The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula has exceeded its Campaign for Kids goal of $70,000.

From April 11-Aug. 31, the campaign brought in about $87,000 for the Sequim and Port Angeles clubs.

Staff said this is the first time in three years the campaign has met its goal.

"The big difference was more people getting involved," said Mary Budke, interim executive director.

Leading the campaign was Jodi Olson, of Sequim. This was the first time the campaign was led by someone other than a board member.

Olson said meeting the goal was a collective effort of board members, parents and staff. She took a few new approaches with the clubs' spring flings, starting a parents reaching out to parents program and a phone-a-thon where volunteers telephoned donors.

"Our spring fling events made a big difference," Olson said.

"It was more about awareness and showing that they are well-run."

When parents were contacted for donations, most donated what they could, Olson said.

The phone-a-thon was the final push for the campaign, which Olson designed and Katie Wall, another volunteer, implemented on July 31 and Aug. 1. It was intended to be a call-in center, but volunteers decided to call potential donors instead. They brought in about $10,000.

Olson said even with all the events, individual donations made up most of the campaign's fundraising.

"Most people wanted to give to where they could see the money making a difference," she said.



Crunching the numbers

Club officials have reassessed staffing and club budgets during the economic crunch.

Many of the 30 part-time staff have been reassigned and/or had their hours reduced. Budke said employee compensation at the Sequim club has gone down each of the past four years.

"We rely a lot on our volunteers to make up the difference," Budke said.

"We're looking closely at the numbers every day."

The clubs' next big fundraiser is the annual auction on Nov. 13.

It hasn't met its goal in three years, staffers said.

They've reduced their goal each of the past three years, from $205,000 in 2008 to $180,000 in 2009 and $170,000 in 2010.

Stacy Ceder, resource development director, is in charge of the auction. Among the items in place for auction are a limousine ride to a Seahawks game, with breakfast and dinner included; a full home gym set with trainer sessions; salsa for a year and more.

"We're optimistic because we have the premier event on the peninsula," Budke said. "This is going to be our most successful auction ever."

Budke anticipates attendance increasing at the clubs this coming school year. One sign of greater use is that the club's Kinder Kids program, a kindergarten enrichment program, is nearly full. She said this is the first time it's been full this early.

The clubs have begun recruiting a full-time executive director by listing the position on the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America website. Local listings should be out soon.

More information is available at www.positiveplaceforkids.net or by calling 683-8095.



Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula



Campaign for Kids

2009

• $85,000 goal

• $63,692 gross

2010

• $70,000 goal

• $86,979 gross



Annual auction

2008

• $205,000 goal

• $184,000 gross

2009

• $180,000 goal

• $156,000 gross

2010

• $170,000 goal

• Event to be held on

Nov. 13