Support Needs | Fundraising | Band Boosters | Sponsorships

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Links of Interest

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Gift Cards Wanted!

Want to help out the band but not sure what is needed?   Just about every store sells gift cards now and there are very few stores that are not on the "Band Needs Shopping List"."  This is a great way to support the band program!!

Support Through Fundraising

The South Meck Band Boosters are asking each marching band family to commit to raising a minimum of $500.00 profit in fundraising beyond the $500.00 band fee.   However, to meet a budget of $75,000 or more, we will need more fundraising dollars than $500 per marching family.   To ensure the continued success of the Marching Sabres, we expect everyone to aggressively participate in all fundraisers.

Some of the South Meck Band's fundraising efforts include:

• Bulb sales
• Car Washes/Autobell
• CitiPass/Coupon Book sales
• Customer Cards linked to band
• Discount Store Memberships
• Donations
• Drawing for Prizes
• Friends & Family Night (Winter Guard fundraiser)
• Fruit/Evergreen sales
• Knight's Concession sales
• Matthews Alive booth
• Online Fundraising Store
• Panthers Concession sales
• Quail Hollow Golf Tournament
• Restaurant Nights
• Rummage sale
• Sabre Split at home football games
• Sponsorships
• Wishmas Tree donations

Fundraising Recognition

The top sales person in each area -- Sponsorships, Citipass Book Sales, Fruit Sales, Panthers Games (most worked per family) -- will be recognized at the 2011 Band Banquet.   Students who have met all major Fundraising goals in these areas will qualify for the Top Fundraiser of the Year award which is presented at the 2011 Band Banquet.   Each major fundraiser will also have reward and recognition incentives offered.

Car Washes/Autobell

Band students have a blast working as a team to wash cars for donations.   Every band member is expected to participate in two car washes throughout the year.

Coupon Book Sales

The South Mecklenburg Band is selling Citipass Coupon Books as a fall fundraiser.   The cost for each book is $25.   Citipass provides great restaurant and merchant discounts for the ENTIRE Charlotte region - from South Charlotte to Rock Hill to Lake Norman, Gastonia, and Concord.   Citipass truly gives you the best the Region has to offer and you can easily recoup the cost of the book by just using a few of the coupons.

Citipass books can now be purchased online throughout the year, so if you want to give one as a gift, or just need an extra one, you're in luck!   Books can be purchased directly from Citipass and will be shipped directly to you.   You can pay via PayPal account or credit card and the band will get credit for the sale!  

Questions

If you have any questions, contact our Citipass Fundraising Chairperson.

Customer Cards

Link your valuable customer cards to the band and a portion of the income from your purchases will be donated to the band throughout the year!

	Harris Teeter VIC Card organization code: 4551 - Click to open the Harris Teeter online sign-up page and follow the instructions.
	Food Lion MVP Card - Click to open the Food Lion online sign-up page and follow the instructions.
	Bi-Lo Bonus Card - To sign up, download and print your enrollment card and take it in to the store to be scanned once.   This will enroll you in the program until May 31st, 2010 and the band will receive 1% of your purchases.

Discount Store Memberships

Sometimes we partner with stores like BJ's Warehouse to provide special offers for friends and family of the South Meck Band.   A portion of every membership or renewal sold is then donated to the Band program.  

Donations

Donations of both money and items are always welcome!

Matching Gift Program

An easy way to double your donation is to complete a matching donation form for your company to match!   Many companies support their employees by providing this as a part of their benefits package.

To see if your company provides matching gifts program, contact your company Human Resources department.   If you company does offer matching gifts, when you make your donation to the band program, request a receipt and follow the steps through your company's benefits department.   This list is continuously changing, so if you know of a company to add or remove, contact the Webmaster.

Drawings for Prizes

Sometimes businesses will donate all or part of the value of a desirable item to be used in drawings.   Tickets are sold for a period of time and then a drawing is made to find the lucky winner.   Recent items that have been given away are a scooter, an hour of massage, and a coupon for free sushi!   All profits go to the band.

Fruit/Evergreen Sales

The Band traditionally sells fruit every fall and it is one of our major fundraisers.   We need your help to make this successful.   Every Sabre Regiment student is asked to sell a minimum of 10 boxes of fruit and Concert students are asked to sell at least 5 boxes.

