We're Back!

Fundraiser Blankets® Returns to Shark Tank as a Season 18 Update Company 🦈

Grab your popcorn and your coziest blanket, because on Wednesday, November 4, Fundraiser Blankets® returns to ABC's Shark Tank as an official update company in Season 18, Episode 6. We initially aired on Season 17, Episode 3.

A little over a year ago, we walked into the Tank as two sisters, two moms, a teacher and a disabled combat veteran, hoping to share a simple idea: that fundraising for kids should be easier, more profitable, and something families actually love. We walked out with a deal with both Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner.

Now the Sharks have invited us back to show America what happened next. How unbelievable is that???

This is our founder story, the real numbers behind how hard it is to get on Shark Tank, what partnering with the Sharks actually looks like, and everything Fundraiser Blankets® has built since our episode first aired. If you're a school leader, a PTO volunteer, a coach, a fellow entrepreneur, or just a Shark Tank fan, this one is for you.

The Odds of Getting on Shark Tank (And Why We're Still Pinching Ourselves)

Most people watch Shark Tank from the couch and think, "I could do that." And you know what? Maybe you can. But first, let's talk about how incredibly hard it is to actually get there.

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Tens of Thousands Apply Every Year

Shark Tank receives tens of thousands of applications every single year. Depending on the season and the source, reported numbers range from around 20,000 to 45,000 applicants, with some seasons reaching as many as 70,000 or more. Every one of those applicants is a founder who believes in their business enough to put it in front of the most famous investors on television.

Less Than 1% Make It to Air

Out of all those applicants, fewer than 100 companies typically make it on air in a season. That puts the odds of actually appearing on Shark Tank at well under 1%. Casting producers have even told hopeful founders that getting on the show is harder than getting into Harvard Business School, which admits roughly 10% of its applicants.

Not Everyone Who Films Actually Airs

Here's the part most viewers never hear about: filming your pitch does not guarantee you'll be on TV. In one well-documented season, the show filmed 158 pitches and aired only 88. That means founders can go through the entire application, survive every round of interviews, fly to Los Angeles, walk into the Tank, pitch the Sharks, and still never see their segment broadcast.

So when we learned our episode was actually airing, we cried. Happy tears. Lots of them.

An Update Segment Is Rarer Still

And then came the call we never saw coming: the show wanted us back as an update company.

More than 1,500 companies have appeared on Shark Tank since it premiered in 2009. Each season, only a small handful are invited back for an update segment, less than 2% of the brands that have ever been on the show. The producers bring back companies whose stories are still being written, businesses that took the momentum from the Tank and turned it into real, measurable growth.

To go from one of tens of thousands of applicants, to one of fewer than 100 aired companies, to one of the very few update companies, all within a few years? That is the American dream, and we are living proof that it's still alive.

Our Road to the Tank: A Second Full-Time Job

We didn't get on Shark Tank on our first try. Or our second.

We applied several years in a row. Every time we didn't get the call, we went back to work. We grew the business, sharpened our story, gathered more proof, and applied again. That's the part of the founder story nobody posts on social media: the rejections, the waiting, and the decision to keep going anyway.

When we finally advanced, we learned just how intense the process really is. Getting on Shark Tank is a stringent, detailed, in-depth process that took months from start to finish. There were applications, videos, financial documentation, legal paperwork, multiple rounds of interviews with producers, and countless hours refining our pitch. Honestly, it was a second full-time job, on top of running a fast-growing company, raising our families, teaching, and serving our community.

And the rehearsing? We practiced that pitch over and over (and over) again. We drilled every number, every possible question, and every "what if" we could think of. We even printed out the Sharks' faces and taped them up on the wall of our hotel room so we could pitch straight to them. Yes, really. Housekeeping probably had some questions. 😂 But by the time we walked into the Tank, we had looked those Sharks in the eye a hundred times, and it made all the difference.

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Then came the call: we were going to pitch the Sharks.

And months later came the second call, the one that told us our episode would actually air: Season 17, Episode 3, which premiered October 8, 2025, the same episode where Chip and Joanna Gaines made their Guest Shark debut. ABC even featured us in its official recap of the businesses from Season 17, Episode 3 of Shark Tank. We screamed. We hugged. We called our families. It still doesn't feel real.

Who We Are: Women Owned, Veteran Owned, Teacher Owned, and Military Spouse Owned

Before we tell you what happened after the Tank, let us introduce ourselves for anyone just meeting us.

Fundraiser Blankets® was founded by sisters Barbara Kent and Joanna Serra. We are the daughters of Polish immigrants and grew up a couple of blocks north of 8 Mile in Michigan. Our family came to this country with big dreams, and we were raised to believe hard work and community could take you anywhere.

