When you want to make a difference at your high school, you might have decided that holding a sports team fundraiser is the way to go. After all, there are many benefits to sports team fundraising ideas, from bringing in extra money to the school that will go toward paying for new sports team equipment, to just having everybody involved working together as a team to help a cause in need.

If you really want to succeed with your sports team fundraising ideas, and have the budget to cater for a larger event then why not hold a carnival for all of the students and parents to attend. Team fundraising ideas come in all shapes and sizes.

You may have heard that holding a traditional bake sale or lemonade stall is the best way to go to raise money. But what will really get people excited is something fun and different that everybody can enjoy. If you’ve decided to go with a carnival to help raise money for your sports team, then you have certainly got your work cut out for you.

The best way to organize your event is by recruiting a committee of other organizers to help implement your ideas. Holding a carnival is a huge task, so you shouldn’t feel shy about delegating some of the work to others. This will allow you to take a step back and take a broader look at the work that has to be done.

When you have your plan worked out, you will want to promote your carnival through banners and posters, and handing out flyers. You carnival doesn’t just have to be for students at your school either. Since you are going for a huge-scale event, you should invite everybody in the local area in order to raise the maximum amount of money for your sports team.

If you review a community event calendar you may see organizations offering a one-mile fun run with their events.  This short distance run can improve your audience reach within the community and compliment a 5K or 10K nicely.  They can also be great add-ons to weekend festivals or health fairs. Including more people in your event is, of course, a winning situation when it comes to generating more funds for your charity.

There are a lot of different ways you can add a one-mile fun run to your event and several different audiences for which you can tailor it. These events appeal to different age groups and exercisers in a way that longer races may not. It is ideal to use this event to reach the audiences you may be missing with your longer events.

Here are a few of the ways you can appeal to different audiences by adding a one-mile fun run to your plan.

Involve children. This length of event is an ideal way to include youth in your event. While a 5K can be too lengthy, a mile is an achievable and safer distance for children of grade school age. These events serve as an excellent way to get children started with participating in charity fitness events.

Promote family participation. You can hold the event solely for children, but it can be even more beneficial to make it a family focused event. Allow parents to run with their kids in the one-mile event to encourage families to get involved in fundraising for your charity.

Invite a more diverse group of exercisers. Depending on fitness level, successfully completing a 5K can take a significant amount of training and focus on running. Sometimes even walking a 5K can be a lot if someone new to exercise. A one-miler can make your event more approachable for participants who fall in this category. Some exercisers may never consider a 5K, but a one-mile event may spark their interest.

Draw in the non-competitive types. Long distance events can bring out the competitiveness in people. This isn’t a bad thing unless you are the non-competitive type. The nature of the event alone can turn off those individuals who like to exercise and raise funds, but dislike the feel of competition. One-mile fun runs are just that – fun! If you are already hosting a longer, timed event consider focusing your one-miler on completion. If you want to give out prizes for this event, consider doing it based on a raffle as opposed to finishing places.

Last Minute Relay for Life Fundraising Ideas

These Relay for Life fundraisers can be put together pretty quickly… 1. Krispy Kreme Donuts – This is a good fundraiser if your workplace will let you sell them there and even better if your team is made up of people from different jobs. Announce that the week before relay is Krispy Kreme week and that each day you’ll have donuts available for a $1 donation each. There are several ways that you can use donuts as a fundraiser – find out more about Krispy Kreme Fundraisers.

2. Game Night - Choose a game that your group of friends like to play such as bunko, dominos, or trivia and invite everyone over for a night of fun. You can ask for a flat donation for the entire evening, or for games like cards or dominos, players can chip in $1 for every hand or round.

3. Ice Cream Socials – There are many ways that simply sharing in a bowl of ice cream can raise money for Relay. Find out more about ice cream fundraisers.

4. Movie Night – Host a movie night at your home screening a popular recent new release DVD or a classic movie and charge admission. For fun have a mini concession stand where everything is only 50 cents.

5. Friday Fun Day – If you’re in a management position at a company, make an executive decision that Friday will be fun day! Let employees wear flip-flops and silly hats and have a water balloon fight at lunch time.

