Owners and directors of competitive cheerleading organizations know that when you have a child involved in competitive cheerleading you learn a lot about two things—cheerleading and fundraising.  One is fun and exciting and the other . . . well . . . not so much.  That other thing wouldn’t be so bad if cheerleaders and parents didn’t have to do it so often or if they didn’t always have to ask the same people to buy the one thing they don’t need each month.  One learns very quickly that you can only go to the well so often before the people in your life start to engage in avoidance maneuvers when they see you coming with a fundraiser order-taker in your hand.

The world outside the gym is a lot harsher than it used to be before the housing bubble burst in 2008. There is no disputing the fact that people’s real income had declined in the previous decade and that what little disposable income is out there isn’t as disposable as it used to be.  Any extra dollars people may have are not being loosed from their grip very easily.  To make matters worse for cheer parents, there are fewer people out there who think that purchasing an item from your cookie dough fundraiser brochure is supporting a good cause.  Many people don’t know what competitive cheerleading is all about and, frankly, they’re just not as excited about that particular cause as the cheerleaders and their parents are.

Well, instead of offering a fundraiser that just takes money from people, how about offering a fundraiser that will save them some money?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have your cheerleaders engaged in a fundraiser that will actually give their fundraising customers an opportunity to support them without spending more money—or perhaps by saving money on things they would have purchased anyway?  Here are two high profit fundraisers from Champion Fundraising that are very easy to do—a lot easier than selling cookie dough or any other of the order-taker-type fundraisers.  They are two of the best sports fundraising ideas you’re likely to come across, and they’ll not only put bucks in the bank for your next competition, they’ll also give your all-star cheerleading organization some extra recognition in your community.

How A Magazine Storefront Can Be Used
To Support Cheerleading Fundraising

Your cheerleaders paid $15 for their annual subscription to American Cheerleader Magazine and the publisher got all the money.  If your cheerleading organization had its own online magazine store your cheerleaders would have paid $15 for American Cheerleader but $6.00 (40%) would have come back to you for their personal cheerleading account.  If some of your member families subscribed to a couple of other magazines—say, for example, Cooking Light and Time Magazine—and they renewed all three subscriptions at your online store at the same time, then they would each have paid $59.  However, if they would have ordered directly from the respective publishers they would have spent $4 more—or $63—because your magazine store will carry a lot of titles at lower prices than are available through the publisher.  In addition, you will get back $23.60 in cash on each of those orders that can be credited to the cheerleader’s personal account.  That’s not all.  Each of those families will receive a national $50 restaurant gift card which can be used toward meals at thousands of restaurants across the country . . . even in the city where your next competition will be held!

It keeps getting better.  Suppose your cheerleaders went to their neighbors’ homes and learned that some of those neighbors subscribe to several magazines?  They could help them save money on their subscription renewals and, any household that spent $50 or more would also get a free $50 restaurant gift card!  In addition, you would receive in cash 40% of whatever was spent for new or renewal subscriptions that you could credit to your cheerleaders’ account!  The really nice thing about this from the subscriber’s point of view is that the money used to renew these subscriptions is money that would have been spent anyway—so they are delighted they could help their neighbor without having to put out more money.  In fact, they may even save money, plus they may purchase enough to get that $50 restaurant gift card.

Here is something you can’t do with a cookie dough fundraiser:  Ask your cheerleaders to call some relatives who live in a neighboring state—or even several states away—and ask them to find out if those relatives subscribe to any magazines.  If they do, your cheerleaders should then ask them to renew their magazine subscriptions through your cheerleading organization’s online store.  In all probability they were going to renew their subscriptions anyway, so your cheerleaders are not asking them for money that wasn’t going to be spent on those magazines . . . plus your cheerleaders can tell their relatives that they will receive a $50 restaurant gift card if they their total order is $50 or more.  So, unlike a cookie dough fundraiser, now you can get sales from those who don't live within driving distance of product delivery because magazine subscriptions will be sent through the mail.

Even if Aunt Sara had just renewed several subscriptions a few months ago, she might be tempted to add another year to each subscription just to get the $50 gift card. 

Champion will set up your cheerleading organization with a free custom online magazine subscription store at no charge as long as long as it is used for one magazine drive per year for a minimum of two years and as long as you place a link to the store on your website’s home page.  Your magazine will offer over 800 of the most popular magazine titles (but not those that some people might find objectionable), and every three months your cheerleading organization will get a summary of the magazines that were ordered on behalf of each cheerleader plus a check for 40% of all magazine orders as long as the balance at quarter’s end is at least $50. 

Unlike a cookie dough fundraiser, there is no sorting, no going back to deliver what was sold, no possibility of breakage or spoilage, no quality issues, the product can be order by supporters who live out of your area (or across the country) and Champion does all the accounting for you.  Best of all, your cheerleaders’ customers will look forward to renewing their magazine subscriptions each year and getting that $50 restaurant gift card!  

How A Custom Discount Card Fundraiser
Can Generate Revenue and Community Support

The important word is “custom”.  Too many fundraising discount cards are of the “one fundraising card fits all” kind that either lists national pizza franchises and not much else, or they list merchants offering low-value discounts and then use the identical set of listings for all of the organizations they work with in a given area.  Custom fundraising discount cards are different.  They offer real relevance because you tell the discount card company which merchants you want on the card—and real value because the company contacts the merchants on your list and negotiates strong discounts. 

A discount card fundraiser conducted with a custom card is a lot easier for your members, too.  All they have to do is place the card in hand of a prospective buyer and, once they see the listed offers, there is a high probability of a purchase being made.  In addition, this cheerleading fundraiser won't be looked upon in the same way the proverbial cookie dough fundraiser is viewed.  Anyone who purchases and uses this year’s custom discount card is likely to look forward to purchasing next year’s card because, if they've been enjoying the discounts, they're not going to want to be without them next year.

One side benefit of a custom discount card is that they get also get printed with your cheer organization's artwork on the front of the card—and those are like hundreds of tiny billboards for your all-star cheerleading program that get distributed to the community.  There is one caveat.  Companies that offer custom fundraising discount cards are likely to require a minimum purchase.  This is to be expected since they have to cover the expense of creating and printing the fundraising cards.  However, Champion offers a limited return-for-refund policy that covers you in case your cheerleaders don’t sell all of the discount cards you had ordered.

Here is something you may not be expecting.  In addition to offering excellent discounts at a variety of popular local businesses that you get to pick, the discount card company can also tell the card-buyer how they can renew their magazines at your online store on behalf of the cheerleader who sold the card to them—and how they can get a national $50 restaurant gift card.  It’s the discount card fundraiser that keeps on raising money!

By the way, we don't mean to disparage the prototypical cookie dough fundraiser.  Champion also offers as a fundraiser English Bay Cookie Dough, which has won the American Culinary Award as well as other national and international awards for excellence.  All we are saying is that if you feel you're asking too much of your neighbors and friends by asking them to make purchases of fundraising products that require a net purchase, maybe it's time to replace one or two of them with a fundraiser that offers a net savings.