Fundraiser Blankets® is a certified:

• Women owned business
• Disabled combat veteran owned business
• Teacher owned business
• Military spouse owned business

Barbara is a U.S. Army disabled combat veteran and a military spouse who runs much of the business remotely while her husband serves on active duty overseas. Joanna is an award-winning teacher. Both of us are moms and active PTO volunteers. That means we aren't guessing what school fundraisers need; we are literally in our customers' shoes. We've stood at the bake sale table, counted the cookie dough money, and wondered why so much of the profit went to someone other than the kids.

That frustration became our mission: give schools, teams, and organizations a high-quality, custom fundraiser product that families genuinely want, with a wholesale-style pricing model that puts more profit back into the hands of the groups doing the work for kids.

The Deal: Incredibly Rare Joint Deal With Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner

We walked into the Tank seeking $300,000 for 10% equity. And we walked in with a strategy.

We knew exactly who we wanted as partners: Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner. These two women are icons. They broke barriers in industries that didn't make room for women, built empires through grit and instinct, and have inspired generations of founders, including us. As women founders, a teacher, and a veteran, we'd admired them for years.

After offers and negotiations, we accepted a deal with both of them. We are honored to share that it was an incredibly rare joint deal with BOTH Lori and Barbara, and we feel like it's a permanent part of Shark Tank history of 4 women partnering to impact kids nationwide.

Standing beside those two powerhouse women was a moment of pure empowerment. It reminded us why we started: to prove that passion, purpose, and perseverance can move mountains.

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What It's Really Like to Partner With the Sharks

People ask us all the time: "What do the Sharks actually do after the show?" Here's the honest answer.

They Answer. Every Single Time.

The biggest thing is that they answer. Every single ask, whether it's a resource, a media day, a piece of advice, or a total moonshot, Barbara and Lori and their teams come back to us right away. That responsiveness is priceless, and it's not something you can put in a term sheet.

‍The Shark Tank Network Is Real

Beyond the Sharks themselves, there's the network. Barbara and Lori connected us with other Shark Tank companies, including textile founders. Now we trade sourcing insights, compare pricing, and learn lessons we never had to pay for ourselves. Some of our best ideas this year came from conversations with fellow founders that just sparked something.

Practical Help Where It Counts

The Sharks helped us access the tax and legal resources to expand into Canada, which is a complex move for any growing business. They also pushed us to clean up and strengthen our branding, and Fundraiser Blankets® is stronger and more recognizable because of it.

The Biggest Misconception About a Shark Tank Deal

Here's the myth we want to bust: many people think that once you sign with a Shark, they take over the business. That's not how it works. We always knew this going in, and it's a big reason our partnership has been so successful.

The founders still run the company. The Sharks are strategic partners, and to receive, you have to come with specific asks. Know what you need, ask for it clearly, and do the work. That approach has worked perfectly for us.

Life Since Shark Tank: By the Numbers

Here's what Fundraiser Blankets® has accomplished since our first Shark Tank appearance:

• 🏫 Over 10,000 schools, youth sports teams, community groups, and organizations served, impacting millions of children. The year before we pitched, that number was about 4,000.
• 🧣 1.25 million blankets sold to date
• ❤️ Over 50,000 blankets donated back to schools and communities
• 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Expanded internationally, serving every state in the USA and now also all of Canada!
• 🏢 Opened our new headquarters in Washington Township, Michigan
• 📈 2x Inc. 5000 honoree, climbing from #444 to #157
• 🎖️ 2x Vet100 honoree, climbing from #35 to #13
• 🛍️ Launched Ship to Home stores with no minimums and no money up front
• 💵 Introduced EARNie Cash, our new fundraising mascot
• 🎤 Spoke at conferences and conventions nationwide
• 🎁 New fun products coming soon, built from customer feedback and demand

Let's dig into the biggest milestones.

Going International: Fundraiser Blankets® Now Serves the U.S. and Canada

When we first pitched, we were helping schools across the United States. Today, Fundraiser Blankets® proudly serves every state in the U.S. and Canada.

Expanding across a border isn't as simple as flipping a switch. It means navigating new tax rules, legal requirements, shipping logistics, and even adjusting how we talk about school spirit for Canadian schools and teams. With the help of our Shark partners' resources, we made it happen. Canadian schools, sports clubs, and community organizations can now run the same high-profit custom blanket fundraisers that American schools love.

Ship to Home Stores: Online Fundraising With No Minimums and No Money Up Front

One of our proudest launches since Shark Tank is our Ship to Home program. We built it because we heard the same thing from volunteers over and over: "We love the blankets, but we don't want to collect orders, front money, or sort boxes in the school gym."

Here's how Ship to Home works:

• We create a free online storefront for your school, team, or organization
• No minimums. Order one blanket or one thousand
• No money up front. Zero risk to your group
• Printed in the USA with quick turnaround
• Shipped directly to each supporter's home, so there's no sorting or distribution day
• We cut your group a check at the end. That's it

It's the ultimate online fundraising experience for busy volunteers, and it opens the door for families and supporters across the country (and grandparents in other states!) to support your cause from anywhere.