Fundraising Ideas for the night of the Relay for Life event:

Some fundraisers can take place at the Relay, as long as they are pre-approved by ACS. Here are some fundraising ideas for the weekend of Relay for Life:

1. Food booth - Sell BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, funnel cakes or anything people would like. It’s best if you can find out what other groups are doing so you don’t end up selling the same things!

2. Blow up Obstacle Course - Check party rental places for a blow up obstacle course. It’s like a bounce house but adults AND kids can play. Charge $1 each time someone goes through the course and time them. Have a board with the best times and prizes for the top 3 competitors. Of course let people go through as many times as they want until the cut-off time when you give out the prizes.

3. Do a Jail N Bail or a Luxury Lock-Up the night of relay.

4. Face Painting – Kids love it! Glow in the dark sticks, necklaces or Princess garlands are also good sellers.

5. Carnival Games are always fun! There are some carnival game ideas on this website.

Related Resources:

Relay for Life Fundraiser Success Stories
Traveling Potty Fundraiser
Relay for Life news on CharityMile.com

Would you like organize a 5K, walk-a-thon, bowling tournament or other athletic fundraiser?

Here are several articles with some great tips on how to plan a 5K run or walk:

• Taylor’s Angels 5K Run Benefits Children with Cancer
• March for Markley 2 Mile Run/Walk
• Caribbean Carnival Parade Raises Funds for School

Editor’s Note: The article first appeared on Step by Step Fundraising on March 4, 2004. Since that time Taylor’s Angels changed its name to Heroes for Children. This nonprofit organization provides financial and social assistance to families, within the state of Texas, with children (0-22 yrs of age) battling cancer.

An Interview with Larissa Linton of Taylor’s Angels

Though her life lasted only 4 years, Taylor Brewton’s bravery while fighting against leukemia touched family and friends. Her will to live and the love and caring she brought out in people remains an amazing accomplishment.

Taylor’s parents, Chris and Larissa, wanted to help other parents facing a similar situation so they established Taylor’s Angels Memorial Fund.

The mission of Taylor’s Angels is to provide financial assistance to families caring for a child with cancer. The families can use the money as they wish to offset the many expenses associated with a childhood cancer diagnosis. Taylor’s Angels also seeks to educate and raise public awareness about all forms of childhood cancer.

One of the ways that Taylor’s Angels raise funds toward this cause is by planning a 5K run/walk. The first 5K was held in May of 2003. I spoke with Larissa about how they began organizing this event, and about its results.

What kind of fundraising does Taylor’s Angels do to support its mission?

We host a golf tournament every October as well as a 5K every May.

How did you come upon the idea for a 5K race for a fundraiser?

My co-chair for this event, Cheri Korstvedt, actually came up with the idea. She is a race-walking coach and has had lots of experience with 5K’s on the participation side. We decided to put our heads together and see if we could pull it off…and we did!!

How did you go about organizing the first race?

Our 1st step was to meet with a local running store that helps to put on these types of events. We chose Run On. They will do as much or as little of the planning/organizing/set up as you want. We handled the planning/organizing and we paid them to set up the scaffolding, sound system and provide timing equipment. They also pointed us in the right direction regarding course certification obtaining insurance, etc…

How many volunteers helped support the event?

Approx. 100

How did you get sponsors for the race?

We approached local businesses and pleaded our case!

What kind of advertising do you do to get participants?

We printed race brochures and posters that we put in area businesses. Our emcee was a local TV personality and she had me on her talk show to promote the race. We contacted local papers and magazines who did articles and listed our event for free in their calendar of events. We went to Chamber of Commerce and Rotary club meetings. We also listed it in various running publications/websites free of charge.

Taylor’s Angels 5K, May 2003

What was the race day like?

Very exciting. Everyone pulled together to make it work. It was truly amazing!! We had approx. 600 participants, and raised over $16,000 after expenses.

What advice would you have for other charities that would like to hold a 5K as a fundraiser?

Start planning at least 6 months in advance, solicit a strong committee, and solicit the help of a local timing/running store.

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Larissa!

