Marketing class raising money for tennis team

February 20, 2006 —

The students in Dr. Gary Clark's Marketing 331 class do a project for a local company or organization each semester. This semester's students are no different, as the Monday and Wednesday afternoon class is currently examining ways to raise money for the SVSU women's tennis team.

The team, coached by Mike Major, is in need of new equipment that their budget cannot cover. They need about $7,500 for things like a new stringing machine and paying for traveling to away games. Major looked to Clark's class for help.

The students have devised several fundraising ideas to help out the tennis team. They have some ideas like a concert featuring local bands from many different genres and a pancake breakfast. Also, one group is planning on having "Speed Dating" here on campus. The class has nearly 20 potential fund-raisers they are considering as of now.

Clark's class is divided into four groups that will each work towards raising money. The more money they raise, the more points they get.

The class is also trying to create some long-term projects that can help Major and the team keep raising money. For instance, the class re-vamped the team's brochure for the Tennis Circuit, which is an event that the team hosts each year. One group in the class is also creating fund-raiser "recipes" that will make it simple for the team to plan their own fund-raisers down the line.

To develop some fund-raiser ideas, the class created a survey for Division II tennis coaches around the country to see how they raise money for their teams. The survey consisted of over 30 questions ranging from, "What was your team's overall record for 2004-2005?" to "Is there a donor in the community that gives your tennis program money every year?" The class has already received several responses. They are confident that most of the surveys will be returned.

Tennis season does not start till the fall, but the fund-raisers are going to start at the end of this semester.