson headed up the team that sorted out items and grouped them into orders. "I remember working with my volunteer parents and students all day and into the evening until every order was filled," Jackson recalled. "I didn't even stop to eat lunch. By the time I was heading home at 8 o'clock that evening, with my own order on the passenger seat next to me, I was starved, I didn't want to wait until I got home, so I grabbed a plastic fork, opened one of the cheesecakes and got ready for my first taste. The fork broke in half," Jackson laughed. "Even though it had been sitting in our school gym all afternoon, the cheesecake was frozen solid, just like it was supposed to be!" Jackson knew he had a winner.
A community-wide success Soon after school started the next year, parents began calling to find out if the students would be selling the cheesecakes and other frozen goods again. Many told Jackson that if they had known that the products were so delicious, they would have ordered more the first time. The whole community looks forward to the Encore fundraiser every year. After seven years of fundraising with Encore, Jackson continues to be impressed with the great taste and consistent high quality of the products, the students' enthusiasm for selling them, and the community's enthusiasm for buying them. "The percentage of sales that come back to us as pure profits is very generous," Jackson explained, "not to mention the wonderful cash prizes that Encore awards participating students." Since that first year, Jackson's band of volunteer parents has streamlined the order filling process into a smooth-running machine. Other than filling the orders, Jackson emphasized, Encore Fundraising takes care of everything else. "The program is totally organized, and the products are beautifully packaged," Jackson explained. "Elisabeth Jonas and her entire staff always make me feel like I'm the only client they have, and they always have time to talk to me."
Fundraising is about fulfilling dreams Jackson doesn't beat around the bush about the impact Encore's fundraising has had on the quality of his music department. Even though Dodgen Middle School's music department receives a generous budget allotment every year from the school system, those funds can only be used for certain expenditures. "For example, state funds don't pay for student recognition programs," Jackson added. "In Georgia, when students get recognized, they have to personally pay for the medals they receive." Not anymore! Encore profits now pay for their medals, as well as recognition plaques. Then there are the auditions for the Georgia All-State Band. Encore profits pay the expenses of traveling to Savannah for the All-State event, a five-hour trip. "Now we can encourage students who previously couldn't afford to pay their own expenses to audition and participate in the event," Jackson said. The Dodgen Middle School music program continues to grow and expand every year as a result of their Encore Fundraising profits. They now hire flute and bassoon instructors for the students. They just purchased two new tubas which brings their total inventory up to 20 tubas. They previously bought a full set of acoustic steel drums, state-of-the-art equipment that few schools can afford. They are believed to be the only middle school in the state that has a bass trumpet for their trumpet ensemble. As Director of Bands Charles Jackson sees it, a successful school fundraising program is about fulfilling dreams. "Whatever I can dream up for my music students, I can deliver, thanks to Encore. They have developed an almost push-button, automatic fund-raising program which frees me up to be the best teacher I can be for my students. Encore helps by giving me the tools I need to do a great job." Fundraising Coach - Elisabeth Jonas
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