Frequently Asked Questions

Why does South Coast Stars fundraise?

South Coast Stars is recognized as a 501(c)3 public charity. Our organization runs 100% on 1) donations, 2) fundraising, AND 3) membership dues. All proceeds directly benefit our dancers, through parties/team bonding events, gifts, scholarships and much more.

I thought I already paid for my dancer’s Booster Membership? 

Yes, you did! Member Dues of $65 per dancer ($35 per 2nd dancer) are included in your Program Fees billed through the studio. Boosters receive $60 per dancer ($30 per 2nd dancer). These funds are used for programs and tangible items that directly benefit the dancers (season gift for each dancer, team kick off party, birthday treat for each dancer, welcome gift for new members, Big/Little program).

So why do I need to raise more money? 

South Coast Stars applied for nonprofit status in part to utilize a broader range of fundraising programs to offset the cost of certain elements of the competitive program:

1. Showcase Venue: The Showcase used to be held in the studio on a weeknight, only for dancers and faculty. By raising funds to rent a full theater venue, every comp team dancer is able to experience a full dress rehearsal on a real stage with lighting and sound prior to their first competition. And as a bonus there is space for family and friends to view the ‘performance.’
2. Welcome Party: This season we were able to offset the ticket price of the party by $10/dancer. We would love to raise enough to make the Welcome Party completely free for all the comp team dancers every season.
3. End of Year Banquet: This season we really want to step up our game and turn the year end celebration into a big event for the dancers. They work so hard all season long and we want to give them a fun, fancy, dress-up night with SCPA staff/faculty including photos, dinner and dessert, presentations and a slideshow commemorating the season, etc. Each comp team dancer will have a free ticket to the event, and additional tickets for family would be available for purchase.

What does South Coast Stars do with the money raised from the Rummage Sale, Dinner Nights, Recycling, Yearbook sales, etc?

Funds raised from these programs are used for some of the other boring costs associated with running a non-profit (admin fees, website, Venmo/Paypal fees, tax filing, accounting, etc.) as well as Teacher Appreciation Week, yearbook production, headshot wall photos, and prop transportation.

How do I sign up for the fundraisers?

Fill out the Fundraiser Sign-Up Form (link can be found on the South Coast Stars website fundraising page or go directly to scpaboosters.org/fundraising). 

• Mrs. Fields, Charleston Wrap, and RaiseRight all have self-registration links and enrollment codes on the Sign-Up Form
• Krispy Kreme, Dave & Buster’s, Regal, See’s Candies Online Yum-Raising require manual input. Once we receive your completed Sign-Up Form we will add you to your selected program(s) and you will receive an invitation email to create your account 
• See’s Candies Pre-Sell Winter Fundraiser forms will be available at the studio Tuesday Oct. 15th
• Dance-A-Thon pledge forms will be available at the studio Monday Dec. 16th

If I’d rather not fundraise, can I just make a direct donation?

Of course! You can choose to make a direct donation to meet any of our tiered fundraising levels. You will receive all the same incentives/prizes for that tiered level.

If I do make a direct donation at one of the tiered levels, does my dancer still receive the incentive(s)?

Yes, they do!

What if I don’t meet the $100 minimum by December 20th?

Depending on family interest, we may host the See’s Candies Spring Fundraisers in January/February. The GroupRaise fundraisers (Krispy Kreme, Dave & Buster’s, Regal) and RaiseRight Gift Card fundraiser can be opened again in January upon request. Or you can make a cash donation for the difference.

Are donations made directly to South Coast Stars tax deductible?

Yes, they are!

If I make a donation to South Coast Stars, is corporate matching allowed?

Yes! Many companies allow for corporate matching, South Coast Stars will provide a receipt for tax purposes. This is a great way to meet a higher tiered goal and receive studio credit.

What are the fundraising/donation goal levels and the FAMILY INCENTIVES?

