Support the Marching Thunder
Fundraising is essential for the Marshall University Marching Thunder to fulfill its goals of excellence in performance, education of its members, support at athletic events, and engagement in the community. By supporting the Marching Thunder, you and/or your organization is providing financial resources that help toward travel to away games, enhanced member experiences, and improved facilities and equipment. Providing the Marching Thunder organization helps to ensure that the marching band can continue to inspire audiences, represent the university with pride, and serve the Marshall University community.
Meet the Marching Thunder
The Marching Thunder has grown to 182 members and continues to expand, with successful recruitment efforts exceeding expectations. The focus now shifts to retention, ensuring members feel valued and have meaningful opportunities to encourage their return. Support is vital to sustaining this growth and success.
The Marching Thunder’s average GPA this fall reflects their commitment to academic and personal excellence. As a collegiate organization, they prioritize student-centered learning and development, fostering motivation and striving for the highest levels of achievement in all endeavors.
Approximately 128 members of the Marching Thunder are not music majors, joining out of a passion for performance and a desire to engage with and serve Marshall University. As a registered course, members dedicate significant weekly hours to rehearsals and performances, including all home football games, fall basketball games, and community and university events. The group aims to expand its performance opportunities to include more away games.
- Financial Sustainability: Like many university marching bands, the Marching Thunder requires funds for various expenses such as instruments and equipment, uniforms and apparel, travel costs, music arrangements, and staff salaries. Raising funds ensures the program’s financial sustainability, allowing it to continue providing high-quality performances and experiences for its members and audiences. As our program expands and membership grows, so does the cost to reach our many audiences, while continuing to provide a quality experience for our members.
- Quality Experiences: Additional funds enable the Marching Thunder organization to provide quality experiences for its members in different ways. Their experience with the Marching Thunder should include a welcoming environment within facilities that function well and are a source of pride. Instructional and development resources for student performance growth is always a key factor in member experiences, and financial support allows for learning and enrichment from professionals while using the best digital applications to assist in their learning process. These experiences not only enrich the educational journey of the students but also elevate the reputation of the university on a national scale. In addition, much of our student experiences are centered on performance and more the Marching Thunder can travel and perform, the more life experiences we provide our students.
- Community Engagement: The Marching Thunder serves as a powerful ambassador for Marshall University, engaging with alumni, fans, and the wider community through its performances at sporting events, parades, and other public appearances. Fundraising efforts help strengthen these connections by providing resources for outreach activities and special events that bring people together in support of the university.
Fundraising plays a crucial role in supporting the Marshall University Marching Thunder in several key areas, including travel to regular season away football games, facility and equipment improvements, and providing the highest quality experiences for its members:
- Travel Expenses: Appearances at away football games should be an essential part of the Marching Thunder’s schedule, where they can showcase their talent and school spirit while supporting the university’s athletic teams. However, traveling to these games involves significant expenses such as transportation, lodging, meals, and other logistical costs. Fundraising efforts can help alleviate the financial burden of travel, ensuring that the band can attend away games without compromising its budget or compromising the quality of its performances.
- Facility and Equipment Upgrades: Maintaining high-quality facilities and equipment is essential for the Marching Thunder to deliver outstanding performances and provide a positive experience for its members. Fundraising can support initiatives to upgrade rehearsal spaces, purchase new instruments and uniforms, make repairs to equipment as needed, invest in sound equipment, and improve storage facilities. By investing in these upgrades, fundraising enhances the band’s capabilities and ensures that it can continue to thrive and evolve.
- Member Experiences and Opportunities: Fundraising allows the Marching Thunder to offer its members the best possible experiences and opportunities for growth and development. This may include funding for digital applications and resources to enhance musicianship and performance skills. Additionally, fundraising can support scholarships, stipends, or travel grants to make participation in the band more accessible to students from diverse backgrounds. By investing in its members, fundraising ensures that the Marching Thunder remains a vibrant and inclusive community that enriches the lives of its participants.
Let’s explore the three ways individuals and organizations can provide financial support to the Marching Thunder:
- One-Time Gift: Individuals or organizations can make a single donation to the Marching Thunder program. This option allows supporters to contribute any amount they desire, providing immediate financial assistance to the program.
- Matching Donation Campaign: A matching donation campaign involves a pledge from a company, organization, or individual to match donations made by others up to a certain amount or percentage. This encourages increased participation in fundraising efforts by leveraging the matching funds to double the impact of each contribution.
- Annual Funding Support or Recurring Support: Supporters can commit to providing ongoing financial support to the Marching Thunder through annual contributions or recurring donations with weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly options. This sustained support helps ensure the stability and growth of the program over time, providing a reliable source of funding for its ongoing needs.
Each of these methods offers a valuable opportunity for individuals and organizations to contribute to the success of the Marshall University Marching Thunder and its positive impact on the university community.
Fundraising plays a vital role in helping the Marshall University Marching Thunder achieve its mission of excellence in performance, member education, athletic event support, and community engagement. Your support, whether personal or organizational, provides the financial resources necessary for travel to away games, enriching member experiences, and upgrading facilities and equipment. By contributing to the Marching Thunder, you help ensure the band continues to inspire audiences, represent the university with pride, and offer its members meaningful opportunities to grow and succeed.