High School Sports Fundraiser IDEAS

Written by: Kayla Trettel Date: May 31, 2022

Source: https://www.vancopayments.com/education/blog/high-school-sports-fundraisers

Here are a few ideas for athletes who are interested in raising funds for their sports registration. Keep in mind, this was borrowed from a resource aimed at public school teams, so all may not apply. Hopefully this will help with ideas for obtaining sponsors or raising funds.

Team Services: Fundraisers That Give Back to the Community  

1."Rent the Team" Service Projects

Cost $-$$ 

Difficulty: Easy  

This is an easy and inexpensive way for your team to give back. Members of the community can "rent the team" to complete projects like mowing lawns, raking leaves, shoveling snow, cleaning gutters, walking dogs, and more.  

To get started, talk with your team about a designated service day, either weekly or monthly, then set a price-per-project. Next, start promoting "Rent the Team" on your team's Facebook page and ask people to share. Make flyers to hand out on game day or other school events.  

Be sure to get photos of your team in action and share them on social media!  

2. Dog Wash

Cost $-$$ 

Difficulty: Easy  

Hosting a dog wash is a fun new spin on the classic car wash fundraiser. Your team can help people in the community give their dogs a bath with a drive-up dog wash!  

First, set a date and location. You could use your school's parking lot on a Saturday or consider partnering with a local dog groomer with an indoor dog wash. You can promote and sell tickets online leading up to the event.  

Don't forget to share photos on social media and ask your followers to vote on the cutest wet doggie!  

Classic Fundraisers & Sales: Sell Products, Sponsorships, and Make it Easy for Fans to Give

Sometimes all you need to do is ask. Your fans want to support your local athletes, so here are some tried and true methods for bringing in funds.  

1. Crowdfunding

Cost: Nothing! 

Difficulty: Easy  

Crowdfunding sites have made online fundraising easier than ever. Simply create a page detailing your team's fundraising goal and share it on social media. Ask fans and community supporters to share your fundraiser to their pages to reach donors far and wide.  

2. Community Exercise or Training Classes

Workout classes are a fun way for student-athletes to show the community what their training is like and help people get in shape. It can be a one-time class or make it a recurring event. The athletes can teach their sports drills and training techniques to fans who are interested in the behind-the-scenes.  

Another idea is to offer aerobics or Zumba. These types of workouts are appealing to a wide range of people at various fitness levels.  

3. Golf Tournament

This fundraiser takes a little more planning but it's a sure crowd-pleaser and money-maker. Partner with a local golf course to host a golf tournament one Saturday in the spring or summer.  

There are lots of ways you can raise funds with a golf tournament. Sell tickets to participate, tickets to enter and concession tickets. You can also ask local businesses to sponsor the teams.  

For more complex fundraising events like this one, a handy school event planning checklist is a good place to start.   

4. Community Clean-Up

Hosting a community clean-up is an excellent way to raise funds, give back and teach students the importance of caring for the environment.  

Ask community members to pledge donations based on the number of hours spent volunteering, road miles cleaned or bags of trash collected.  

5. Car Wash

An oldie but a goodie. Car wash fundraisers are a popular fundraising activity that community members love to be part of. They get to donate to a good cause and leave with a clean car.  

Partner with a local carwash or set up your car washing station in a business parking lot. Make signs showing passersby where to enter. Make it clear on your signs that you have a card reader system to take debit and credit card payments, as not having cash on hand is the biggest deterrent to drivers pulling in on impulse. 

6. Discount Cards or Coupon Books

Find local businesses that are willing to give discounts on products and services. Use those discounts to compile a coupon punch card or small coupon books. Sell these online or at school events and functions. 

7. Vote With Cash

Students, faculty and parents can vote with cash for which silly activity they want to see the principal, a teacher or coach have to act out. For example, would you rather see the principal do the chicken dance, dress up as the school mascot, drink a gallon of pickle juice, or get a pie in the face?  

Set up jars in a prominent place in the school where people can drop in their cash votes. You can also set up a "text-to-vote" system so people can donate virtually. 

On a designated day, count the jars and announce the winner! 

8. Letter Writing Campaigns

This is a fundraising activity that helps students understand how to reach out to the community and fundraise. Block off a day for the team to sit down and write letters to small businesses, sponsors and alumni asking for their support.  

Hearing directly from the athletes is sure to warm the hearts of supportive community members. 

9. Text-to-Give

Texting is one of the most popular forms of communication. Meet people where they are with a text-to-give fundraiser. There is a wide variety of companies that offer text fundraising services, so do a little research and choose the one that's best for your needs.