I have been asked to assist the Jacksonville University Shooting Team with fundraising to keep the team going and aid in their travel to the national competition in San Antonio TX.  JU has a really good shotgun team and probably ranks in the top 5 for their talent and accomplishments for such a new program. It is quite amazing to see such young talent and leadership displayed by this group of students. Some of these young men and women can and hopefully will compete at the Olympic level.
I could use some suggestions to raise some funds to help with the cost of shotgun shells, clays and hopefully travel expenses for the March national competition and general expenses for the college school year.
One suggestion I heard was to have an AR donated and sell raffle  tickets for $20. That seems promising. These students are our future and I want them to be successful. It would be great if a Florida Team were to win the National Title.
I know some of you have contacts or experience that could benefit this talented group of students. Let me know what you think.

Here is a link to a recent event they had.
They also won most of the top awards last weekend in Savannah GA.

JU Shooting Team

I didn't know JU had a shooting team.

That is part of the problem. I did not know this either until last summer. They started this as a club event for the University and it is quickly developing into a varsity sport. It is well run. They are getting talent from all other parts of the country now. Because of this program, recruitment of high caliber (no pun intended) students is rapidly increasing. I have gotten to know the students on the team and find them to be  professional and responsible for their ages. Even the young women on the team can kick some serious butt  

Finding a school in the south that offers shooting as a collegiate sport is rare but it is gaining popularity. This is good for our state but also good for the sport. The general populous thinks that college kids with guns is a dangerous thing. We know that is not true. In fact, these kids are a lot more responsible that a lot of older adults I see at the range. Promoting collegiate shooting sports would certainly help with the current attack we see on gun ownership.

I also found out that the founder of Midway, Larry Potterfield and his wife, have donated huge sums of money for the promotion of college shooting programs. I think this awesome that they would do that.
More and more 4H programs are working with the Scholastic Clays Program to develop young leaders through shooting programs. College scholarships are being awarded for the most deserving. It refreshing to know that positive things are happening in the sport.

You coul do an event on the new stage.
This was one of the first shows.I would be willing to donate my time.
Also I think the new golf coarse is open in the background of this pic.
It's also on the river so maybe a fishing tournament?

These are good ideas! The shooting coach is quite an accomplished guitarist I hear. He may have some connections with local bands to hold a concert. I like the bass tournament idea too. I wonder how close a marina is. I am unfamiliar with the boating environment here. Golf certainly attracts a good crowd as well.
Thank you for your input. These are great suggestions that I will follow up on.

I'm pretty sure JU has a boat ramp now with the new floating dock.If not Arlington boat ramp maybe?
There is a gazebo with nice bathrooms on the water right by the sailboats about 300 yds. from the new stage.

If you raffle off a firearm, you will have to have a way to "credential" the winner (you can't put a gun in the hands of a felon)...  could be problematic...

You have heard of walk-a-thons to raise money...  you know, where each walker gets people (friends, family, acquaintances, etc.) to pledge an amount of money for every mile they walk...  something like $1 per mile...  they then walk 20 miles and collect $20 from those that pledged $1 per mile...  the $ add up...

In this case they are going to stage a shoot-a-thon or maybe trap-a-thon or skeet-a-thon...  Get donors to pledge $0.25 to $1 per clay bird broken (for the day)...  Get an ammo manufacturer (or maybe the location) to sponsor the evert by providing the ammo.  The team can take over a 5 position trap location for the day and shoot for bird counts...  They can also offer coach someone (for a standard donation of whatever seems reasonable ($10 to $20)) wanting to improve their skills for a round of 5 position.  Or maybe mini shooting clinics the day of the trap-a-thon.  At a non-profit organization, they should be able to get some free publicity leading up to the event.  You can publish it here.  Maybe you can get a local TV station to do an infotainment news piece about the event if the team is really good - local shooters going to the nationals...  If the publicity gets the public to come out for a day of shooting fun, the location will love them and be interested in doing similar events on a regular basis...  could turn into a nice, steady cash stream...

Or if the idea works well, they could take the show on tour...  run events at different ranges around the state...

Have you addressed this to David dobson yet? A simple fund raiser put On at the JAX gun club should do it....

Slug-O/Leon Dana

Edit... Hell even I might come out of retirement and bring uncle Bernie to the range...ask DD about the old days....

David asked me to help develop a booster club. I sent him an email with some of the suggestions you guys have provided. David can't do it all and needs some help with this. I knew some of you would have some good insight and share a little wisdom to help promote things with these kids. I will have to mention you to him.

As for the firearm raffle, I was thinking that if we could get a donation, the winner would have to pick it up at a local dealer for the proper transaction. That would be the cleanest way.

Keep your ideas coming, I think with a little planning and support this could be a great thing.

Go to a board meeting and talk with them... That will get the all rolling... If you mention my name... Remember...99.9% of what he says it true, then look at the club champion ship trophy and you will see the .1%

Oh boy, Slug-O I know there is a story here and I cant wait to hear it. I am going to needle him a little. Are you the club champ at Jax skeet and trap?

From what I understand, the board has been great to work with. They do what they can. The shell expense is the biggest expenditure. None of the shell manufactures seem willing to help with the cost. So, I have to try to come up with some bucks to keep them shooting and offset the cost to keep things manageable.

Have you thought about asking the local gun stores and ranges to place donation boxes/jars on their counters?  There is usually a large volume of people moving through these places on the weekends and you could pickup a significant amount of cash for the students just from customers donating their change from a day of shooting.  I would be willing to talk to my boss about placing one at our range.

A few times... Way back then I could hold my own...

Would it be possible for them to reload shells?   Maybe take up donations for a nice reloader set up?

That woujld be my route as I do it a lot. However, with out some proper supervision, I think the school would be a little shy on this. I agree with you though.

Great suggestion. I am going to pass this along as well. I think the young club officers can make a nice presentation to the local gun shops and sporting good stores.
Thank you.