Softball Fundraising Ideas

Team athletics, especially travel and league softball, require additional funding for uniforms, equipment and travel costs. Parents usually carry most of the burden but many teams will typically add a few fundraising events throughout the season to ease the financial stress.

  1. Donation Card Program

    • Drum up money for your softball team through a discount card that features discounts on products and services from local businesses. Ask team members and their parents to approach local restaurants, ice cream parlors and retailers with your proposal. The pitch is that they will be featured on this card and promise the bearer a certain discount on a specific product. Before you go out, enlist an attorney's assistance, preferably one of the team member's parents, to create a contract for businesses to sign.

      For example, talk to John's Ice Cream Parlor and ask the manager if he will support your softball team by participating in your discount card program. If he agrees, ask him what kind of discount he is willing to give on which product for one year. For instance, he could promise a free waffle cone with the purchase of one scoop of ice cream.

      Be sure the card expiration date is included in the contract. Ask for camera ready art work so you can feature the ice cream parlor's logo and design on the card. Give a local printer the discount card information, size, number and design specifications, along with your deadline. Once the cards are printed enlist team members to sell the cards to classmates, neighbors, friends and, for parents, co-workers. A reasonable fee is approximately $10 per card, featuring discounts from 10 businesses and restaurants.

    Fundraising Softball Tournament

    • Hold a softball tournament to raise money for your team. Give the tournament a fun name and advertise on your division's website that your team is hosting a division wide weekend softball tournament. Charge a fee per team or per player, which includes getting to play in the game and a commemorative T-shirt that you can have designed by a local T-shirt vendor or at home using your computer. Be specific about team brackets and which team is playing at what time during the day.

      Make arrangements to ask the umpire, officials and refreshment vendors to donate time to help run the tournament. Ask team members' parents to assist with organizing and running the tournament. Be sure your team takes responsibility for the field, clean up and any required maintenance after the tournament.

    Grocery Store Donation Campaign

    • Provide bags of hot, buttery popcorn to grocery store patrons for giving donations to your softball team. Ask permission from your local grocery store to set up a table and take donations outside the entrance. Choose a busy weekend or weekday to sell popcorn and set up a table complete with a plastic table cloth and team decorations. Bring jerseys, bats, balls and team photos to display on the table.

      Rent a hot oil popcorn machine from an equipment rental or party store and make sure that it works before you begin asking for donations. Purchase red and white striped bags for the popcorn and any accessories needed for the sale. Have one batch of popcorn pre-popped before you arrive at the location to have something to sell.

      Ask other team members to take two-hour shifts selling popcorn and ask them to come dressed in uniform. Be sure the team understands the rules of selling outside the store, such as no harassing customers or walking after them into the store.