Fundraising Update/Info

I recently discovered the "ChipIn" widget, which you now see on the blog. It's a very versatile little program that makes it easy for people to donate to just about any event you can think of. At present, I have it set for upcoming fall meets, although if you read the post just before this one, you already know that we don't know yet if she'll be competing this fall. Once we have a final determination, I will adjust the ChipIn widget accordingly. The goal is based on competing in approximately 5 meets. In order to compete, each gymnast must have a membership in the USA Gymnastics organization ($48 to $53 per year, depending on whether it's done online or via the mail), and a team leotard (varies--ours looks to be about $50-75). Then each meet that you sign up for has a gymnast fee, a team fee, and coach fee/expenses. Each girl attending the meet has to pay her gymnast fee, and a portion of the team and coach fees. Additionally you have to provide transportation to the meet, possibly a hotel stay (although most of the events this year seem to be local enough to not have to worry about that) and admittance fee of about $8 for any spectators. The $700 goal is an estimate for the three fees needed for each meet, plus the membership and leotard. All of this, in addition to the $170 per month for coaching and open gym time. I had no idea what I was getting myself in for last year when I signed her up!!

In additon to the ChipIn widget, I will be continuing to auction stuff on eBay (which slows down in the summer, so I've held off for the last month) and may do a blitz week, in which I auction a variety of items and ask everyone to spread the word. I am also thinking about doing a raffle. I have a few items that might work well for a raffle, and am hoping that some of our family and friends might be willing to donate something fairly universal, like a giftcard for itunes, a major store like Target, dinner, or a movie. I'm going to start working on that as soon as I finish with my fair stuff, but if anyone has any suggestions in the mean time, I'm all ears!