As you can see from Larissa’s experience, a 5K can be a fun and profitable fundraiser. It also has the side benefit of increasing awareness of your organization in the community.

As with any event fundraiser, establishing a budget ahead of time is important. Because of rentals, advertising and other costs, money will be needed upfront to prepare for the event.

As Larissa mentioned, start planning at least 6 months in advance. You need as much time as possible to raise corporate sponsors, advertise, gather volunteers and sign up participants.

With proper planning, enthusiasm, dedication and hard work, a 5K can be a rewarding fundraising experience!

“We decided that since the Mill River Club had both Golf and Tennis facilities – we would include tennis so we could maximize on the event, thus getting more people involved, and bringing in more money,” said Lois Lerner, Executive Director for the SASS Foundation. Funds raised were designated for cancer and blood related diseases. “Tennis is a very popular sport and is enjoyed by all ages and both genders,” said Lerner.

Running two events at the same time, some might wonder if people could play golf and tennis during the same day, as many who love one sport also love the other. “We did this (added the tennis event) to maximize the event. Our tennis portion was played at the same time as the golf took place and although the golfers were both men and women, all of the tennis players were women. Couples did attend and met up at our Cocktail reception and awards dinner immediately following the golf and tennis outings,” said Lerner.

Both sports at the event were popular and the event was very successful. “As our first tennis tournament ever, we had the full compliment of tennis players (for the number of courts that the club had) which were a total of 20 players who competed in a round robin tournament. We raised an additional 10K from the tennis. We had a tennis awards (outdoor) luncheon with vendors showcase and where the tennis participants shopped and more money was raised,” said Lerner. “We had 100 golfers (full capacity) take place and we raised over $115,000 in total for cancer research.”

“The SASS Foundation for Medical Research Inc. has been in existence for over 21 years. Our co-founders, Barbara and Marty Sass pay all of the general operating expenses so that all monies raised go directly to funding cancer research, patient care, and education. We are a 501(c)(3) public charity and we are committed to research, educating medical professions and providing resources and educating the public at large on the latest therapies and treatments. Research and education is how we make headway into finding cures,” said Lerner.

The Friendswood High School Tennis Team (Friendswood, Texas) of holds a unique tennis fundraiser: it is 48-straight hours of tennis playing. From Friday at 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 pm. Sunday on August 3rd through August 5th at the Friendswood High School, the Mustangs Tennis Team will play tennis with anyone making a donation. If you are interested in a 3:00 a.m. game of tennis, this is the place for you!

The tennis event is successful and quite popular in the community. “They (Friendswood High School) have done it in the past before I came to work here and it has been very successful fundraiser. It has been running for three years and they have done it every other year. The kids love it. We get a lot of community support here. We have about 75 to 100 from the community and about 65 kids working the event. The kids play in 4 hour shifts and they have to play tennis the whole time they are there. The people from the community come out and that’s how we raise money and they challenge the kids to play and they donate money to play the tennis team,” said Andi Morman, the Coach of the tennis team. The Friendswood High School has a Freshman, JV, 10th and 11th and also a Varsity Tennis Team. All of the tennis teams participate in this event. “Last year we did some car washes but we’ve found that this one is the main one that we really need. The kids liked it but they liked the (tennis) marathon a lot more,” said Mormon.

Mormon is the high school tennis coach. She has been there for two years, and is going into her third year. “I love working with children especially high school age. I played tennis in high school, it’s my passion. During college I also taught tennis. The secret to playing good tennis: one you have to love the game and if you want to play competitively it’s a lot of hard work. It’s a sport you can play your whole life,” said Mormon.

To play tennis it is done on donation. “From five dollars to five hundred dollars, they can donate whatever amount they want,” said Mormon. This year’s event made close to $11,000, up from last year’s event earning $9,500. They sold t-shirts and snack foods at a concession stand which helped to raise about $1,500.

The money goes to a very worthy – and tennis-focused cause that makes the kids happy. “Funds raised will be used to cover expenses of the team’s annual pilgrimage to Corpus Christi in September for the Little State Team Tennis Tournament,” said Mormon. Funds also help with other team and court necessities. The school pays for the hotel and the bus that is chartered for the trip, but these funds pay for all other expenses related to the Corpus Christi event. The trip costs about $6,000. They will also get new uniforms for the team and court benches.

