Peninsula RiverDawgs

“Earn Your Way Program”We supply the materials. Parents encourage. Players do

ALL the groundwork!

The objective of the 'Earn Your Way" program is to create a platform where players individually can take the initiative to offset some or all

of the costs that accompany playing club baseball. We will offer different self-help fundraisers where each player will receive

materials upon request and have the ability to raise money for their baseball needs. This may require mailing out letters to friends,

families and businesses. It may involve finding the courage to go door to door to local businesses asking if they would like to support this cause. We feel this is a great life lesson for our youth and a

valuable business/sales experience. There is no ceiling, the sky is the limit depending on how much effort and how creative each player

chooses to be. Even if a player may not need to offset costs, this is a great opportunity to put some onus on these young men and

encourage them earn their own way. If offsetting personal costs is not something you choose to encourage, pick a charity with your player that your family feels is a worthy cause. Either way, this

program is a win for everyone involved.

This document provides step by step instructions for each WINTER fundraiser

Fundaiser #1: Peninsula RiverDawgs Punch Card Rollout

Objective: Players fundraise by carrying their RiverDawgs Punch Cards and asking for donations of either $3, $5, $10 or $20

Suggestions/Directions:1) Players are to hand out a thank you card to any person who is

kind enough to donate to their cause2) Players are encouraged to have pre-written thank you

letters/notes to give to anyone that supports them3) Players are welcome to think outside the box in ways they can

encourage or show thanks to supporters. (Example: Hand out a thank you gift such as candy, cookies, favors or anything that a supporter may see as an attractive or kind gesture in exchange for their donations.

4) Players are encouraged to have different “level” gifts or rewards for their supporters based off of the increment of the donation. Be Creative! For a $3 donation, maybe a goodie makes sense. For a $20 donation from a neighbor, maybe raking their leaves is more appropriate. The more you think outside the box, the better chance you have to be successful

5) Peers, teachers, neighborhood friends and many other avenues are a good start when looking to raise for your RiverDawgs Punch Card Campaign

6) Players collect their own cash, are welcome to receive checks or electronic payments to themselves or their family as all money goes directly to the player/family

7) Feel free to have a Venmo account associated with the fundraiser, many people are more apt to donate via electronically

8) Feel free to campaign electronically with the support and permission of your parents. Social media, email or other forms of internet driven campaigns can be successful

Fundaiser #2: Peninsula RiverDawgs Letter Campaign

Objective: Players will send letters to family members, business friendly connections and friends outside of their local radius to raise money for their cause.

Suggestions/Directions:1) Players are to draft or hand write letters to their individual

audience of whom they are asking for donations from. These letters should be fairly extensive with detail about their playing careers, goals, etc.

2) Players are to write their OWN NAME on each RiverDawgs postcard and place these materials in the letter that is mailed out to each target audience

3) Players can feel free to send a “good faith” gesture to their captive audience may that be a self-made baseball card, autographed 4 x 6 picture that a player develops, some sort of

thank you favor or anything you feel will be a successful tool to have your audience want to donate to your baseball cause

4) It’s a numbers game. The more letters you send, the better chance you have to rack up numbers. In 2013, our Monroe Twp HS baseball players send out 20 letters each and the average return was $425 per player. In this campaign, the sky is the limit.

5) Do not be afraid to mail letters to businesses, non-family members that you feel would support you or anyone at all that you feel takes an interest in baseball and the youth of today

Fundaiser #3: Peninsula RiverDawgs Magnet Movement

Objective: Players will cold call on local businesses and give each business a magnet in exchange for helping raise funds for each player’s cause

Suggestions/Directions:1) Players are to draft a personal letter to hand to each business

they enter in hopes of raising funds for their baseball cause2) Each business that decides to donate receives a RiverDawgs

magnet (make sure to write your name on the line with a sharpie and DO NOT SMEAR IT BEFORE IT DRIES!)

3) Make sure to point out that you are a local community member and are raising your own money to help offset costs of club sports. Encourage the business to display the magnet to show their community support

4) Feel free to add other bonuses for donating. 4 x 6 pictures are cheap to develop, maybe a personal 4x6 baseball photo of yourself, signed with a thank you message on it would be something to deter a local business from not supporting you.

5) There are businesses outside of your hometown. Feel free to carry magnets and your letters with you anywhere you go, you never know when opportunity will strike so don’t be caught off guard!

THANK YOU & GOOD LUCK FROM THE RIVERDAWGS FAMILY!

-Pat Geroni