Favorite Easy Fundraisers

[default]

I'll preface this by saying that I hate having fundraisers. I'm most likely going to ask how much more do I owe, and pay it. But my dd team has a couple families struggling this year, and with the prices of everything going up, I'm looking to help. Hopefully, there are some easy ones.

Common ones I've seen and done:
- Superbowl and March Madness squares.
- Liquor basket
- Bar/Restaurant party

I've seen many more, but I'd like some of the more experienced people to chime in on some easy successful ones they've had or know of.

 

[default]

I've seen some do a calander. Basically you pick a month, get people to sponsor days. If they chose the 19th of the month they donate $19. Whatever the day is, is the amount of the donation. If you can fill the whole calander it totals $490.

 

[CARDS]

It depends on what you need to raise:

It could be a simple as a car wash for a few hundred dollars on a weekend. Candy/Pop corn sales can get you $300 or more if they can sell in school.

Pizza/Community cards that can get you several hundred dollars if, you beat the other programs / schools with hitting areas.

A day tip share at a restaurant can bring in $500+ on a Sunday if you go to a sports bar (if you can find someone willing to do it now). We did this with the HS and it was the quickest way to get cash...

Our big ones though were spring and fall flowers through Berns Nursery. You can get a few thousand with this one.
Or, a corn hole tournament or friendly softball tournament. We did well with these pulling in $800 or so per event.

 

[yocoach]

Quick and easy is a popcorn or pepperoni roll sale. We generally make between $500-750 on those. Superbowl and AFC/NFC championship pools will generate $3000 splitting the money with the winner at $20 a square. We made $4000 on the liquor/cooler raffle last year. This year we're hoping for closer to 10K. We're raffling off a Xbox X bundle package and a Play Station 5 bundle package.

 

[DanMaz]

pick a month - use Ohio lottery pick 3. winner every day for a month. sunday winner is dbl the prize. $50 a day winner. gotta sell a lot of tickets to make it worth but we have successfully done this a few times making about 3k each time. last year during the covid scare we did a liquor raffle and made $6500! if you have a bigger org.. we used to do night at the races... and we did a texas hold em event and all teams involved split the cash. i like thew big money makers vs. a bunch of the small ones that make little. face it, nobody likes fund raisers so i say if you do one - get the biggest bang for your time and efforts! good luck

 

[daboss]

Without getting into specifics I'd like to share what I have noticed works for fundraising in my area.

To raise funds you need a purpose and a gimmick so you can promote to a diversified demographic. This is normally done by sales or by providing a service.

Any games of chance normally will only work on people willing to gamble. In our area we have a large group to target. Within that group, not many are willing to be in attendance to win unless there is alcohol being served. Texas Holdem tourneys and Monte Carlo nights were once popular but local law enforcement have made such events very difficult. They stipulate gambling events cannot consume alcohol in the same room where any of the games are being played. They are willing to issue temporary permits for these events but without the permit the events will be closely monitored. If you've ever tried to host an event serving alcohol and/or gambling around here it's extremely difficult when you have sheriff cars parked across the street. It takes a large amount of help to run them. That means a lot of parental participation. Also, it is not the atmosphere for any of the kids to help at all during the event so you shouldn't be counting on them. In the past they made big money but around here people seem to migrate to licensed gaming locations that deal a different set of rules, no pun intended.

Ticket sales such as raffles can work if your core group can be expected to be aggressive and it helps if you can get permission to target a captive audience. School functions such as ball games have them herded into 1 spot so you can walk the crowd but getting permission from the school can be difficult. Normally, they are running their own fundraiser of sorts and will not take kindly to having any competition.

Candy sales, popcorn sales, and any of the established fundraiser businesses dial in a percentage profit for selling their products. My advice would be to cut out that middle man and make your own products to market. Home made candies, cookies, cakes becomes all profit to the club if you have families willing to make and donate time and supplies. We used to do sub sandwiches. Sell them in advance, then buy the meat, buns, and such and have the girls form an assembly line to mass produce the subs. It gets the kids involved in the process and no complaints about how one family had to buy all the ingredients for cookies or cakes while other families skated. The gimmick of home made or made from scratch is a great marketing ploy.

Providing a service works well in most any location. No alcohol or gambling issues that might cause any question of ethics or morality. This should include the kids since it is for their benefit. Car washes, raking yards, most any kind of manual labor and many places of business are glad to help the kids help themselves. Gas stations or mini-marts simply provide the space and a water hydrant. While getting their car washed the customers get gas or do some shopping. Win win for everyone. In the winter, my favorite was to set up a station in a mall and charge people to wrap their Christmas presents. You can get by only working weekends, wrapping paper and tape is cheap. Set up a couple of tables and you're in business. 4 weekends of this can generate a LOT of money, provides a service, and you don't need the entire team there at one time. Just run the booth in shifts.