“The kids look forward to it. It’s a big tournament, four hours from where we are. Play four different team matches, different schools, it’s a big tournament they have in Corpus Christi every year. The kids can win big trophies,” said Mormon.

Creating a Successful Event with Dedicated Volunteers

“Next year we hope to have the golf and tennis at a club that has larger facilities and accommodations so that we can have more tennis players involved. A not-for-profit needs to make certain that when implementing a tennis tournament that they have very capable (which we did) tennis co-chairs who know how to run the tennis tournament and have peers that will attend. Our 2 tennis co-chairs were just phenomenal!” said Lerner. They also had twelve dedicated volunteers assisting with every aspect of the event. The tennis tournament included a brunch, a round robin tournament, outdoor awards luncheon and a vendor’s showcase. Players were given the option of attending a cocktail reception and an award buffet dinner.

Funds were raised with this event through underwriting sponsorships for both tennis and golf, such as event sponsor, lunch sponsor or a dessert sponsor. “We also sold raffles, and ‘lucky bucks’ and also held a sports silent auction,” said Lerner.

The major fundraising event for the SASS Foundation each year is their annual Black Tie Gala and Dinner Dance and Casino. This event is held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, New York. Last year’s event raised over $550,000 for medical research and this year’s event anticipates to do even better.

The Friendswood High School event has 65 tennis team players volunteers. They also have approximately 50 to 60 parents. “They put the whole event together (the parents). They get everything ready to go. Have great parent support. They get the tents and tables and chairs donated. Parents also work in four hour shifts; there are parents there around the clock. There are four to six parents there at the event for each shift. The parents are really behind this event, they love it,” said Mormon.

“My kids play in 4 hour shifts and the people playing them typically play for two hours. If no one challenges them, they’ll play each other,” said Mormon. The players will play more than one shirt at this event, they play at least two shifts. They may play one Friday and one on Saturday. They also get a break during the event.

“Its something that the community loves, they look forward to playing the kids on the team,” said Mormon. Some people play for two days of the tournament, others play all three days. They return over and over again to play tennis with the students.

Someone might wonder: who plays at 3:00 a.m.? With a 49-hour tournament, someone is always playing! “Mostly the varsity kids play in the middle of the night, the younger ones are there during the middle of the day. Usually the people from the community play until about 1:00 a.m. Then they come back at 6:00 a.m., but between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. it’s just my kids playing,” said Mormon.

Interested in Running A Tennis Tournament? Consider These Tips!

“In order to make an event like this work, you need a lot of volunteers and a lot of help. You need to have people to help you. If it is at a school you have the ability to get a lot of parent help. If it is through the community you could go about getting sponsors to help. Through the school I think it is easier because you can get a lot of parents that are eager to help,” said Mormon. She has found that typically the parents volunteer when their children are there. So if a tennis player is playing in the early hours of the morning, their parent is there as well.

Mormon also suggests using all the resources that you have available to you. “If you know people, get with them as soon as possible. Early planning helps a lot. We started planning, a parent meeting in April to get ready for August. We start taking donations in May. About 50% of donations taken in May, mostly business donations. Individual donations came at the tennis marathons. On the t-shirts we put all of the big sponsors, they donated early to get the recognition,” said Mormon. She states that “early planning is key,” for this type of event.

No matter the size or type of organization, a tennis tournament can be a great idea. Tennis can be played in every season: fall, spring and summer outdoors and in the winter indoors. This may just be the ideal fundraiser for your organization!

The Fraternal Order of Eagles hosted a motorcycle race to benefit charity. The 54-mile race “Poker Run” raised money for research for Alzheimer’s disease and also Muscular Dystrophy. The event held on June 24^th raised $2,000 for the charities. It was the largest Poker Run since the event first began three years ago.

