Extra expenses always seem to creep up on a team — travel expenses, coaches’ stipends/salaries, equipment, and tournament costs, to name a few. Most teams can’t afford to cover all of these costs through dues alone. At some point, your team may need to do some fundraising.
Fundraising can be a great opportunity to make money and spend some time bonding with the team. Keep reading to learn some fundraising ideas that can help your team raise money.
Car Wash
The classic car wash is simple and effective. For years, this has been the go-to fundraiser for teams for one, simple reason — it works. For example, if you require each team member to sell five tickets that cost $10 each, with 20 members on the team, you can raise $1,000 in one day!
Choose a location with an area that is large enough to hold a car wash and has access to a water supply. You can usually reserve an area on your school’s campus, at a recreational center, or at a local gas station. Contact the facility’s directors or business owner to ask about hosting the event at their facility.
The key to creating a successful event is organization. You need to make sure you have all of the necessary tools to conduct a car wash, including:
- Buckets (at least four or five)
- Rags or sponges for every team member
- Soap
- Squeegees for window washing
- Hoses with independent water sources
- Towels for drying
- Space
Sell Apparel
Selling team apparel is another fun way to fundraise. You get to design, order, and sell team T-shirts, shorts, or sweats! However, buying team apparel involves a bit of work if you want to keep the costs down. You’ll want to buy the apparel at low costs and design your own team logo or slogan (rather than hiring someone to create it for you). When it’s ready, taking the apparel to a screen printing business is an affordable option because all they’ll need to do is print your design on the clothing.
Once you have your apparel ready to sell, you can mark up the price by doubling the cost. Have each member on the team sell a designated number of T-shirts, shorts, or sweats. After you’ve sold all of your apparel, your team can then keep the profit.
Letter Writing Campaign
This type of fundraiser is not the most exciting, but it works. The team writes letters asking for donations from their family and friends, and each player should send out about five letters each. You can either create a generic letter or have each player write their own.
This fundraising campaign requires the least amount of initial costs. So if you team doesn’t have a lot of money in reserve, this campaign might be one of your best options.
Partner with Local Businesses
Local businesses are always looking to partner with teams. If you partner with a restaurant, for example, the manager will usually set up a night dedicated to your team. All you’ll have to do is spread the word and bring in your family, friends, and classmates. The restaurant will then give your team a percent of the profits made from the customers your team brought in. This is a win-win situation for both the team and the business — the business gets more customers and your team shares the profits!
Host a Tournament
Tournaments are big money-making fundraisers. To put on a tournament, though, you have to have access to a facility, manpower, and organization. Depending on the size and scale of it, you can raise anything from $500 to $10,000. You’ll earn money from registration fees, snack bars, and by selling apparel.
To learn how to organize your own tournament, read our guide on “How to Organize a Field Hockey Tournament.”
Manage Your Money
Fundraising can be fun! By working together to raise money, the players will have an opportunity to achieve a goal off the field.
You should appoint a person to organize the event. This includes handling the initial costs, organizing the fundraiser, and managing all profits made. With someone smart handling your finances, your team can stretch its budget even further to cover more costs throughout the season.
