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FRESH FUNDRAISING IDEAS FOR YOUR HOCKEY TEAM...
Fundraising Ideas for Hockey Moms and Associations
We all know how expensive ICE HOCKEY fees/ travel/ tournaments can be. Many associations incorporate fundraising fees into registration, while others offer a “cash back” incentive for funds raised.
When asked for your fundraising ideas, you responded with a lot of great ideas and suggestions. Before you take any of these on, remember that each community is unique and will provide different opportunities for successful fundraising.
**please consider any legal restrictions/requirements (e.g. lottery number) before trying these fundraisers in your area!
Dances
Consider having a dance for the parents of your hockey players. You can raise money by selling tickets, but also solicit door prizes or prizes for silent auctions from parents or local businesses. Bands are great, but you can save money by hiring a DJ. Having a “mixed ages” event so your kids can attend can be fun, but sometimes it’s nice for the parents to have a night out to celebrate their commitment to their kids and hockey!
Game nights/Pub Nights/Bowling Nights
Game nights/pub nights are similar to “Dances” in that they are usually for the parents, but can also be arranged to include children. First you need a location. Consider hosting at a restaurant where they might donate portions of profits back to your team, or a bowling alley, where you can all partake in the fun! You could use a hall, and have pot luck, or get it catered. At game nights/pub nights you can have silent auctions, casino games, loonie stick draw, or just hang out and play darts, crib, or pool. This is another great chance for parents to “hang out” away from the arena!
Raffle Tickets
Do you have something people want? Why not sell tickets on it and raffle it off? You can ask local businesses for donations for prizes, or maybe you know a current or past NHLer who would be willing to donate some memorabilia. One Hockey Mom wrote that they have ask every team in their association to donate one “bottle of liquor” that are then assembled into Large (1st place), Medium (2nd place) and Small (3rd place) baskets of booze. Tickets are then sold on these baskets. Hockey Moms report that this is an especially popular activity around
Christmas time.
Don’t have prizes? Some associations require all players to sell books of tickets. Prizes can be monetary (e.g. First prize=$1,000, three smaller prizes of $500, or whatever). Really, raffles are very simple ways of making money.
Salad Party
Have each team member donate a salad and set up your own salad bar after practice or a game. Many rinks have party rooms where this can easily be held.
Pancake Breakfast
Those early morning practices are killer. Use them to your advantage and set up a pancake breakfast.
Community Barbecue
Do you want to raise the profile of your association and make some cash? Consider a community barbecue! Some grocery stores will donate food for the event, other stores might offer to “match your sales” if you park out front and bring bodies into their store. Or, have a “booth” at your local fair and offer an alternative to candy floss and candy apples. If you have the manpower to help out, community barbecues can bring in some good income and make you visible in your community, too!
Holiday gift wrap
Do you ever notice wrapping at the holidays gets harder and harder each year? Set up a table in the rink's party room and charge a few bucks per package to wrap them. Have local businesses donate paper and bows.
Garage Sale/ Used equipment sale
Who needs to get rid of stuff cluttering up your house? Every Hockey Mom I know. Hold an association garage sale and get rid of all that unwanted stuff and raise some money for your association in the process.
Car Wash
Car washes are great ways to get kids involved in fundraising. Make sure you have a location with lots of water, great signs to attract customers, and lots of kids (and some adults to supervise) to help out. With our great Canadian seasons, this one is best undertaken during summer months.
Poker Night
Make sure you check regarding local regulations, but poker nights can be lucrative fundraisers. Charge each person entering $50 to $100 to enter, then have Texas Holdem elimination tournaments until the winner and a couple others take home some cash. Beware! If you have a lot of players, this can go on for a while!
Golf Tournament
Anyone who has played in an association golf tournament knows that these can be a lot of fun! They are also great ways to make money for your teams. Registration fees are paid by “foursomes” who typically, with registration, will receive a cart, 18 holes of “best ball” golf, and dinner. Canvass local businesses, restaurants, liquor suppliers for items for “goody bags” to hand out to each player. Have signs made up and ask local businesses to “sponsor a hole” at your tournament. Their business name then is placed on a sign stuck in the ground for all golfers to see (there is an initial cost to this, but if you are planning your tournament as an annual event, you can re-use these…or ask another association that holds golf tournaments if you can borrow their signs). Have prizes for longest drive and closest to the pin (one for men, one for women). After golf is finished, have prizes for winning teams (best score men, best score ladies, best score mixed, most honest score). This is when the real money making takes place, because you can have a silent auction, and a live auction for donated items. Golf tournaments are a lot of work, but can bring in a lot of money, while giving adults an opportunity to “play”.
Skeet shooting tournament
The same as above but do it on the shooting range... pull...
Ball Tournament
Do you miss your Hockey Parents during the summer? Organize a mixed team slow pitch tournament. Charge teams a fee for entry, then sell 50-50 tickets, and have a “homerun” contest (for men and women, $5.00 for 5 balls). You might even be able to make money off a barbecue, depending on your local facilities.
Selling Cookbooks
Are your Hockey Moms fabulous cookers? Well then compile your recipes! If you have technology savvy person, perhaps they can format and make their own, or find one of the companies that specialize in making cookbooks. This is a nice way to share all those meals cooked by Hockey Moms in Canada.
Sell Something!
Set up a team Ebay account where you can sell items with profits going to your team.
Hockey Spirit Fundraising Calendars offer Hockey themed Calendars that are sold for $20.00 each with $10.00 from each calendar going back to your team. This is an organization wanting to make a difference for Hockey associations everywhere. Also check out their helpful fundraising tips.
Have another item you’ve sold successfully? Send me the name of the product, and the link to their website and I’ll add it here!
If you have a wonderful fundraiser idea submit it here. We will add it to our list!
