School fundraisers in Texas, sized for a 6A roster.

The Texas calendar and the two-week window

Texas law sets the fourth Monday in August as the earliest start, and almost every district has used District of Innovation status to open earlier. Most Texas schools now open in the second or third week of August. That puts a full two weeks of school in the bank before Labor Day and leaves a clean window before the Friday night calendar takes over.

• ✓Fall. The last week of August through the middle of September. Closed before homecoming, delivered before the UIL region marching contest.
• ✓Fall, late option. The last two weeks of September into the first week of October for districts that opened late or had a crowded August.
• ✓Spring. The last week of January through the end of February. Spring break lands in March and STAAR testing fills April, so the spring sale closes before either.

Districts vary, and so do the football schedules. Send Brian the district calendar and the band director’s contest dates and he will send back a sale that misses both.

Where Brian works in Texas

Houston ISD, the largest district in the state, with Cy-Fair, Katy, Fort Bend, Conroe, Klein, Aldine and Spring around it. Dallas ISD and the whole metroplex, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, Arlington, Garland, Irving, Lewisville and Mansfield. Northside and North East ISD in San Antonio. Austin ISD, Round Rock, Leander and Pflugerville. El Paso and Socorro. Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Corpus Christi, McAllen, Brownsville, Laredo, Tyler, Waco, Beaumont. Big ISDs, small-town districts, charters, Catholic schools and independent academies all run the same program.

Band, chorus, cheer and drill in Texas

UIL runs the year for every music program in Texas. Region marching contest comes in October, area in late October, and the state marching contest in San Antonio in early November. Entry fees, buses, meals and camp balances all come due in September. Cheer squads point at the UIL Spirit State Championships in January and the camp bills come before that. Drill teams compete in the spring. Choirs audition for All-State through the fall and sing at the state convention in February.

A fall sale that closes by mid September pays for all of it before the first contest. The online store is the piece that makes a 300-kid band program workable. Every family gets a link, every order is tracked, and the prize program keeps score without a spreadsheet. Spring sales cover the drill team trip, one-act play and next season’s uniforms.

Who this is for in Texas

Zero upfront cost, no minimum order, and the fall and spring catalogs are different products, so a program can run both. Brian ships the kickoff packet and the share links before launch day, writes the kickoff, reads the numbers on day seven and calls with the midpoint push. The VIP Duck collectibles and the prize program keep a big roster motivated without anyone keeping a spreadsheet. More on teams and groups.

Shipping to Texas schools

Giving Market ships pre-sorted orders to the school about two weeks after close, sorted by student so distribution takes an afternoon in the band hall. Online store orders ship direct to supporters anywhere in the country. Cookie dough rides frozen with the school delivery. Brian tracks every shipment from Greensboro and handles any shortage himself.

Texas is part of the Texas and South Central region. Fall 2026 was forty sales and more than $700,000, every one run from one desk.

Book a call for your Texas school