The Saratoga Music Booster’s (SMB) annual Cookie Dough fundraiser raised $12,052 via the sale of 1,250 items. The funds raised will be directed toward the Saratoga High, Redwood Middle and Saratoga Unified School District music programs.
The fundraiser ran from Sept. 18 to Oct. 30; students in the music program were tasked with selling a variety of cookie dough flavors along with cheesecake, brownie batter, cinnamon rolls, snack mixes and protein pucks to friends, families and neighbors. Profits from the fundraiser surpassed last year’s total of $10,584.
The Cookie Dough fundraiser is one of two main fundraisers for the school’s music program alongside the annual Pancake Breakfast, which occurs every April. Money raised helps provide new music equipment for students and funding for events and programs.
The money raised goes into a pool from which SHS and RMS music teachers each propose a wishlist of music equipment or funding for a program while requesting an amount of money that would cover the cost of their wishlist.
“This year, we have a lot more cello players than we have cellos, so with the money raised we can make sure everyone has at least one school cello to play,” band director Jason Shiuan said.
Parent organizers Lily Chow and Meghana Palande, selected E.B. — a company that distributes cookie dough from a manufacturer to school fundraisers — as the vendor, after the previous vendor, Harmoney, raised prices from $25 for a box of cookies to $28. However, E.B. stayed at $25 and while most of the cookie selection is the same with both companies, E.B. additionally offers items from smaller bakeries, including the new mango cheesecake.
Both companies source cookie dough from Dough-to-Go, a company that manufactures cookie dough and other items for schools and non-profit organizations.
Last year, the cookie dough fundraiser struggled to reach its profit goals, leading Chow and Palande to look for new ways to increase sales such as making products open to more people and extending the web store one extra day to give a last chance to people who may have forgotten to buy cookies.
Chow has been working to add items for people with food restrictions, enabling them to also participate in the fundraiser. For instance, the new protein pucks are an option for vegans or those with allergies.
While parent organizers manage the logistics behind the fundraiser, students take charge of marketing and selling items to the community.
In an effort to sell cookie dough, sophomores Jasmine Lee and Sydney Shyh went door-to-door around the neighborhood to advertise products for the fundraiser. They noted down orders and addresses and later distributed the items to each house. Lee enjoyed the fundraiser as both a bonding experience and a way to raise money for instruments.
“Selling cookies to my neighbors was a way for both me and my neighbors to contribute to the music program,” Lee said. “Only about half of the people answered, but it was a fun experience to promote music.”
The cookie dough fundraiser allows students to take the initiative and give back to the music program. According to Shiuan, volunteers in SMB dedicate their time to keep the program running, and it is the job of the student to give back to SMB.
“Most importantly, it makes sure the students feel like they contributed to the program,” Shiuan said. “It really helps the students remember that the equipment doesn’t just grow on trees and that it’s because of these fundraisers and our amazing community that we are able to run and sustain such an amazing program.”
