5 Steps to Running a Safe and Successful Fundraiser during COVID-19

Need fundraising ideas for your cheer or gymnastics teams? Here are 4 easy fundraising ideas that you can do at your all star cheerleading or gymnastics gym that actually make money!

Step 1: Price Uniforms To get started with Uniform/Warm Up Sponsorship you’ll need to price the cost of uniforms and warm ups to your team members. It’s important all costs are taken into considerations so the team knows exactly how much they need to get sponsored. Now that you know the total cost, break it down for the individual portions of the uniform or warm up, such as the arms, legs, logos, and more. Check out the examples from Cheer Force Arkansas below for ideas on how to break down the uniform and warm up cost. Once you have the prices ready you are ready for the sponsorship form! Step 2: Create Sponsorship Form The second step of the Uniform/Warm Up Sponsorship fundraiser is creating a sponsorship form that explains the parts of the uniform and corresponding prices. This is also a great place to include instructions for the benefit of both the sponsors and team members. Be sure to provide pictures of the uniform or warm up so that sponsors have a better idea of what they are investing in. It’s also a great idea to provide an option to sponsor the full cost of the uniform, if a business does this consider offering them an advertisement on your website or social media. Take a look at the sample sponsorship form and instructions from Cheer Force Arkansas. Tweak them as you see fit for your team’s needs and use your new forms to go out and find some sponsors! SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONS: 1.Individuals or Businesses may sponsor all or part of the uniform. 2. Make checks payable to CFA 3. If a Business sponsors the entire uniform (cost of the uniform, shipping, and sales tax) they will receive the following in advertisement: a. Once all sponsors are accumulated, we will list their name under “Thanks to our Sponsors” on a Cheer Force Facebook post. 4. All money is due no later than Mon., August 17th.

Step 1: Scheduling The first step is to iron out the details of your event so that you can successfully market and execute your Parent's Night Out. A Thursday or Friday evening may work best for most parents but be sure to plan it for an evening that your team will be in town and available to work the event. You’ll also need a few adult staff members on hand to supervise the event. Set a reasonable time frame. Parents may not have time for a date or to run errands if you only set the event for an hour. 3 to 3.5 hours is the perfect length so both kids and parents have time to have a great time! Step 2: Plan Activities and Snacks Now that you've scheduled the time you'll have to decide on activities for your event. You can have an open gym with a few organized games or have the event be structured from beginning to end. Brainstorm and come up with games and activities that fit your gym! You might already have games from birthday parties or other events you’ve hosted that could be repurposed for Parent’s Night Out! Decide on the snacks you will provide, keep in mind that hosting the event in the evening will mean your guests are hungry. Be sure to avoid common allergens like peanuts. It’s up to you to decide whether you’d like to do smaller, prepackaged snacks or have a pizza party. Remember the snacks will factor into your overhead costs for your fundraiser so keep that in mind when you set the price! Step 3: Set Price We recommend a price of about $20-$25 but you can decide what you think is fair for the event you are hosting. Once you subtract the cost of snacks, games, and staff the remaining profit is what you have earned for your team! The profit can go towards competition fees, uniforms, tuition, or booster club accounts for the older athletes who helped staff it. Step 4: Market and Sell Tickets Now that you have all of the details planned for Parent’s Night Out it’s time to sell tickets! Market the event on your social media and encourage all of your participating team members to share. Create a Facebook Event where parents can find all of the information, buy tickets, and rsvp all in one place! For more information on how to create a Facebook event click here . Team members can also reach out to local friends and family members that may be in need of a night out. Be sure to create a registration deadline so that you have enough time to make sure you have enough snacks and supplies for every participant. Step 5: Host the Event The time has come to host your Parent’s Night Out! There’s one important thing to remember — Have fun! Make this a memorable experience so that your guests and their parents will want to come back again and again. Who knows? You may even be hosting some future team members! Be sure you leave them with a great impression not just for the benefit of your business but for the benefit of the kids. This fundraiser takes a little more planning than some of our other Fantastic Fundraising Ideas but it is sure to be a rewarding experience for you and the families of your community. If you haven’t done Dream Team’s pillow and bed sheet fundraiser Click here to request an info packet or click the button below! Be sure to check back often to find more Fantastic Fundraising Ideas!