Another service related money-maker was having the kids work for some local businesses that need labor help in season. We have a couple of local pumpkin patch farmers that need the pumpkins picked in the fields. Some local orchards need apples picked. Personally, I have made donations to groups to come glean my fields of rocks in early spring and after fall tillage. Again, this kind of thing is a win win. In the winter the kids would have a chance to wait tables at a couple of local sit-down pizza businesses that are normally a serve and sit yourself establishments. The businesses would make a donation plus the kids worked for tips.

To summarize; provide a service or a product and people are generally appreciative. I suggest doing something that helps teach responsibility and a good work ethic. Try to keep your costs or general overhead to a minimum. Promote a 100% participation of all the kids/families. I suggest if selling a product you set a minimum required by all. ( take 2 boxes of candy to sell and they are NOT to be returned, only cash).

Fundraising can be a bonding experience or it will expose the deadbeats and cause animosity. Try to keep things evenly adjusted to avoid any internal conflict before your season starts. You need to display tact and strong people skills or you could implode your group before you ever get to play ball. Good luck!

 

[Passion4theGame]

Gun raffle always pulls in some serious coin. 6-7k after paying out 3 spots.

 

[default]

I don't like fund raisers that require you to sell tickets. For many , they end up costing you more money. There should always be a buyout equal to the amount of money raised. Also it is sometimes hard to sale a ticket that is not part of a community or school team. Travel/AAU teams have no real connection to the community. Not sure why its a Big deal to ask would you rather pay $300.00 more in team fees or sell $600.00 worth of tickets ? or whatever

 

[Passion4theGame]

I don't like fund raisers that require you to sell tickets. For many , they end up costing you more money. There should always be a buyout equal to the amount of money raised. Also it is sometimes hard to sale a ticket that is not part of a community or school team. Travel/AAU teams have no real connection to the community. Not sure why its a Big deal to ask would you rather pay $300.00 more in team fees or sell $600.00 worth of tickets ? or whatever

Totally agree with you! Personally HATE fundraising. Much easier to pay a little more.

 

[haley_thirion]

We do a hit a thon every year. SO SO SO EASY and the girls love it. We just do it during practice and make a hitting practice out of it!

 

[reacher]

Without getting into specifics I'd like to share what I have noticed works for fundraising in my area.

To raise funds you need a purpose and a gimmick so you can promote to a diversified demographic. This is normally done by sales or by providing a service.

Any games of chance normally will only work on people willing to gamble. In our area we have a large group to target. Within that group, not many are willing to be in attendance to win unless there is alcohol being served. Texas Holdem tourneys and Monte Carlo nights were once popular but local law enforcement have made such events very difficult. They stipulate gambling events cannot consume alcohol in the same room where any of the games are being played. They are willing to issue temporary permits for these events but without the permit the events will be closely monitored. If you've ever tried to host an event serving alcohol and/or gambling around here it's extremely difficult when you have sheriff cars parked across the street. It takes a large amount of help to run them. That means a lot of parental participation. Also, it is not the atmosphere for any of the kids to help at all during the event so you shouldn't be counting on them. In the past they made big money but around here people seem to migrate to licensed gaming locations that deal a different set of rules, no pun intended.

Ticket sales such as raffles can work if your core group can be expected to be aggressive and it helps if you can get permission to target a captive audience. School functions such as ball games have them herded into 1 spot so you can walk the crowd but getting permission from the school can be difficult. Normally, they are running their own fundraiser of sorts and will not take kindly to having any competition.

Candy sales, popcorn sales, and any of the established fundraiser businesses dial in a percentage profit for selling their products. My advice would be to cut out that middle man and make your own products to market. Home made candies, cookies, cakes becomes all profit to the club if you have families willing to make and donate time and supplies. We used to do sub sandwiches. Sell them in advance, then buy the meat, buns, and such and have the girls form an assembly line to mass produce the subs. It gets the kids involved in the process and no complaints about how one family had to buy all the ingredients for cookies or cakes while other families skated. The gimmick of home made or made from scratch is a great marketing ploy.

Providing a service works well in most any location. No alcohol or gambling issues that might cause any question of ethics or morality. This should include the kids since it is for their benefit. Car washes, raking yards, most any kind of manual labor and many places of business are glad to help the kids help themselves. Gas stations or mini-marts simply provide the space and a water hydrant. While getting their car washed the customers get gas or do some shopping. Win win for everyone. In the winter, my favorite was to set up a station in a mall and charge people to wrap their Christmas presents. You can get by only working weekends, wrapping paper and tape is cheap. Set up a couple of tables and you're in business. 4 weekends of this can generate a LOT of money, provides a service, and you don't need the entire team there at one time. Just run the booth in shifts.

