Strat Overton
Fundraising Coach
I have been in school fundraisers for over 45 years. (I know I don’t look 97) I got my start in our family business, Kansas City Carnival Supply Co. in 1973. We worked with most of the schools in the Kansas City area providing merchandise for their school carnival. In those days, there was no product fundraising in elementary schools. But that was about to change. In 1978 we became part of the original Giftco cooperative group that created the 1st Holiday Shopper Catalog that had a whopping 26 items, unheard of at that time. Any brochure with more than six or eight items in those days was considered too big. After my parents passed, I sold the business in the 90’s and took a brief break to become V-P of Development for Special Olympics Kansas from 1998-2000. <br> My lovely wife Susie and I moved to Myrtle Beach, SC in the fall of 2000 and shortly thereafter started our current fundraising business, Stratover, Inc. that we have been operating for the last 20 years. <br> We have three grown children between us, two grandchildren, and four Shih Tzu’s. I am very excited about VerticalRaise and the tremendous opportunity it offers. Believe me, it is a breath of fresh air for this old product fundraising guy.
I have been in school fundraisers for over 45 years. (I know I don’t look 97) I got my start in our family business, Kansas City Carnival Supply Co. in 1973. We worked with most of the schools in the Kansas City area providing merchandise for their school carnival. In those days, there was no product fundraising in elementary schools. But that was about to change. In 1978 we became part of the original Giftco cooperative group that created the 1st Holiday Shopper Catalog that had a whopping 26 items, unheard of at that time. Any brochure with more than six or eight items in those days was considered too big. After my parents passed, I sold the business in the 90’s and took a brief break to become V-P of Development for Special Olympics Kansas from 1998-2000. <br> My lovely wife Susie and I moved to Myrtle Beach, SC in the fall of 2000 and shortly thereafter started our current fundraising business, Stratover, Inc. that we have been operating for the last 20 years. <br> We have three grown children between us, two grandchildren, and four Shih Tzu’s. I am very excited about VerticalRaise and the tremendous opportunity it offers. Believe me, it is a breath of fresh air for this old product fundraising guy.
