Top Ten Fundraising Tips For Sports Groups

We know how important fundraising is for sports groups like Cheerleading, Soccer, Baseball, Football, etc. Sport fundraising can be a real challenge to raise the funds you need for the team, Raising money for uniforms, equipment, tournaments, travel expense, and other expenses can feel overwhelming at times. We have years of experience in sports fundraising and have compiled a list of tips to make any sports fundraising a great success. For more sports fundraising ideas visit www.scholars-discount-card.com

Have a Clear Plan and Strong Leadership with a Strategy to Accomplish it :

The success of your fundraiser will hinge on a strong chairperson with a clear message and an ability to remain on focus. The organization needs someone with time, energy and the drive to ensure your fundraiser is going to be a great success. Any successful fundraiser needs to have a plan and sound organizational structure. Tap into the strengths of your community and make sure each fund raising task is assigned to the right person. Avoid overburdening people with to too much work, as burn out can be devastating to not only the current fundraiser but also to future efforts. Clearly define who is responsible for each task and what is the timeline? Make sure leader has a complete understanding of all relevant details and meet regularly to discuss issues and goals. Lack of organization will doom your fundraising from the outset with extra costs and goals not being meet.

Choose The Right Fundraising Project: Ask yourself thee simple questions:

"Who is the fundraiser for?" "Who is going to be doing the fundraising?" Fundraisers succeed when they match age appropriate groups with attainable goals. In other words, you do not want to make so difficult the kids get frustrated nor do you want to make it to easy so they get bored. It is also important to be creative in the fundraising task you embark upon, everyone cannot sell wrapping paper.

Incentive Prizes are effective – but only if you chose the right ones:

It has been clearly established that incentive prizes are a great motivator for group fundraising. However, this method is only effective if the prizes are truly a motivation. A great suggestion is meeting with some, or all, of the group to determine what they consider "prizes."

Teaching not only "the Pitch" but sales skills:

In addition to being a fundraising opportunity, these campaigns can also be a confidence builder for young people. Young people can learn the "pitch" they are offering to prospective donors, as well as simple social skills such as introducing themselves and public speaking. Young volunteers should be encouraged to learn how to describe their group, its goals, and its projected outcomes. Ultimately, it is important that they are able to convey the outcome of the donation and its effect on the recipients. It is essential that they learn to be polite – smiling and saying "thank you" even when someone does not donate. There is no telling who may be a donor in the future.

Motivate The Team:

You need to get your group, crew, class, or team motivated. A great way to motivate the kids is to get them to work in teams. A great way to foster team spirit. You can divide groups into a two or three person teams. You can have daily or weekly prizes that reward the top sellers or teams. As an incentive have some great group prizes like a bowling party, a class day trip, or get feedback from the group on prizes they would like to see.

Set Clear Goals and Deadlines:

The key to fundraising success is to set clear and concise goals. It is just as vital to set clear and concise deadlines. We to identify what we need, how are going to get what we need, who is going to participate to help us reach our goals, and what is the dollar amount we need to raise and in what time frame. How much money do we need to raise and how time to we have to achieve this goal?

Reward The Most Motivated Team:

Set achievable goals right away. Whatever Team o r individual hits $500 in sales in the first week. Whatever Team or individual hits $100 in daily sales. Reward those teams that are motivated and hit early sales goals with some great prizes.Ex. Give them a $20 Gift certificate to I-Tunes or Applebee's.

Do Fewer Fundraisers but do them well:

It is better to concentrate your efforts on fewer fundraisers and do them very well to achieve your fundraising goals. Sometimes less can be more. Focus on the quality of the fundraiser you choose to do. It is good practice to be aware of what other schools, sports leagues, and churches are doing with their Fundraising activities.

Be Creative and Do Not Duplicate Fundraising Efforts:

There are so many fundraising activities going on in your local area with schools, sports, churches, and other groups. If you cannot coordinate your fundraising activities with these other groups are aware of what fundraising ideas they are doing. It is important to give your group six months to a year in advance to prepare and coordinate your Fundraiser. You do not to duplicate other group's fundraisers. It dilutes the situation, saturates the area with Fundraising, and is detrimental to your Fundraising success.

Where To Fundraise?:

We understand we are going to are fundraising efforts are going to focus on Friends, Neighbors, Relatives and Co-workers. Picking spots that are high traffic areas to improve your chances of hitting your fundraising goals. It is important to find people out with cash or checkbooks in hand. You want to focus on high people traffic areas so you can raise more money in less time. Some great areas to set up and start fundraising are: Convenience Stores Grocery Stores Traffic Lights with a ton of traffic. Events Drugstores Home Improvement stores Shopping Malls Wal-Mart's Town Events like Jazz Fest, Parades, Music In The Park, etc. Be sure to get approval ahead of time so you can set up in the best possible location. Location is key because you want to be where the most traffic is. A great location delivers hundreds of potential customers right to you .So maximize your fundraising efforts by finding the best location, location, location!!

Bonus Tip: Tap Into Your Social Networks:

Utilize your Social Networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. We all know the statistics of Social Media. Go where the people are and people are on Social Networks. Facebook by far is the most popular platform to raise money on for fundraisers, but do not overlook other Social Networks. Social Sharing yields positive results so Social Media should be a part of every Fundraising Plan.

Online Fundraising:

Online fundraising is a critical component of any group fundraising strategy. Online fundraising is growing very rapidly. When people hear about your fundraising, they want to learn more, or seek updates on your group. People will visit your website so have a donate now button in a prominent spot. After, reading our Top Ten Fundraising Tips for Sport Groups you will be in a better position to choose the right fundraiser for your group and make it a successful fundraiser. We have worked with a great deal of sports groups throughout the United States to help with Sports Fundraising.Visit Scholars Discount Card for more ideas