LEVEL 1 – raise/donate the required minimum $100 per dancer and receive:

• 1 dancer ticket to the End of Year Banquet
• your dancer will receive all 3 fundraising prizes

LEVEL 2 – raise/donate $250 TOTAL and receive: 

• 1 dancer ticket to the End of Year Banquet 
• 20% back as studio credit ($50)

LEVEL 3 – raise/donate $500 TOTAL and receive:

• 1 dancer ticket to the End of Year Banquet 
• 30% studio credit ($150) 
• 1 free yearbook 

LEVEL 4 – raise/donate $750 TOTAL and receive:

• 1 dancer ticket to the End of Year Banquet 
• 40% studio credit ($300)
• 1 free yearbook 
• 1 Family Banquet ticket 

LEVEL 5 – raise/donate $1,000 TOTAL and receive:

• 1 dancer ticket to the End of Year Banquet 
• 50% studio credit ($500) 
• 1 free yearbook 
• 1 Family Banquet ticket 
• $100 Discount Dance gift card 

Families with 2 dancers can reach the higher tiers by combining both dancers’ earnings, and will receive a Banquet ticket for each dancer, however the studio credit is per family and based on the combined amount raised/donated. 

What are the DANCER INCENTIVES for the fundraising levels?

LEVEL 1 – Dancers will receive a SCPA bracelet, SCPA rubber duck, and SCPA sunglasses

LEVEL 2 – Dancers will earn ‘FREE Dress Day’ for ballet*

LEVEL 3 – Dancers will earn ‘Dinner With Teachers’*

LEVEL 4 – Dancers will earn ‘Teacher Privileges’ for a day*

LEVEL 5 – Dancers will earn ‘Pie in the Face’ opportunity*

*Incentives will be redeemed in February 2025 during/around Spirit Week

 My dancer wants to reach one of the tiered fundraising goals, but only earned part of the amount and the fundraisers have ended. Can I donate the remaining amount so my dancer achieves the incentive?Yes! You can make a direct donation for the amount of the difference in order to reach one of the tiered fundraising goals. The amount you donate will be tax deductible. 

 Why don’t the Dance-A-Thon pledges I raise go towards my dancer’s personal fundraising goal?

This season we are returning the Dance-A-Thon back to its original format of being a 100% charitable event. All pledges raised by the dancers will be donated to the SCPA Scholarship Fund. This fund will provide scholarships to comp team dancers who have applied for financial-based OR merit-based assistance. All comp team dancers can apply for these scholarships. While we won’t be able to make projections until we know how much is raised, we hope to be able to offer some scholarships for this competition season (convention registration, group entry fees, etc.).

What exactly is the Dance-A-Thon?

Dance-A-Thon fundraiser was originally developed to encourage our dancers to use their talents to make a difference in our community through a non-profit charity. The dancers collect pledges from friends and family, then participate in a 5-hour, multi-style, dance class event. The Dance-A-Thon is also taught by our Senior dancers so that all components are generated by our students. Boosters provides pizza lunch for the dancers and parent volunteers. The minimum amount to participate is $60 in pledges, and we offer prize incentives for the top earners.

What kind of charitable donations has South Coast Stars made in the past?

2023-2024 Season benefitted HERO For Kids Foundation - $3,876 cash donation 

2022-2023 Season benefitted Operation Warm Wishes - $1,835 cash donation, new sock drive, 100 toiletry kits

Previous seasons of the Dance-A-Thon raised over $50,000 benefitting three non-profit charities in the community.

RaiseRight Gift Card Fundraiser - How does it work?

It works best when you have the app. Buying gift cards offers a higher profit margin than shopping online. When buying gift cards in the app, the available payment methods all incur a small fee: credit card 3%, debit card 1%, or bank account $.29.

Gift cards: You can purchase e-gift cards that will load directly into your RaiseRight wallet, or physical gift cards that will be shipped to the studio, the profit options will instantly be applied to our team account.

Shop online: You can shop online following a link in the app to the retailer’s website, checkout like normal, but for some reason your profit will take 45-90 days to be applied to our team account.

Example: Starbucks e-gift card offers 4.5% back. If you purchase a $10 card and pay by debit card, the total you pay is $10.10 and your profit will be $.45. You can then add the e-card to your Starbucks app and still earn stars :)

Krispy Kreme Fundraiser - How does it work?

