Organized fundraising that we're familiar with dates back to the 1900s. Frank L. Pierce and Charles Sumner Ward developed fundraising on the professional and national levels. They're now known as the "Fathers of Fundraising."
The founding fathers put their creativity levels to the test to raise funds for the construction of a YMCA building. Today, many fundraisers are held for various causes, especially for schools or sports programs such as a fundraiser for art programs or a soccer fundraiser.
Are you part of a soccer team? Did you recently find yourself asking how you can fundraise? It's an important part of being a team and makes you competitive.
However, many teams struggle to find the best way to fundraise. Don't struggle, use this guide and find out how to take advantage of your soccer team and raise some money. Continue reading to get started!
Know the Purpose
Before you put together a soccer fundraiser, you need to have a clear purpose. What benefits will come from this fundraiser? What's the money going towards and why?
When you want to raise money, there needs to be a story and reason behind it that encourages people to donate to and support the event. Take some time to figure out all of the details of the fundraiser and its importance. You'll need to convince people that your fundraiser is worth supporting.
Think about how the supporters can or will see their money being put to good use. Most supporters of a fundraiser enjoy seeing the final product that they helped bring to life.
Give Yourself Goals
Once you have a clear understanding of your fundraiser's purpose, you can then work on creating goals. What are your specific fundraising goals? How much money do you want to raise for your soccer team or event?
Think back to the purpose of your fundraiser. If you need to raise money to purchase new equipment for your soccer team, then you want to figure out how much money you need to purchase the new equipment. This should be your fundraising goal.
Keep in mind that it's not uncommon for fundraisers to have more than one goal as well. For example, aside from raising money for new equipment, you might want to bring more awareness to your soccer team league. Write your goals down and then determine how you'll reach each one.
You should have a way to keep track of these goals for you and your supporters to see. When people realize you're close to meeting your goals, they'll be more inclined to donate to help you reach success.
Create a Budget
You know your fundraiser's purpose and you have clear goals in place. To have a successful fundraiser, you'll need to consider all of the important details and requirements for the event. You want to make a profit, so it's important to create a budget for the fundraiser and stick to it.
Some things to consider when planning your budget are the venue or event space, the materials and props used, marketing, and fundraising merchandise you want to promote and sell, such as custom soccer scarves. Contact each vendor and start putting together prices for everything you'll need. Do this in advance so you have time to look around and compare costs.
This way, you'll know exactly how much money you need to host the fundraising event, which you can then add to your fundraising goal in order to cover the cost.
Find Your Host Committee
A host committee is a group of people or organizations who donate large amounts to the fundraiser. The host committee will also help encourage other people or organizations to do the same. The host committee isn't in charge of planning or running the event, however.
Instead, their focus is on ensuring you're able to reach your fundraising goals. Your host committee might consist of business owners, local celebrities, and other wealthy donors. Do your research and learn who would be most interested in supporting your soccer fundraiser and reach out to them.
Also, don't hesitate to gather a few people to help you plan and run the event. Hosting a fundraiser on your own is difficult and can be overwhelming. Instead, gather friends, teammates, and anyone else who's willing to help you plan.
Understand Your Target Audience
Who are the people that are most likely to donate to your fundraiser? This is your target audience. You need to know who your target audience is so you can then market the event with them in mind.
Will you invite local professionals to the fundraiser? Is the fundraiser more geared toward the parents of the soccer team or the players on the team? Once you determine who your target audience is, you can then advertise, market, and plan your event based on their wants and needs.
For example, parents of the team might want to purchase custom soccer scarves that show team spirit. In this situation, custom scarves with a logo are ideal. Large organizations or businesses that donate might be interested in entering a raffle for high-end products, so always take the time to understand who your target audience is.
Choose a Location
As you begin to figure out all of the small details, you should then decide where you want to host the event. What venue is best suited for the type of fundraiser you're planning? For example, is the fundraiser a soccer kick-a-thon?
If so, then you might want to host the event at the local soccer field where you have games or practices. If the event is something more sophisticated such as a dinner party and raffle, then you'll need to find an indoor venue or something that provides seating.
Do your research before choosing a venue that's right for your event. You should know the cost of the venue, the size (how many people it can hold), and the location (how easy can attendees access the venue). Discuss a few different options with your team and don't hesitate to get ideas from the public as well.
When you get the people involved in the planning process, they're more likely to want to attend and support.
Plan Set-Up Details
After you determine the venue, you can then start deciding on all the small and big details of the event. Will there be food at the event? How much food will you need, where will you order the food from, and how will you serve the food?
Do you plan on having entertainment at your fundraiser or a dress code? Keep all of these things in mind and don't forget to create an itinerary as well. Although having an itinerary is essential for you as the planner, it's also important to pass itineraries out to all attendees as well.
This helps them stay informed on when different activities will take place such as dinner, raffles, soccer games, and more.
Start Marketing
You can't expect to have a successful fundraising event if no one knows about it. This is why marketing your event is so important. How can you do this?
There are many great ways to market a soccer fundraiser. One way is to make the event known on multiple social media platforms. Spread the word via the internet and in person.
On the days leading up to the event, you can sell your customized scarves. The profits will go towards the fundraiser but will also bring awareness to the upcoming event. Each time you sell a soccer scarf, make sure to inform the buyer of the fundraiser and why they should attend.
Have a Sales Procedure
Speaking of making some sales, it's important to have a sales procedure in place. When you sell tickets to your fundraiser or accept donations, there needs to be a procedure that you follow. Are there different ticket sale levels for the event?
Some tickets could be general admission while other tickets include a meal, drink, and dessert. Who's in charge of selling and collecting tickets and merchandise and how will these sales be tracked? Spend some time organizing a sales procedure before selling your first ticket or merch item.
Run a Practice Event
Now that you've put all of the details of the event together, it's time to put your hard work into action. Practice running the event with your team to ensure everything goes as planned. Pretend it's the big night and go over each role a person has and the event's itinerary.
Each team member should know what their specific roles are, what they should be doing during the event, and who to go to in case of an emergency, any questions, or something else.
Your Soccer Fundraiser Will Be a Successful One
The very last part of running a successful soccer fundraiser is remembering to give thanks to all those who supported the event. This doesn't only include those who contributed funds. It also includes volunteers and vendors, and staff.
Send out thank-you notes after the event, and you can even include instructions on how to wear a soccer scarf for those who purchased custom scarves at the event. Are you ready to start planning your soccer fundraising event?
Shop our selection of soccer scarves today to see how we can help you with your fundraising merchandise!