Tips: Tips on Youth Sports Fundraising

Fundraising is so central to community programs that you can’t go to a mall or supermarket without seeing a table surrounded by people asking you to donate. When putting together a fund drive for youth sports, remember that major companies and individuals are also getting donation requests from well-known charities that provide assistance to less advantaged people. Therefore, to succeed, you need to step up your plan. Provide exciting prizes and the greater possibility for winning. Raffles are a great way to appeal to a wide range of people.

Major League Prizes

1. Have the kids on your sports team write letters to sports organizations nationwide. Ask them to donate almost anything with an autograph on it: photos, baseballs, hockey pucks, jerseys or even coffee mugs. Don’t hesitate to send letters to some athletic stars from years past. Not everyone will help, but if you can collect just 25 items, you’re off to a great start. Charge $1 for raffle tickets—an amount most people won’t miss.

Premium Prizes

2. It’s not likely you can afford front-row Wimbledon tickets, but if you can get just one business or sports club to donate a pair of tickets close to the action of a local major sports event, you can sell raffle tickets for $15 or even $20 each. Remind fans that a $20 donation to help kids buy uniforms, maintain their playing fields and provide equipment could get them tickets to a great sporting event. Because innumerable government-classified, non-profit charities also will be seeking donations from major sports teams, you may have to settle with free tickets to minor-league sports teams like baseball’s Brooklyn Cyclones or Pennsylvania’s Hershey Bears hockey team. Go to team websites for information about soliciting donations.

Gaming Prizes

3. You can’t go wrong by raffling video games. Either purchase two or three top games or make requests for a donation from local businesses like law firms and car dealerships in exchange for advertising space at your raffle table. For an added incentive to help out your team, print a flier with information about your team, along with a list of caring community businesses that helped make your raffle possible. Charge $3 to $5 per ticket. Again, donating a small amount of money to a legitimate cause, with the possibility of winning a prize worth much more than the original investment, is a great selling point.

General Tips

4. For any fundraising event, it’s best to not send groups of people out to high-traffic areas to solicit money. People are less likely to hand over loose change or dollar bills when they’re interrupted during a relaxing shopping trip at a mall or in a supermarket parking lot rushing to bring home dinner. By setting up a table and creating signs and fliers that explain what the money will benefit, you’re more likely to attract people to you. Approaching people who don’t want to be bothered will result in a higher percentage of rejections.