School is back in session in most, if not all, areas by now and with school comes fundraising! Or, as parents like to say “So, my kid is selling this crap – do you want any?” Let’s talk about Fundraiser Ideas!
My friend Deanne who will be sharing some fantastic wreath tutorials with us has 2 kids around 11 and 4, and although she loves crafts, her first love is her kids! Her 11 year old is super involved in sports and has been since he was 4. His main love is soccer, but he also plays basketball. BTW…you might remember I posted about Deanne’s son Kaden when he was doing his last annual coat drive!
With sports comes a high cost to participate – and they cost even more if you are on a traveling team! Her son is on an elite soccer team that often gets invited to tournaments outside of their state. They average 8-10 tournaments a year with a cost of around $50+ each tournament per kid, and that doesn’t include the travel expenses. Travel expenses can really add up! As a single income household Deanne and her husband had to come up with ideas to make sure he can still play without the worry of how we are going to pay. Let’s see if any of Deanne’s
I have learned some fundraising ideas that have worked for us and want to share them with you all.
I have tried just about everything! Bake sales, car washes, discount cards, you name it we have tried it! And when you Google fundraising ideas it seems to be the same things, not much profit and a whole lot of work! Here is what has worked best for us
1. Bake Sales – this is our best seller by far! I used to have a cake pop business, but most of our parents on the team aren’t bakers and that is okay. You know what sells? The presentation! We average $400-$500 total for a 4-5 hour time slot for our bake sales. Everyone selects what they will bring, we package it nice with supplies from our local craft store. (A little curled ribbon does WONDERS!) Here is a close up of how I packaged and displayed my Hot Air Balloon Cake Pops (it was Balloon fiesta time here in Albuquerque) and some caramel apples I put together (and sold for $3 each and they were the first to go!). A cellophane treat bag, and some pretty ribbon tie it all together. Plus, come up with some unique things to sell…cake pops, caramel apples, flavored popcorn are some fun things that sold FAST!
We chose a color theme so that the presentation pulls them in! Our basic rice krispie treats are dressed up with some melted chocolate in a bag with ribbon. Use stuff you already have around the house. And let the kids do their work! I believe that the kids should be out there helping run the bake sale, that way they understand that they contributed. Plus, who can say “No” to a kiddo asking if they want to buy a brownie to help their soccer team?!? Here are some other pictures of our set up and of our boys with their signs.
2. Raffles – This is a way to make 100% profit for your team. Ask local businesses to donate an item to your raffle. When we were out eating at a restaurant, we would ask the manager if they would donate a gift card to the team raffle, and 90% of the time they would say yes! We went to local jewelry stores, restaurants, boutiques. The more prizes you have, the more tickets you can sell. Although I like the 50/50 raffle, this one is 100% profit! And that I like! Keep your ticket prices low…we sold our tickets for $1.00 and the kids set a goal of each selling 100 tickets. (when they are $1, usually people buy more than 1!) We had a total of 9 businesses donate, and ended up with $1,100 in our account. Yep, $1,100! That covered tournaments for the whole spring season! Buy a pack of tickets from the Dollar Tree, have the buyer write their name on the ticket, and pick a day to do the drawing. I suggest waiting at least two weeks to give everyone ample time to sell. My son did all the selling for his and he raised $200 on his own. Here is a sample flyer that I attached to the front of a large manila envelope with 100 tickets inside.
3. Direct Sales Fundraiser – Find a friend (like in direct sales) that would give a profit of their sales to the team. For example, I have a friend who sells Origami Owl (amazing lockets, if you haven’t check them out, do it!) We talked and she and I came up with a percentage she would give the team of any lockets/charms/etc. So we put together packets for the parents and whatever they sold, the money would go to their child’s soccer expenses. Kaden alone raised $220 just by selling lockets. The downside to this one, the parents tend to do all the work. But, find a fad like Origami Owl and run with it!
[iconbox title=”FYI!” icon=”big_pencil.png”]GeminiRed Creations is always willing to help out with fundraising and will donate a percentage of sales to your organization.[/iconbox]
Hope you all can use some ideas for your team. Have fun, be creative, and you will reap the reward. Everyone should have the opportunity to play club sports, and as a mom on a budget I can tell you we make it work 🙂
Tell us about some fundraisers that have worked for you!
