From Courtside to Corporate: How One Volleyball Mom Became a Gold Athletics Power Player
- Gold Athletics
- Oct 3
- 3 min read
From volleyball Booster Burnout to Gold Athletics Believer
Julie Ross didn’t plan to work for Gold Athletics—she just wanted a better way to fundraise.
Back when her daughter was a freshman at Belchertown High School, Julie was one of many exhausted booster parents.
“We had done a lot of fundraising in my daughter’s freshman year, but it was SO much work for the booster parents. We decided we needed to simplify things.”
The volleyball coach had worked with Eric Hiller from Gold Athletics at another school, so Julie reached out. That connection led to the team selling Gold Cards, and it worked so well that she asked about joining the company. She now serves as Director of Merchant Services at Gold Athletics.
Her daughter graduated from Belchertown in 2025 and now attends Worcester State University—but their Gold Athletics connection is still going strong.
Athlete Insight: Easy Effort, Big Results
Julie’s daughter Vivian found the entire process simple and intuitive, thanks to the in-person support and user-friendly app.
“It was super simple to work with GA. Eric came to the school, handed out Gold Cards to all of us, and explained how best to sell them. He set us all up on the app and showed us how to use it. We then used GA my next 2 years on the team, selling trail mix and cookies. Again, it was all done through the app, so it was very easy to get sales just by sharing via text, email, etc.”
Parent’s Take: Smooth Sailing Fundraising
From a parent’s perspective, the ease of use was a game-changer.
“It was completely hands off, which was amazing!! As a booster parent, I only had to schedule Eric to come get the girls set up and to drop off the check when it was over.”
Julie’s advice to new teams? Get full team buy-in. GA offers great merch rewards, but coaches and boosters can add their own creative incentives—like team outings or extra gear—to drive participation. Just as important: always communicate why you're fundraising. When athletes understand the goal, they’re more invested. From her experience with Belchertown, she said:
“We would always communicate WHAT the money would be used for. ALL team members enjoy the benefits of the money that is raised!”
Merchant Know-How
Now, as GA’s Director of Merchant Services, Julie brings valuable insight from both sides of the table. She knows the importance of building strong, diverse offer lists that appeal to supporters and benefit local businesses.
“ANY offer is great as it is given to support the team. Some businesses are struggling but still want to be able to help their local athletes, which we very much appreciate.”
Beyond the usual restaurant deals, Julie enjoys working with businesses such as trampoline parks, escape rooms, spas, salons, and golf courses—places where families can have fun and utilize their Gold Cards in meaningful ways.
“It’s nice to have offers that everyone in the family can enjoy.”
These varied offers drive more value for customers and help merchants earn repeat business—all while supporting local teams.
Julie’s story is a true win-win: a parent who found a better way to fundraise and turned it into a career supporting communities across the region. Her dual perspective continues to shape how Gold Athletics delivers fundraisers that are easy, rewarding, and built to last.
Ready to simplify fundraising for your team?