The Biggest Goal Anyone Has Set with Us

Queen City Buzz has a huge fundraising goal: $30,000. Their fundraiser just kicked off — will they hit it?


This month, we're not sharing a success story after the fact. We want to invite you to watch it happen with us — to see what unfolds when an organization makes a big commitment, and find out together if they reach it.


Queen City Buzz is a girls' softball organization built on more than wins — their mission blends athletic development with character, leadership, and faith. With more than 100 players involved this season, they're intentional about keeping the sport accessible, too: dues stay fair, and fundraising dollars go directly back into facilities, gear, and tournaments, so no athlete is priced out because of her family's budget. It's the kind of "we're doing this because we believe in it" organization that makes a $30,000 goal feel less like a stretch and more like a natural next step.


Queen City Buzz decided to run a honey fundraiser because the season comes with real costs — uniforms, training, equipment, and travel that add up fast for a program this size. 


What Queen City Buzz Is Already Doing Right

A goal this size doesn't happen by accident — here's what stood out about their kickoff:

  1. They started the conversation early. 
    Several weeks before launch, families already knew the fundraiser was coming. No one found out about this the day before — or the day of.
  2. The fundraiser is part of the season, not separate from it. Queen City Buzz folded the campaign into its signing night kickoff event instead of treating it as its own bolted-on thing.
  3. The incentives go deeper than one prize. Instead of a single gift card for the top seller, they built in layered rewards — top individual seller, winning sales team, and even the top-selling coach. Everyone up and down the roster has a reason to care, not just the kids chasing first place.
    

These are the ingredients of a fundraiser that's built to last the full campaign, not just the first weekend's enthusiasm. But launch week is the easy part — what happens next will decide whether $30,000 is within reach.


Why Aim This High in the First Place?

It would've been easier for Queen City Buzz to set a modest, safe number and call it a win. Instead, they picked a goal big enough to actually change what the season looks like. A bigger goal does something a smaller one can't: it gives everyone — players, parents, coaches — a reason to show up for it together, not just check a box. Big goals ask more of a community, but they also give that community something bigger to rally around.



Keeping the Momentum Going

Hitting a number like this isn't about one great launch — it's about staying visible for the whole campaign. A few things we'll be watching Queen City Buzz do (and that any organization chasing a big goal should plan for):

  • Steady communication, not a one-time announcement. Regular check-ins — where the campaign stands, how close the goal is — keep it top of mind instead of fading after week one.
  • A social media push that matches the energy of launch week. Posting once at kickoff and going quiet is the fastest way to lose momentum.
  • Reminders to parents that don't feel like nagging. Short, friendly nudges tied to specific moments (a game, a deadline) tend to land better than generic "don't forget to sell honey!" messages.
  • A mid-campaign push. Something like a "sell 5 more this weekend" challenge gives a flagging campaign a jolt right when enthusiasm typically dips.
  • A finale that makes the last stretch feel like an event. A "final countdown" push — who can turn the tide in the closing days — turns the end of the campaign into its own moment instead of a quiet fade-out.


Ways to Follow Along

Here's how to stay in on it as it happens:

  • Follow us on Instagram @honeyhelpsfundraiser — we'll be sharing real-time updates as the campaign moves, including milestones along the way (look for #QCBuzz30K).
  • Watch for our October newsletter — we'll share the full story and the final number, whether they hit $30,000 or not.
  • Watch their progress live — their fundraiser page  shows exactly how many products they've sold so far. And if you feel like supporting them, you're welcome to purchase to help them get there.


Tools of the Trade

A big goal is easier to hit when the busywork is off your plate. Here's the mix of tools — ours and otherwise — that make a campaign like Queen City Buzz's easier to run:

  • Real-time HoneyHelps dashboard. 
    This is the one piece that's ours: organizers can see exactly where the campaign stands and who's sold what — no guessing, no manually tallying order forms.
  • Canva, for flyers and social graphics. 
    
    Free templates mean you don't need a design background to put together something that looks sharp for a team group chat or a flyer to send home — just drop in your goal number and team colors. Once your sale date is scheduled, Jessica from the Honey Helps team can help you use our templates or create one just for your fundraiser.
  • Remind, for parent communication. 
    
    A free app a lot of teams and schools already use for mass texts — good for the "reminders that don't feel like nagging" we mentioned above, without needing everyone's phone number in a group text.
  • Buffer or Later (free schedulers), for social media automation.
    
    Queue up a week or two of posts in one sitting instead of remembering to post live every day — momentum doesn't stall just because someone got busy on a Tuesday.
  • ChatGPT, for a first draft of messaging (or images). 
    
    Feed it your goal, deadline, and audience, and ask for a few reminder texts or captions in different tones — fun, urgent, thank-you — so nobody's staring at a blank screen trying to write "week 2 update" from scratch. It can also mock up quick graphic ideas if Canva feels like one more thing.


None of this requires a budget or a steep learning curve — just a little bit of the right tool for the right job.

September is National Honey Month

September has been National Honey Month since 1989, when the National Honey Board first declared it — a nod to the beekeeping industry right as the harvest season winds down for the year.



It's a fitting time, because September is a big month for the hives, too — just not for the reason you'd think. Instead of harvesting, beekeepers spend it getting colonies ready for winter: checking that each hive has enough honey stored to last the cold months, making sure the queen is still laying well, and sealing up entrances to keep other hungry colonies out. A hive's whole winter often comes down to how well this month goes.


Fun fact: a single hive of about 70,000 bees will collectively fly as far as 55,000 miles and visit over 2 million flowers — just to make one pound of honey.


To celebrate, we made a printable coloring sheet for the classroom, the car ride, or just because. Click here or the image to download.

Are you ready to set a HUGE goal?


Let's build a fundraiser that gives your organization the opportunity to do even more this year.

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