Northwest Guilford High School's Recipe for Success

When Director Brian McMath scheduled the first ever Mattress Fundraiser for the Northwest Guilford High School Band, he challenged his parents and students to beat out all other top earning programs. Custom Fundraising Solutions of Charlotte reported a total of 81 beds sold for a payback to the music program of what will be nearly $11,000 dollars!

What made this fundraiser so successful for Northwest Guilford, especially since this was their first ever Mattress Fundraiser sale?  “It comes down to two things: focus and drive. When the entire program is focused on getting the word out, which is the most important factor for a successful sale, they will undoubtedly get the results they are looking for,” said Mark Irvin of CFS Charlotte.

The program had set the bar high.  “Like a lot of things in life, you just need a goal,” commented Irvin. The determination of the director and kids in the program, as well as the overwhelming support of the community combined to make a winning recipe.

Great Interview with Topeka West High School for a Mattress Fundraiser!

Who Wants A Piece of the CFS Pie?

Who wouldn't like a piece of a $160,000 pie? Custom Fundraising Solutions set a new national record this past weekend for “amount of dollars given back” in only one weekend of Mattress Fundraisers! Yes, ONE weekend! That would mean over $8.3 million dollars given back over the course of a year if we continue momentum like that.  Here are some of the top programs last week:

• (Milwaukee) Sun Prairie HS Baseball Team, made $8,375
• (Minneapolis) South St. Paul HS Band made $6,100
• (Evansville) Vincennes Lincoln HS Band made $7,250

Some key factors to having a successful event include:

• Student/Coach/Director enthusiasm!
• Every member doing exactly what they’re asked!
• Spreading the word using social media and email!
• Knowing the event is going to be a success!
• Having FUN!

If you have a success story you’d like to share or if you know a school group in need of raising thousands of dollars in just one day, we want to hear from you! Send us an EMAIL!

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook: @CFSCorporate and Twitter: @Cfsmattress.

Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Grammy Nominee Jared Cassedy

This is the second year the prestigious, Music Educator of the Year Grammy will be given at the 57th annual awards ceremony, February 8th in Los Angeles. The award was established to recognize current music educators who have made a significant, lasting contribution to music education. This year 7,000 nominees were submitted for review spanning elementary school teachers to college professors.  Jared Cassedy, Fine Arts Director for the Windham School District is one of only ten to make the pool of finalists.

Portland, Maine dealer, Michael Logue has had the pleasure of working with this much-respected and well-liked director for three years, raising nearly $11,000 for Cassedy's program with the Mattress Fundraiser.  The Windham High School Band (https://www.facebook.com/WindhamHighSchoolBand) is very proud of this prestigious honor, announcing, “…no matter what happens, you've already won in Windham.”

Winner of the award will not only take home a five-pound, four-ounce knick knack for their desk, they will also pick up a $10,000 honorarium. And even the finalists are winners, each receiving a $1,000 honorarium, as well. “I am very proud to be able to work with such a talented group and an exceptional director,” says Logue. 

You don’t have to win a Grammy to be recognized as an individual making a difference in the lives of our youth. Send us your story so we can cast a spotlight where it is deserved! Send it to melissa@customfundraisingsolutions.com. 

On behalf of the entire Custom Fundraising Solutions team, congratulations Jared Cassedy on this very fine accomplishment!

UPDATE: And...he won! 

Big City Recognition Doesn't Mean Big Business - CFS is Homegrown

Everyone over the age of 30 remembers the ever-popular ad campaign for Pace Picante Sauce, (which first debuted back in 1989) when a group of horrified cowboys shouted, “New York City?!?” after reading the manufacturer’s label on a jar of salsa. 

Salsa made in the Big Apple just seemed wrong.   The city is about big business, and Times Square is its billboard. If there is an important message to be shared, you’ll see it there!  Recently, even CFS was making news on the Reuter’s billboard!  “’The Mattress Fundraiser’ Breaks $10 Million for Custom Fundraising Solutions” was the headline, announcing that we’ve given back $10 million dollars to school groups across the country.  Sounds like big business, doesn’t it? Not really.

CFS has over 50 locations nationwide, and the goal is to grow to over 100 locations, each giving back $100,000 annually. This is a big goal, but Custom Fundraising Solutions isn’t necessarily “big business.” Each location is independently owned and operated by small business owners, living in the very communities where they’re helping kids raise money for school organizations. These are the same people who shop at your neighborhood grocery store, sit next to you at the Friday night football games and send their kids to local schools, toting trombones and soccer balls.  However, by being a part of the CFS brand, each location benefits from the company’s buying power and nearly 10 years of product and fundraising expertise.

