Augie’s remains a popular dining spot, but it is not a lucky place to land on the new Prescottopoly game created by Prescott High School (PHS) business students. An order to appear IN COURT for speeding surrounds the restaurant’s familiar black mustache on the southeast corner of the board.
The next move could be a tough choice: hoping for a FATE or DESTINY card, paying a fine or accepting court proceedings. The law firm Favour & Willhelmsen PLLC fortunately owns the board space just outside the COURT and likely offers legal counsel. Whatever the ultimate play — good or bad, richer or poorer, winning or losing — Prescottopoly teaches risk and reward in an entertaining package.
Putting the “fun” in fundraising was the name of the game for the PHS Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) developing the board last year. The club’s officers sought money to ensure participation in state and local competitions. Limited funds the previous year had blocked five of eight eligible members from competing in nationals.
“It was a heartbreaking situation for us because we love all the people in our club, and it’s such an amazing opportunity to go to national,” said Isabelle Ruiz, who along with Larissa LaMaster, co-chairs FBLA Fundraising at PHS. LaMaster and Ruiz, both seniors, have attended national competitions and were among the officers determined to ensure that no qualifying member would be left behind on their watch.
The solution, after evaluating a binder full of ideas and playing to the officers’ combined strengths, was development of Prescottopoly, a board game marketed to supportive local sponsors and an enthusiastic buying public.
“Every year, the FBLA national headquarters sends out a few fundraiser ideas and I had seen the ‘Townopoly’ flier for the past few years, but never felt I had an officer team up to the challenge until this year,” explained Lauri Dreher, FBLA faculty advisor. “I knew it would be a lot of work. I mentioned it to the officers and they were all over it.”
Dreher holds a retreat each summer for the incoming officer team, she explained, to brainstorm goals, objectives, strategies, tactics, lessons, FBLA Achievement Targets, how to lead the approximately 60 club members, the personal legacy desired by the officers, and budget.
“When the topics of goals and budget came up [in 2015], the officers realized that because of yearly decreases in funding available to help offset the costs of FBLA competitions and leadership conferences, we needed a way to come up with a lot of money,” Dreher continued. “Officers didn’t want those students that couldn’t afford the opportunities that FBLA offered to not be able to take advantage of those amazing learning opportunities. That’s not fair.”
While the FBLA idea book had plenty to offer in concepts, no detail was presented regarding implementation. Under Dreher’s guidance, the officers established a pricing model, advertising parameters, social media marketing, community outreach, pre-order and point-of-sale accounting and everything in-between.
The PHS FBLA inspired more than 40 Prescott businesses to purchase advertising priced from $50 to $700. The club exceeded by nearly 10 percent the $12,000 price tag to produce 500 games. The outcome of that effort is that every game sold equals 100 percent profit.
“This huge endeavor truly epitomizes the national FBLA mission ― to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs,” Dreher shared. “It has been amazing to witness the FBLA officers capitalize on their individual strengths and likes and create their own little business in which every officer had an integral function. I am so impressed with the commitment and drive of these young adults.”
Each of the officers had a “large part in this process, whether selling or keeping track of records,” LaMaster said. “We had to come up with our own accounting systems, especially for this project, to keep track of presales and different pricing. Nicole Martinez was the officer in charge of that. Officers would step in and help everyone else out.”
LaMaster said she would recommend the game board fundraiser to other FBLA clubs, with the caution that it’s a “massive undertaking.” She and Ruiz spent “hundreds of hours” on the project.
“It was our baby,” Ruiz said. “We have been lucky enough to have an extraordinary officer team. They were all involved. We just kind of led it.”
Ruiz said the community was “extraordinarily supportive” of the fundraiser, with LaMaster describing how businesses “became very involved in the idea and were very encouraging.” LaMaster said she was “overwhelmed by how the community came together and supported us on this.”
PHS offered the students this experience in two-year Business Management and three-year Accounting tracks, featuring some “dual” courses for both college and high school credit in collaboration with Mountain Institute Joint Technical Education District (MIJTED).
“Students learn current business principles and procedures” in those programs, Dreher noted. “However, even though they learn amazing information, the course curriculum is missing an integral piece of the ‘success formula’ — leadership. FBLA provides that missing piece. Therefore, students in FBLA get the opportunity to incorporate leadership skills into business knowledge. It’s the ‘application’ of business.”
Both LaMaster and Ruiz agreed with that assessment.
“I learned so much throughout this process,” LaMaster said, including “the actual financials of it. I like to think and dream big, and not think of actual costs. It was good for me personally. I learned that I am pretty good at sales, not only on the phone, but also in person. I was exposed to the real world and potential career opportunities.”
Characterizing herself as “a naturally shy person,” Ruiz said “it was really good to get out and talk to people in the community. It brought me out of my shell and gave me the experience that I will need to go out in my career and work with people. I never had to work as closely as a team… delegating… and just getting out in the community and seeing what the businesses out there are all about.”
For those who have not yet purchased Prescottopoly, about 180 remain available for $25 each at the PHS bookstore. Payment may be cash or check to Prescott High School. Other opportunities to support the local FBLA club suggested by the young women are tax credit donations, volunteerism, career sharing and internships. QCBN
By Sue Marceau
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