CDMHS Basketball Boosters Continue Winning Tradition with Annual Free Throw Challenge

The CDMHS Basketball Boosters are once again seeing strong results from their annual Free Throw Challenge, raising more than $32,500 and counting, already surpassing last year's total of $31,181. As one of the basketball program's most important fundraisers, the event provides critical financial support while bringing players, families, and supporters together around a shared goal.

Although this is Brian's second year overseeing the fundraiser from start to finish, the booster club has trusted PledgeStar for nearly a decade. For him, the platform has made organizing the fundraiser both efficient and dependable.

"I've been extremely happy with how our program has been run," Brian said. "Everything has been great."

Helping Booster Clubs Focus on Their Teams

Unlike many school-wide fundraisers, booster clubs often rely on a small group of parents to manage registration, donations, reporting, and communication while also supporting practices, games, and team events. Having a platform that simplifies those responsibilities can make a significant difference.

Brian shared that several fundraising companies have approached the basketball program over the past year, but he has continued to stick with PledgeStar.

"I've turned down other companies that have approached us, and we will continue to work with you guys."

In fact, Brian has recommended PledgeStar to several other organizations at the school and even introduced it to another local high school's basketball booster program after seeing how easy it was to send donation requests and collect contributions.

Saving Time Where It Matters Most

One feature that stood out this year was the ability for returning families to import donor contacts from the previous year's fundraiser.

For busy parents, what could have been a time-consuming process became something that took only a few clicks.

"That feature alone saves so much time," Brian said.

Using the same email address from the previous year automatically populated past donor contacts, allowing families to quickly review their list, make any updates, and begin sending requests without having to rebuild everything from scratch.

For a booster club managing dozens of student athletes, those time savings add up quickly.

Keeping Players Engaged

While the boosters organize the fundraiser, the coaching staff plays an important role in encouraging participation.

Each player is expected to send at least 20 donation requests, with coaches providing regular reminders throughout the campaign. If players fall behind, the reminders sometimes come with a little extra motivation on the basketball court.

Adding to the excitement are grade-level leaderboards, which allow players to see how each class is performing throughout the fundraiser.

The friendly competition has become another way to keep students engaged while encouraging everyone to contribute to the team's success.

Straightforward Tools That Make a Difference

Brian also praised the platform's ease of use, noting that both the setup process and day-to-day management have been simple to navigate.

"The dashboard is pretty straightforward," he said.

He also highlighted the responsiveness of the PledgeStar team, sharing that questions are answered quickly and support is always available when needed.

Those efficiencies allow booster club leaders to spend less time managing spreadsheets and administrative tasks and more time supporting the student-athletes and the basketball program.

Looking Ahead

With donations continuing to come in, this year's Free Throw Challenge has already built on last year's success and is helping position the CDMHS Basketball Boosters for another strong season.

For Brian, the decision to continue using PledgeStar has been an easy one.

After seeing the platform save time, simplify the fundraising process, and make it easier for families to participate, he plans to continue using it in the years ahead while recommending it to other booster organizations looking for a reliable fundraising solution.

Lagway Elementary’s annual Color Run brought students, families, and staff together for another energetic day of school spirit, ultimately raising more than $23,000 and surpassing the school’s original goal of $20,000.

Funds raised through the event will go toward new playground or learning equipment, with students themselves helping decide what the school will purchase through a campus-wide voting process.

A New Approach to Fundraising

This year marked Lagway Elementary’s first time using PledgeStar after previously hosting two Color Runs with another fundraising company. According to PTO coordinator Rachel, one of the organization’s biggest priorities this year was finding a platform that allowed the school to keep more of what they raised.

“One of our bigger goals as a PTO was to save costs going toward the vendor,” Rachel explained. “That was honestly one of the biggest draws for us.”

Lagway Elementary is still a relatively new school, having only been open for five years, and this was just the third Color Run in school history.

User Friendly for Families and PTO Leaders

As the PTO researched different fundraising platforms, Rachel said many companies felt overly sales-focused or lacked tools specifically designed for schools. PledgeStar stood out because of its straightforward setup, reporting features, and school-centered design.

“It felt built for fundraising,” Rachel shared. “The interface felt user friendly both on the PTO side and on the family and donor side.”

The reporting tools also made a significant difference for organizers, especially when tracking incentives and prizes for students.

“Being able to see the reporting and know what prizes we had to award was really helpful,” she said. “Other fundraising companies we looked at didn’t have things like that built in.”

Rachel also noted that the responsiveness of the PledgeStar support team helped make the transition smooth.