The group, 700 members strong, is well-known for its charitable works. They have raised approximately $90,000 for good causes, such as youth sports leagues and wheelchairs for the Marlborough Hospital in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

The motorcycle ride attracted riders from many locations, such as Hudson, Marlborough and other Metrowest towns in Massachusetts. The Poker Run event was a 54-mile loop that included stops at several local stores before finally returning to the Marlborough Fish and Game club for the picnic and concert finale.

At each stop along the way, motorcycle riders were given a playing card. The rider who wound up with the best poker hand at the end of the ride won $150 in prize money. This year’s winner was Jeremy Erlandson who had four sixes in his poker hand.

Alonzo Mourning, a basketball player for the Miami Heat, held the 11^th annual Zo’s Summer Groove. The event was held over five days and began with basketball clinics. The event also included a golf tournament on Thursday, and a comedy show, benefit dinner, block party and all-star basketball game held over the weekend Mourning’s goals are to assist at-risk kids in getting off the streets and into after school programs that are enriching and rewarding. He also hopes to give them opportunities to learn about art and sports and to help them aim higher, to attend high school and graduate from college.

The event included celebrities such as rapper T.I., Mike Epps formerly from Def Comedy Jam, Dwayne Wade (another Miami Heat player) and actress Gabrielle Union.

The comedy show and concert were held at the Hard Rock Live Arena at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. Comedians included Katt Williams, Marvin Dixon, Benji Brown and Gary Owen.

The Publix ZSG Benefit Dinner and Auction was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami. The auction included a personal meeting with the Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, a kids’ birthday party with Dwayne Wade and custom art by David ‘LEBO’ Le Batard.

The Volkswagen ZSG Block Party was held at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The event included music, food, rides and entertainment. Miami DJs entertained the crowd. The Carnival Cruise Lines ZSG All-Star Basketball Game was also held at the American Airlines Arena inMiami. It featured top NBA players such as Damien Wilkins from Seattle, Mike James fromHouston and Antawn Jamison from D.C.

An important event of the week is Saturday’s Youth Summit. This all-day long event includes activities and “rap” sessions where at-risk youth can ask questions of celebrities such as Mourning.

The first Zo’s Summer Grove was held in 1997. This year’s event is anticipated to raise $1 million dollars.

Danielle Miller was the type of person who made friends easily and people that loved her remember her “fun-loving” personality and sense of competition when it came to volleyball.

Miller died from injuries related to a car accident on March 12, 2004. She was vacationing in Florida on spring break from college. Miller was a volleyball player at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

On Saturday, June 23rd, 24 volleyball teams participated in the fourth annual Danielle Miller Memorial Volleyball Tournament. It was held at Sideout’s bar and eatery in Island Lake. The event is organized by Miller’s mother and has raised approximately $6,000 each year for the last four years for volleyball scholarships in Miller’s name.

Miller was on partial scholarship during her sophmore season. Her coach was going to award her a full scholarship when she returned from spring break.

With the proceeds from the charity tournament, Miller’s mother and father supervise a $1,000 scholarship toward graduating seniors from McHenry County that wish to pursue the “Libero” position at a Division 1 institution. They have also donated a $2,000 scholarship the last four years to the “Libero” at UNC-Charlotte.

The volleyball tour was first held July 17th 2004 at Spikes in Crystal Lake. They had 150 people. Now “well over 200 people” turn out for the memorial tournament. Registrations are typically taken off of the website and also through Sideouts, where the tournament is held.

Annual Volleyball Tournament Grows More Popular Each Year

The tournament will be held every year fourth Saturday in June. “The location can change, Sideouts has 5 courts and we fill all 5 courts. We are always on the lookout for a larger location. We do like the location they have, it is a great place but we had to turn away teams this year because we didn’t have enough room for them. But Sideouts is a beautiful location and the players love the environment,” said Degraw.

“One of the Nice things about this event is we have some very competitive teams in the pro division and so if someone is looking to play top quality competitive volleyball, they have that here. There are also recreational teams to play — so you’ve really got the best of both worlds.”

Finding players seems to be easy for the tournament, as both Degraw and her daughter are passionate players. They know many volleyball enthusiasts and people who love Danielle are always ready to come to the tournament. “Myself and my daughter also play, so we have a lot of friends that play, it is a lot of ‘word of mouth’ and also Danielle’s friends,” said Degraw. “Danielle was very popular and very active. Our community was very supportive and very tight. We are fortunate to have people around us to have helped make this very successful event.”

