There are several donation opportunities that affect athletics at Cupertino HS.  The first is the Athletic Donation request. Relative to some other schools, it is a modest $100. Some schools ask over $250 and it was a "mandatory" fee.  The highest that I have heard about is $275 per athlete per sport plus a $90 uniform deposit.  The next opportunity is the Athletic Boosters, which provides funds for equipment, special fees, etc. that are outside the normal Athletic Department budget. The Boosters raise money primarily through food and clothing sales at events around school. There are also the dreaded fund raisers.  And, of course, there is the direct donation to a sport.

The concept of an Athletic Donation is symptomatic of the times we live in. There never seems to be enough money to do the things that are necessary or needed. The schools are in a period of delayed gratification. That is, often we have to wait well after a need arises, before we can spend money to fix it. The Athletic Donation was born out of a need to continue the athletic programs, as the district's revenue has not keep up with the spending need and sources of funds for CHS athletics were diverted or eliminated . Some districts and/or schools have cut sports, sometimes entirely, but most often they try to do with less. The Athletic Donation is an effort to keep the funding for our programs at a reasonable level. The donation helps to keep all of the sports at Cupertino High School intact. Many people believe that only the football program benefits, but that is simply not true. This belief leads many parents to only support the sport(s) that their child participates in. On the one hand you should support the sport(s) that you are interested in, however, the big picture is that we must also support the other sports. Every program contributes to the good of the other programs, and thus to the overall good of the school. Your $100 donation means that one half of it, $50, will go back to the sport for which it has been given. The athletic department supports all of the sports with the rest of the money, from buying uniforms to various equipment needs, and paying for officials. So in the end more than one half of your donation will go back to the sport. The Boosters support all of the sports at Cupertino.  The Cross Country and Track an Field teams have received great support from them when I have made requests for equipment. I do not like to do fund raisers because everyone is doing them and it puts a drain on our time and energy for a small payback. No team can be self-supporting in the long term, so supporting all athletics at Cupertino is a reasonable way to go.

I believe that one of my many jobs, as a head coach, is to manage the resources (time, money, equipment, manpower, and good will) that I have access to effectively. I use the funds we receive to pay for our fees at invitational meets primarily. If there is any left over, it is used to pay for equipment.  It is part of my budgetary process. It is in the team’s interest that we have a high percentage of donations paid.  I have not yet cut my invitational entries due to fund constraints.  If we do not get enough money, then that will happen. If we have a high donation rate, then we can cover our invitational fees, buy some equipment, and have a little left for the following season. 

My very strong recommendation is that you pay the suggested donation to the Athletic Department first.  You can give more than the requested $100.  Join the Athletic Boosters and contribute your time and money to their efforts. You may also give directly to the Cross Country team, but that should be after you have made the Athletic donation and joined the Boosters.  Let me be very clear, the Athletic Donation and Athletic Boosters membership are entirely separate.  We receive no funds directly through the Athletic Boosters.  

Donation structure change:
The donation is being changed this year, such that the request is $150.  The money will split three ways: $50 to the sport, $50 to the athletic department, and $50 to the athletic boosters.  This is an effort to solve several problems, including increasing the boosters membership,  generating enough funds to make fund raising unnecessary, and making all sports develop a yearly budget.

Checks payable to:
CHS Athletic Boosters - boosters / athletic donation
Cupertino High School Cross Country - directly to team

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Paul Armstrong
Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach