UMass CMAA Fundraising Ideas and Results 2024

Entry Details

These fundraising activities, three of them within six weeks of the start of the semester, raised this year (2024-2025) $6,000 for assisting in student chapter travel to the National Student Education Conference in Charlotte, NC and the 2025 CMAA World Conference in Tampa, FL. 

There are numerous benefits: 1)  builds student teamwork early in the semester;  2) creates training and work experience for the student members;  3) helps clubs that are short on staffing at critical times -- post-season summer and pre-season winter; and 4) clubs involved local students chapter members in a variety of experiences at donation costs.

Implementation

Fundraising event was initially started back in 2013-2015 with both the GreatHorse Member Guest and the Hoffman Memorial Events.  The most critical reaction is that students' experiences here create teamwork and camaraderie early in the semester and avoid late-semester distractions.  The chapter then jump-starts its activities for the semester.  Students gain experience in event planning, front-of-the-house and back-of-the -house activities, and preparation in nearly all areas of club operations -- food and beverage, event planning, member-guest relations, golf tournament operations, and various aspects of fundraising. 

Each event is different—GreatHorse is a pure member-guest event that introduces the club to guests;  the Hoffman Memorial Event—is a memorial scholarship event in honor of former UMass CMAA Student James E. "Jake" Hoffman that helps raise scholarship funds and chapter support for student travel; and the Hermitage Club event—is a seasonal fun event for the ski clubs membership to open up the fall and winter season in at this club is Southern Vermont.  Each experience offers exceptional learning and fundraising opportunities for the UMass Student Chapter of CMAA.  It provides unique and different experiences in a high -end private golf club (GreatHorse), a public course (Brookmeadow Country Club) in a memorial event, and then another angle in the club world...  a unique member-owned private ski club (The Hermitage Club).