For the past three years, Rumsey Station Elementary in Papillion, Nebraska has used Boosterthon, a full service fundraising company, for its annual Rumsey Run Jog-a-Thon event. However, after parents began voicing concerns over Boosterthon’s high fees, PTA member Kristi Waszak knew it was time for a change. “Raising almost $33,000 and then writing a check to Boosterthon for almost $10,000 really left a bad taste in our mouths. Our parents felt like the money wasn’t going where it should be.” recalled Waszak.

Waszak first heard about PledgeStar from her relatives who had successfully used the service at a neighboring elementary school. PledgeStar’s fee cap and intuitive prize reporting tools persuaded the initially skeptical PTA to give the service a shot, and Waszak hit the ground running to launch the event.

Waszak and her volunteers set up the event and directed parents to use PledgeStar. Then, something interesting happened: “We actually had more parents willing to donate because of PledgeStar’s low-cost pricing structure. Once parents realized the money was actually going to the school, donations, as well as parent involvement in the event, increased dramatically.”

This year’s Rumsey Run was a complete success, bringing in even more than last year’s Boosterthon event. Best of all, thanks to PledgeStar’s fee cap, the school retained over 95% of their fundraising earnings!