NIC Booster Club works hard for the college

With its new board of officers, the North Idaho College Booster Club is hoping to score big for the home team, the NIC Athletic Department.

“We’re trying to triple membership. If we do that, we’ll raise a lot of money,” said Bob Davis, booster club member and husband of its new president, Linda Davis.

“The more funding we can provide to subsidize what the college cannot keeps the programs at the level that they are. We want them to be competitive,” said Jon Parson, booster club vice president and former NIC wrestler.

Last year the all-volunteer booster club grossed approximately $250,000 and netted about $125,000 after expenses, said Al Williams, NIC athletic director. “We couldn’t survive without it,” he said of the booster club funding. The department’s college budget is just under $1 million, Williams said.

Booster club funds are used for everything from books, student housing expenses, supplies, equipment, travel expenses to games, uniforms and tuition scholarships for athletes. “It would be nice if we could give a full scholarship to all athletes,” Williams said. The National Junior College Athletics Association limits the number of scholarships that can be awarded to each team.

The Booster club raises money through fund-raisers, advertising and its membership dues, which range from $25 for a “donor” to $5,000 for a “Platinum Club” sponsorship.

President Linda Davis puts the club’s membership at 179. Last year membership accounted for $75,000 of the total raised. If tripled, membership alone could raise $200,000, Williams estimated. But the club doesn’t rely on membership alone. Throughout the year, the club holds many fund-raisers: a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in August, operation of the beer garden at the North Idaho Fair, a dinner, an auction and award night in the spring, a golf tournament in June, and a car raffle in the fall. Each event generates tens of thousands of dollars.

The awards banquet, which raises money through its auction of donated items such as fishing trips, artwork and dinners, recognizes NIC athletes for both academic and athletic performance, said Ron Ouren, the club’s immediate past president. “Next year it will become the largest fund-raiser the booster club will have.” He estimated the event could generate $20,000 to $30,000.

The golf tournament, held at Avondale, is co-sponsored by Harris-Dean Insurance and Century 21 John Beutler & Associates. The Outback Steakhouse provides food for the tournament. The event draws up to 35 teams and brings in about $10,000, Ouren said. For the last three years, the Booster Club has raffled a “classic car” finished by NIC automotive students.

But of the all the fund-raising, “the big one is obviously membership and advertising,” Ouren said. Advertising is sold in the form of signage and ads in programs.

Ouren said the booster club has a good organizational structure and a lot of support from NIC administration. “All the basic things are in place. Now it’s just a matter of moving forward.”

The person who will keep the club moving forward is Linda Davis. Getting people to join the booster club “is an easy sell,” she said. It’s all a matter of awareness of the NIC athletic program and what it does for the community.

“It’s letting people of the community into the hearts of the athletes and the treasures there,” she said.

One new activity the club started was a membership cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene this month. Members sold tickets and invited guests on the cruise to introduce them to the booster club.

Events, fund-raisers and membership can provide networking opportunities for participants and a chance to give back to the community, she said. “It becomes a great marketing tool.” Another benefit is the tickets members receive to athletic events, which begin with the $50 membership level and increase from there. Sponsors at $500 and higher receive advertising opportunities.

Sporting events at NIC offer inexpensive, intimate, family-oriented entertainment, a selling point for membership. “You don’t get lost in the stadium,” she said.

Supporting the athletics program supports the entire college and community, she said, because athletes and coaches put a public face to NIC and Coeur d’Alene when they compete and recruit. “The athletic department is only one part (of NIC), but it’s the part that makes itself available to the public.” she said. “They can bring people in and showcase what the college is about. (The booster club) is not about athletics. We’re about the college. The athletic department is the front porch for the college.”