The Importance of Wyoming Gives in the Search for Fundraising Dollars

WyoGives is a powerful, 24-hour online fundraising event serving Wyoming non-profit organizations, including Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps. This day of giving is a program of Wyoming’s Nonprofit Network, an important resource group to which Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps belongs.

Donations via WyoGives, no matter the size, are especially important to helping the Troopers. Why? Because donations through WyoGives can help the corps garner matching funds – the equivalent of “free” money in the world of fundraising.

It is not necessary to live in Wyoming to participate in WyoGives. Anyone anywhere can donate via the Troopers’ special one-day WyoGives portal here.

The portal opens at 12:00 a.m. MDT on July 10 with WyoGives, running until 11:59 p.m. that same day. Early donations help Troop maximize matching funds. Matching funds may be fully allotted well before the giving period ends.

We hope you will consider donating any amount to the corps via WyoGives instead of through the Troopers’ website on July 10th.  Best of all, funds donated in WyoGives also count toward our Rocky Mountain Rivalry campaign!

While the above information explains WyoGives and its relative importance, you may also find the following additional details about the program and about Troopers’ budgeting informative.

WyoGives is designed to bring the corps’ home state together as one community to raise money and awareness for Wyoming's nonprofits. 2024 marks the fifth year for the WyoGives event, and the third year for Troop to participate. Together in our first two years of participation, our corps has earned approximately $15,000 in matching funds, in addition to the money donated directly to us through the effort. This type of fundraising is important as it brings in outside dollars for the corps. Matching dollars available only through the WyoGives program can help us inch ever closer to our goal of raising more than a quarter of a million dollars we seek to raise this year alone.

Yes, $250,000 in fundraising!  But, don’t member fees cover most of the budget? Dues or tour fees cover up to 50-55% of our annual budget. The balance comes from other efforts including our Bingo operation, the pursuit of grants, merchandise sales and fundraising or donations. It is not uniforms or props that stretch a drum corps’ budget. The food program, transportation and housing are three of the biggest expenditures for any corps in any given year. You may not know this, but a single day of housing can cost $1,000-plus!  Once the receipts are tallied, we estimate the corps will have spent nearly $100,000 in Casper during the month of spring training and in the course of preparing for tour. Food, housing and busses are the types of things for which we can budget. Unfortunately, some years there may be costs for which we did not budget, such as the Covid outbreak in 2022. 

Therefore, fundraising is more important than ever in achieving our mission, something that Executive Director Mike Gough notes is not actually drum corps itself.

“Drum corps is simply the way we pursue our mission,” said Gough.

That mission is something Mike often quotes from the heart: “To provide a youth activity with positive educational experiences that promote the growth and development of specific life skills consistent with the Trooper Tradition of Excellence.”

The Troopers organization is thankful for the support we receive on all fronts, from meal sponsorships to those who embrace the fun of the Rocky Mountain Rivalry’s Mini Rivalries. We also appreciate volunteers whose work makes a difference.  And, everyone who shares details – including about WyoGives – helps us reach bigger audiences. Together, all of those efforts mean we can continue to pursue the mission.

On this 5th WyoGives Day, whether you can donate or simply share our posts, your support of the Troopers through WyoGives helps our mission advance.