Fueling the Future at Boys & Girls Clubs National Conference
As a proud trusted partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), our team headed to Charlotte for their National Conference, the largest and most anticipated gathering of the Club Movement each year. This year felt even bigger, marking the 120th convening of the National Conference and bringing together 3,000+ executives, board members, professional staff, and partners from Clubs across the country (and around the globe).
Our mission? Take a standard convention hall booth and turn it into a high-energy, fully branded retail experience built for the Club leaders, staff, and volunteers who show up for kids every single day. Think less “conference merch table” and more “curated pop-up shop moment.”
We jam-packed the space with tees, sweatshirts, elevated button-ups, formal dresses, backpacks, journals, drinkware, graduation gear, and plenty of Brand Fuel magic along the way. And BGCA showed up. Big time.
Watch these testimonials share why branded gear is important to supporters.
Not Your Average Merch Booth
Colleen Potocki, Sandi Rodgers, Danny Rosin, and Alexis Holloway held things down onsite, with additional team members and volunteers jumping in to help keep pace with the crowds. (Huge shoutout to everyone who stepped in. Wednesday was absolute chaos in the best way!)
Beyond the sales floor, the week was packed with hugs, high-fives, and reconnecting with BGCA staff we’ve partnered with for years. That’s the kind of stuff that makes National Conference super special.
“I love this event! Everyone pops by the store to hug, high five, and reconnect. Then they’re ready to buy the latest and greatest merch that has true meaning.” — Colleen Potocki
Between keynote sessions, youth and Club performances, the 5K run/walk, and the Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony, the store stayed buzzing from open to close. And a portion of every sale goes right back to support Boys & Girls Clubs and the kids they serve.
That’s branded merchandise doing what it does best: looking good, feeling good, and doing good.
Brand Power in Action: A Presentation on Merch + Fundraising
Brand Fuel Co-President Danny Rosin joined Kristan Jones-Scales, Director of Brand Management at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, on stage for their session, Brand Power in Action: Using Branded Merchandise to Build Awareness and Drive Fundraising, which drew a packed room of Club leaders from across the country.
Together, Danny and Kristan shared real-world strategies for putting branded merchandise to work. Beyond creating a sense of belonging and pride for kids, merch can also become a powerful tool to support fundraising and fuel each Club’s mission.
“It was my honor to share the stage with (the brilliant) Kristan (who is a great brand steward) and talk to Club leaders from across the country. Hopefully, the intel from our session will help them raise meaningful capital to help them with their bold initiatives.” — Danny Rosin
More Than Merch
Every shirt sold, every backpack zipped, every graduation stole handed off adds up to something bigger. Branded merchandise helps Clubs tell their story, rally their communities, and build lasting pride that kids carry with them long after they leave the Club.
Watch this video with a walkthrough of the BGCA store, then visit bgcastore.org to show YOUR support!
Thinking about how branded merchandise could fuel your nonprofit or mission-driven brand?
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