How to Have a Profitable Youth Football Fundraising Event

Fundraising for youth football teams is a necessary component of the game for parents, children, league administrators and coaches alike. It requires some effort to put together a quality fundraising plan and execute it successfully. Once you find a successful program, it can be used year after year going forward. We’ve prepared some youth football fundraising strategies to inspire your program and get your kids on the field.

Youth Football Fundraising Tips

• First and foremost, select a quality fundraising committee to plan and organize your activities. Coaches, parents, and even one or two of the youth football players are good choices. Football boosters and people with marketing backgrounds are good sources as well. Be vigilant about keeping “politics” out of the committee. This is for the kids; it’s not an adult playground where people can feed their ego.
• Set a clear goal. Those helping with your football free fundraising sites efforts need to know what to shoot for and where you are at. A goal should be lofty, a bit more than what you need so you have margin for coming up short and still saving your season.
• After your committee selection, you’ll want to put together a plan. Have an open forum where all fundraising ideas are considered. Zero in on who you are targeting in your football fundraising efforts. Are you targeting individual donors, corporations and associations, local merchants, or a combination? I should note here that studies indicate that nearly 75% of donations to fundraising events come from individual donors.
• Once the fundraising plan is set it needs to be communicated to players, parents, and volunteers. Communicate clearly what is expected of each person. Keep the lines of communication open. Refrain from getting too caught up in the details of the plan that you neglect to consider valuable input. You don’t have to accept every suggestion but at least consider them. At the very least, it promotes goodwill and cooperation and that is invaluable.

Youth Football Fundraising Ideas

• Football Clinics – Football clinics are another good source of income and a great way to recruit new football players by showing off youth football drills. These are best held in summer, although after-school clinics can be effective as well. Late summer, just before the training season starts, is a good time for a team to get current players psyched for competition and prospective players jazzed to join. An exhibition at the end of the week can coincide nicely with sign-ups for the upcoming year.
• Get Creative – You are only limited by your imagination for coming up with unique youth football fundraising ideas. The key to choosing profitable events is to know your target donors. What do they like to do? What would be fun way for them to spend their time? Is it feasible to have a picnic with food and games? How about a golf tournament with prizes donated by local merchants? A 3-on-3 basketball tournament? Slo-Pitch tournament? The possibilities go on!
• Develop an Internet Presence – People donate money and time to a football team or league because they appreciate the experience and its effects on kids, families and the community as a whole. To aid your football fundraising efforts, the more you can share those memories with everyone involved in those experiences the better. A football team and league web site where everyone can upload and share photos, communicate schedules and engage in discussions, parent coordination and the like is an extremely valuable way to both engage sponsors and make those involved more able to coordinate fundraising and donate. You can build one for free at some sites like Weplay.com.
• Community Outreach – It can be effective to catch people when they are in a rush. Can you set up a barbecue at a shopping mall or grocery store on the weekend? It can be convenient for busy people to grab a hamburger, hotdog, or sausage to eat on the run. A community yard sale with donated goods can be profitable. Get a player, parent, or other volunteer to write a weekly newsletter on the team and sell advertising space in the newsletter.