Starke County Treasurer Speaks Out Against Misleading Fundraising Calls

Starke County Treasurer Kasey Clark is warning businesses of a misleading cold call that asks local businesses to pay $500 to “support local athletics,” but she said the call is disingenuous and deceptive. Clark explained a company out of Texas has been contacting local businesses and pressuring them to pay the fee to place the business’s logo on a cup, with the money to go to local Athletic Boosters or Band Boosters.

However, Clark said this money does not actually go to the clubs; in fact, the boosters get no monetary benefits unless those cups or other merchandise are actually sold.

“They are basically claiming that money is given back to either Band Boosters or Athletic Boosters by getting their company name or logo put on a cup or some form, like magnets or different things like that, and then that money comes back to the Band Boosters or Athletic Boosters, when in reality it doesn’t, unless somehow the cups or the magnets are sold,” said Clark.

Clark said the same misleading calls were made last year and the Athletic Boosters received the cups but have no way of doing anything with them. Consequently, the club gave them away and did not benefit at all. Now, these companies are at it again, and Clark is warning local businesses not to participate.

“They’re making it very misleading, thinking that the $500 they’re investing in this is actually coming back to the boosters, when in reality, it is not,” Clark explained.