Creative Fundraisers for High School Sports Team

Fundraising is a must for any sports team, and it can be a lot more fun and creative than you think! We just had our Centennial Varsity football team hold a fundraiser at Centennial Subaru here in Vegas, and it was a huge success! We raised over $900! Centennial Subaru has been a huge asset to our team this year, buying swag for the games, giving us their space for the car wash, and also holding a tailgate for our first home game coming up shorty! If you're looking for inspiration to boost your team’s funds, here are some creative fundraisers that can help you hit your fundraising goals, just like we did!

Let’s kick things off with what worked for us! Partnering with a local car dealership, like Centennial Subaru, can be a win-win situation. Subaru loves to support our local team! It was a fun way to get the boys out in the community. The dealership let us set up shop and use their carwash and the boys did tire shine and drying! 

Since tailgates are already part of the sports culture, why not turn them into a fundraising event? You can sell tickets for entry. Centennial Subaru is helping with that as well. They are renting a foot truck for us and allowing us to sell tickets to the tailgate. You could even charge for food and drinks if you wanted to. Maybe do a raffle while you're there. Tailgates are casual, fun, and perfect for bringing the community together to support the team. Also, who doesn’t love a good BBQ or food truck lineup?

This is a classic, but still on brand with the creative fundraisers, it never gets old. Each player finds sponsors in their family members, neighbors, or local businesses to donate a certain amount per touchdown, gift baskets, or things like that. It’s a great way to motivate players to get out in the community by talking with local businesses. You can also spice it up by adding a friendly competition among the players to see who can raise the most money!

Why not share your team’s skills with the younger generation? Hosting a sports clinic or camp for kids is a great way to raise money and also you're giving back to the community. Charge a registration fee, and the littles will get the opportunity to learn from the best - your team! It’s a great way to inspire the next generation of players. 

Some schools allow this and some don't but it's an easy crowd pleaser. Sell raffle tickets during the games and at the end of the game you split up the pot. 50% goes to the winner and you get to keep 50%. Nice easy way to boost the funds. 

More creative fundraisers are silent auctions. Gather donated items from local businesses, team supporters, and parents, then host a silent auction. You can hold the auction during a game, a dinner, or even online. The things auctioned off are totally up to you. You can do gift cards, sports memorabilia, tickets to a show, things like that. 

Sell ad space in your game day programs or banners that line the field. It’s a great way to involve the community and offer them a chance to show their support for your team. 

Those are some creative fundraisers for you to use whether you’re looking to fund new uniforms, equipment, or an end-of-season banquet, these fundraiser ideas can help you reach your goals. Our experience with Centennial Subaru has been so amazing. We got a lot of No's but we got some very important Yes's. It's as a reminder that with a little creativity and community spirit, you can get awesome results. So, get your team together, get the word out, and try your own creative fundraisers. Watch the funds grow!

My son, Jayden will be 12 in a little over a month. I can’t believe I have been a mom for 12 years! On one hand it feels like I have been his mom my whole life, and on the other hand I remember welcoming him into this crazy beautiful world like it was yesterday.

Parenthood is the most important job of your life, and you have zero qualifications for it.

Every day there is a new challenge as a parent. Bed times, discipline, friends, balancing work and family.. the list goes on and on. Of all of the things, I never thought that him playing sports would be a challenge for ME.

From the moment I found out I was having a boy I couldn’t wait for the day that he put a little jersey on and played sports, especially football, with my husband and I both being huge fans. I have been a sports mom for 7 years. . . and let me tell you, it’s tough!

Jayden has played football for a few different leagues. His first year, he didn’t play much. Just the amount of plays they guarantee each child to play (he was little and it was his first year). His team made it to the playoffs and they lost the championship game. It wasn’t a big deal to him because he still received a huge trophy with his name on it. He loved the game and the trophy.

He played for a different league his second year, and he had become a stud! He's been one of the best players on the team every single year since then.  His second year, his team also made it to the championship game, and again that year, we lost. The difference between the two leagues . . . he didn’t get a huge trophy for losing, no consolation prize. The reason I loved the league in the beginning was because of that reason only.

That was before I saw the tears running down my baby’s face over the loss and having to cheer on the other team as they received their championship trophy and he knew he wasn’t getting one. There is no way to explain how much it hurt me seeing him hurt.

It may seem little to some, but he wanted to win.

You know, as a parent, the words that come out of your mouth after that loss are crucial. What do you say though? How do you help them deal with the feeling of losing,  the frustration, and disappointment?

I did’t say anything… I was sad too. I just hugged him. It was then I learned how strong an 8 year old could be.

After crying on my shoulder he picked his head up, wiped his tears and shook the hands of each little boy that beat him in the championship.

He learned so much that day. He learned that you don’t get a reward for losing. He learned you have to be the best to get a trophy. He also knows to be a good sport and to congratulate the winners.

Not receiving a consolation trophy has made him want it so much more! Jayden has been playing football for 7 years now and has yet to win that big championship trophy, despite playing his heart out. I still believe NOT getting a trophy was the most motivating thing that has happened to him.

Maybe this year will be the year that my 11 year old gets to win that championship. But if it's not, that's OK because it will make it that much sweeter when it happens.