7 Fundraising ideas for youth sports teams

Running a youth sports team is a lot of fun, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. There are a lot of expenses that come along with it, which is why fundraising is a big part of it. Through donations, your team can afford new uniforms, equipment, and can participate in large sporting events or travel together.

But where do you start?

Raising money for a youth sports team doesn’t have to be stressful. Actually, it should be a lot of fun!

Not only will fundraising help your team take advantage of more opportunities to train, compete, and travel, it will also act as a team-building exercise for the kids. Think of it as a chance for everyone to work together outside of the field, court, or arena while engaging with their community.

Learn just how fun it can be and check out these 6 exciting fundraising ideas that will help your team reach its financial goals, and have a great time!

1. Throw a family and friends game night

Family game night is a longstanding tradition in many households, which is why it’s the perfect way to raise money for your team. All you need to do is provide the space like a rec center, a park, or an event center and set up the games.

Some good games to include are corn hole, twister, bingo, and more. You can charge event-goers a flat price for tickets or offer different options that vary based on the games they want to play.

To promote the event, your team can sell pre-event tickets to their friends and families. Go the extra mile by ordering custom team flyers that you can display in local businesses. Not only will this help you spread the word, but it’s also a good community-building activity—more on that later.

2. Sell branded team merchandise

This is something your team can do year-round whether it’s at a sporting event or other fundraising events. Have a small stand at your game or offer fans the chance to buy merchandise after the game.

Selling merchandise also gives your team the chance to raise money for bigger causes like raising breast cancer awareness or helping underprivileged families in your city. Fundraising for non-team events like this will teach the kids the importance of giving back while getting them involved in their community.

But selling branded merchandise has other benefits outside of the fundraising aspect. It’s a great way to build team recognition and a loyal fanbase.

If you’re not quite sure what to sell, just know the possibilities are endless! You can keep it simple with branded hoodies, jerseys, or hats, but you can even get stickers, keychains, car magnets, and more.

3. Get sponsored

Sponsorships aren’t just reserved for pro athletes and national teams. Plenty of youth sports teams get sponsored too by local St. Louis businesses in their communities.

Having businesses back gives your team a huge advantage. That’s because sponsors donate money to pay for things like new equipment, uniforms, and even sports camps. But how do you get started?

You might think you have to wait around to get noticed, but you can actually reach out yourself. Send local businesses genuine letters asking for donations and sponsorships, and you’ll be surprised how many are looking to partner with local teams!

Once you have some sponsors locked in, make sure to display custom signs with their logo to showcase your connection and further promote both your team and your sponsor.

4. Try a restaurant fundraiser

Outside of sponsorships, there are other ways to work with local St. Louis businesses in order to raise the money you need. You can also turn to restaurants to reach your fundraising goals, and it’s easy to do too!

First, choose a restaurant—or a few—that your team would love to go to. It can be a small restaurant or one that’s part of a larger chain, the choice is yours. Once you’ve decided on a location, talk to the management to see if they’ll allow your team, their families, and friends to take over the restaurant for an afternoon or night.

Many restaurants will agree to host something like this because it equals big business, and they’ll typically donate between 10 and 20 percent of the meal purchases to your fundraising campaign. Some may even donate a certain percentage of the entire day’s sales.

Once you have a date and time secured, start promoting the event through printed flyers, social media, and email. You can even mail out custom postcards to local residents and businesses near the restaurant.

5. Run a team carwash

Running a carwash is an old-school way to raise money that’s still effective and always fun! Pick a Saturday or Sunday during the spring or summer and find a local business that will let your team take over their parking lot. Have the kids make signs, grab the soap, buckets, and water and start scrubbing cars!

Pick your financial target and charge a flat rate for each car. You can even offer branded team merchandise, like custom car magnets and keychains, during the carwash. While this idea is limited to good weather, it’s something that will encourage your kids to work together for a common goal.

6. Open a concession stand

People love to munch on snacks and quench their thirst at sporting events, which is exactly why your team should have their own concession stand. This is another fundraising idea that could be an ongoing fundraising venture for your youth sports team. Best of all, it doesn’t require a large initial investment.

Simply stop by Costco or Sam’s Club and get bulk treats and drinks like chips, candy bars, popcorn, sodas, and water. Then, have a couple of parents or volunteers set up a stand at your next sporting event and start selling!

You can also have a stand set up at a community center, or take things a step further by selling your concessions rights to a local restaurant. For instance, you can have a bakery set up a stand whenever your team has a game and receive a percentage of their total sales as a donation.

7. Host a Golf Tournament

This is one of the most popular types of charity events today. Golf tournaments allow your fans and supporters to live out their PGA fantasies with a fun filled day on the links— all while giving to a meaningful cause.

The big baby at Infantile Industries loves golf tournaments for fundraising because there are so many opportunities to raise money before, during, and after the tournament takes place. From signing up corporate sponsors to offering merchandise, closest to the pin contests, longest drives, 50/50 raffles and charity auctions!

Infantile Industries can help you with every step of the process form planning, signage, to merch and grand golf accessories. We have got you covered!

Start your fundraising efforts with Infantile Industries

Fundraising isn’t supposed to be difficult; it’s supposed to be fun, and Infantile Industries is here to show you just how simple it is. We’ll provide your team custom branded apparel, merchandise, and promo materials to boost your St. Louis youth sports team’s fundraising efforts.

Check out our promotional products site for more ideas and inspiration as well!