At its April 22, 2025, meeting, the Town of Southborough Tricentennial Committee said it is behind its volunteer and fundraising targets and outlined outreach and fundraising steps to keep the 2027 tricentennial largely privately funded.

The committee’s fundraising lead said the group is aiming to raise private donations and sponsorships and to avoid using taxpayer dollars. Patty (committee member) reported the committee has 304 email contacts consolidated into Bloomerang software and a draft newsletter ready to send. “We now have 304 contacts in here, which is a good start,” Patty said.

Committee members explained an ongoing brick fundraiser and other sponsorship efforts as the committee’s immediate revenue efforts. Patty reported 58 people have purchased an engraved brick, with some buyers taking multiple bricks, and stated the bricks cost $300 each. She said the group order threshold is 10 for production and that “I think it was a hundred to get the best price,” language the committee used to describe a price break threshold.

Ginny Martin, who is coordinating broader fundraising outreach, described a tiered sponsorship approach targeting different donor types — major corporations, local businesses and families — and said outreach must be tailored to each group. “We need to break down our approach to each different segment in a different way,” Martin said, noting the work of compiling contact lists and drafting sponsorship materials.

Members described operational steps to raise awareness: a newsletter drafted in Bloomerang, social-media posts, placement in the town administrator’s newsletter and direct emails to the 304-contact list. The newsletter text the committee reviewed described the tricentennial fundraising goal in part as: “We are working diligently to secure donations and sponsorships so that taxpayer dollars will not be needed to fund the festivities.”

Committee members emphasized that the success of fundraising will depend on volunteer capacity. “If everybody was helping as much and putting in as much time to this as I have done over the last 6 months, I hate to be forward on this, but if everybody else could do that, we would be great,” a committee member said during the discussion about volunteer effort.

The committee also discussed timing and promotion for group-order decisions for the bricks and said a Memorial Day deadline was discussed but not set. Patty said the brick fundraiser has produced steady but limited sales and that the committee should avoid ordering bricks too early and storing them. “There is no minimum number. I mean, the group order is 10. ... I think it was a hundred to get the best price,” she said.

The committee recorded procedural actions at the meeting: approval of the March 19, 2025 meeting minutes by voice vote and a 5–0 voice vote to adjourn the April 22 meeting.

Members said they will continue to refine sponsor packages, push the newsletter to the contact list and expand direct outreach to local businesses and long-time residents to grow both volunteers and donors before the next meeting.