These sports fundraisers earn money for your team and create group activities that help the team bond

Here are favorite sports fundraisers that the editors of Great Group Activities have used themselves, or have researched from other fundraising groups for the best of the best.

The play-a-thon: I’ll steal and adapt this great sports fundraiser from the above mentioned "Girls Love Softball."

It can be used for just about any team sport. Find another team also involved in sports fundraising and play a modified version of your sport together… with a twist. In softball or baseball, for example, each team up to bat allows every team member to bat, then the other team comes up to bat. The teams don’t switch once there are three outs.

However, it’s played like a regular game in that each team still wants to get as many runs, hits, and outs as they can, because previously to the game, friends and family have been invited to a picnic to watch the game and pledge a certain amount of money (ten cents, for example) per out, per hit, and per run.

The team provides the picnic potluck style, everyone enjoys the game with less pressure to win but still challenged to do their best, and the teams get immense practice at all the basics used in their sports. For baseball or softball, change the order of the batters each time the team is up, so one batter doesn’t always have to go last with no chance of staying on the bases to wait for the next batter.

Add something extra to traditional fundraising ideas: Add seedless watermelon slices to the summer lemonade stand. They are irresistible! Offer a choice of organic apple cider with the lemonade. For bake sales, display a gift wrapped box of goodies passersby can choose if they want. That way you get the people who wanted baked items for themselves, and also those looking for gifts.

Hold high earning fundraising events The first sports fundraiser described above is a fun, casual one where you hold the event yourself. For earning serious money (multiple $1000s), serious, large fundraising events can be the ticket, but they take a lot of organization. The downloadable “Instant Event Fundraising System” from our Clickbank business affiliate, helps with planning a fundraiser including free publicity, drawing large crowds and earning top dollar. Events may include talent shows, dinner and dance auctions, carnivals, band concerts, magic shows, movie nights, costume and other theme parties, theatrical events, barbeques and food festivals, and holiday celebrations.

Sports fundraisers that take advantage of good timing: Sometimes, it isn’t the unique product as much as the timing. One of our kids’ groups earned good money selling fresh-pressed cold apple cider during a run-a-thon. Parents donated apples, labor and a cider press. Kids did much of the work themselves. The runners bought it, and so did the onlookers.

- Another article in Great Group Activities tells how a teen named Meghan earns hundreds of dollars selling hot apple cider, hot chocolate and cookies at Christmas when many people slowly drive through a neighborhood known for fancy Christmas lighting.

- Learn to make finger puppets as a sports team bonding group activity or buy them wholesale. Sell them near Easter and Christmas when everyone needs basket and stocking stuffers.

- A group of girls earns money by offering a group babysitting night at their town’s community center on holidays like Valentine’s and New Year’s when parents are known to want to go out for the evening without the kids.

- A group of boys earned good money handing out fliers in neighborhoods that they’d take away their Christmas trees for a donation. Originally, they left envelopes for the homeowners to leave their donations on the actual trees for pick up. But some jerk stole them (the boys removed the trees, anyway). In the future, they asked for the donation to be mailed ahead in a self-addressed envelope.

- Many people want last-minute Valentine’s gifts. Set up a bake sale at various grocery and gift shops with heart-shaped cookies wrapped in two choices, one appropriate for guys, and one for gals.

Garden starts, such as tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers, can also be planted early indoors with the timing for them to be up and ready for sale at a future garage sale. I’ve found both types of plants sell very well at garage sales.

Quick and easy fundraisers: One of the simplest sports fundraisers is buying bulk items at a wholesale club like Costco or Sam’s, and reselling them at a higher price at community events such as home sports games, parades or fairs. (i.e. Each item costs fifty cents, you sell for a dollar).

Match what you’re going to sell to the personality of the crowd. Single box juices at sports events, small bags of organic artisan pasta at a food event. This does have some element of risk in that you have to pay upfront for items which may not all sell out. To lower risk, purchase non-perishables (such as box juices instead of fresh fruit) that can be stored while you find other outlets to sell the leftovers.

Your sports fundraiser ideas: In the near future, we'll be inviting you to share your own sports fundraising ideas. We're looking for unique, wholesome fundraisers that really worked for your team or group. Particular fundraising products that were effective for you may be allowed if a true story and no advertising link are included. You can also tell us what you tried that didn't work, as long as it includes how the problem was solved and what you then did that produced good results.

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