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Tag: Sponsors

2015 Grads Invited to Apply for SSSF Scholarships

Qualifying student athletes who will graduate from high school in 2015 are invited to apply for SSSF‘s 2015 Scholarship Program, which will award college scholarships to deserving participants of SCTP and SPP.

The scholarships are being funded by generous sponsors who support our youth shooting programs, as well as supporters who raise funds through national banquets. Among this year’s SCTP scholarship sponsors will be the National Skeet Shooting Association and National Sporting Clays Association, whose $10,000 donation will fund 10 scholarships; the National Rifle Association, with a $5,000 donation; and the Amateur Trapshooting Association, which will fund scholarships for SCTP athletes who are also ATA members. Among the SPP scholarship donors are the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) and its executive director, Joyce Wilson, who will each contribute a $1000 scholarship.


Download Scholarship Application

Deadline: April 17, 2015


SCTP and SPP student athletes who will graduate from high school in 2015 and enroll in college this year are eligible to apply for the scholarships. Awards will be based on SCTP/SPP participation, academics, need, and other factors.

In 2014, SSSF awarded $1000 scholarships to 42 recipients, including 36 to SCTP athletes and six to SPP athletes.

To apply, students will submit an application, accompanied by an essay and a high school transcript. To allow us to announce scholarship recipients earlier in the year, we have revised our application dates. All applications are due by April 17, 2015.

Download the scholarship application package

Fundraising for Your Team: Hosting a Sporting Clays Shoot

One of the most popular and profitable types of charity events in recent years has been sporting clays shoots. They offer numerous means of raising money, they are fun events that people want to participate in, and they are a perfect fit for a youth shooting team. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a team that competes in sporting clays to host one; charities of all types, most of which have nothing to do with any form of the shooting sports, are now using sporting clays shoots as fundraisers, so they are equally well suited to SPP teams as SCTP teams.

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One SCTP team that is effectively hosting an annual Corporate Shoot is Creighton Prep from Omaha, Nebraska. “We provide a fun- filled day where corporations and small businesses can sponsor a team or two in our event where we provide a little friendly shooting competition,” reports parent Heidi Rake. “This year we had a one hundred rock program with a little bit of trap, skeet, and doubles. We provide pastries and coffee at the start of our day and offered a nice steak lunch for our participants, which allows them some team-building time and some time to network with some of the other shooters. At the end of the day, we look at the scores and award our traveling trophy, as well as plaques for the top three teams.”

Ms. Rake continued, “Thanks to the MidwayUSA Foundation, each year we sell raffle tickets and we use our Corporate Shoot as the day that the winners are announced and their prizes distributed. We receive prizes from our local Cabela’s and Scheels stores, as well as several other local stores as they support our local trap shooters. In 2013, we had 20 teams participate, and in 2014, with the remodeling of our local range, the Harry A. Koch Trap and Skeet Range was the perfect venue. With the additional ranges that we could use, we doubled the number of teams that could participate. We filled up all 40 team spots within a few short weeks.”

According to Ms. Rake, the team’s high school trap shooters do everything from selling tickets, walking the teams through the program, scoring each squad, and cleaning up the shells left on the range.

If you want to host a charity shoot, be prepared to work hard — before, during, and after the shoot. In addition to planning the event, recruiting shooters, and making all the other preparations, like the Creighton Prep team, you’ll probably need to serve as trappers, load machines, help clean up the course, and serve a hundred other functions. But is there anywhere you’d rather work than at the range?

The first and most important rule for hosting a sporting clays event: partner with a course that is well-managed and exceptional at hospitality. Not only will your shooters have a great time and want to sign up again next year, but club management will make sure you cover many details you might not consider. This is a great way for the club to get some positive publicity as well. If you are able to work as trappers and in other ways, you may be able to factor that help into the price.

Look for multiple ways to monetize your shoot. Some suggestions to consider:

  • Corporate team entry fees
  • Individual entry fees
  • Sponsorships
  • Shooting games and side events (e.g., sporting arrows, Make-a-Break, or 5-stand)
  • Raffle
  • Silent auction

While a well-selected club will handle the shooting activities, you should discuss every detail, including availability of golf carts, with the club manager. But it will be up to you to sell sponsorships, book corporate teams and individual shooters, arrange for any raffle or auction, set up displays, provide any awards or medals, and handle other functions not directly related to shooting.

