GENERAL IDEAS

Fundraising is a year-round activity.  However, the ebb and flow of the football year dictates that some activities are better suited for specific times of the year.  For instance, once the Autumn season has gotten under-way, large team fundraisers involving the players can be a drain on the amount of energy they have to focus on academics, practice and the part-time jobs that many find a necessity.  It is therefore important to consider conducting large player based fundraisers in the winter, spring and summer months.  In-season fundraising efforts might be better focused on gates, concessions, parent led pub-nights, 50/50's, programs, calenders etc.  These activities can be organized by your booster club and run with a minimum of player/coach distraction from the business of preparing to play opponents.

A Booster Club is a group of people, some football fans, some not;
some fanatical football fans, some not; some alumni, some not; some
parents of players on the team, some not; but all with a common goal.....
to have fun while fundraising and otherwise supporting the football team!
 
Following are some of the things the Ballenas Whalers Booster Club
has done to raise money for the team.  Some are year-round activities
and some are once-a-year events.  There is a place for everybody in
a booster club.  A booster club is limited only by its imagination when it
comes to fundraising ideas.  You may find it keeps things fresh and
takes into consideration the desires of various members of the group
if the location of the club's meetings is periodically moved.  Perhaps
once at a pub, then at a member's home, maybe at a restaurant or in
the backyard, on a boat.....but whatever the place, remember...all work
and no play is not the booster way.
 
Frozen meat sales - This is a year-long activity.  All you have to do
is find a local restaurant or other supplier from whom you can buy the
meat.  They may want to make a small profit for their trouble or they may
forgo that as a way of helping to sponsor the team. Nevertheless, you
need to be sure they will be reliable and that you can get good pricing.
Be sure not to mark it up too much once you get it so as not to price
yourself out of the market.  Remember, aside from helping out your team
people generally are attracted to meat sales because they are
convenient and economical.  Somewhere between 5 and 15% is probably workable.  Remember too if you do this year-round it is
continual revenue and not a "get rich quick" vehicle.  It is not important
to beat Costco or the supermarket pricing in every event.  As long as
you are priced comparably or lower than their everyday pricing you
will do fine.  When someone points out that a local store was selling
its chicken for "a lot less" than yours it was probably a sale and you
can point out that yours is "everyday" pricing.
The Whalers Booster Club has secured a "top quality" meat deal so
it has the added benefit of pointing out the grade of meat one is getting.
Make up a price list of what you're offering and be sure to include
how you can be contacted and any other ordering particulars.  This
is a reeeeeaaally easy fundraiser to do and makes for continuing
revenue once you get 'em hooked.
 
Raffle ticket sales - There literally is no end to the types of things a
booster club can do here.  You should check with your PAC first as they
may have a license with the gaming commission.  In which case, you likely come under their jurisdiction.  If your Pac does not hold a liscence then you must proceed as follows:  Once the raffle item is selected you must
apply to the BC Gaming Commission for a raffle license.  There is a
$25.00 fee and you will receive a license number to be put on the tickets.  You can get the form on-line from the Gaming Commission's
website.  The trick to this one is to find that item which people will get
excited about both wanting and selling.  Raffles items might include
things such as trips, lodging, furniture, appliances, groceries etc.
You should know that the Gaming Commission prohibits raffles that
include firearms or alcohol.  The Ballenas Whalers Booster Club has
raffled off a number of different items.  Our current raffle is an idea
we borrowed from our Cowichan friends.....a cart full of groceries.
You might get the groceries donated whether through the store you
do the promotion with or perhaps another sponsor puts up the money.  You may decide to match the donation the store puts forward with seed
money of your own.  In other words, if the grocery store puts up
say $200.00 worth of groceries you may want to add $200.00 to it.
This is the kind of raffle item everyone can use and get excited about.
Thank you to our friends in Cowichan progam for sharing it with us.
Remember too that everything you do is newsworthy in some respect!
Once again, imagination is the key.  For example why not invite the
press to take a picture of some of the team members in jerseys around
a shopping cart full of groceries.  Get the store manager into the act.
If the press won't come, stage the event yourself, write a press release
and send it in with your own photo and see what happens!  Be sure
the store's name appears on the raffle tickets (get approval first) and
mention them with every ticket you sell.
 
