News

(BEAVER FALLS, Pa.) – Geneva College is hosting Fundraising In The Fast Lane, a free seminar on the topic of non-profit fundraising, on Thursday, March 21 from 7-9 p.m. Registration is available at: Geneva.edu/events/Fastlane.

The presentation will explain the methods used in the world of professional auto racing to secure multimillion-dollar corporate sponsorships and how local non-profit organizations can adopt the same principles to attract sponsorships.

Presenting the seminar is Mike Lysakowski, a lifelong Western PA resident who has worked in the auto racing industry his entire life as a consultant in marketing and public relations. He was also a racing broadcaster before joining the Jennerstown Speedway staff.

“NASCAR Teams have discovered and carefully honed the best methods for landing sponsorships of $20 million per year,” Lysakowski says. “I want to share that knowledge to benefit the people who are making a difference in our community.”

Anyone who attends the seminar will leave with a thorough understanding of how to properly approach a business and land a sponsorship of $3,000 for a church carnival; a $2,000 sponsorship for a golf outing or a 5K race; even a $500 sponsorship for a soccer or little league team. “The same strategies that bring millions of dollars in revenue to professional racing teams can easily be scaled back and implemented locally by non-profit volunteers,” Lysakowski says.

Lysakowski has been involved, locally, with many civic organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the Tourist Promotion Agency, and several Chambers of Commerce throughout the region. As a community volunteer and non-profit board member in his spare time, Lysakowski identified the parallel and similar needs between charities and the organizations he assists in professional sports, a realization he used to create the Fund Raising In The Fast Lane presentation.

Volunteers and teams for any non-profit organization—such as Relay For Life, March of Dimes, Heart Walk, Walk to End Alzheimer’s, or Volunteer Fire Department members, athletic club boosters, church council members, scholastic fund raisers, civic organization board members—will find the information and handouts to be useful for charitable endeavors.

Those wishing to attend can register online at www.geneva.edu/events/fastlane. Light refreshments will be available.

Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 115 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva’s programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the top engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.