The type of product you select for your fundraiser may determine when you start and end your fundraiser, and whether the campaign will require mandatory or voluntary participation by the players and their parents.   In fact, the product selected may also determine the number of hours of adult volunteer help that will be needed.   

Two of the most productive fundraising ideas for sports teams have traditionally been fundraising discount cards and gourmet food items (such as pizza, cookie dough, cheesecakes, soft pretzels, etc.).   These two product lines actually represent two very distinct types of fundraisers.   That is, they each possess unique characteristics that require different methods or procedures for implementation. 

Fundraising Discount Cards

Discount card fundraisers are the easier of the two.  They require almost no work and usually 100% of the players participate.  Fundraising discount cards are also very easy to sell because of the terrific discounts that are offered to prospective buyers.  With a discount card fundraiser, collecting the proceeds as the cards are distributed to an organization’s members makes for very easy fundraising.  Furthermore, discount cards offer the added advantage of being compatible with online registrations since the money can be collected online with the registration fees and the cards can be mailed to the registrants—or they can be distributed during the first or second week of team practices.

One of the great things about fundraising discount cards is that they can be constructed so they do not conflict with any other discount card that may have been offered in a community.  When you think about it, customers are really buying the discounts and not the cards—and many people carry discount cards from more than one organization.

Gourmet Food Fundraisers

Gourmet food fundraisers, unlike discount card fundraisers, usually utilize an order-taker.  Order-taker-type fundraisers do not lend themselves well to starting at player registrations.  Since these order-taker fundraisers rely on voluntary participation, it is better to start them when the players' collective enthusiasm for their sport is highest and the players can be motivated to participate.   Sales incentives for the participants are especially effective in both encouraging participation and in generating a higher average level of sales per participant.  Statistics show that the best period of productivity is between the time the teams have formed and at least a week or two prior to Opening Day.

In addition, gourmet food fundraisers incur almost no risk of getting stuck with unsold product.  Since your members will be collecting money as they take food orders, they will be required to remit that money when they turn in their customers’ orders.  Your organization will be ordering only the food that was sold and paid for, so there is no risk of ending up with product for which no payment was received. 

There are some things you can do to enhance the performance of your next fundraiser, and they are discussed in Champion's Success Guide, "Three Elements of a Successful Youth Sports Fundraiser". 

You may want to check out Champion's FAQs Page.  This website page offers an excellent side-by-side comparison of these two very popular and easy fundraising ideas for sports teams—fundraising discount cards and gourmet food fundraisers—in a question-and-answer format.  

Finally, if you would like to receive samples of Champion's discount cards or food brochures, just Click Here For Free Samples.

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