These days, fundraising is just a part of participating in youth sports programs. Whether you join a city or county league, school team, or sports club, most athletes know the drill--sell the required number of candy bars, discount cards, or rolls of wrapping paper so they can play the sport they love. Most families have busy schedules and get tired of the "usual suspect" fundraisers. So, they resort to buying all the product instead of schlepping it around the neighborhood, or just writing a check for the minimum fundraising amount.
Fundraising can be a great teaching tool for young athletes! Choosing fundraisers that athletes and their parents actually want to do will help children learn valuable life skills, and your team gets the most out of your fundraisers.
We rounded up four fundraisers for sports teams that we think everyone will actually be excited to participate in (and will raise the money your team needs).
1) Crowdfunding for the win in team fundraisers
Most of us are probably familiar with crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo that help launch businesses or get new products to market. Crowdfunding for athletic teams works similarly. The entire team can raise money for your cause with an online donation page.
Whether you are fundraising for travel funds, competition fees, uniforms, or other needs, crowdfunding can be an excellent way to raise large sums of money (no schlepping products required).
The first time a notable number of athletes and teams used crowdfunding to get to a major sporting event was the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The University of Michigan used its "Extreme Makeover: Sparty Edition" crowdfunding campaign to purchase a new mascot costume.
If crowdfunding works to get athletes to the Olympics and to buy a new Sparty the Spartan costume, surely your little league team can leverage their social networks to get those awesome new uniforms!
Crowdfunding is an excellent team fundraising option because every athlete (and their families) can participate and contribute to the campaign by inviting friends, family members, coworkers, and everyone else in their network to donate to the cause.
The first step is to choose a crowdfunding platform and set a fundraising goal. Then, get the entire team involved in sharing the donation page, promoting the campaign, and encouraging everyone they know to make a donation.
Many teams appreciate that crowdfunding lets everyone fundraise to the same "pool" instead of having each athlete work independently. This helps facilitate team bonding, camaraderie, and helps everyone work toward the common goal.
Soapbox Engage apps that will make crowdfunding a success:
Set up a custom fundraising page with the Soapbox Engage Donations app. Share all the essential information about your team and the fundraiser.
The Donations app also lets you process online donations! Reduce or eliminate the amount of petty cash and change your athletes bring in and make it easier for people to make donations of any size.
Having an online donation page also expands your reach. People can share the donation page and encourage others to contribute to the cause.
2) Raise money for your sports team by gathering used shoes
Most young athletes have a pile of shoes in their closet that they quickly outgrew. Turn those shoes into cash for your team with a shoe drive!
Not only do people appreciate an opportunity to be rid of old shoes, but it’s also great for the environment. It can take decades for tennis shoes to decompose if you put them in a landfill. Keep those sneakers out of landfills and fill your team’s coffers with cash by doing a sneaker drive.
How do these team fundraisers work? Your team partners with an organization like Sneakers4Funds, and you collect as many pairs of new and used sneakers as possible. Just think, instead of pounding the pavement trying to sell stuff, your athletes could be knocking on doors, asking if they can help people get rid of shoes they don’t need anymore. All while supporting a great cause and helping the environment! It’s a win for everyone!
Sneakers4Funds offer fundraising coaching to help your team reach or exceed your fundraising goal. They also provide all the necessary materials, including shipping materials.
Spark a little friendly competition to see which athlete can gather the most pairs of shoes (you can even award your own "Golden Boot" award to the winner)! You might be surprised just how resourceful your athletes can be, given the right resources, opportunities, and motivation.
After you gather as many pairs of tennis shoes as possible, your team will ship the sneakers off, and your check arrives in the mail just a few weeks later. Many shoe fundraiser organizations provide all the necessary materials, so there are no upfront costs to this type of fundraiser.
Soapbox Engage apps that will make shoe drive fundraisers a success:
One way to expand your reach and invite more people to donate shoes is to create an "event" page with the Soapbox Engage Events app. Athletes, coaches, and friends can share the event with their friends and family members. You can invite people to "attend" your shoe drive and even plan a special shoe drop-off party.
Another way to take your shoe drive to the next level is to have people fill out a customized form with the Soapbox Engage Forms app. Invite people to tell you what kinds of shoes they have and where they live so your athletes can go collect the footwear.