“We didn’t have any major issues, technical or otherwise, but when we did have questions, PledgeStarwas really quick to respond,” she said. “Usually within the hour or just a couple hours, and that was really appreciated.”

Investing in Future Campus Improvements

Although Lagway Elementary had already hosted a successful fundraiser earlier in the school year, the PTO still wanted the Color Run to support projects that students would directly benefit from and feel excited about.

This year’s funds will go toward new playground or learning equipment, with students helping guide the decision-making process through a school-wide vote organized by the principal.

“The teachers identified playground equipment or some type of learning equipment as something they’d      really like to add,” Rachel shared.

Rachel also explained that while the PTO wanted to be mindful of families financially, the fundraiser still provided an important opportunity to build school spirit and continue investing in the student experience.

“Extra money is always nice to have in reserve too,” she added.

By involving students in choosing future additions to campus, the fundraiser became more than just a way to raise money. It also gave students a voice in helping shape their school environment.

Looking Ahead

Following a successful first year with PledgeStar, Lagway Elementary plans to continue using the platform in future fundraisers.

“We definitely plan on utilizing your platform in the future,” Rachel said.

For a growing school focused on balancing community engagement with thoughtful fundraising goals, this year’s Color Run proved to be both a financial success and a positive experience for families, staff, and students alike.

Issaquah Valley Elementary’s annual Fun Run crossed the finish line in a big way this year, raising $44,823 and fully meeting the school’s fundraising goal. Organized by the school’s PTA Fun Run Committee and led by coordinator Amy, the event brought together students, families, teachers, and volunteers to support a wide range of programs that directly benefit the school community.

Funds raised through the Fun Run will help support the Cougar Store, teacher stipends, the Snack Shack, the Cougar Community Fund, Trunk or Treat, the Science Fair, staff grants, the Art Docent program, field trips, library resources, and many other student and community programs throughout the year.

A Community Project from Start to Finish

This year marked Issaquah Valley Elementary’s first year using PledgeStar and also the first year in recent memory that the PTA handled the Fun Run independently rather than working with a full-service fundraising company.

In previous years, the school had partnered with companies that managed much of the event, but Amy explained that the associated fees often consumed a large portion of the fundraiser’s earnings.

“You’d pay upwards of 40 to 45 percent in fees for their services and website fees,” Amy said. “We really wanted to be good stewards of PTA money.”

After reviewing eight or nine different fundraising platforms and speaking with other schools in the district, the PTA selected PledgeStar because it offered the flexibility and reporting tools they needed while keeping costs manageable. That’s why PledgeStar’s capped $1,195 platform fee, which gave the PTA confidence that more of the money raised would go directly back to school programs instead of operating costs, was one of the factors that sealed the deal.

One of the biggest deciding factors was the ability to customize what families could see directly on the fundraiser homepage. Since classrooms competed for prizes based on fundraising totals, visibility and engagement were especially important.

Top class prizes included:

• A Silly String Party

• A Glow Party

• An Indoor Snowball Fight

• An Extra Art Class

• An Extra Recess

“For that kind of competition to work, families need to easily see how classes are doing,” Amy explained. “With a lot of fundraising sites, that information is buried. PledgeStar allowed us to display exactly what we needed.”

Reports, Prizes, and Giant Golden Shoes

Once the fundraiser launched, Amy said she was surprised by how robust the reporting features were.

One of the committee’s favorite student incentives involved a giant golden shoe displayed during lunchtime prize drawings. Students who registered and sent at least two fundraising requests were entered into daily prize wheel drawings leading up to the Fun Run.

“I was worried about how we were going to manage all those names every day,” Amy laughed. “But the reporting system made it so much easier.”

The ability to generate reports based on how many requests were sent, the date they were sent out, classes that raised the most money helped the committee efficiently organize incentives and prize tracking throughout the campaign.

Teachers in Inflatable Costumes Steal the Show

Of course, the highlight of the event came after the fundraising goal was reached. As the grand prize celebration, 20 teachers raced each other in inflatable costumes while students cheered them on.

“It was really, really fun,” Amy said. “The teachers were great sports.”

The playful race became a memorable moment for students and staff alike and helped reinforce the community spirit behind the event.

Looking Ahead

Although running the event independently for the first time felt intimidating at first, Amy said the experience ended up bringing the community together in a meaningful way.

“Not having an outside company at the school made it feel more like a community project,” she shared.

Strong volunteer involvement, responsive support from the PledgeStar team, and positive feedback from families helped make the transition successful. 

For Issaquah Valley Elementary, this year’s Fun Run was more than just a fundraiser. It was a reminder of what a dedicated school community can accomplish together.