Learn how a cheer team turned teamwork into over $15,000 with FUNDrive®!

Anyone who knows and loves the sport of cheerleading knows that the expenses can add up quickly. At Washington Allstars Cheer Brigade, a cheer program in Vancouver, Washington, the fee to join the program covers competition and practice, but all gear and travel are an additional expense. But anything is possible when you have a cheer team that knows how to work together and a fundraiser that emphasizes community building. Read on to learn how this cheer team turned teamwork into over $15,000 with FUNDrive®!

Heather Schuster, the booster’s manager for Washington Allstars Cheer Brigade, is always looking to make cheerleading expenses more manageable for her families, so when another mom suggested FUNDrive®, she jumped at the chance. The group hosted their first FUNDrive® event in 2021 and was proud (rightfully so!) of the almost $9,000 they raised. When the opportunity came back around in 2022, Heather wanted to take the lessons learned from their first event and turn things up a notch.

Their first lesson learned was to utilize the great teamwork their families and team members already live and breathe every day. The first time around, Heather had people drop off bags at her house when it was convenient and didn’t ask for many volunteers. But after realizing the work involved in organizing and packing up, she knew they needed a bit more help this time around. A local tap room was kind enough to donate their parking lot for three days, and families signed up for a timeslot to drop off their bags and volunteer. When drop-off time rolled around, each family who signed up for a slot to drop off bags went above and beyond to load and count their own bags and help however it was needed.

The next lesson Heather put into practice with her second FUNDrive® was timing. They held their FUNDrive® right as school was ramping back up, giving people the perfect opportunity to donate old stuff to make room for new school clothes or get rid of summer items to make way for fall.

Finally, Heather learned that packing your donations the right way can save you money and time, not to mention rounding up another truck. And with over 32,000 pounds of donations (way to go!), they needed all the room they could get to transport everything to their FUNDrive® drop-off.

At the end of the day, the lessons learned and strong teamwork brought the Washington Allstars Cheer Brigade a hugely successful FUNDrive®, earning them over $15,000!