Cheerleading Fundraising IDEAS!

In a perfect world, all youth sports organizations would have enough money to provide new equipment for all members of the team, and pay for trips and competitions in other cities. However, we don't live in a perfect world, which is why all cheerleading squads must engage in some fundraising activities in order to continue cheering.

Cheerleading fundraising has come a long way since car washes and bake sales, though those are still two perfectly decent ways of making a little extra money for a cheerleading squad. However, these days many squads are becoming a little more creative with their cheerleading fundraising ideas by receiving some assistance from friendly neighborhood local business owners.

Some squads like to hold an annual fashion show, with clothing donated from local stores and raffled off at the end of the show. By charging a dollar for entrance, as well as selling baked goods and beverages, a cheerleading squad can raise hundreds of dollars in an afternoon and have fun doing it!

Another great cheerleading fundraising idea is to hold a bottle drive. Bottle drives make the most money when they are held after a long weekend like Memorial Day. A week before the drive, send out flyers to residents in the area informing them when the cheerleaders will be coming by to pick up the bottles. It's best to hold the bottle drive on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, as that's when most people are home. In lieu of bottles, people can also give small cash donations.

Here Comes the Pudding!

When it comes to cheerleading fundraising, sometimes the craziest ideas are the best ones because they get people's attention. While baseball teams are famous for their dunk tanks and pie tosses, some cheerleading squads like to hold pudding slings. For a small cash donation, people can throw handfuls of chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla, or pistachio pudding at their favorite (or least favorite member) of the cheerleading squad. This fundraising activity works well in conjunction another larger-scale activity like a spring Carnival or cash wash.

Spirit Stars and Balloons

Many cheerleading squads like to hold fundraising activities that get everyone in the school involved. One easy and inexpensive fundraising activity is to make a large number of stars from construction paper in the school's colors. Decorate the stars with glitter or stickers for added flair, and sell the stars for one or two dollars each to decorate the gym before a big game. When a person buys a star, they can write their name on it as a display of their school spirit.

Here's another fun and easy high school cheerleading fundraising activity that gets everyone involved called "Balloon Tag". This activity requires a large number of balloons inflated with helium so that they float. The cheerleaders set up a table in a common area and sell the balloons for one dollar each. When a person buys a balloon they tag it to someone, and that person must wear the balloon tied to their clothes for the remainder of the day. If they want, they can pay a dollar to tag the balloon to someone else. Don't forget to include the teachers on this one!

For more help with cheerleading fundraising visit FastTrack Fundraising Cheerleading

Paying to see unusual things has been going on for decades and decades. Why not use an unusual idea to help you fundraise money for your team?!

The Materials...
For this fundraiser, you will need a football field (or large empty field), a cow, and a team ready to fundraise!
1. Before anything can happen, make sure to do your research early and get the proper authorization from school staff or permission from a field owner.
2. Secondly, find out where you can get a cow for the event and make sure to accomodate to it's basic animal needs (food, water, and shelter). Depending on how long your event will run, basic supplies for the helpful-cow should not become a big issue.
3. Lastly, get the event underway!!!
Make sure to plan out the logistics, market the event, prepare the field, and get ready to make money.

The Fundraiser...
The football field needs to be divided up into a large grid. Depending on the number of people attending, grids can have more squares or less (By analyzing how marketing is working and guaging public interest levels, you can plan accordingly and make more money).

Once the field is divided into squares with a designated number for each square, the fundraising can begin. Raffle Tickets are sold up until the point when the cow will be released to fulfill it's duty.

At a pre-determined time, the cow can then be released onto the field and allowed to graze, relax and enjoy the sunny day! While raffle-ticket holders wait patiently and anxiously for the cow to drop a load of dung on one of the grids, other activities such as food sales, games etc can be going on.

Finally... when the cow or animal chooses a winner, the raffle number/grid number can be called out and the winner announced. The grand prize can be divided among 1 or 3 people. The grand prize is a portion of the money fundraised during the event. Smelling the fresh smell of cow manure will never smell as sweet knowing that you used it to fundraise money for your team!!!

A real-life EXAMPLE
A booster club in Pennsylvania has been doing the Cow Flop for the past 20 years and they are able to fundraise about $10,000 annually through their 2-day event that features a parade, fireworks, music, food, and other entertainment. The main event of the Cow Flop is the raffle involving 2,000 squares and a cow's pick as to where he will relieve himself. Raffle tickets are $10 and the winner of the annual Flop raffle wins $5,000

Note: More profits require a larger scale event. Be considerate and weigh the possibilities of trying out a Cow Flop fundraiser before hosting one.

Cheer clinics have had the primary purpose of introducing and teaching the basics and technique to interested girls. But you can also use it to plan your next fundraiser!

The Idea
If you have the resources, expertise and drive to create a successful fundraiser that bursts out of the norm of bake sales and magazine drives, why not try it? This fundraiser can collectively gather the skills of the squad to bring in more than the excitement of cheering... fundraising money!