Twenty-five percent (25%) of total sales will be placed in the student's account to be used to offset band fees!

Knight's Concession Booth

The South Meck Band staffs a food concession booth at the Charlotte Knight's Baseball games.   The band gets a portion of the proceeds from the food and beer sales. 

Knights FAQ

Click on one of the Questions below to toggle display of the Answer:

How old do you have to be to work in a booth?

Anyone 16 years of age (according to South Carolina law) and older can work.  We need at least 4 adults and 6 students to fully staff a booth, but if we have more people, we can expand and make a lot more money for the band!

What should I bring?

Bring calculators, pad and pencil (as of last year they didn't have registers so we need to do the math manually).

How many hours do we work for one game?

Approximately 5 to 6 hours.

What should I wear?

• White shirt with collar (polo style)
• Khaki shorts/pants (shorts should be knee-length)
• Comfortable plain sneakers

They will provide an apron and visor (which gets returned).

Where should I park?

Parking is free for volunteers.   Park and enter through the loading dock.

 Matthews Alive

Matthews Alive is a family festival held during Labor Day Weekend in downtown Matthews.   The South Mecklenburg Marching Band is fortunate to have the opportunity to earn money by manning a children's game booth.   This is a great opportunity for the younger kids to be involved with helping our fund-raising efforts, as there is no minimum age for the volunteers.

Friday, Sept. 3rd through Monday, Sept. 6th, 2010

Please consider signing up for a shift.   We need two adults and two students per shift.   For anyone interested in early sign-up, there are all-day ride wrist bands for Sunday available for $15.00, if you notify us before July 28th.   We are limited to 30 wrist bands, and they must be paid for in advance.

The work is easy - our booth is already set up, just show up and have fun.
If you have any questions or are interested in signing up, please contact Bob and Becky Johnson at bbjnz@aol.com.   We look forward to working with you for this great event!

Online Fundraising Store

We hope you will help support our organization by ordering or renewing your favorite magazine subscriptions online and sharing our site with your friends and relatives.   With your help, we are sure to earn the funds we need this year!   We appreciate your support.

Panthers Concession Booth

The South Meck Band is very privileged to get to staff a Wendy's booth at the home Panthers games at Bank of America Stadium.   The band gets a portion of the proceeds from the food and beer sales.  But the booth takes a lot of people (both students and parents) to run efficiently, so we need your help!   Please sign up to help at the games...

Panthers FAQ

Bank of America Stadium now has a Web site with tons of information for volunteers. Their Game Day Insider should answer most of your questions. Check it out!

www.stadiumfoodandbeverage.com/

Click on one of the Questions below to toggle display of the Answer:

How old do you have to be to work in a booth?

According to Stadium Food & Beverage (the Panthers front office) you must be 15 in order to get in.   They will require that you provide a birth date when you sign in.   Mom and Dad, just because your child is not yet 15 does not mean you can give up your responsibility.   They will get plenty of opportunity to work at games when they are 15 or older.   We still need, expect and appreciate your participation!

What kind of ID is checked?  What if I don't have my license yet?

The official word in the official manual is "proof of age is required".   Frankly, I don't know what this means.   If you have a photo student ID, learner's permit or driver's license, please bring it.   It is always a good idea to have some form of ID on you at all times anyway.

How many hours do we work for one game?

The short answer is 6-8 hours.   The reality is when we finish cleaning up our booth we can go.   The tendency (bad habit) is for everyone to leave after the game.   This makes it very difficult for those who remain to get it all the clean-up done.   Please plan to stay and help until dismissed by the booth captain.   "Many hands make light work."

What do we wear?

Here are the highlights of what to wear (and not wear):

• Do NOT wear anything or bring anything into the stadium advertising another NFL team, even on a jacket that will be taken off.
• No flip-flops (yes, rainbows are flip-flops). Shoes must have a closed toe and closed heel.
• No blue jeans or cargo pants
• Khaki or black shorts or slacks are wonderful. (Shorts must come down to below your fingertips when your arms are extended straight down at your side)
• You may wear a White or Black shirt under the blue Pepsi shirt that we provide. SOLID Black or White long-sleeve shirts/sweaters are permitted. (No other color/ No patterns)
• No hoodies. Hooded Sweatshirts are NOT allowed.
• No personal jackets may be worn while working.
• No scarves or gloves may be worn while working.
• If you pants or shorts have belt loops, you are expected to wear a belt.