Another service related money-maker was having the kids work for some local businesses that need labor help in season. We have a couple of local pumpkin patch farmers that need the pumpkins picked in the fields. Some local orchards need apples picked. Personally, I have made donations to groups to come glean my fields of rocks in early spring and after fall tillage. Again, this kind of thing is a win win. In the winter the kids would have a chance to wait tables at a couple of local sit-down pizza businesses that are normally a serve and sit yourself establishments. The businesses would make a donation plus the kids worked for tips.

To summarize; provide a service or a product and people are generally appreciative. I suggest doing something that helps teach responsibility and a good work ethic. Try to keep your costs or general overhead to a minimum. Promote a 100% participation of all the kids/families. I suggest if selling a product you set a minimum required by all. ( take 2 boxes of candy to sell and they are NOT to be returned, only cash).

Fundraising can be a bonding experience or it will expose the deadbeats and cause animosity. Try to keep things evenly adjusted to avoid any internal conflict before your season starts. You need to display tact and strong people skills or you could implode your group before you ever get to play ball. Good luck!

Fundraising can be challenging, but focusing on services or homemade products often works best. These efforts not only generate funds but also teach responsibility and teamwork. Make sure all participants contribute equally to avoid conflicts and try to keep overhead costs low to maximize profits.

 

[Rohan77]

Easy fundraisers can be a breeze with these ideas: Host a bake sale with delicious treats, organize a car wash in your community, or set up a virtual donation campaign. Another fun option is a raffle with attractive prizes. Consider a Dine Out event with local restaurants where a portion of the sales goes to your cause. These activities are simple and effective for raising funds.

 

[HITTER23]

I played major mens slo pitch and our team manned a concession stand at the Dayton Dragons games and also did a beer stand for events at the Nutter Center in Dayton. You were signed up for multiple events, you did big concerts where you made a ton of money but you also had to show up to do WSU womens basketball / volleyball where you made very little. Thru the offseason, we made over 11-1200 on good nights and 2-300 on the slow ones. Also, Ive seen both boys and girls teams parents do this at these events.

 

[daboss]

Easy fundraisers are a great way to raise money with minimal effort while engaging the community. Popular options include bake sales, car washes, and raffle draws, which require little upfront investment but can yield significant returns. Online crowdfunding platforms and social media campaigns also make fundraising accessible to a wider audience, allowing supporters to contribute from anywhere.

The problem in our area is EVERYONE is doing it. The competition is staggering. School functions would have 2-3 different groups walking the stands selling anything from popcorn to raffle tickets and the wells run dry quickly.

I always liked the car wash idea around here but none of the businesses will allow it anymore. The only remaining business, a local mini-mart, has said no because people were taking up all their parking spots to the store. We have no drive thru car wash within 15-20 miles so it was a big hit. In the city nearby, we had businesses that would allow it for a cut of the profit but the families wouldn't show up to work. Every excuse under the sun on why they couldn't come but they never missed a weekend tourney.

Bake sales and such okay but again, around here you'd be competing with multiple bake sales all running at the same time and again, only a few families do all the work while the others skate by with excuses.

The Christmas present wrapping gimmick used to be huge but just trying to man a station for a month, weekends only, at a local mall left us with only a few that would show up.

I'm not going to wash cars or wrap presents so they can play ball. If you're better at this stuff than me, congratulations. I know I sound sour but the families made me this way. It's easier for them to not show up or walk away than it is an organization director or a head coach. Keep in mind, I don't have a girl playing. I gave my word to see it thru to the end, and I did every season.

I know, you think we have the wrong players/families or were doing it wrong. Maybe. I don't care anymore. 30+ years of softball and many of them worrying 24/7 if we'd have enough money to get thru our planned season took its toll on me. I switched to pitching lessons only to help the girls, most getting lessons from me free to help promote the game for the girls. Even with this, they come to my facility and want me to buy something.

It's all fun at 8u, 10u, or even 12u but after that the lack of participation really kicks in. Some families are okay with throwing money at it while others act as if they're doing me a favor by showing up to play. I don't miss it. Some times the money isn't enough, you simply need bodies to get things done.

I have some great memories of the game. In many ways it kept me young. I met some wonderful people----------but I met more that were not.

My original post you quoted is pretty thorough. It must have caught you eye and I hope all this information is helpful. Even the bad. At least if your experience is bad you'll know you're not alone. If your experience is good I'm sincerely happy for you and your club. Please share.