Frequently Asked Questions

• How does the program work?
  • It starts with your school filling out an interest form by clicking here. While this can be a lucrative fundraiser, it won’t work for everyone.  If your school meets the criteria, you will be contacted on how to get started.

    The program involves your school selling tickets to a 90 minute financial presentation held at your high school.  I provide all the marketing materials you will need.  This includes templates to make flyers, press releases and emails, to ensure the program is a success.  Tickets are $99 and you will need to sell a minimum of 100 tickets.  Parents and teachers can attend for free.  If you sell 100 tickets, 45% of the money collected will be given to your prom committee 45 days after the presentation.

    If your school sells more than 100 tickets (this can even be done by partnering with other schools in your area) then the monetary split starts to swing drastically in your favor!  The highest split obtainable is 75%. 
• What if we cannot sell the tickets?
  • My team pre-screens every school to try and ensure the event will work based on their size and willingness to commit to the program. If a school cannot reach the minimum 100 tickets, we simply refund everyone’s money. There are no hidden withdrawal fees for you to worry about. 
• Why would a parent shell out $99 to send their kid to hear you?
  • I'll be the first to admit, not every parent will.  But a few things to consider:
  • Any college in the country can get a local bank Vice President to talk to their students for free.  However, over 60 colleges per year pay me thousands of dollars to come and speak to their students.  Why?  Simply because the information is only part of it.  It is also about the way that information is packaged and presented.  I spend, on average, four days a week throughout the entire school year, educating students about their financial future.  In addition, the United States military flies me all over the world to inspire our service members to take control of their financial lives.  I present financial information in a way that the young people can relate to and understand.
  • Financial problems are now the number one reason for college students to dropout (above drugs, drinking, poor grades and stress.)
  • Money management issues are now the number one reason for divorce. 
  • While some of the current economic crisis can be blamed on a small number of unscrupulous Wall Street players, an even larger part of the problem was financial ignorance.  We simply don’t take the time to teach our younger generations about personal finance. 
  • If a student, or parent, is not completely satisfied, I will refund 100% of their money right at the door, no questions asked.   
  • Sell enough tickets and the price of your prom could be free to everyone. 
  • Remember parents can attend for FREE.  Experience shows that both parents and students will get enough tips on financial aid, credit scores and budgeting to easily justify the $99 fee. 
  • Finally, don’t forget that parents shell out a lot of money for college test prep courses.  See our comparison chart on the subject.  (Many parents spend money on prep courses, to get their kids into college but don’t plan on how to help their kids stay in college.  Unfortunately many students have to drop out due to financial concerns, and that’s just a shame!)
• Selling 100 tickets at $99 apiece sounds like too much work for schools.
  •  Remember, my team works with you as your marketing partner.  Video footage, testimonials, press releases and fliers are all sent to you once you are signed up for the program.  Sometimes sending every student home with a flier is all that needs to happen.  What’s more, based on my research, most schools need to have SOME sort of fundraiser to help finance their prom.  While bake sales and talent shows are a great start, they often only raise a few hundred dollars.  I Will Pay For Your Prom.com, can raise thousands with a similar amount of effort!
• What about small schools?
  •  It is obvious that with this system, the bigger the crowd, the bigger the return.  Therefore,  a small school would be encouraged to partner with other schools in order to get the numbers up.  When you enroll you will be assigned an events coordinator who would work with you to partner with surrounding schools.
• Are you insured?
  •   Not that giving speeches is a particularly dangerous business, but yes I do have $1,000,000.00 of liability insurance.
• What kind of stuff do you cover in the seminar?
  •  Please click here to review the presentation’s agenda.
• How does our school get the money?
  •   Most schools have some sort of prom escrow account that is monitored by the school.  (If such an account doesn’t exist, one can easily be created.) Forty five days after the presentation, I will send your school an itemized tally of the number of tickets sold, as well as the corresponding revenue sharing category.  Along with this information comes a check.  If multiple schools are involved, then each school receives a separate tally and check for the number of attendees their school brought to the event.
• Unfortunately our school can’t promote something like this.  They can’t stuff one of your fliers into every parent mailing.
  •  And ya know what, they wouldn’t have to.  Students would decide to do the fundraiser.  They would receive the media kit with all the emails and letters.  The event would be set up on facebook, myspace and we would notify the local press.  So while the school’s assistance is helpful, it is not necessary.
• Can we use this to raise money for something else besides prom?
  •  Absolutely!  This can be used for ANY charity/fundraising activity.  Fraternities, Girl Scouts PTAs you name it!  Call us and tell us about your idea!
• Can attendees pay by credit card?
  •  Yes, Amex, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover are all accepted.  We also accept personal checks and payments made through Paypal.
• Once the seminar is over, do you try to “upsell” us any other products?
  •  That is completely up to the school.  I have a variety of upsell packages where schools can earn even more money by helping sell books and other products.  Some schools opt to participate in product sales because of the extra revenue.  But others prefer not to have any upselling at all.  It is completely up to the school and I respect either decision!  Please note that  students and parents will be invited to join my email newsletter which occasionally highlights new products, but sign up is optional, the newsletter is completely free, and anyone can cancel at anytime.
• Suppose you sell 300 tickets but 500 people go to prom.  So basically 300 people BOUGHT the tickets for the whole 500.  Shouldn't they get some credit for that?
  •   There are different ways that people receive credit.  The main credit that those 300 students will have received is that both the students, and their parents, will be way ahead of those that did not participate!  They will be ahead in preparing for their financial futures.  They will have received valuable, up to date information and resources regarding succeeding in today’s financial climate. 

    The prom committee could always use some of their generated funds to recognize those who participated…names listed on the invitations or posted at the prom….little extra souvenirs for those who participated.  This type of credit would be up to the committee, but most schools just put the money toward prom, to benefit everyone who goes. 

    Remember, if you have a bake sale or some other type of fundraiser, not everyone attending the prom will have bought a cookie, or donate money.  At least this way, the ones that did will have a new key to unlock their financial future, instead of extra calories to burn off in gym class!!

• Sounds good, where do I start?
  •  Start by clicking here.