Scott Swanson
The Boys and Girls Club of the South Santiam is aiming to raise $40,000 by the end of the month and is looking to develop a stream of consistent giving from the Sweet Home community in response to the revelation that the organization is in financial distress.
Efforts mounted from within and outside the organization include an ad hoc group formed to develop ideas for generating consistent revenue, an “ASK3 Challenge” to local residents to donate on a monthly basis and a least two car washes.
The club needs to raise some $40,000 “to propel us forward and cover some debt that we need to move forward,” said Sweet Home branch Director Dave Bauer. He said the club needs another $80,000 in pledged donations – “consistent giving. We need to be able to show that on the books.”
According to numbers provided by the club last month at the request of The New Era, Sweet Home raised $96,468 in 2014, including $34,376 attributed to individual giving. The Lebanon community raised $385,969, with $140,438 attributed to individual giving. The club as a whole finished slightly over $70,000 in the red.
The numbers speak for themselves, Bauer said. “We’re at a deficit.”
To develop the necessary revenue stream, he has launched the “ASK3 Challenge,” and spent last week circulating flyers announcing the “ASK3” campaign in the community.
The challenge asks people to donate $5 or more monthly and to encourage at least three friends to do so as well.
“That’s where this five-10-20 dollars a month comes in,” Bauer said. “People go on line and commit to sustained support.
“Because we don’t have a lot of big business in town, we need the community to show their support and provide that financial gap,” he said.
Information and sign-up forms to participate is available at bgcgreatersantiam.org/get-involved or by contacting Bauer at (541) 367-6421.
He emphasized that the “ASK3” campaign is only one solution to the financial picture, which includes contributions from long-time local donors who have supported the club for years and continue to do so.
Bauer said he believes the consistent-small-donation approach will work for Sweet Home.
“It’s a very doable thing. This spreads large burden over large number of people,” he said. “Five dollars a month comes out to $60 a year and it’s tax-deductible. It’s easier to do that than writing a $120 check out of one pay period.”
He said that Sweet Home’s size makes this approach a better fit.
“A personal ask is going to get much more attention than a sign in the window,” Bauer said. “That’s why we’re asking. It’s a challenge. If you believe in it, go online and give your donation. Ask others to do it. If they see you believe in it, they’ll do it too.”
If less than 10 percent of the population participates, the club’s financial problem will be solved, he said.
“It’s a way to show the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors that Sweet Home is in support of their club, that they believe in it, that they want this program for their kids in the community.”
Bauer said last week he’d heard of at least two car washes – one at O’Reilly’s and another at Thriftway