Sports and competitive teams are a great way to get kids active and involved in their community, but they can also be expensive. That’s where these youth sports fundraisers come in! You can use a fundraiser as an opportunity to raise money while also building excitement around the upcoming season. In this article, we’ll cover some of the best ways to raise funds for your team or school while putting on fun events that everyone will enjoy.
Proper planning is essential for a successful youth sports fundraiser, but it can be overwhelming to know where to begin.
Whichever fundraiser you choose, it’s important to plan well in advance so that you can start promoting it early and get people excited about participating. Ask parents to advertise by using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for free! You can also post flyers at games, local stores, the gym or field.
When you’re planning your fundraiser, make sure to have the following items in place:
-A detailed budget – think about whether you want to purchase supplies and prizes or ask for donations.
-A timeline
-An understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish
Now let’s talk about some of the best ways to hold easy youth sports fundraisers.
Host a Raffle Prizes can include electronics such as tablets and video game consoles; sporting equipment like basketballs or baseball bats; fun experiences like paintball parties with friends; gift certificates for restaurants (one of my favorites); gift cards to local stores like Target or Walmart; etc. You can make cute baskets with lots of variety.
Another quick and effective way to do a sports raffle is a 50/50 Raffle at an event. Athletes or parents can sell tickets during the first part of the game and then at the very end announce the winners. Fifty percent of the cash raised goes towards the team and fifty percent to the winner. You can allocate the funds to the players that helped with the raffle or towards the team.
You can purchase double sided raffle tickets like these or make them yourself with a template, a home computer and printer.
Sell a Cookbook – I love this one since I love to cook, but it is great especially if your sport has tailgating or get-togethers with lots of food! Ask parents, coaches or community members to provide a favorite recipe. Include lots of photos and make it easy to read. You can have the cookbooks printed or even sell them digitally (or both!)
Donut Sales – Krispy Kreme has a great sports fundraising program and you can now buy the box or get a digital coupon to get them later!
Butter Braids – I always see people looking for butter braids in my area and this is a great one to do, particularly around the holidays.
Popcorn, Candy Bar or Cookie Dough Sales – Find a local resource that does fundraisers and partner with them to sell their products. We had someone that made chocolate covered apples and it was always a huge success.
Spaghetti Dinner or Chicken BBQ – these events take a bit more work and planning but you can combine these with raffles or merchandise sales for an added boost. They are fun to look forward to each year, too.
Restaurant Night – Reach out to local restaurants to ask them to host a fundraiser night for your team. You will promote the night and the restaurant will give your team a portion of the night’s sales.
Sponsor My Uniform – This is an easy and fun way to get friends and family to donate. Each donor can “sponsor” a part of the uniform, whether it is shoes, shorts or top (depending on the sport of course.). You can also collect money through Venmo or Paypal and include your payment info on the form!
Calendar Fundraiser –Another easy fun, but easy digital fundraiser that can be shared on Facebook, Instagram or through email.
Spirit Wear or Team Merch Sales – This is a great way to not only raise some money for your team, but promote your team as well! Have someone creative on your team? Let them design the shirts or you can use your team logo instead. Sell the shirts online or at games or competitions. Another fun way to do this is to sell shirts for a specific comp that parents or spectators can wear to that event.
Egg My Yard – Parents can buy prefilled eggs in different counts and older athletes and parents can stuff and deliver on Easter Eve. This is a GREAT fundraiser and gets lots of interest from busy parents. You could also come up with some fun varieties on this one throughout the year.
Sports Clinic or Camp – Your team can host a sports clinic or camp for children in the community that may want to give your sport a try or for younger athletes that want a little more practice. This is a great way to promote your team and create some excitement while raising some extra money. You can have the campers attend a game and show off their skills at halftime.
Here are some other great youth sports fundraiser ideas
Popcorn, Candy Bar or Cookie Dough Sales
Discount Card Sales
Tailgate party fundraiser – sell tickets to a tailgate party with music and games
Chinese or silent auctions
Rent an Athlete/Team – have athletes or teams perform tasks in exchange for donations.
Wrapping Paper Sales – this is great right before the holidays
Pizza or Sub Sales – great for delivery on Sunday before football games. Teams can make the subs and pizzas themselves or ask a local shop for a discount.
Concession Sales
Bake Sales at games
Conclusion
We hope this article has given you a few ideas that you can use in your next youth sports fundraiser. Remember to keep it fun, keep it simple and keep it organized!
Check out my Etsy Shop, Team Mom Boutique for fundraising templates to help with all of your fundraising needs. You can also check out our Resources page for more info on youth sports fundraisers.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.