Another benefit of looking at the locations as a group is that you can gauge the success of the CFS “The Mattress Fundraiser” model.  We are proud to announce the CFS locations have given back over $3 million dollars so far this year!  And of the 50+ locations, 9 of them have exceeded their goal of giving back $100,000 each. Wow!

So what happened to the small, Texas-based Pace Foods Company? The very company that boasted an authentic Tex-Mex sauce recipe sold out to Campbell’s Soup Company in 1995, which is less than a 100 miles outside of “New York City.”  They eventually succumbed to “big business.”  CFS is committed to giving back big dollars, not “big business.” Now that’s “Awesome Sauce!” (This phrase is recognized by anyone UNDER 30…or closer to 13.)

East Ascension High School Sets National Fundraising Record – Twice!

Every athlete respects the effort it takes to reach a new personal record.  For East Ascension High School, they’ve not only reached a new personal record, they broke a national record…twice! On October 4th, Sarah Thibodeaux of CFS Lafayette converted the East Ascension High school gym into “The Mattress Fundraiser” mobile showroom, for the 3rd year in a row.  Along with her team of mattress experts, they greeted the eager shoppers of Gonzales, Louisiana, who showed up by the dozen.

The school has raised a combined $53,125, setting not one, but TWO national sales records.  They’ve channeled their drive to win into dollars! The very first year they sold 127 mattress sets, and they just topped their own efforts this past weekend, selling 138 sets. That is A LOT of beds! Custom Fundraising Solutions will be giving back $23,575.00 to the school & kids this year alone.  

The school’s efforts are credited, in large part, to school spirit leader, Jamie Andrews, who said, “We were looking for creative fundraising ideas that could bring in a lot of dollars with not a lot of effort. Working with CFS was exactly what we needed to achieve our goal!” But to have a school-wide fundraiser be this successful takes coordination and enthusiastic participation by every student, faculty member, and administrator. "We have been successful by making this a whole, school-wide project, and are excited about the many items we have financed for our school using the profits made within this program. Our Spartan community, of course, is also credited for their support of our school each and every year. The city of Gonzales can rest easy knowing they not only support East Ascension High School; but they are also purchasing a great bed at a great price!" said Andrews.

Will your school be the next to break Custom Fundraising Solutions’ national record?  CFS challenges YOU!

From “It Sounds Crazy!” to “Best Fundraiser EVER!” …in 61 Mattresses

Behind every successful “Mattress Fundraiser” is a motivated coach or director. Behind every motivated coach or director, is a persistent CFS fundraising expert, wanting to help that program make a lot of money. Bensalem High School has one such story.

Band director Mike Zimmerman got his first “Mattress Fundraiser” email in January of 2013.  Like most staff, Mike is busy, and selling mattresses as a fundraiser “sounded crazy”, so he didn’t exactly jump at the opportunity right away.  But local CFS representative, Dave Cox, of Philadelphia,  didn’t cross Mike off his list. “Dave kept dropping me messages, and stopping by my school to catch me,” said Zimmerman.  “He finally caught me one afternoon, we talked for about 30 minutes, and the rest is history!”

Last September, the Bensalem HS Marching Band ran their first-ever “Mattress Fundraiser”. 

They sold 61 mattresses out of their gym that day, and in the process raised $8,000!  “The place looked great!  This is, in my opinion, THE best way to buy a mattress!” said Zimmerman.   “Great beds, comfortable environment, NO pressure, and really nice people helping out.  It became a big community event!  People were hanging out, lying on beds, and having conversations!  It was fun!”

Before the day was over, the director had already picked the date for the following year’s event.  The “Mattress Fundraiser” will be bouncing back into Bensalem on September 20th this year - and Zimmerman can’t wait.  “Easiest fundraiser EVER!” he said.   “We do a TON of fundraising.  This program was professional, and super easy!  All of the materials were provided by CFS…even the email and Facebook material!  He told me what to send and when, and I got the information out to our community.  It was easy!”

The best part of this story is that Custom Fundraising Solutions has a new raving fan. “I’ve been telling everyone I know about it…other band directors, friends, etc.  I tell all of them that they need to run this one… it sounds crazy, but without a hesitation, JUST DO IT!  This IS crazy, but it works!”

Thanks Bensalem High School Band for your support and enthusiasm!