Publicity before and after the shoot will be vital. Talk to your local newspaper, radio stations, TV stations, websites, and other media outlets about announcing the event in advance and covering it with a story afterwards. This not only benefits the fundraiser this year but is also good groundwork for the following year. Invite a member(s) of the press to participate at no cost. Create flyers to post in the area. Ask the club to post your event information on its website and possibly do an email blast to its contact list.

Speaking of the following year, consider this a multi-year premise. Each year that you host an entertaining and well-managed event, you will learn more about doing it well and build on its reputation as a “must-do” function.

If possible, offer goody bags for the participants that include such items as an event t-shirt, small promotional items donated by sponsors, and literature or coupons from your sponsors. A sponsor may be able to provide the bags for this purpose.

Create a printed program, even if it is a one-page flyer, and distribute it to pre-registered participants. People like to know everything that is going on in advance, and they are more likely to arrive prepared to spend money in a raffle or auction.

Plan to serve food as part of the entry fee or make it available for purchase. This will keep the shooters on the premises for all your activities. Some shoots combine a barbecue, chili cook-off, or other culinary event with their shoot.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to host an excellent sporting clays fundraiser. Research online to learn what others do and get ideas for sponsor packages, programs, flyers, and other elements. Borrow ideas for side events; like the Last Competitor Standing events at SCTP Nationals? Do it.

A sporting clays fundraising event can be the most fun way you earn money all year. With the right partner club, it can become one of your community’s most popular events!

Fundraising: Participate in SCTP and SPP Promotions

This is part of a series of posts on fundraising for SCTP and SPP teams.

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Of all the fundraising activities your team can participate in, perhaps nothing is easier than taking advantage of a promotion offered by SCTP or SPP and our generous sponsors and industry partners. Some of them provide discounted products you would otherwise have to buy at full price for team members to use — and isn’t that like putting money in your pocket? — while others provide products that you can use for fundraisers such as raffles.

Instructions for these promotions are always thorough, and if you do have questions, there is always a staff member ready to answer. Thus, there is very little for you to have to figure out for yourself. You don’t have to reinvent this wheel!

SCTP has recently posted several programs for 2015, including a start-up package for new teams, gun and ammunition deals from our industry partners, and products to be raffled. Here are some SCTP promotions you can take advantage of today:

  • New Club Startup Package – The New Club Startup program makes it easy for a new club to get started or for an existing club to expand or replace their club guns. The start-up package includes your selection of two shotguns, 2 gun cases, 2 shell catchers, 10 sets of eye and ear protection, 10 over/under shell pouches, 10 range bags with shoulder strap, deluxe gun cleaning kit, and 10 flats of ammo.
  • Beretta Package – The Beretta Package is designed to help teams raise funds and/or help a new or existing athlete on a team with a high quality package of items by Beretta, ranging from shotguns to shooting accessories and ammunition.
  • Firearm Raffle Program – In conjunction with Winchester, SKB, CZ-USA, TriStar, Beretta, and Stoeger, SCTP will provide a shotgun you can raffle to make $2,000 or more for team activities.
  • SKB Raffle – SKB will provide an IS300 shotgun for you to raffle and raise cash. SCTP will also make a contribution to your MidwayUSA Foundation Team Endowment Account.
  • Ammunition Deals – Special pricing on ammunition is offered by Federal Premium/Reeds Family Outdoor Outfitters, Nobel Sport/Zanders, and Fiocchi. The Reeds offer also includes shooting products such as hearing protection and gun cases.
  • CZ-USA Firearms Purchase – Shooters can buy any of several models of CZ-USA shotguns at a special discount offered to SCTP teams.

You can find all the details about each of these offers — and any others that are added — on our SCTP Deals and Promotions page.

In addition, the Scholastic Pistol Program currently offers special pricing on Fiocchi ammunition. You can find the price list and terms on our SPP Deals and Promotions page. Keep an eye on the page for additional programs that may be offered throughout the year.

Fundraising Activities for Your SCTP or SASP Team

Shooting isn’t a cheap hobby, and when you add competition fees, travel, uniforms, and other expenses for an entire team, we understand that funding is a challenge. SCTP and SASP teams are very fortunate to have generous benefactors in the MidwayUSA Foundation and Larry and Brenda Potterfield, but teams must also consider ways in which they can produce their own funding and increase their self-sufficiency.

Teams generally need funding of two types: operational expenses for the current year’s expenses, and funds that can be deposited into their MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment accounts. Those accounts are designed to ensure your team’s longevity and fund its needs in perpetuity; some deposits are matched, and your team can apply for an annual grant of up to 5% of the account’s balance each year to pay for team expenses.

