My name is Clay Boggess and I’ve been in the profession of school fundraising since early 1999. As far as finding a career, my BS degree in physiology was not directly related to becoming a fundraising consultant. The perfect marriage for me was combining my acquired skills in various sales jobs, from being a pharmaceutical representative to selling devices to surgeons in the operating room, with my first job out of college as a high school math and science teacher. That’s how becoming a school fundraising representative came about after seeing an ad for it in the paper.
I started selling fundraisers to high school teachers in my local area as a ‘trunk slammer’, a name commonly known in the sales industry as driving a car from one location to another and pulling sales materials out of your trunk to convince people to buy what you’re selling. After experiencing early success in motivating small groups to reach their fundraising goals, which allowed teachers and coaches to buy needed equipment or pay for trips, I was able to convince my wife to join me as a partner.
She handled all of the administrative stuff, such as scheduling my appointments and invoicing the school groups. I showed up at the schools and did the motivational kickoff meetings with the groups. Occasionally, I was asked to coach other representatives through daily ride-alongs. People were able to ask questions and observe. Fast forward about two years, and we ended up starting our own fundraising company as we continued to grow and expand. Since our inception, we’ve helped schools nationwide raise over $25 million.
Today, we work with schools in all lower 48 states and have over 100 products available on our website, including brochures, online, and direct sale products. We no longer trunk-slam because all of our fundraising is done through our website. My wife and I have similar roles as sales consultants.
Over the years, we’ve refined our skills and ability to communicate to administrators, teachers, as well as outside support entities such as PTA and PTO organizations how to raise money and achieve their financial goals effectively. Succeeding in the fundraising space requires understanding why groups need a fundraiser, how much money they need, what type of fundraiser may work best, and how to inspire them to set and reach their financial goal.
After initially completing fundraising sales school, we continued to hone our skills, strategies, techniques, and knowledge over time. The best teacher is experience and learning what works and what doesn’t in the real world and making the necessary adjustments over time.
Our approach is to help group and school fundraising coordinators build on what they are already looking for after visiting our website. How can they get more participants to get involved so they can maximize their sales? That is always our guide.
We have won numerous awards through the years, including continuing to lead the nation in total yearly sales in our specific niche. We have been a long-time AFRDS member and our business has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Our school fundraising blog has also been recognized as a top ten blog in the fundraising space for many years.