3) Host a tournament, marathon, or other athletic events
One thing is true of athletes: they love to play and compete! Take advantage of this by putting on a fundraiser tournament! Whether it’s a basketball, volleyball, or soccer tournament, cheer-off, or 5K running race, the options really are nearly endless.
Don’t be afraid to get a little creative and put a fun spin on it. If you are raising money for your volleyball club, consider hosting a mud-volleyball tournament. Instead of a regular soccer tournament, put on a sand-soccer fundraiser or juggling tournament. Does your cross-country or track team need to raise money? Instead of putting on your usual 5K fundraiser, host a costume contest 5K.
Are you raising money for a school athletic team or rec league with multiple teams? Turn it into a little friendly competition and pit the soccer team against the football team for a rousing game of dodgeball!
Tournaments and athletic events require a little more work and planning than other fundraising options. Still, an advantage to these types of events is that you can turn it into a community-wide tradition if your team hosts the fundraiser year after year. They also have the potential to be great money-makers! Sell snacks or team swag on the side to boost your profits.
Soapbox Engage Apps that make tournaments and fundraising events successful:
The Soapbox Engage Events app makes registering individual participants or whole teams a breeze! Gather all the vital information in one place to make the administrative side of event planning simple.
Whether you charge admission or accept donations, the Events app lets you receive and process online payments, increasing the impact of your fundraising efforts.
Does your fundraising event require release forms? Collect the information without all the clerical work using the Soapbox Engage Forms app. Everything stays in one organized, searchable location!
4) Hold a sports camp or skills clinic to raise money for your team
Athletes at every level benefit from skills clinics, and they double as great fundraisers! If you are raising money for young athletics teams, invite a local high school or college team to put on a clinic and share the profits. If you are an elite-level team, host the skills clinic and charge an appropriate admission fee.
A mountain bike club in Ohio put on a skills clinic to raise money to expand their mountain biking parks. The New York AAU basketball teams put on an "Extreme Hoops" skills development event to help fund their program.
Not only does this kind of event help you reach your fundraising goal, but it also benefits your players and garners great community support! Whether your athletes are learning new skills or teaching younger athletes, it’s also an excellent opportunity to develop teamwork, leadership, and communication skills.
Open the registration to all local athletes to increase your fundraising potential. Invite a local celebrity athlete to increase visibility and make the event more attractive to those outside your athletic team.
Soapbox Engage Apps that make skills clinic fundraisers a success:
Of course, the first part of any skills clinic or fundraiser sports camp is to get athletes to register. Advertise your event and make online registration a breeze with the Soapbox Engage Events app. You’ll be able to sell tickets, process online payments and donations, and even collect the all-important emergency contact information in one organized location! Your coaches and staff will appreciate having less paperwork and more time to focus on putting together a great event.
Are you thinking of offering early-bird registration discounts, group rates, or other specials? The Events app lets you do that without having to keep track of who gets what discount or trying to manage complicated discount codes.
Camp counselors, coaches, and volunteers will appreciate how easy it is to get athletes checked in online with the Events app. No more crossing names off paper rosters, and your coaches will have access to all the essential information about each athlete with the click of a button!
If you plan to host several clinics or camps throughout the year, consider using the Classes app to get athletes signed up for the right event. People will be able to read the description and criteria for each of your camps and clinics to select the best program.
Cap the registration easily and even manage waiting lists online. Another advantage of the Classes app is the ability to offer exclusive access to your current athletes or other groups. Your players won’t be boxed out of their own skills camp if they get early registration privileges.
Now that you’re ready to win the athletics team fundraising game, here are three more resources to help you take your fundraising to the next level.
- 5 School Fundraising Ideas That People Will Actually Enjoy: Are you raising money for a school sports team? Consider some of these school fundraising ideas that are real winners for everyone involved!
- 6 Great Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Event Ideas: Peer-to-Peer fundraising is a type of crowdfunding and can be very useful for athletic fundraisers. Each athlete will be able to raise their own money from their network of friends and family. Learn how it works and some great ideas on how your team can put it into action.
- Quick-Start Guide To Planning Your First Charity Event: Whether you are planning a 5K fun run, dance marathon, or a sports camp, this handy guide will help you knock your first fundraising event out of the park!
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