To encourage you to embark on more fundraising activities of your own, SSSF will be offering you some suggestions over the coming weeks and sharing the fundraising successes of some of your fellow teams. We will be publishing those in our Range Time e-newsletter. But in the meantime, here are some ideas to get you started:

Participate in SSSF promotions – In conjunction with our generous sponsors, SSSF offers fundraising promotions, such as gun raffles, and product discounts for SCTP and SASP teams throughout the year. Watch the SCTP Deals and Promotions and SASP Deals and Promotions pages throughout the year for current promotions.

Participate in MidwayUSA Foundation promotions – The Foundation generously offers promotions throughout the year that provide opportunities to raise funds. The promotions generally provide one or more products to a team that can then be raffled, auctioned, sold, or otherwise used to raise funds. Some or all of the funds are returned to the endowment account and are matched. Learn more about MidwayUSA Foundation promotions.

Fundraising banquets – With some work, these events can be very productive fundraisers. You can raise money at banquets through ticket sales, auctions, donations, raffles, event sponsorships, and other means. Many organizations, including the SCTP, hold profitable banquets around the country. Remember that fundraising banquets tend to become more productive in subsequent years than in the first and often become highly-anticipated social events. They can also be great tools for raising the profile of your team within your community.

Sponsorships – A sponsor can be your team’s best friend, providing anything from funds to uniforms to equipment to raffle items. While businesses that sell shooting supplies are a perfect fit, don’t limit yourself to those. A local business whose owner supports the shooting sports and/or youth activities might be pleased to be associated with your team. Don’t forget that sponsorships are a two-way street; recognize your sponsor’s support at every opportunity, such as on your shooting uniforms, website, and social media.

Affiliate with a shooting club – Sometimes saving money is as good as making money. Having a range where you can shoot at a discount (or free!) can be a valuable asset, especially if it frees up funds that can be used in other ways or deposited into your endowment account. If your club can’t afford to help much in that way, maybe they would consider trading use of their facilities for some work there by your team. Most clubs need trappers and personnel to re-stock clay targets, clean shooting stations, cut grass, and otherwise maintain the facilities.

Solicit donations – Asking for donations doesn’t have to mean standing on the corner with a cardboard sign. Many people who support the shooting sports designate a portion of their charitable donations for shooting-related organizations, and they would be receptive to helping your team if they knew how. Include a “donate” function on your website and in all printed materials, direct people to it at every opportunity, and talk to shooters and hunters you think would be good candidates to donate. If you deposit these donations to your team endowment account in 2015, they are matched 1:1.

Host a shooting event – Some teams host an annual sporting clays shoot or other shooting event as a major fundraiser. Like a fundraising banquet, it offers many opportunities to raise money, such as entry fees, auctions, sponsorships, and donations. It takes the cooperation of a local club, and it can also be an excellent marketing tool for that facility. Be prepared to work hard, but it has the potential to be the most profitable and enjoyable fundraising activity of the year.

Apply for grants – In addition to the grants offered to SSSF teams by the MidwayUSA Foundation, other organizations and foundations also offer grants for the purpose of supporting the shooting sports, developing new programs, or expanding existing ones. Likewise, there are grant programs that support youth programs. Get online and research, research, research. Don’t overlook organizations and foundations in your local area or state that might offer grants that apply to your team and its needs.

These are just a few of the many ways your team might raise funds for operating needs and for your MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment account. Use your imagination! Research other teams’ and other charities’ fundraising techniques that inspire you, and find the ones that best match your team’s circumstances and capabilities.

 

Brownells Signs On As Nationals Sponsor

The Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) announced that Brownells, supplier of firearms accessories and gunsmithing tools, has been added as the SPP Junior/Senior National Championships GO FAST stage sponsor. This is part of their overall Bronze sponsorship of the event.

“We’re proud to sponsor the SPP Junior/Senior Nationals this year,” said Matt Buckingham, President of Brownells. “We believe that programs such as the Scholastic Pistol Program are important, as they serve as a great introduction to the action-shooting sports and a lifetime of safe and enjoyable fun.”

“We’re extremely pleased to have Brownells on board this year in support of our mission to bring the action-shooting sports to the youth of America,” said Scott Moore, SPP National Program Director.

The 2014 SPP Junior/Senior Nationals, the largest national youth action-shooting sports championships, will be held July 14-19 at the World Shooting and Recreation Complex in Sparta, IL. Teams will be vying for titles in Junior Rimfire, Junior Centerfire, Senior Rimfire, and Senior Centerfire.

 

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