Spring garage sale - Talk about a "no cost" fundraiser!  Don't throw
anything away!  Plan a garage sale at your school.  Make sure you let
all booster members and parents of players know about the event.
Put some posters up around town letting people know you are looking
for items to be donated to the cause.  Put it on the community programming TV channel.....this costs nothing.  What about a small
concession at the event?  Coffee, orange juice and muffins etc. for the
early birds and hot dogs for the afternoon crowd.  Don't forget your
raffle tickets!
 
Pub nite - Now this is what we mean by fun!  This fundraising event
is a chance for some to party with friends and a chance for some to
get that item they have always coveted.  Whichever the case, if you've
never been to a pub nite fundraiser you don't know what you're
missing!    First of all most everyone at the event will know each other
because everyone sells tickets to friends.  Even the non-drinkers
among you will have a good time.  Dinner is included in the price of the
ticket and the ways you might put this together depends upon where
you hold your event.  First of all...it needn't actually be in a pub.  You
might find a restaurant or club or golf course a willing participant.
$10.00 to $12.00 is a good price range for the tickets and you want
to strive to get at least half of that for your team.  A successful pub nite
fundraiser is really a question of how much work your booster club is
willing to put into it and how much you can get donated.  If you can
get food donated and the owner is OK with that, you're ahead of the
game.  Same with drinks.  You may have to work out a bar deal with
the owner.  Whatever the case, make the best deal you can and then
plan to capitalize on the event in the greatest way you can.
Perhaps you can get your music donated.  It's great if the event is in
a facility that allows dancing.  Plan a "half-time" event of some sort
that gets people involved and laughing.  A sword dance was a
hilarious spectacle at a recent Ballenas Whalers pub nite.
Prizes, prizes, prizes are key to a successful fundraiser....and all
donated!  Perhaps have helium-filled balloons that folks can buy when
they enter.  The balloons would contain a piece of paper with the
number or name of the corresponding prize they receive.  Balloons
might be priced at a couple of different levels for varying values of
gifts.  A silent auction is an excellent way to get people to mingle,
generate excitement and fundraise.  Again, donated items are
accompanied by a list upon which "bidders" can silently try to outbid each other for the item they covet.  Remind everyone throughout the evening of the purpose of the event.  Great time too to have some of your program's promotional info laying about for people to pick up as well as sign up lists for volunteers.  Great fun!
 
Recycling - Do you have a recycling depot in town?  Perhaps you can
arrange with them to start an account for your program.  All year long
people can then take their bottles and cans to be recycled and ask for
them to be donated to your team.  Check with the depot periodically
to be sure you collect any monies coming to your program.
 
Concessions - Every program has someone who can run a concession. Home games are a must.  Be sure you get the necessary
permits from your local health officials.  Imagination here is again key
to how successful your concession is.  Do you have a hut or building
in which you can hold your concessions?  If not, how about a tent?
Can you get one donated?  Once set up what else can you sell other
than food?  T-shirts, hats, keychains, bandanas, stadium horns, pom
poms?......really, the sky's the limit!
 
Local sponsors - Boy, this is really an open field!  There are all kinds
of possibilities here.  One that the Ballenas Whalers Booster Club is
fortunate to have:  Captain Jim's, a local seafood restaurant features
a "Whalers Special" on it's menu.  $1.00 of each special ordered goes
to the football program.  The special is prominently featured on the
menu with an explanation that the purchaser is supporting high school
football.  Whatever sponsorship arrangements you are able to make
in your locale, always be sure to continually publicly acknowledge
your sponsor(s) and the fact that they are supporting the development
of your community's youth (assuming you have first cleared this with
your sponsor!)
 
Activities - Throughout the course of the season there are a number
of non-fundraising activities to be completed.  The purpose of these
activities is to create or elevate an awareness of the football team in
both the school and in public as well as to "sell the football culture."
You will want to have posters and banners made up for each week's
game that can be hung throughout the school that show support for
your team.  The catchword is "spirit."  Those who elect to take on this
type of activity might be called the "spirit group."  Students from the
school supervised by someone in the booster club is an excellent
arrangement for the spirit group.
You may choose to run a contest or two during the season that helps
people to focus on the football team.  Ballenas recently held a "Who
Knows Whose Nose is Whose" contest.  A collage of snapshots of
just the noses of the football players was displayed in the school.
Each nose was numbered with a list of the players names attached
to the collage.  Participants had to match the players name to the nose
number.  What better way to get students to focus on the football
players!  The entry with the most correct matches won a Sony Discman.
 