How does a Restaurant Partner Fundraiser work? Many restaurants offer local sports teams opportunities to fundraise at their establishments. The way this fundraiser works is to partner with a restaurant that will donate a percentage of sales (usually 10-15%) to your group on a designated night. This helps you raise funds and the restaurant gets the advantage of increased sales and advertising. A restaurant fundraiser requires very little planning and investment and can be very lucrative for your group and the restaurant! Curious as to how to run this fundraiser? Follow the three easy steps below to earn towards your goal and give back to your community! 1. Find Your Partner There are plenty of ways to find a restaurant for your gym to partner with. Maybe there is a local restaurant that you have worked with in the past, or a member of your team has a connection, or maybe you just reach out to a favorite restaurant of yours. We recommend trying to partner with local businesses, however many chains such as Chick Fil A and Chipotle offer fundraising partnerships that may work for you. Once you find your partner, you can discuss what your fundraiser will look like. You’ll need to decide whether your fundraiser will focus on to-go or dine-in, whether your group will assist in serving or preparations, and what date will work the best for everyone. This process will look a little different for everyone, but you’ll be able to work out a deal that will help out everybody! Once you get the planning out of the way, you’re ready to start advertising. 2. Advertise your Fundraiser Now is the time to spread the word about your fundraiser! Your restaurant partner may have media for you to share or you can make your own. Be sure to determine whether or not you need to make coupons or meal tickets to sell or give out to participants ahead of the fundraiser night. There are plenty of free, online assets like Canva that may help you make flyers, coupons or social media graphics! Spread the word on social media and encourage your team members to share and to invite their friends and family. If you need tips on how to advertise your fundraiser during a pandemic check out our blog post 5 Steps to Running a Safe and Successful Fundraiser during COVID-19. This is the most important part of your fundraiser — the more people you reach and invite the more your team will earn and the more business your partner gains! 3. Hold Your Fundraiser The night of your fundraiser has arrived! What happens now depends on what you worked out with your restaurant partner. Your team may be working the counter as “Celebrity Servers” or you may simply collect your earnings at the end of the night. Your hard work promoting your event is coming to fruition. Be sure to thank your restaurant partner and all your attendees for all of their help! Now, you can rest easy knowing you’re that much closer to your goal and you’ve done your part to help out your community! A Restaurant Partner Fundraiser is a simple, yet effective way to help out a local business and raise money for your team at the same time. If you haven’t done Dream Team’s pillow and bed sheet fundraiser Click here to request an info packet! Looking for more fundraising ideas? Don’t stress! There are more fantastic fundraisers to come so check back often for awesome ideas on how to achieve your team’s dreams!

This easy fundraiser involves collecting gift cards from participating team members for a gift basket. Then you make your profit by raffling off the basket. This fundraiser has a high potential for profit and provides both value and fun to your buyers! Read on to find out how to run this fundraiser in 3 simple steps. Step 1 — Gift Cards Begin the Gift Card Extravaganza by having participating athletes donate $25 in gift cards, this can be one $25 card or five $5 dollar cards or any combination in between. Set a goal in mind for the value of basket based on the number of participants on your team. 20 athletes each donating $25 means you’ll have $500 in gift cards! If you exceed your goal you can make additional, lower value baskets to raffle off as well. Everybody loves having more chances to win! Encourage your participants to get creative with their gift cards! Add a personal touch by choosing a favorite store, restaurant, or activity. Having a broad variety of gift cards means you can appeal to a wider section of buyers. You can even increase the value by adding vouchers or discounts for classes at your gym! Step 2 — The Basket Now that you’ve got your gift cards, it’s time to arrange them in your gift basket! Be creative in your design to entice more buyers. Think about your goals, the season, and your team when designing your basket. You may be able to create a theme based on an upcoming holiday or event! Arrange it so everyone can see the array of different gift cards they can win! Take photos and post them to social media to get the word out about your fundraiser. Encourage your participants to do the same so their friends and family can learn about the fundraiser! Step 3 — The Raffle Now you’re ready to sell raffle tickets to win the Gift Card Extravaganza. Set a price point that you think is fair, usually between $5 and $10. Have your participants sell raffle tickets and put the proceeds they make into their booster club or gym account. Set a sales goal for each athlete based on the cost of what you are trying to achieve. The more tickets they sell the more money they raise for their uniform, competition fees, etc. Buyers can purchase multiple tickets to support an athlete and increase their chances of winning! Place all of the tickets in a drawing pool and draw the winners beginning with the most valuable basket. Keep the community involved by drawing the winners on a live video on your gym’s Facebook or Instagram page. Set up a time for winners to pick up their baskets and you are all done! In only three easy steps your athletes have gotten so much closer to achieving their goals! Are you looking to run this or any fundraiser soon? Check out our recent post, 5 Steps to Running a Safe and Successful Fundraiser during COVID-19, for tips on how to keep yourself and your community safe while still working towards your team or squad’s financial goals! Don’t forget Dream Team Fundraising offers the opportunity to achieve your dreams by selling our luxurious, wrinkle-resistant sheets and pillows. Click here to learn more and request an information packet on how to launch a profitable, stress-free fundraiser with Dream Team. Check back often to find more awesome fundraising tips and ideas!