If you are in need of fundraising help and ideas, we have some solutions for you and your team/club! As you know, rugby is a growing sport, which may result in resources being limited with regard to supporting your team with day-to-day rugby necessities. Fundraising can be the key to establishing sustainable funding and resources. With proper planning and dedication, these fundraising ideas can go a long way to support your team. It is best to plan in advance when hosting an event, and it is important to set specific goals regarding how much money you need to raise.
Here are some fun ideas to get your team and community together to help grow and support your local rugby club/team!
A silent auction is one of the most common fundraising platforms. Although a silent auction requires sufficient planning and organizing in order to be successful, it can be one of the best ways to raise money for your organization. Click here to learn about the process of planning and running a silent auction.
A benefit dinner is a fun and easy way to raise money. Usually there can be some kind of entertainment at the dinner such as a raffle that help fundraise in addition to ticket sales. Like a silent auction, in order to run a successful benefit dinner, a planning process is required. Here are some crucial first steps in order to begin your event.
- Decide on venue, date and time as well as the amount to charge each person attending the dinner.
- Decide on the food being served.
- Make a guest list.
- Decide on the entertainment during the dinner (raffle, music, etc.).
A restaurant night is an enjoyable reason to go out to eat with your team members, family and friends while benefiting both the restaurant and your team. The purpose of a restaurant night is to partner with a local or a chain restaurant to receive a portion - usually about 10% - of proceeds, which will go to your club/team. Click here for more information.
This is a great way to get rugby more recognized in your community. Host an all-day, or even a week-long rugby clinic for all amateur/experienced athletes, coaches, and trainers. The goal of the clinic is to teach rugby to the community by teaching them rugby techniques, skills and rules. Registered participants pay a fee to enter, and donations can be accepted throughout the event. This is a fun way to gather the community to teach rugby to all ages and levels.
- Set up the registration.
- Pick a local venue.
- Gather volunteers (club/team members, coaches, family and friends).
A silent auction is one of the most common fundraising platforms. Although a silent auction requires sufficient planning and organizing in order to be successful, it can be one of the best ways to raise money for your organization. Click here to learn about the process of planning and running a silent auction.
- Banners at the field for game days, events and tournaments.
- Logo on team uniform.
- Logo in printed materials like roster, posters and programs.
Piggybackr is an easy way to make donation requests online. If you are in need of funding for a specific event, simply write a description of your goals and what you are fundraising for.
Another online platform similar to this that can be extremely beneficial to achieving your fundraising goals is GoFundMe.
When the weather is nice, host a tailgate at your home turf with donated food from family and friends of the players and coaches. What better way to cheer on your team and grow your fan base by serving burgers and dogs? To raise money, sell food and drinks at the matches and advertise that all proceeds will go to funding the club/team.
For youth and high school teams, the easiest way to raise quick money is the old fashioned way of a school bake sale! After or before school, team members can put on a bake sale to help achieve their fundraising goals.
- Stay organized:
- Planning a fundraiser can be fun and exciting, but overwhelming if you do not stay organized. Keep a calendar or notebook of the times and dates, locations and people in charge of specific jobs.
- Set goals:
- To stay on track, set a goal of how much you want to raise and when you want to raise it by.
- Work as a team:
- Don't be afraid to reach out and get help with starting and planning your fundraising events. It takes group effort for a fundraising opportunity to become successful!
Click here for more tips and guidance in hosting a successful fundraiser!
The most important factor about fundraising for your team is to make it clear as to why you are fundraising. People are more willing to give when they know exactly where their gift is going. If you are raising money for a specific tournament, rugby equipment or just overall necessities to make your team operate, state in your fundraising efforts where the money is going and most importantly, how much it is appreciated!