1. Select this fundraiser from the fundraiser sign-up form.
2. You will receive an email inviting you to ‘join the fundraiser’. Your dancer will have their own Fundraising Campaign Page to share with friends and family inviting them to make purchases. 
3. All purchases made from your unique page will be applied to your individual profits, Digital Dozens are sold for $15 so your 50% profit is $10. 
4. Supporters will receive their Digital Dozens via email within 72 hours. Digital Dozens are redeemable at any participating Krispy Kreme shop for one dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts.

Dave & Buster’s Power Cards Fundraiser - How does it work?

1. Select this fundraiser from the fundraiser sign-up form.
2. You will receive an email inviting you to ‘join the fundraiser’. Your dancer will have their own Fundraising Campaign Page to share with friends and family inviting them to make purchases. 
3. All purchases made from your unique page will be applied to your individual profits, Dave & Buster’s Power Cards are sold for $20 so your 50% profit is $7.50. 
4. Cards are loaded with 100 chips and can be picked up at most Dave & Buster's locations.

 Regal Movie Ticket Bundle Fundraiser - How does it work?

1. Select this fundraiser from the fundraiser sign-up form.
2. You will receive an email inviting you to ‘join the fundraiser’. Your dancer will have their own Fundraising Campaign Page to share with friends and family inviting them to make purchases. 
3. All purchases made from your unique page will be applied to your individual profits, Movie Ticket Bundles are sold for $30 so your 25% profit is $7.50. 
4. Supporters will receive their Movie Ticket Bundle via email within 72 hours. Movie Ticket Bundles are redeemable at any Regal Theater.

Mrs. Fields Fundraiser - How does it work?

1. Select this fundraiser from the fundraiser sign-up form, follow the provided link and click REGISTER to self-register for the program. 
2. Fill out your info to set up your individual store, add a photo,  add contact emails and the website system will send out reminders letting your family/friends know about the sale. 
3. All purchases made from your store will be applied to your individual profits, 1.5 lbs box sells for $25 (24 pre portioned cookie dough pucks ready to bake) so your 50% profit is $12.50.
4. Items ship direct to supporters, however they do pay shipping and credit card processing fee (up to 3.5%)

 Charleston Wrap Fundraiser - How does it work?

1. Select this fundraiser from the fundraiser sign-up form, follow the provided link and use the Organization ID to self-register for the program. 
2. You will receive a unique link to share your ‘store’ with friends and family inviting them to make purchases.
3. All purchases made from your store will be applied to your individual profits, all items at Charleston Wrap provide 40% profit.
4. Items ship direct to supporters, flat shipping rate UPS $12.95 but orders over $98 ship free

See’s Candies Traditional Pre-Sell Winter Fundraiser - How does it work?

1. Select this fundraiser from the fundraiser sign-up form, FORMS MUST BE PICKED UP AT THE STUDIO.
2. Take orders from friends/family, record all orders by hand on the form (the top portion goes to South Coast Stars, the bottom portion is your copy). Double check your orders!! 
3. Collect payment (cash and check only) from your supporters for the full retail value of the candy. We will accept checks from your supporters but they MUST be made out to South Coast Stars. 
4. All purchases made from your store will be applied to your individual profits, most items are 20% profit, select items are 50%. If our group sells over $2,000 we earn an additional 5% profit, and if we sell over $10,000 we earn an additional 10% (yes, in the past we have sold over $10,000!). All purchases made on your order form will be applied to your individual profits.
5. All items will be delivered to the studio, will be sorted by dancer and then be available for pick up.

See’s Candies Online ‘Yum-Raising’ Winter Fundraiser - How does it work?

1. Select this fundraiser from the fundraiser sign-up form.
2. You will receive an email inviting you to help with the South Coast Stars Winter 2024 Yum-Raising Storefront. Your dancer will have their own unique link to share with friends and family inviting them to make purchases. 
3. All the same items in the Traditional Pre-Sell Fundraiser are available in the Online Yum-Raising Storefront, most items are 20% profit, select items are 50%. Gift card purchases are 15% profit. All purchases made from your store will be applied to your individual profits
4. Items ship direct to supporters, sales tax and shipping rates apply, orders over $70 ship free