You'd probably do cartwheels, handstands, or back-flips if you knew it would help raise money for your team, right? Maybe you'd walk a tightrope, walk on coals or even lie on a bed of nails if you knew would generate funds and provide financial support for your school or team. However, these feats are better left with cheerleaders, circus performers, and mystics. So, how do we raise money for our athletes?

Challenges

Team sports are a critical part of an education; students learn how to effectively manage stress and develop social, leadership and teamwork skills. These vital characteristics prepare our youth for life's challenges. Our future leaders are on today's playing fields; our current athletes will become tomorrow's professionals, businessmen, and scientists.

The need to protect and preserve school sports is crucial. How can we do this in the face of massive and never-ending budget cuts? The following suggestions are proven methods to support athletic programs.

Solutions

Booster Clubs

A booster club can make a major difference in the success of your fundraising efforts. These clubs consist of students, fans, parents, and other supporters whose singular goal is to raise money. Examples of club activities include raffles and food sales; apparel bearing a school logo is also a popular sales item. Blankets and decals showcasing school logos, mottos and brands are proven moneymakers, as we'll detail below. Clubs can also charge membership fees to raise funds. Ultimately, the most effective booster clubs are those that generate excitement and recognize personal fundraising efforts with prizes and rewards.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding consists of asking a "crowd" of people to contribute a small amount of money to a fundraising cause. Creating an online profile, where the goal of the effort is explained, generates publicity for the initiative. People pledge their money online via credit card. When the goal amount is reached, credit cards are charged, and rewards are dispersed. Examples of rewards are restaurant or retail gift cards and limited edition items.

One of the more well-known crowdfunding resources is Kickstarter, a company that guides projects from start to finish and collects the donor pledges for the Campaign Manager along the way. Film director Spike Lee recently used Kickstarter to raise money for a 2013 movie. With 6,421 pledges, he was able to exceed his goal of $1.25 million.

Parent-Teacher Association/Organizations

Fundraising is one of the many functions of a PTA/PTO. The most successful efforts incorporate the following strategies, as explained in PTO Today magazine.

1. Limit fundraisers to two or three per year.

2. Create a plan. Carefully consider all of the possible factors that could influence your efforts, including the number of sponsors and amount of time needed. The average fundraiser takes 6 months from beginning to end. Break the plan up into small tasks and delegate them to specific people.

3. Set a goal. Check with the school principal, team coaches and other potential stakeholders to avoid a conflict. Consider conducting a parent survey to see what kind of project they would support. Review prior fundraising budgets, and compare current vs. projected costs. Most importantly, determine the most reasonable estimate of projected profit.

4. Avoid selling the same or similar items as other groups in your area.

5. Stick to a schedule.

6. Conduct advance promotion two weeks prior to an event i.e., send flyers home with students, etc.

7. Put up promotional posters around the school to raise student awareness.

8. Set up a sample display of your product in a high-traffic area in the school.

9. Recognize student participation with prizes and other rewards.

Examples of tried and true PTA/PTO projects are: carnivals and car washes, as well as sales of products such as gift-wrap, candy, cookie dough, magazines, books, and Auntie Anne's pretzels. Seasonal successes include flower bulbs, plants, holiday gifts, candles, baked goods, chocolate, and school logo flip-flops.

For further information, including the expected profit from some of these endeavors, go to http://www.abcfundraising.com/fundraising/pta-fundraisers.htm, or click here:

Press Releases

Press releases are a great way to raise awareness of your fundraising efforts. A person with solid writing skills can create a press release using an online template. Go to http://www.templatepressrelease.com/ for guidance in writing and dispatching a press release.

Spirit-Themed Products

According to a survey of parent group leaders, product sales yield more profit than other efforts, and spirit-themed products are especially successful because they generate enthusiasm and take school pride to a new level. The following “wow-worthy” promotional items will fortify your sports budget:

1. Spirit Wrap™ Mascot Blankets

These are professionally designed, silky-soft blankets that pop with your choice of image and colors. Mascot blankets make great prizes and gifts, serve as souvenirs of graduation or team accomplishments, and create solidarity among students.

Blanket Construction and Design

Spirit Wrap™ Mascot Blankets are available in two incredibly soft fabrics. Each measures a generous 60" x 80" and are both machine washable.

Nubay Plush™ is thick and weighs approximately 4 lbs.  It's soft, durable, and serves as the background for your catchy logo in dazzling colors. This blanket will keep your fans and school supporters warm and cozy in the bleachers, car, or home. With a suggested retail price of $55 and a $25 per-blanket profit, this blanket will make your fundraising dreams come true!

Nubay Lite™ provides soft, tantalizing comfort. It's the perfect complement to a picnic or sunning at the beach. Weighing only 2 lbs, this blanket will wrap its owner in lightweight delight. At a suggested retail price of only $45 with a $20 per-blanket profit, this blanket has become a best seller nationwide!

Blanket Sales Support

Although the blankets virtually sell themselves, your success is sealed in the following ways:

·      Free advertising kit

·      Free website creation to support your retail sales efforts

·      Professional marketing program through GroupRateIt

·      Cost savings with pre-payment and 50% down

·      Flexible payment plans

Getting Started

Here's how the production process works:

·      Click Here to upload your artwork or e-mail your school logo, colors, and artistic elements to one of our Relationship Managers at ashlin@spectatorblanket.com.

·      Talented designers create a draft blanket in various stunning styles

·      You’ll be presented with 3-4 spectacular options for review and approval

·      You select your favorite, and production begins!

Your Assurance of Quality

Spirit Wrap™ Blankets are made of a quality polyester blend and heat-set colors that will not bleed or run. Each blanket is carefully inspected to ensure an extremely soft, fluffy, and flawless product.

2. Spirit Stick™ Decals

Another profitable means to support your team is through the sale of Spirit Stick™ decals. These are removal vinyl stickers made to match your Spirit Wrap™ Blanket. Suggested retail price is $10.

PROVEN SUCCESS OF PRODUCT SALES

A 2007 survey of PTO members conducted by the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers (AFRDS) showed that product sales were the most effective fundraising projects by PTOs. The research concluded that product sales generate substantial funds in a short period of time. It also found that people respond better to fundraising efforts when approached with one large project rather than a series of solicitations.

MAKING EFFORTS COUNT

In order prevent spending your valuable time on projects that may not succeed, consider the following factors:

Timing

Seven out of 10 PTOs stated their most successful fundraisers took place in August, September, or October.

Volunteers

Here's a guideline for the average number of volunteers needed for a given fundraising project:

    School carnival - 59

    Auction - 28

    Walk-a-thon - 22

    Breakfast/dinner - 17

    Raffles - 17

    Product sales - 7

    Restaurant nights - 6

Conclusion

This article comes to you from High School Blanket, by way of GroupRateIt where we want your high school athletes to receive the greatest possible benefit from your fundraising efforts!

To calculate your potential profits from Spirit Wrap™ products, use our Instant Quote Tool by going to http://spectatorblanket.com/starter/instantquote.aspx, or by Clicking Here

We hope these suggestions will bring great dividends and help keep your high school athletes in the game!

1cnbc.com/id/101136608#.

2ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/24-keys-to-fundraising-success

3/fundraisingedge.org/2013/06/small-change-big-impact-the-little-things-schools-can-do-to-improve-results/