Creative Fundraising Ideas For Your Program
Cutbacks mean teams must develop
their own revenue streams similar to club sports By Kevin Hoffman, Managing Editor
A
n athletic program’s biggest annual hurdle is raising enough money to pay for travel and apparel, among other costs. It’s even more diffi cult in a sluggish economy, forcing many generous donors and school boards to pinch pennies at the expense of athletic departments. And there’s no indication that the
21st century fi scal challenges fac- ing high school athletic departments will fade anytime soon. This places a greater burden on individual pro- grams to navigate the perilous roads of fundraising on their own. One unexpected place they can
look for guidance is club sports or- ganizations, which are accustomed to creating their own means for fi nancial survival. Some high schools have in- stituted pay-to-play to make up the shortfall, but for those that haven’t it’s time to begin a more aggressive ap- proach to increasing revenue. There are several options. While the recession continues to challenge organizations to raise enough revenue for the season, some are getting cre- ative. That means setting aside more traditional methods like hawking magazine subscriptions or hosting
coachad.com
bake sales in lieu of a bigger score. Michigan Storm AAU is among the club programs trying something different, and it’s already starting to yield big results that help lower costs for families and keep struggling orga- nizations afl oat. “It’s amazing how people are will- ing to help, and you’re reducing the price for something that benefi ts chil- dren,” says Jeff Taylor, co-founder of the organization. “One of the lessons that we learned is you have to provide incentive for parents. They have to know that they will benefi t from what you do, and we learned that last year, providing incentives to reduce the cost of participation and some equip- ment like backpacks.”
Fighting The Recession It’s been rough for many high
school and club teams, but the situ- ation is even more sensitive for a program like Michigan Storm AAU. Based near Detroit, one of the cities hardest hit by the recession, it’s easy to understand why those in the com- munity are more reluctant to become involved in programs that could fur- ther their fi nancial woes, especially when that organization operates on
a budget of between $8,000 and $10,000 annually. Taylor says the girls AAU pro- gram has been around for about three years, founded by himself and friend Jerome Love. They almost immedi- ately turned it into a competitive or- ganization, winning the 15U Division II state championship its fi rst season. The girls today travel to a number of tournaments in states like Tennessee, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, but that takes a signifi cant amount of time and money, Taylor says.
Several girls with the program
moved on to earn college scholar- ships, and one of those former players was the one who helped the Michigan Storm create a fundraiser that to this day helps fi nancially supplement the basketball program.
“For us, thinking outside the box happened by mistake,” Taylor says. “We hadn’t thought of a particu- lar fundraising method, but parents brought one to us. “You need to use your resources and
involve the parents as much as they al- low. Give them responsibilities in ad- dition to fundraising and participating in certain aspects of the program. We let them know it’s something that will ultimately benefi t them.”
March/April 2013 35
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