Our New Headquarters in Washington Township, Michigan

Opening our new HQ in Washington Township, Michigan was the natural next step in our growth: everything under one roof. Here's why this matters as we scale:

Room to Grow

Our headquarters gives us the space to grow into as order volume increases season after season.

Trust and Credibility

We serve schools, districts, and nonprofits. Having a physical headquarters builds trust, supports vendor verification, and shows our customers we're a real, established partner they can count on.

Quality Control and Efficiency

With inventory and quality control in-house, we can catch issues faster, ship more efficiently, and keep our quality high even as volume grows.

In-Person Training and Collaboration

Our team gets in-person training and the kind of collaboration and synergy that only happens when people work side by side.

In-House Media Space

We built an in-house media space for podcasting and content creation, so we can produce more resources, tutorials, and stories for fundraising leaders while controlling our creative volume.

A Real Community Presence

This is the one closest to our hearts. Our HQ lets Fundraiser Blankets® be a true part of our community. We now have local high school interns, and we even hired a high school graduate full time. We host the local chamber of commerce, school leaders, and community alliances. And our misprints and extras don't go to waste: they're donated right back into the community, part of the more than 50,000 blankets we've given away.

Serving More Than Schools: Nonprofits, Small Businesses, and Sponsorships

Our heart will always be K-12 schools and youth sports teams. But since Shark Tank, we've expanded who we serve.

Today, Fundraiser Blankets® also works with:

• Nonprofit organizations raising funds for their missions
• Small businesses using custom blankets for client gifts, employee appreciation, and community sponsorships
• Booster clubs, PTOs, PTAs, and parent groups
• Club, travel, and recreational sports teams
• Community groups, churches, and civic organizations

Whether it's a custom team blanket for a hockey club, a school spirit throw for a PTO, or a branded gift for a local business's top customers, our custom fundraiser blankets are a keepsake people use for years, not a candy bar that disappears in a day.

Meet EARNie Cash, Our New Fundraising Mascot 💵

Every great team needs a mascot, so we created one! Say hello to EARNie Cash, here to spread the cheer of fundraising everywhere he goes. EARNie represents everything we believe about fundraising: it should be fun, it should be rewarding, and it should put real money back into the hands of the kids and communities who need it. Watch for EARNie at events, on our social channels, and in a few fun surprises coming soon.

Giving Back with Banana Ball’s Bananas Foster

Our community has given so much to Fundraiser Blankets®, and we believe growth funds generosity: the stronger our business is, the more we can give back. That is why we are intentional about partnering with organizations that are mission-aligned, that serve first, and that do it authentically. Banana Ball shares our commitment to helping families by making a day at the ballpark affordable and fun, and that shared focus led us to Bananas Foster, an absolutely amazing organization that celebrates the foster care community while educating and inspiring others to get involved. They don’t just help kids; they make helping easy for everyone else. Our missions align perfectly, because that is exactly what Fundraiser Blankets® does with schools: we give people a simple way to fund something that matters. We are so grateful to plug into the system Bananas Foster has built to celebrate thousands of foster children! We look forward to strengthening this partnership in the 2027 season!

Exciting New Products Coming Soon 🎉

Here's a little secret: some of our best ideas don't come from us. They come from you.

Every season, we listen closely to the schools, teams, PTOs, coaches, and nonprofits we serve. You tell us what your supporters are asking for, what sells out first, and what would make your next fundraiser even bigger. Based on that feedback and growing demand, we have exciting, fun new products coming soon that go beyond blankets, with more spirit-driven options your community will be excited to buy and proud to show off.

We can't spill all the details just yet, but trust us: you'll want to be the first to know. Follow Fundraiser Blankets® on social media and join our email list so you don't miss the launch.

Paying It Forward: Speaking at Conferences and Conventions

Since our episode aired, we've had the honor of speaking at conferences and conventions across the country. We share our founder story with educators, veterans, women entrepreneurs, and fundraising leaders, not because we have it all figured out, but because someone once inspired us, and we want to do the same for the next founder in the audience.

How to Get on Shark Tank: Advice From Founders Who've Done It (Twice)

We get this question constantly, so here's our honest advice for any entrepreneur dreaming of the Tank.

1. Apply, and Then Apply Again

We applied several years in a row. Rejection is not the end; it's feedback. Every year we didn't make it, we came back with a stronger business and a sharper story.

2. Treat It Like a Job

The application and interview process takes months. Block time on your calendar, stay organized, and respond quickly and thoroughly to every producer request.

3. Rehearse Until It's Second Nature

Practice your pitch out loud, over and over. Have friends grill you with tough questions. And if it helps, tape the Sharks' faces to your wall like we did. It works.

