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Northwood Band Boosters has changed its fundraising practices to better align with the organization’s status as a non-profit 501(c)(3). Those of you who have participated in Northwood Bands programs in the past will be familiar with something called “Fair Share”. In past years, Fair Share was a portion of the overall fundraising goal that was allocated to each band member – typically around $500. The organization asked that this Fair Share amount be “paid” to the Band Boosters organization either monetarily or by allocating proceeds from certain fundraising activities to a student’s “balance”. This balance was tracked in Charms. The total collected from the students’ Fair Share amounts was never equal to the total amount of funds needed by Northwood Bands. As such, students were also encouraged and expected to participate in fundraising activities that benefited the band as a whole. Some students paid their Fair Share. Some students worked the fundraisers to reduce their Fair Share balance. Some students did both. Some students did neither. The result was a system that was difficult to track and enforce and never seemed equitable for all band students involved. Band is, after all, a team sport and, going forward, our aim is to have the whole team work together to reach our fundraising goal. As such, this year, the Northwood Band Boosters Board of Directors has revamped the way fundraising will be accomplished. The Fair Share concept has been eliminated. Band students will no longer carry a “balance” that will be reduced by writing a check, selling fundraising items, or working at the thrift store. Instead, the Northwood Band Boosters’ entire fundraising goal has been divided by the number of registered band students to arrive at an “Expected Fundraising Target” for each band participant. For the 2022/2023 school year, this target is $880.

What the Expected Fundraising Target Is:

• A way to equally share the band’s overall goal for fundraising across the organization.
• A benchmark by which each band student can measure his/her/their efforts in supporting the whole team.

What the Expected Fundraising Target Isn’t:

• A mandatory fee
• An amount that must be paid/raised in order to participate in the Northwood Bands program
• A number against which Northwood Band Boosters will track individual student’s progress

The purpose of this change is to help each band student understand that, as the saying goes, “it takes a village” to make the Northwood Bands program a success. And, as a member of the program, each student should do his/her/their part to support it. 

There are several ways that students can meet their Expected Fundraising Target:

• Pay by cash, check, or credit card – Because Northwood Band Boosters is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, this is considered a donation and could be tax deductible. (Please consult with your financial advisor.)
• Work in the Thrift Shop or at UNC concessions – Student can “earn” anywhere from $3.50 to $7.00 per hour toward their Expected Fundraising Target by working with these organizations
• Participate in Northwood Band Boosters fundraising – There are various events, sales, and other activities held throughout the year. When students volunteer and help out with these, the money raised will help them meet their targets
• Shop on Amazon Smile and at Harris Teeter – Specify Northwood Bands on your accounts and you’ll earn money for the band with every purchase. Details can be found on the Fundraising Page on the website.

Some Qs & As about this change are included below to help address any questions you might have. If you have a question not answered there, please contact the Northwood Band Boosters President, Lisa Holder, at northwoodbandpresident@gmail.com or Northwood Band Boosters Treasurer, Ann McDowell, at northwoodbandtreasurer@gmail.com. 

We hope this change will make it easier for everyone to understand exactly what Northwood Band Boosters needs to support the band program at Northwood High School and encourage all band students to do their part to reach the Northwood Bands program’s fundraising goal. We’re all in this together and we look forward to working with you all to make it a great year for Northwood Bands.

For additional information, please see the Q&As on the Northwood Bands FAQs page.