10 Types of Events You Can Host to Raise Money for Your Team
Hosting an event is a great way for your team members to bond outside the field but it’s also a great opportunity to connect with your fans. On top of that, hosting an event allows you to raise money for your team, whether you simply want to secure extra funds for your team’s gear or finance the trip to the next county championship.
In this post, we’ll share 10 event types that you can host so you can easily raise money for your team.
1. Auction Memorabilia
A true sports fan collects any and all memorabilia items from their favorite team. Use that as an opportunity to auction off items signed by your entire team as well as only signed by specific players.
A few ideas include:
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- Team jerseys signed by the corresponding player
- An extra baseball bat
- A spare soccer ball
- Coffee mugs
- Calendars
- Custom-made pens or stationery items
You can also take a look around your team headquarters and see which items you have laying around that are no longer used but still in good condition.
2. Auction a Date
In a similar fashion, if you coach or manage an adult team, you can auction a date with individual players. One approach to this involves a standard auction where the winning person gets a date with the player. However, you can also think outside the box and add an extra element of fun.
For example, you could make the date involve going to a specific location or tied to a holiday or tradition. Another idea is to make the date dress up in the winner’s favorite fictional character.
3. Breakfast With the Team
Breakfast with the team is a great way to get your fans engaged and motivated to attend. Chances are, most of them will be there to get to know their favorite players and spend some time with them.
You can pick and reserve a restaurant but you can also host the breakfast in your team’s quarters and make it more informal by letting players and fans bring their own breakfast dish potluck style or have the team players make pancakes for everyone.
4. Treasure Hunt
Treasure hunts are always fun, especially when you take some extra time to come up with a special prize. You can even pair the treasure hunt with another idea such as a date auction or breakfast with the team.
To make things easy, you can use an app like Actionbound or Huntzz to plan and organize an interactive scavenger or treasure hunt.
5. Host a Face-Painting Day
Face-painting is always fun and doesn’t have to be reserved for the game day alone. Besides, both adults and kids enjoy this activity. For this to work, you’ll need face paint in your team colors and someone who can do the face painting.
You can offer face painting of your team’s logo as well as offer custom face paint jobs of anything they want. This type of event can be hosted right before your big game or it can be tied to a holiday. But it’s fun enough to be a standalone event at any time during the year.
6. Barbeque or a Picnic
Similar to the idea of breakfast with the team, consider hosting a barbeque or a picnic during the warmer seasons of the year. Not only is this a fun opportunity to interact with your fans but it’s also a great time to spend a day relaxing. Pair this with a few fun activities and you have a perfect fundraising event on your hands.
To raise money, consider charging admission to the barbeque or picnic or charging a small fee per burger or sandwich.
7. Game Night
Video games can be fun in good measure, especially the oldies like the titles from Nintendo or even Atari. Consider renting a few older consoles or see if anyone on the team has an older console and organize a game night for you and your fans. The fans will have to pay an admission fee but the challenge is to beat your team at old-time favorites like Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and other games.
Alternatively, you can also host a table-top game night and opt for roleplaying games, strategy games, or even a good old-fashioned round of Sorry!
8. Comedy Night
Is your team always cracking jokes? If you have a resident joker on the team, consider hosting a comedy night. Your fans as the audience get to judge the comedy skills of your team players. Stand up comedy, improv, pranks… everything goes so don’t limit yourself to just one choice.
For an additional fee, your fans can even join in and participate if they think they can outdo your team members.
9. Obstacle Course
Put your fans’ agility to the test and let them compete against your team in an obstacle course. You can use your own field as the location and then use various props to create the course. Consider items such as ropes, balls, tires, and weights.
Decide whether participants can compete individually or in teams, get your team on board, and find a reliable judge to give out points and declare the final winner. You can even offer a prize such as a photo shoot with the team, a signed jersey, or game tickets.
10. Dance-a-Thon
For the last idea, all you need is a place large enough to hold all the participants such as your team’s usual venue. You’ll also need good music and a DJ volunteer. Plan this for a weekend so people don’t mind staying long into the night and come up with an attractive prize for the winner.
Don’t forget to check with your community and county if you need any type of special licensing to ensure you’re not accidentally breaking any rules.
Have Fun and Raise Money for Your Team At the Same Time
Raising money for your team can be fun when you host an event that will not only help you come up with the necessary funds but also allow you to build relationships within your team and with your fans. Don’t forget to download our cheat sheet with event ideas so you can keep it handy and use it as a starting point to brainstorm your event idea.