Registration For A Sports Event Can Be A Challenge

“The only challenging part of it is the registration process. We do offer pre registration and we offer a discount if they do sign up ahead of time. But people wait to see what the weather will be like. So there is always a delay, and this is something to look out for. We do a number of different things, but still we have to do all of the bracketing the day of and it takes forty five minutes the day of and you start a little later than you’d like to. But we also have the benefit of some coaches who do this for a living and they help out,” said Degraw. They have also had some weather trouble. But volleyball players will play in just about anything

“People play in all weather — except lightening and tornadoes. We did have some rain this year in the morning but everyone showed up. The rain stopped by noon.”

The Meaning of The Event is Clear When Meeting the Scholarship Winners

The event is very meaningful because it raises money that gives scholarship money to deserving players, just like Danielle. “I know the challenges we faced with Danielle getting a scholarship because of her size. This year I talked to two girls and one of them had the same struggles and it was amazing the similarities she had, it was extremely rewarding to hand that check off and say make it happen. Danielle must be looking down saying ‘thanks’ for not just – that her life wasn’t in vain. I know that if it were reversed, that she would be proud to recieve this,” said Degraw.

The event has had sponsors in the past. “I’m a fund-raiser by profession and I’ve been really busy, so this year I didn’t work as hard on it (obtaining sponsors). Sponsorships will go on the T-shirt and they will also have tables. One lady had vitamin therapy. There is sponsorship available for T-shirt logos and also we have had bag sponsors where people could donate toothbrushes. Taco Bell gave us coupons, and these would be in the registration bag that people would get for free,” said Degraw. Degraw works for an organization that helps homeless men and children.

The event is so popular that people have asked if Degraw would consider doing another event. “I have been asked about doing an indoor tournament in the fall, that is something I might consider for the future.”

Taking a Moment to Honor a Special Girl with a Tremendous Spirit

“The most rewarding thing about the tournament is seeing everyone show up in support of the event. The most fun is providing the scholarship checks to the participants. The atmosphere is light, there is a lot of music playing, there is food and socialization and it is a lot of fun,” said Degraw. To honor Danielle in a special way at noon everything stops and they toast her. Those 21 and over can have an alcholic beverage and the under 21s can have a water or a soft drink.

The Epilepsy Foundation has planned the first-ever National Walk for Epilepsy, to be held in Washington DC. On March 31, 2007 thousands of people will walk the 5K route from Constitution Avenue to Jefferson Drive on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness and money for epilepsy research.

The event takes place on the first day of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and should bring 5,000 walkers to help raise money to support programs to eliminate stigma and raise awareness of epilepsy.

“Epilepsy is the most-common neurological condition in almost three million Americans, but few people know that it can affect anyone, anywhere at any time,” said Eric R. Hargis, President and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. “The goals of the Walk are to raise public awareness about the condition and to secure much needed funding to find a cure. We are also striving to create an environment where people living with epilepsy have equal access to all life experiences.”

The National Walk for Epilepsy is hosted by The Epilepsy Foundation, a national voluntary health organization established in 1967, works to ensure that people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences; to improve how people with epilepsy are perceived, accepted and valued in society; and to promote research for a cure.

The event is sponsored by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics. “Ortho-McNeil Neurologics is very excited to be a part of the National Walk for Epilepsy, because our commitment to the epilepsy community extends beyond providing treatment,” said Janet Vergis, President, Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc.

Honorary Chair for this first-ever Walk is actor Greg Grunberg, who is best-known for his television roles as Sean Blumberg on Felicity, Eric Weiss on Alias, and Matt Parkman on NBC’s new hit show, Heroes. Greg and his wife Elizabeth’s 10-year-old son, Jake, has epilepsy. “It is such an honor to participate in any way we can to raise awareness in the fight against epilepsy,” Grunberg said. “To be able to march on Washington with those directly effected and their families lets our family know we are not alone.”