7 Exciting Team Fundraisers for Sport Teams to Win Big

It’s no secret that being a part of a sports team can be expensive. From purchasing sports equipment to travel expenses for tournaments, being a part of a winning team can add up. But cost shouldn’t prevent anyone from going for their professional athlete dreams. That’s why team fundraisers are an important part of any sports team’s strategy. If you’re looking for ideas that can help you lead your team to victory, check out these team fundraiser ideas! 

Baseball Team Fundraiser Idea: Home Run Derby

A home run derby is the perfect fundraising idea for a baseball team! This is a fundraiser that is best saved for the middle or end of your baseball season, so your players have had time to polish their swing and better their skills before heading up to bat for your fundraiser. You can also open up the competition to community members who don’t have baseball experience and want to join in on the fun. Charge a registration fee and use this as a peer-to-peer fundraiser where participants collect pledges from friends, family, and other sponsors for each home run they hit! 

To increase or decrease the difficulty of your home run derby, you can adjust the qualifying home run distance from the plate. If you have non-baseball playing participants or younger players who might not yet have the power to hit traditional homers, bring the distance closer to the plate. To up the stakes as players get eliminated, move the line further and further away from the plate with each round. 

To make this fundraiser a success, get the whole community involved. Reach out to local businesses for sponsorships and partner with local restaurants or mobile food trucks in the area to bring some traditional ball game foods to the field for spectators. There’s nothing better for avid baseball fans than hot dogs, burgers, and popcorn as they cheer on their favorite baseball players! 

Volleyball Team Fundraiser Idea: Tournament charity challenge

For your next volleyball team fundraiser, consider holding a tournament charity challenge. Invite your players to pick a partner and then hold a bracket challenge with pairs playing against each other until the top two teams battle it out for first place bragging rights. Help each pair find donors and sponsors who put their support behind their pair of choice with pledges and donations. The farther a team goes, the more money donors and sponsors will give, taking the friendly competition up a notch. You can also invite non-volleyball players to take part in a novice tournament for an extra fun element to your fundraiser.  

For volleyball teams who are used to playing on a traditional court, change things up with a beach volleyball tournament. With the additional challenge of playing in the sand, your players will gain the experience of playing in a fun, new environment while also raising money for your team’s needs like buying new equipment or paying for travel to tournaments. 

Hockey Team Fundraiser Idea: Sports equipment drive 

With pads, hockey sticks, helmets, skates, and more, hockey requires quite a bit of equipment to keep players safe. If you have players in need of new equipment or if you’re just looking to upgrade the equipment in your arsenal that has been battered from years of hard hits and intense matches, a sports equipment drive might be just the fundraiser you need.  

Advertise your equipment drive in your community to give people the opportunity to give equipment or donations. To make it even easier for people to show their support, set up an online “store” where people can go to “purchase” sports equipment for your team. Once they’ve completed their purchase, your team can use those donations to go out and buy the equipment you need. You can also set up “fund-a-need” items in your store where people can contribute to help your team cover costs like transportation to tournaments or upkeep of the hockey rink your team plays at. 

Soccer Team Fundraiser Idea: Sports camp 

Hosting a sports camp can be a great fundraising idea for your soccer team while also giving your players the opportunity to hone their own soccer skills through teaching. Designate a week for your camp and advertise it in schools and around your community. Parents of little ones with dreams of becoming professional athletes or who are just interested in soccer can pay and register their kids for your sports camp where your talented athletes can teach them valuable soccer skills. 

Tennis Team Fundraiser Idea: Alumni vs. Current players match 

Set your veteran tennis players up against your current tennis team roster for a fun alumni tournament that also doubles as a fundraiser! In addition to setting up a singles and doubles tournament, create two peer-to-peer fundraising teams where your current tennis team faces off against past tennis team players to see who comes out on top in both your tennis tournament and in fundraising. Players can reach out to their family and friends to show their support by donating to their favorite competitors or to the team they think will dominate their competition. 

To improve alumni participation rates, host this fundraiser around homecomings or holidays when your tennis team alumni might already be back in town for reunions or to visit family in the area. This will give past tennis teammates the opportunity to pick up a racket again and prove they’ve still got it while also challenging your current players’ skills. 

Football Team Fundraiser Idea: Concession stand 

Fundraise and feed your fans at your next big football game with a concession stand! Stock up on chips, candy, popcorn, pretzels, and soda, or up your game with a grill for hot dogs, burgers, and BBQ options. You can set up your concession stand before the game and have your football players make an appearance and help with sales before they have to head out to get ready for the game. Then, run the stand throughout the game with the help of parents and other volunteers associated with your team so fans can replenish their football game snacks. 

To streamline your concession sales process, set up an online store in the weeks leading up to your game and direct fans to your store to place an order for food. Once they arrive at the game, they can stop by your stand to pick up their order before finding their seats to cheer on your team. You can also try reaching out to local grocery stores and restaurants to see if they’d be willing to sponsor your fundraiser and help out with supplies for your stand. 

Basketball Team Fundraiser Idea: Shoot-a-thon 

Put your basketball team’s athletic prowess to the test with a free throw fundraiser! This is a great peer-to-peer fundraiser for your basketball team and a great opportunity for your players to show off their free throw skills. Designate a basketball practice for your shoot-a-thon and give your players a predetermined amount of free throw attempts to make. In the weeks leading up to your designated practice date, your players will go out and solicit donations and pledges from their networks based on how many successful free throws they will make on the day of the shoot-a-thon. Once the players have completed all of their free-throw attempts and the shoot-a-thon is over, they can collect their donations from their sponsors. 

Final thoughts

Team fundraisers are a great way of helping offset costs for sports teams and individual athletes for whatever your team’s needs are. There are plenty of options for your sports team to raise money, and with a little creativity, you can find ways to turn even a regular game or practice session into a fundraising opportunity!