We will provide you with the following items to wear while you work:

• a lovely blue Pepsi logo golf shirt
• a South Mecklenburg Marching Sabres cap.
• a red stadium apron

All of these can be retrieved from a container just outside our booth on game day.   You will be required to wear all of these all the time the booth is in operation. Do not leave the booth with your apron on (especially to go to the bathroom). The only exception is if you are refreshing and cleaning the condiment stand in front of our booth.

For more detailed information, check out the Stadium Food and Beverage's Game Day Information For Volunteers.

Is there a carpool?  Where does it meet and when?

Yes, there is a carpool.   If you need a ride or have extra space in your vehicle, meet at South Meck High School and plan to leave the school one hour before stadium check-in time for the game.   As an example, for a game with a stadium check-in time of 9am, you'd need to be at the school ready to leave by 8am.

Where do we park?  Do we have to pay to park?

Parking is free to volunteers.   The parking will be off of Penman Street, which is off of South Mint Street.   Click here for the Google Maps location....
During the Pre-season Games you will have to pay to park IF you show up by yourself.

Do we get free food to eat while there?

Yes, the good part is we get to eat for free!   The only cost is you must write down what you eat on a "Gratis" sheet.   We are not allowed to partake of beer or wine at any cost while we are working.   Additionally, we are not allowed to have free bottled water or Frosties.   [Occasionally, we have some Frosty left over at the end; we are not responsible for how you pour it from the Frosty machine and transport it to the sink.

What if I have to cancel at the last minute?

Please call the booth captain (you will be notified who that is for each game) and let us know.   We must replace you with 'outsiders' and pay for their help out of our profit for the day.

What if I can only work half of the time?  Can we work in shifts?

Unfortunately, we cannot work in shifts.   The logistics of getting people in the stadium do not permit folks to come in later than the designated arrival time (of course, if you really want to come in later you can buy a ticket!)   If you have physical limitations, we can still use your help!   Let the captain know, and we'll put you on cooking or money detail.   There are occasions when people must leave early.   "Early" is defined as after the game is over.   The captain will do his/her best to work with you in this case.   Please let us know.

How many adults (18 and over) are required for one game?

We must have 18 adults (18 and older) to open the booth except for the two college games.   Even if you turn 18 on the day of the game, we can use you in the front line (register) position.   You'll be responsible for checking IDs and selling beer.   Other than those positions, you only need to be 15 and older.

What if we don't have enough people?

If we don't have enough people we are in huge trouble!   In the short term, we will have to pay 'outsiders' out of our money for the night.   In the long term, if we continue to be short on people, we WILL lose our booth.   It happened before, it can happen again.   We had a booth for many years.   It was successfully manned until the school was split.   We lost many of our numbers of parents and students.   Our booth never went unmanned, but because we used so much outside help, we were... well 'fired'.   Fortunately, we have another chance to make it work.   This time fewer people are required to fully staff the booth.

How do we sign up?

1. You must have a South Meck Band Boosters account and be actively signed in before you can sign up to work at Panthers games. Links to create an account or to sign in to an existing account are provided in the Panthers schedule above and at the top of the page above the mini-calendar on the right. When you create your account be sure to include your birthday; it is required to verify your eligibility to work at Panthers games.
2. Once you have signed in to your South Meck Band Boosters account, the Panthers schedule above will be updated to provide a button for you to use to sign up to work at each game.
3. Find the line for the game you want to sign up to work.
4. Click the red "Sign Up" button at the right.
5. A window may be displayed if you need to provide any additional information before you can be signed up.
6. The Panthers schedule above will be updated to reflect your newly signed up status. The "Signed-Up" column will display a check mark and your name for each game you are signed up to work. If you are over 18 and have selected a band student to receive a $25 band dues credit, the student's name will also be displayed. The "Volunteer Standing" column will display how many Reward Points you are eligible to receive. Read more about Reward Points below in the FAQ.
8. You are now officially signed up to work at that Panthers game! Whoo-hoo!
9. Now sign up for all the other Panthers games!

If you have any problems, please contact the Webmaster. and provide an explanation of what you were trying to do, what went wrong, and what web browser you use.

