Entrepreneurs Club fails to scoop out fundraising goal
Junior News Editor
The Entrepreneurs Club fell short of its fundraising goal this semester but hopes to make a comeback in the spring.
The club sold gift cards for 16 Handles, a frozen yogurt franchise, to students, friends, and family in the hopes of raising the $300 it needs for its trip to SUNY Plattsburgh for the Speak-off competition. “We wanted to find a creative way to fundraise,” said Brody O’Connor, the secretary of the club.
Students did not have to be members of the club to participate in the sales process and could form teams of between one and four people for the SUNY Plattsburgh Speak-Off competition. Sales ended on Dec. 9.
Prior to the tallying of the results, Entrepreneurs Club advisor Johanna Mather was optimistic: “I think it’s a great fundraiser right before Christmas because there’s always either a little stocking stuffer, or somebody you need a gift for that you’re not really sure what to give them, and instead of giving them the typical Dunkin’ Donuts gift card or Starbucks, it’s kind of a different gift.”
The club agreed to a 16 percent return on all proceeds. To earn the $300 it needs for the SUNY Plattsburgh trip the club had to sell $2,250 in gift cards. Sales only totaled to about $375, meaning that the club got to keep $60. The leading salesman was Trevor Lloyd, who won with $130 in sales and took home a $100 16 Handles gift card.
“The fundraiser didn’t turn out as well as we planned,” Mather said in an email. “I think we needed a longer time for the contest and perhaps have a table with pre-loaded gift cards in the campus center a few more days.”
Even though the fundraiser did not produce the desired results, the Entrepreneurs Club is making some adjustments and is making tentative plans to relaunch their efforts in the spring.
The owner of the 16 Handles located by Hudson Valley on Route 4, Scott Noel, has been a close, enthusiastic partner with the Entrepreneurs Club. In addition to speaking at one of the Entrepreneurs Club meetings and providing a $50 gift card to the club at the conclusion of the fundraiser, Noel offered Lloyd an internship. “He’s been great with our students as far as internships; he’s really good at customizing an internship to fit what the student needs and what he or she is interested in,” Mather said.