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Fundraising For Youth Clubs and Teams
This is About Your Mission
Fundraising is about finding more fuel for your club or organization. We simply can't do what our mission calls us to do without money.
As a youth sports club, a school, or a not-for-profit, even if you think you're all set, the reality is: there are people we could and should be serving, who we can't reach without capital.
In the USA, youth clubs are funded primarily through membership or registration fees (bottom up). Some clubs get sponsorships, many do fundraisers, some offer additional clinics and camps. Every Club needs money for one really good reason: not everyone who should play can afford to pay. There is a lot of talented kids out there that we really want playing soccer, but they can't afford to pay even modest fees.
In Europe, the big networks fund football (soccer) clubs. Money flows down from big pipes into smaller pipes and eventually ends up in the form of subsidized play, resident camps, and so on. In the USA, money flow up from individual wallets. That means some just can't afford soccer.
How Are Organizations Raising Money Today?
Our options are limitless. The strength of our imagination is the only limiting factor - and that can be stretched by exposure to new ideas.
What kinds of ideas do you have for fundraising? Please leave a comment in the comment's section below so everyone can benefit from our collective experience.
David Dejewski
Coach / Club President / Podcaster
Here are a few ideas that I've run across over the years:
Idea | Approximate $ Value | Additional Benefits |
|---|---|---|
Ask Members for Donations | Varies - based on financial well being of donors and perceived strength of the mission | Can be an opportunity to deepen relationships |
Car Wash | A few hundred dollars | Team building and fun |
Camps / Clinics | Varies, but start at $10 / player | + relationship and skills building + possible new opportunities for players + strategic alliances to bring more value / resources to the mission. |
Custom Balls and Gear | Pennies to dollars per item | + get more gear that people will use + promotional material |
SpiritWear | Varies on items - tens to thousands | + promotion and pride |
Tournaments | Varies by type and region - hundreds to tens of thousands | + promotion of the sport + fun for kids and parents |
Agreements with local restaurants | $150 - $250 per 2 hour block | + easy + potential gathering place |
Mulch Sales | $5k to $20k depending on organization and local market | + hard work + lots of logistics + team building |
Candy, Popcorn, etc | Spread on each item - usually pennines to a few dollars per sale | + easy to understand. + get's members out into the community |
Selling Discount Subscriptions to local and national business specials and discounts | $1,500 - $25,000 - depending on organization size and participation | + relationships with local businesses + good will in the community + savings for members + exposure in local economy + ease of sales via text, social media, email, and face-to-face + reporting and tracking of progress |
See the full table with approximate dollar value and additional benefits on an iPad or a computer
Get Your Own Fundraiser Manager Platform
Building Good Will in the Community
All organizations need to get along well with others. If you run a not-for-profit, chances are you have a collection of people who support your cause and want the best from the community around them. By bringing the best that local businesses offer to your membership, both your membership and local businesses should benefit.
With a fundraiser like this, you are doing a service in your community by promoting a healthy economy. The more people use the discounts we've served up for them, the more money they save on things they would normally buy and the more revenue local businesses will realize. This is a win for you (you get to keep 70% of the sale of each subscription), a win for your supporters (they get to realize tremendous savings - much more than $25 in a year), and a win for local businesses (they get to serve more customers and a chance to keep them long term if they treat their new customers well).
What Does The Soccer Sidelines Get out of the Deal?
It is fair to say that our interests are aligned. The more successful your fundraiser is, the more successful I am. I'm actually going to work for a portion of the 30% from each sale that goes to overhead. The majority of that 30% goes to the platform, to the company that does the research and secures the national vendor agreements, and to support. A fraction of this revenue comes in my direction and will be used to fund and grow this show.
My alternatives to fundraise for this show are similar to alternatives faced by all organizations. I must find a way to generate revenue in order to keep the lights on. Sponsor money, donor money, and now service money all help. I call money I earn from working for you "service money" because I'm agreeing to provide a service for you in exchange for a portion of the sales. By bringing you the platform, setting up your organization, and monitoring / servicing your fundraiser, I'm adding value to you, my listener, while you add value to your organization, your supporters, and your local economy.
Why Are You Asking For My Mobile Phone?*
We ask for a mobile phone because all program links for management, payment, and the app itself are typically sent via text message. It's much easier to load on a mobile phone using this method.
[…] your club or team 70% of the proceeds – or $17 per sale – to do with what you like. See also Episode #26 – Fundraising for your organization, for more […]