Frequently Asked Questions

The DNHS athletic budget is approximately $500,000 per year, covering expenses such as officials, transportation, uniforms, and shared equipment across all sports. Less than 10% of this is funded by the school district, so the DNHS Athletic Foundation, individual team booster groups, and family and community donations work together to close the gap and keep Del Norte’s athletic programs running strong. The Athletic Foundation also provides a centralized way for donors to make tax‑deductible charitable gifts that directly support DNHS athletics.

More than half of Del Norte students participate in at least one CIF sport, making athletics a core part of campus life and student engagement. DNHS Athletics is fully Title IX compliant, with comparable opportunities and access for girls and boys across our athletic programs.

No. Football has its own non-profit organization that manages all aspects of the football program. The Touchdown Club is a separate entity and has its own board of directors. The Athletic Foundation and the Touchdown Club collaborate and help support and promote each other, and the Foundation also provides program-wide support such as insurance coverage for offseason and pre-season activities and investments in shared infrastructure and facility upgrades that benefit all student‑athletes. You can learn more about the Touchdown Club by visiting their website.

We’re always looking for more volunteers—email us to learn about current opportunities and how you can use your time and talents to support Nighthawk student‑athletes and their programs.

Individual team fundraising and athletic fees help cover the day‑to‑day costs of running each sports program, such as uniforms, tournaments, and basic equipment needs. However, these sources alone cannot fund bigger, long‑term needs, so the DNHS Athletic Foundation raises additional charitable donations to pay for large‑scale athletic projects, ongoing maintenance, and facility repairs that benefit all programs.

Money raised by the DNHS Athletic Foundation will be used to help as many student athletes as possible. All proposals are brought to the Athletic Foundation and projects are voted on by the board. Projects will be based on the needs as defined by the DNHS Principal and Athletic Director and require approval from the school leadership.

In the past few years, the DNHS Athletic Foundation has funded a new weight‑room floor, new sound systems in both the stadium and gym, upgraded signage for the stadium scoreboard, new wrestling mats, and updated record boards for softball, baseball, boys and girls basketball, swim and dive, and boys and girls water polo—just to name a few of the projects improving facilities and recognition for Nighthawk student‑athletes

Givebutter uses completely optional supporter tips to cover its own operating costs so that nonprofits like the DNHS Athletic Foundation can use the platform without paying platform fees or payment processing fees. During the online checkout process, you will see a separate “tip” or “support Givebutter” line that you can adjust up or down—or set to zero—before you finalize your donation, and your gift to the Foundation will still be processed in full either way.

All online donations have standard payment processing costs (for example, around 2.9% + 30 cents per credit card transaction), and Givebutter gives donors the option to voluntarily cover those fees on top of their gift amount. When you see the option to cover processing fees, you can click the highlighted “Change” button and change or remove that amount so you are not charged any processing fee if you prefer—this step is completely optional, and you are never required to pay the processing fee for your donation to be completed.

No—both the Givebutter tip and the option to cover credit card processing fees are entirely optional, and you can change or remove them during checkout before submitting your donation. When you see the “optional tip” and “processing fee” sections, you can click the “Change” and “tip amount” buttons and reduce or remove those amounts completely; you are never required to pay a Givebutter tip or any credit card processing fees for your donation to go through. With these options enabled, Givebutter’s guarantee means the Athletic Foundation will not pay platform or payment processing fees on online donations, which is expected to save over $7,500 that can instead be invested directly back into DNHS student‑athletes and athletic programs.