For the past 22 or so years, chapter 985 at Tinker AFB has focused their main fundraising efforts on one annual event; Christmas Wrap. Rather than bombarding its members with volunteer request after volunteer request, each member knows that by early November we will ask them to wrap gifts for at least one 3-hour shift. Starting the Saturday after Thanksgiving, each day is broken up into four 3-hour shifts from 0900-2100. Each shift early in the season has two volunteers, and the closer it gets to Christmas the number of volunteers climbs to a minimum of three and maximum of five. During each of those shifts, they may wrap 1 gift, or 100. By Christmas Eve when the fundraiser ends, Chapter 985 normally nets between $7,000 and $8,000 to fund all of their programs for the year.
In August or September, the President updates the contract paperwork for the new year (chapter presidents can request copies), signs it and takes it to the exchange manager. After she signs the agreement the contract is taken to the Services Squadron to be approved by the director. The exchange manager is very happy because her customer service employees do not have to worry about wrapping gifts and instead can focus on layaways and returns. With the cooperation of the exchange manager, two or three members prepare the location on the Friday after Thanksgiving late in the afternoon, or early on Saturday morning. Over the years, we have purchased three folding tables and five folding chairs along with a few plastic storage containers and flat sheets. The first year requires a lot of preparation to buy or procure enough wrapping paper, tape, bows, ribbon, and nametags to last the season. Typically, the exchange has a lot of leftover paper they are happy to donate, knowing we will use it the following year. We put the rolls in black trash bags and store it in a member's attic for the summer. We have not had any problem with paper, bow, or ribbon damage from the heat, but tape is a different story and we purchase that each fall.
We get our volunteers from a mix of chapter members and other volunteers. As you can imagine, Monday's fill up very quickly because we have to wear civilian clothes, no uniforms are allowed. I normally visit the First Sergeant Council and ask for each of their squadrons to take a full day and handle the manning themselves. Many volunteers like it so much they will get friends to come with them and take 4 or 5 shifts during a season. Additional e-mails are sent to chapter members as needed to ensure we have the shifts filled.