Community service - The Ballenas Whalers Booster Club maintains
that it is important for the athletes involved in its program to recognize
the need to give back a little something to a community which gives so
much to them.  Last season the team participated in the Salvation Army
food drive conducted by the local fire fighters.  The team members
sorted donated food for sixteen hours over two days.  They also
participated in a "Pancake Breakfast With Santa" on behalf of one of the team's sponsors.  Neither event provided the players with anything
other than an opportunity to experience the kind of giving that is so
abundantly provided to them throughout the year.  Well, there was the
opportunity to distribute promotional propanganda about the team........
 
Success to you in your endeavours!
Submitted courtesy of the Ballenas Whalers Booster Club
 

GARDEN MANURE SALE

Summary:  players, parents and coaches pre-sell 40 lb bags of garden manure for delivery or pick-up, farm donates manure, manure trucked to shovelling site, manure bagged by players, sale publicized beforehand in local media, off-sales on site during shovelling, deliveries on shovelling day.  Awards given for meeting sales objectives and attending shovelling day.

COW PADDY GRID

Summary: Field is lined to attain a grid of squares 5-5yards, a cow is brought in to the field and observed until makeing her first "deposit" on the field.  Grid-squares are sold by players, parents and coaches with the guarantee that the person who purchases the grid-square that receives the first "cow deposit" will win a cash or material prize.  Minor prizes will be given for grid-squares that receive collateral damage.

GROCERY RAFFLE

A local grocer donates a cart of groceries or a shopping spree to the winner of  the raffle tickets sold by players, parents, and coaches.

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS RAFFLE

A professional sports organization donates tickets to one of their events, transportation and accomodations are donated/purchased and the whole package is raffled by players, parents, and coaches.

TEAM CALENDER SALE

Team photos and schedules form he backdrop for calenders printed and sold by players, parents and coaches.  Advertising space is sold on the calenders as well.  A door to door "calender blitz" takes place with prizes given out to players who sell the most.

TEAM-POSTER

In much the same way as the calender sale, a poster is made up with program photos on it, a schedule and or a yearly calender on it.  Advertising space is sold as well.  As mentioned above, a sales blitz takes place with prizes for top sales.

PUB NIGHT/SILENT AUCTION

Parent Boosters arrange a "beer and burger night" at a local establishment.  Tickets are approx. $10.00 with half the price going to the extablishment and half the price going to the program.  PARENTS SELL THE TICKETS.  All food and beverage sales after that point go to the establishment.  Draws, raffles and silent auction items donated to the program are then sold and bid-upon.  Integrating entertainment/hi-lite videos with this event and a strong booster presence make for an enjoyable and profitable evening for both the program and the host establishment.  This event brings together a lot of people and ideas who are interested in furthering the interests of the program.

FIREWOOD SALE

A truck-load of firewood is donated by a private or public individual/organization.  Adult volunteers cut the wood and players transport it to individuals who have pre-purchased loads or have arrived to purchase it on-site.  This event is best conducted in late summer/early fall.

KICK-OFF DINNER/SILENT AUCTION

Guest speakers and friends of football are scheduled for an evening of dinner and fellowship.  Food/labor is donated at cost if possible.  Silent auction items, door-prizes etc. are donated to the evening.  Tickets are sold by everyone in the organization.  This event is best held as a kick-off to the spring football session or as a kick-off to the autumn season.  This event is a magnificent way to build excitement about the program within the school and in the community.

GIANT GARAGE SALE

The school gymnasium or cafeteria is booked for a giant garage sale.  Table space is rented, food is served, draws, raffles, 50/50 take place as well. School and program households are gleaned for sale items that may be lying about.  Local business owners may donate prizes for this event.

LIFT-A-THON

Players lift for a total pundage in the Bench Press, Squat and Hang Clean which is verified by the coaching staff and then go on to solicit a donation by the poundage they lift.

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