From small fundraisers to raise cash for new equipment to big sponsored events to help pay for club renovations, get inspired with our guide to fundraising activities for sports clubs.

From buying new sports equipment and kit to funding transport to away games for your players, the money you raise through fundraising activities is essential to making sure your sports club is the best it can be for your members. We’re here to help you every step of the way by providing you with some top tips and ideas on fundraising activities for sports club.

Fundraising that requires little effort but reaps great rewards

A really simple and cost-effective strategy is to turn your existing activities into fundraisers. Ask your coaches if they’ll donate their time to helping run a fun charity match and charge participants to bring a friend. Alternatively, organise a sponsored challenge for your members to get involved in such as a 24-hour football match. Just £2.50 per person in a team could add up to as much as £75. Run ten of these a year and you’ll be well on your way to raising £750, for no extra effort! Try these ideas:

• Use your space to host a yogathon, zumbathon or similar event
• Sell lemonade, tea and coffee or hot dogs at your next sports fixture
• Charge spectators to have comfy cushions on their seats. Even just 50p a cushion can quickly add up!

You could also sell advertising space on your building, noticeboard or sports pitches/courts to local businesses, investing any money raised back into the club. Another option is to rent out your clubhouse or any sports halls/grounds you might have to other businesses when they’re not in use by your coaches and members.

Fun-filled activities for kids’ sports clubs

If your sports club is mainly focused towards kids, try to get them involved in fundraising with these fabulous ideas that will not only raise cash but also teach them how important philanthropy is:

• Get them to play their sport against a team of parents
• Plan a club disco for members and their friends once a year
• Have a car wash in your club’s carpark on match or event days
• Organise a movie and popcorn evening in one of your club spaces
• Have a picnic auction where you get everyone to bring a picnic basket to a match or training session, then auction each basket off to the highest bidder
• Do a sponsored clean-up of your club’s facilities. This is a great one for teens who are prone to being lazy at home!

Social fundraising activities

These take a bit more effort, but the rewards are often bigger as they’ll not only raise more money but will also help promote your sports club to your local community:

• A quiz night or bingo night in the clubhouse once a month for members and their families
• A Black Tie Ball for the local community. You can even try to get local businesses to sponsor certain aspects of the event, like the catering, entertainment or raffle prizes, in exchange for publicity.
• A charity auction night where you sell off any old club memorabilia. This is a particularly great option if your sports club is an historic one or has any past members who went on to be professional, or even famous, players.
• A Sausage Sizzle at fixtures and sports events- ideal for hungry spectators and players!
• A favourite sportsman or sportswoman fancy dress competition party

Quick fundraising wins you may not have thought of

Use your space: Lots of sports clubs have halls, fields or club houses that could be hired out to local groups for meetings, classes or parties when they’re not being used by club members. You could even see if any of your members have a special skill and would be willing to teach a class. For example, someone might be a chef and be able to donate their time to run a few cookery classes.

Recycling schemes: Ask members to bring in items that can be recycled in return for cash, such as cans, ink cartridges, clothes or old mobile phone. You can learn more about how easy it is to recycle in exchange for cash in our guide to recycling for charity.

Get free donations on shopping: Sign up so you can collect free donations on any supplies you buy through easyfundraising. Whether you need new kits, sports equipment or party decorations for a fundraising event, you’ll find them all via retailers listed on the site. Be sure to share the link with your members’ families too as every time they shop with certain retailers, they could be earning extra cash for your club!

Gift Aid: Don’t forget that you might qualify for Gift Aid donations too! You can learn all you need to know about this in our handy guide.

Three steps to a successful fundraising activity

Once you’ve chosen which activities are the best fit for your sports club, you’ll want to sit down and have a think about how you can make them as successful as possible. If you’re planning a special activity to raise money for your sports club, make sure you follow these simple steps to make sure it goes down a storm:

Step 1 – Plan: Think about who you’ll invite and how you’ll tell them what you’re doing. Does the club have social media pages where you can share the details, or will you use newsletters and traditional flyers? How will you make money on your activity? Will you ask for donations on the day or use an online payment system? By making sure you stay organised, the activity should be easy, enjoyable and more profitable. 

Step 2 – Use what you already have: Chances are your club is already running lots of great activities that you could already turn into fundraising events. Why not turn your Saturday training session into a fancy tournament or use your space to hold a sponsored exercise-a-thon?

Step 3 – Match your activity to a target: It always helps to have a focus. If you need £100 to buy some new kit, try running a smaller activity like a bake sale or a car boot sale. If you need £5,000 to resurface your tennis courts or redecorate your club house, hold a bigger event like a dinner dance that’s bound to attract lots of attention and ticket sales.

A few last tips

So you may have chosen a few fantastic fundraising activities for your club by now but before you get stuck in, have a look at these quick hints that will help you maximise your donations:

Know your audience. Get to know your audience really well so you can plan an activity that will resonate with them. This should be an easy task with a sports club as you can safely assume that anyone who is signed up to it or is a supporter will be a fan, whether it’s football, tennis or golf! Consider the age group of your audience too so you can plan events that appeal to both kids and adults. Leverage competitive spirit and you’ll usually find donations increase with it!

Never stop thinking about new fundraising ideas. Always think about what else you could do to make money once the activity is up and running. Can you sell refreshments or raffle tickets? Could you mount a challenge for a bigger donation if your original target is met or exceeded?

Advertising. Make sure people know what you’re doing. There’s no such thing as talking too much about your fundraising event so don’t be afraid to ask people for money. Remember, your club is a worthy cause, and the players who are part of it deserve the best.

Pay attention to what worked well. If a particular type of activity previously went down a storm at your club, don’t be afraid to do it again! If you don’t want to make it too samey, try adding a new spin to it like making all the participants in a sponsored sports fixture wear costumes, wigs or even have to play tied to another player.

Celebrate the successes. Use social media, emails and your newsletters to let people know how much was raised and how the club will use it. Post photos to show how much fun the activity was (making sure you have the necessary permissions) and to encourage people to get involved next time. Try keeping a fundraising thermometer in your entrance so members and their families can see how close you are to reaching a specific fundraising goal. There’s nothing like a visual reminder of how close you are to a particular goal to make people want to reach it!

Hopefully we’ve given you lots of inspiration and food for thought for your next fundraising activity! Let us know how it goes by sharing on facebook or twitter @Fundraising_Hub

You may also enjoy reading:

Fundraising Competitions for Sports Clubs

Fundraising Campaigns for Sports Clubs

Nine Steps to Fundraising Success for Sports Clubs