Understanding there are still a few folks who have no desire to do things online, you may call Tom Berrisford at 704-540-3784 or John Formica at 704-965-4090 and sign up for a particular game, or all of them!

Does this help pay my band fees?

Yes, it can help!!!   If you are 18 years or older, for every game you work, you can designate a student to receive $25 to offset his or her band fees.  

What are Reward Points?

Reward Points are a way of saying "Thank You" for signing up early and working at Panthers games.   You earn points by signing up online (and actually showing up and working the game).   The earlier you sign up, the more points you're eligible to receive.  

They are displayed in the "Volunteer Standing" column of the Panthers schedule above, whenever you are logged in.   Your total reward points actually earned to date are displayed at the bottom of the Panthers schedule above along with the number of points you could earn by the end of the season based on the games you've signed up to work.  

At the end of the season, we will hold a drawing for 1 or more prizes.   We're still working out the specifics of the prizes.   (Some ideas being tossed around are a $50 iTunes gift card or similar item.)  

Quail Hollow Golf Tournament

General Information

South Meck has the privilege of earning $30,000 working at the tournament as the ecology ambassadors.   While this is just a fancy name for garbage staff, it is still a privilege, as they could ask any high school in the area to help with this great opportunity.   The money and workload are divided three ways between athletics, PTA, and fine arts.

We typically need to have a larger ratio of adults than students and lots of dads to help with the heavy work.   All workers are provided with t-shirts, water bottles, and a food voucher for a meal at the tournament.   If you work an early shift, you may stay at the course to watch the rest of that day's tournament.   PLEASE consider this great volunteer opportunity.

Restaurant Nights

Join us after every home football game this season at CiCi's Pizza (for teen food) and Monterrey Restaurant (for real food), and get to know the rest of the band team.   CiCi's and Monterrey have partnered with the South Meck bands to provide a portion of the proceeds back to the band.

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California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) has joined with us in a flavorsome fundraising event.   CPK will donate 20% of your purchase to the band if you produce the attached flyer on select nights.  

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The Sabre Split

The Sabre Split is a 50/50 split of all donations received during football games.   Tickets are sold during the first and second quarters of the game and a winning ticket is selected during half time.   The winner claims 50% of the money we raise and the Band Boosters get the other 50%.   Easy!

Game	Date	Arrive By	Game Starts	Sign-Up
vs. Waddell	Friday, August 28th	Raised $177.00 for the band!
vs. West Meck	Thursday, September 17th	Raised $83.50 for the band!
vs. Providence	Friday, October 2nd	Raised $121.00 for the band!
vs. Garinger	Friday, October 9th	Raised $176.50 for the band!
vs. Myers Park	Friday, October 23rd	Raised $600.00 for the band!
vs. East Meck	Friday, November 6th	Raised ~$121.50 for the band!

Sabre Split FAQ - (Click the Question to toggle display of the Answer)

Why is this the job for those afraid of commitment?

Because you're coming to the games anyway; now you get in for free!   It is about a 2 hour job - and you get fund raising "credit" - no, not on your account; You get the credit and satisfaction of being part of the booster team.   We will publicly recognize those who participate.

What do I have to do?

Simply stand at one of the station points (ticket gates) and enthusiastically ask people to purchase 1 ticket for $1 or 6 tickets for $5 (and that goes for ticket blocks as well: $20 gets you 24 tickets).

How do we make change?

The Boosters will provide the "seed" money for you to start with.

When do I have to be there?

Before the game starts (usually about 45 minute to an hour before).

How long do I work?

Until about halfway through the second quarter.   We carry the money all over to the stands where it is counted while one lucky volunteer sells to the band parents (yes, we have won the pot a time or two).   Another volunteer helps to count the money to ensure an accurate count.

What else do I have to do?

That's about it.   Occasionally someone else will be asked to "take the lead."   That will add the responsibility of being in charge of the split buckets and tickets, keeping up with the seed money, getting the winnings to the announcer for half time and having the pleasure of giving the winner their loot.

Is this "job" worth it?

You bet!   We more than doubled our projected fund raising goal last year because of the great people (like YOU) who volunteered.   AND you get to meet wonderful people just like you - I started several great friendships working the split!

How do I sign up?

Send me an email by clicking on the Sign-Up link in the list above for the game you are interested in.