Hitting the Right Notes with a School Fundraiser

When the Chorus program of Syracuse, NY’s Westhill High School got accepted to perform at the prestigious Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinsburg, TN, we knew exactly how we were going to make our travel possible: Fundraising with Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough.

The Band and Chorus programs alternate travel years, and the opportunity to go to Smokey Mountain is a rare treat.  Because we only travels once every two years, the students and faculty know that we have to make our fundraising count. For many years now, the partner that we rely on to help us reach for our dreams is Otis Spunkmeyer.

Like many school districts, Westhill sees many fundraisers over the course of the year, and it can be easy for kids and families to be overwhelmed. Luckily, that’s never been a problem for the chorus and band, who take turns partnering with Otis: Everyone loves our fall cookie dough fundraiser!

The band and chorus are lucky to be able to travel regularly, and every trip we take is funded entirely independent from the school district. Our group’s cookie dough fundraiser is a major part of making these trips possible. Every student’s fundraising effort goes directly into their own student account, so they know that they are directly benefitting from their own hard work.  For our high school singers, being able to travel and compete is the best prize and the ultimate motivation.

Our Westhill Chorus and Band groups didn’t always have great fundraising events with cookie dough. Years ago, we used a different fundraising partner, but the hockey puck-like product failed to impress. We swore off cookie dough, until our band director Tony joined the school, and brought his Otis rep with him. Since then we’ve been partnering with Otis, and our fundraisers have been wildly successful. In our chorus’s most recent campaign, we had 71% participation from the students, and each student sold an astounding average of 15 tubs! The $29,805 of Otis fundraising baked goods we sold helped to make our trip to the Smoky Mountain Music Festival the experience of a lifetime for our students.

We are the first fundraising campaign of the school year, starting in the very first week of classes, and we know people are already looking forward to placing their Otis cookie dough orders.   One of the best things about fundraising with Otis is how much of the money comes back to the school, but it’s not the only reason we love Otis. Because there are so many choices, and the individually frozen product is so easy to use, people are excited to stock up. “Having a food product and brand that people really want, backed by a team that goes above and beyond to support our campaigns makes us a fundraising machine!”

Joe Buchmann
Chorus Director
Westhill High School
Syracuse, New York

Interested in bringing a fundraising idea to life? Check out our food fundraising options for more info!