4. Know Your Numbers Cold

Sales, margins, customer acquisition costs, growth rate, valuation. You will be asked, and the Sharks can tell when you don't know.

5. Tell Your Real Story

Shark Tank is a television show, and producers are looking for authentic founders with real stories. Ours is two immigrant daughters, a teacher and a combat veteran, solving a problem we lived as PTO moms. Your story matters. Tell it honestly.

6. Know Which Sharks You Want, and Why

We walked in knowing Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner were the strategic partners we wanted. Research each Shark's portfolio and strengths, and know what each could bring to your business beyond money.

7. Have Specific Asks Ready for After the Deal

The Sharks don't run your company. The founders who get the most value from a deal are the ones who show up with clear, specific asks.

8. Build a Business That Works Without the Show

Remember, not everyone who films airs. Build a company that's growing no matter what happens with your episode.

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Our Message to Every Dreamer Reading This

If you're reading this and dreaming of your own Shark Tank moment, or any big dream at all, hear us loud and clear: never give up.

If someone says no, try again. Try a different way. Find a different path. Innovate. Pivot. Evolve. But most importantly, never give up.

We are an immigrant family who came here with a single mom and landed just north of 8 Mile. Yes, that *8 Mile. Hi Eminem! A teacher and a combat veteran. Two PTO moms who were tired of fundraisers that didn't put enough money back into our kids' schools. We were told no, more than once. And now we're heading back to the Tank as one of the rare update companies in Shark Tank history.

Truly, if we can do it, so can you.

Connect with us, if we can offer help we will! Your network is essential to growth and we are all about community over competition!

Thank You to Our Fundraiser Blankets® Family

To every school, team, PTO, booster club, coach, parent group, nonprofit, and community fundraiser who trusted us: this update belongs to you. You believed in Fundraiser Blankets® first. Your orders, your feedback, your word of mouth, and your school spirit built the foundation that got us into the Tank, and now back into it.

To Barbara and Lori: thank you for believing in two sisters with a big idea, and for showing up every single time we ask.

To our team in Michigan and around the world: none of this happens without you.

The best is yet to come.

📺 How to Watch Our Shark Tank Update

• What: ABC's Shark Tank, Season 18, Episode 6
• When: Wednesday, November 4
• Where: ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu

Missed our original pitch? Catch Fundraiser Blankets® in Season 17, Episode 3 on ABC.

Ready to Start Your Own Fundraiser Blankets® Fundraiser?

Getting started is fast, free, and built for busy volunteers:

1. Click the button below to request your free designs
2. We create custom blanket designs with your school or team logo and email them to you
3. Choose your fundraiser format: a traditional group order or a Ship to Home store with no minimums and no money up front
4. Sell, celebrate, and raise more money for the kids and causes you care about

Get Your Free Custom Designs →

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Fundraiser Blankets® on Shark Tank?

Yes. Fundraiser Blankets® appeared on ABC's Shark Tank in Season 17, Episode 3, and returns as an update company in Season 18, Episode 6 on November 4.

Which Sharks invested in Fundraiser Blankets®?

Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner, in the first ever joint deal between the two Sharks.

What was the Fundraiser Blankets® Shark Tank deal?

The founders asked for $300,000 for 10% equity and accepted a joint deal with Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner.

Who founded Fundraiser Blankets®?

Sisters Barbara Kent, a U.S. Army disabled combat veteran and military spouse, and Joanna Serra, an award-winning teacher. Both are moms and PTO volunteers.

Is Fundraiser Blankets® a women owned and veteran owned business?

Yes. Fundraiser Blankets® is a certified women owned, disabled combat veteran owned, teacher owned, and military spouse owned business.

How hard is it to get on Shark Tank?

Very hard. The show receives tens of thousands of applications each year, and fewer than 100 companies typically air per season, an acceptance rate well under 1%. Not every filmed pitch airs, and update segments are rarer still.

What is a Shark Tank update segment?

An update segment revisits a company that previously appeared on the show to share how the business has grown since its pitch. Only a small fraction of past companies are ever invited back.

Where is Fundraiser Blankets® located?

Fundraiser Blankets® is headquartered in Washington Township, Michigan, and serves schools and organizations in every U.S. state and Canada.

Does Fundraiser Blankets® have minimum orders?

Ship to Home stores have no minimums and no money up front. Supporters order online, blankets ship directly to their homes, and your group receives a check at the end.

Who can use Fundraiser Blankets®?

K-12 schools, PTOs, PTAs, booster clubs, youth and club sports teams, nonprofits, community groups, and small businesses looking for custom gifts and sponsorship items.

Does Fundraiser Blankets® have new products coming?

Yes. Based on customer feedback and demand, Fundraiser Blankets® has fun new spirit-driven products coming soon that go beyond blankets.

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