Initially the task might seem overwhelming but with enough time and planning, there is no reason why it can't become a successful method of raising money for your next Cheer Competition.

1. Define your overall, broad goals
To begin, take time to delineate your goals. Is this a fundraiser for the squad? Is it to give younger ones a taste of cheer? Is it to attract interest in your squad for upcoming tryouts? Is it to focus on specific skills, such as stunts or dance, for those who are cheerleaders? Determine if you are going to run a beginners level, an intermediate level, and/or an advanced level.

2. Determine your target group
Steps 1 and 2 go hand in hand. If you are doing a clinic for your squad or another specific squad this step is easy. If it is for a fundraiser and you are not a school squad that has a readily available target group, consider approaching after-school day care groups about putting on a cheer clinic. Many after-school programs offer a variety of special enrichment programs or classes that parents pay additional fees for their child to attend.
If you are going to offer a clinic and open it to a number of squads in the area, you'll want to start forming a list with names and addresses. If you are going to offer it to attract interest for tryouts later in the year or for younger ones, you may need to do more work in determining where to advertise and how.

3. Set specific goals based on your overall goals and target group
If this is for a specific squad, possible goals should be discussed with the team's coach. Be sure to understand the needs of the team and expectations of the coach and team. If the expectations seem too high for the time available, clearly communicate your concerns and suggest first steps or a progression of steps towards their goals. If the clinic is to create future interest in your squad, you may want to plan time for attendees and members of your present squad to get to know each other through some fun games. If it is to give younger ones a taste of cheer, will there be an exhibition performance at the end and/or will the attendees help cheer at a game if you have a school squad?

4. Determine where to hold the clinic and set your dates and time
Not all clinics have to be in a gym or multipurpose room. In Southern California, successful after-school clinics and day camps have been held outdoors. Wherever you choose to do a clinic remember to consider and address safety issues. Do you need mats? Do you need your own first aid kit? Also be sure to consider medical coverage and releases. If doing this as part of as a specific squad or an after-school or day-care activity, can the medical releases on file be used? If it is part of gym facility, will parents need to file out a specific form or forms from the gym?
Day camps for girls to get a taste of cheer seems to work best if held for a half day unless you plan other activities (such as swimming, bowling, etc) for the afternoon. Clinics for a squad working on specific skills can be half or full day, but if doing full day allow at least an hour for lunch to eat and rest.

5. Set fees
If fees are involved, carefully budget to cover costs and any profit margin. When doing weeklong day camps for younger girls to get a taste of cheer, we have found it works well to include a skort and embroidered shirt. For after school clinics, consider providing inexpensive poms or silk-screen tee shirts. Budget in any snacks being provided. Do you have any rental fees or coaching fees to pay?
If you are not sure what going prices are for clinics and day camps in you geographic area, ask around. In addition to other cheer coaches, check with coaches of other sports, school administrators, and/or day care providers.

6. Advertise and Register
If this is for a fundraiser, advertising will probably be critical. Creating a one page flyer that combines key information about the clinic, tear-off registration form, and tear-off medical release form (if participants are not covered by a pre-existing medical release form) seems to work best, even if you go to an 11"x17" paper. Always include a phone number for more information. If you are part of a school or gym, be sure to clarify with the business office how checks should be made out and how monies are to be dealt with.

7. Get organized
Plan the activities and what you need for the activities, including getting music, words to cheer or sidelines, choreographing a dance or cheer, video camera and monitor if you want to tape and show back, etc. Be sure that all the coaches, captains, and others helping know what they are responsible for.

8. Don't forget the little things, but big issues
Are you having snacks and/or lunch? If you are doing a day camp plan for healthy snacks as well as having water available. If you are doing an after-school clinic where snack is not part of the regular program consider providing snack or state on the flyer that participates can bring a snack to eat before the clinic begins. You can suggest participants bring water bottles to any clinic or day camp but also be sure to have water available for those who don't bring a water bottle.
Do you need nametags? Do you have some fun games, chants, and/or jokes to use? Do you want to have certificates of completion? (Certificates can be easily made on the computer.) If the participants are going to cheer at a game, do you need an additional flyer with game information (place, time, etc)? When younger girls do a weeklong day camp in August with our squad they are invited to cheer at the first home football game. (They cheer 2nd quarter and the halftime routine.) We arrange with the school's athletic booster club to provide the families of these day camp cheerleaders with free passes to the game.
Do you need additional adult volunteer help, especially for first day check-in and snack time?

9. Do the clinic or day camp
Now it's time to run the clinic or camp. Remember to stay flexible and make adjustments as needed. Have fun with it, even hard work can be fun.

10. Follow-up
The clinic is over but there is some final tasks. Evaluate how it went. What worked really well? What did the participants like? What needs changed for next time? What needs some fine-tuning next time?
Arrange for payment of any outstanding bills.
Be sure to thank people who helped.

Source: Sheila W. High School CheerCoach