Sport Club FUNDRAISING Handbook
Fall 2012
Sonoma State University
Sport Clubs
Sport Club Fundraising Handbook
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence
wins championships.”-Michael Jordan
MARKETING & PUBLICITY 3
Building an Online Presence 3
ALUMNI & DONATIONS 3
Reaching Out 3
Collecting Donations 4
Recognizing Donors 4
GRANTS 4
University Grants 5
Non-University Grants 5
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP 5
Corporate Sponsorship: Examples 7
LIVE EVENTS 7
Alumni & Parent Events 8
Auction 9
Calendar Lottery 9
Car Wash 10
Hosting a Club Competition 11
Letter/Email Campaign 12
Media Guides & Event Programs 12
Newsletters 13
Parent’s Night Out 14
Percentage of Sales 14
Phone-a-thon 15
Raffle 15
Recycling Drive 16
Sales 17
Special Events Labor Force 17
Tag Day 18
Tournament or Outing for Community 19
MARKETING & PUBLICITY
A top priority of any organization should be the development of an informed and supportive audience or fan base, and there are several ways to do this. Hosting quality programs that are well produced and promoted are a great way to build a personal connection and market your sport club.
Building an Online Presence
If you really want to fundraise, your sport club must have presence online. To start any campaign, whether it be fundraising, awareness, or to build a fan base for a home game, you need to establish a primary website. It should be easily updated with news and important details. It should be streamlined so visitors can quickly navigate to the content they want.
If you have multiple websites, pick one main site to redirect your fans and visitors to (avoid outright deletion of any pages, as this could cost you many followers). This main site should be able to feature video and daily updates while competing. Keep track of all online and social media accounts and make sure future officers will be able to take over administrative duties.
ALL CLUBS MUST ADHERE TO THE SSU & CSU E-GUIDELINES.
1. Facebook Page- every club should have a page to generate fans and make it easier for everyone to find your club. Use Facebook as your sport club page while posting or updating.
2. Twitter Account- the short messages are perfect for updates during competitions! Stay on topic and keep it clean. Pictures are great.
3. Website- most clubs will need a website to be able to do more things, like have online event registration, email/newsletter lists, etc. Make sure to include your club goals and aspirations, along with past accolades and awards. This is your chance to give a legitimate, professional impression to donors and future students alike.
4. Youtube Channel- a video is worth a million words. You can link videos to the club’s main site to increase online presence. Make sure to get permission to post it online from everyone in the video.
ALUMNI & DONATIONS
This should be a huge component of fundraising for your club. Past members feel a connection to your club before you even contact them, whereas the general public will be difficult to capture. Alumni will donate money and time because they already have a personal connection to your club. Whether you simply ask for donations with a letter or host an event-packed Alumni Weekend, past members appreciate recognition for their time and money.
Reaching Out
The reality is that most alumni aren’t in touch with your club. An alumnus will be much more likely to donate than a fan or parent and you should reach out to them immediately. Your first contact should be professional and include a personal touch with captivating news. All donors appreciate if their donations are allocated to a certain area, whether it go towards equipment, travel expenses, competition entry fees, etc. You might want to include answers to these questions:
1. How did the club do last season?
2. What does the club aim to accomplish short and long-term?
3. Is there one moment or play that could be a good story to include?
4. What will the club do with funds donated by alumni? Is there a specific goal?
5. Is there a tiered donation recognition system in place?
Collecting Donations
The easiest way to collect donations is online. If this resource is not available to your club, you should have an address available to everyone interested in your club. Checks must be made out to your sport club and no cash. Even a single $5 donation would make it worthwhile for you to put an address online. Checks should be deposited immediately into the club account. Sport clubs have a mailbox at:
Your Sport Club
SSU Campus Recreation
1801 East Cotati Avenue
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
If donors would like a tax deduction for their gift, it can be arranged though University Development (contact the Sport Club Coordinator).
Recognizing Donors
Donors like to feel appreciated, and recognizing them appropriately will encourage them to become repeat donors. Here are some easy ways to give them credit for making a donation:
1. Post a picture or video showing off your new purchases, giving credit to specific donors or groups of donors
2. Update your website with a page dedicated to donors
3. Create a tiered system to categorize donation amounts (For example: $500 Gold Club, $100 Silver Club, and $10 Bronze Club)
4. Host an alumni tournament using 100% alumni-donated funds. Make it a fundraiser tournament and double the money you invest!
GRANTS
There are several grants available from within the CSU System and thousands more grants available outside. All grants have limits and restrictions on where the money goes, so pay close attention to the terms of each grant.
University Grants
The Student Government of Associated Students Inc. offers Grants for all Clubs. Once approved, funds are deposited directly into the club account. Apply online at http://www.sonoma.edu/as/business/club-grants/
1. IRA Grant (Instructionally Related Activities). A portion of student fees go to a fund, then a board distributes funds as seen fit.
2. Associated Students Programming Grant. Limited to $2,000 per grant and $3,000 per year.
3. Associated Students Supplies and Club Development Grant. Limited to $500 per year year.
4. Associated Students Travel Grant. Limited to $1,000 per year.
Non-University Grants
Applying for outside grants can be very rewarding, but applications may take some serious time. Contact the Sport Club Coordinator before pursuing any outside grants, as the process can be extremely time-consuming and you want to make the right choice. Grants can be a great way to raise funds, especially for specific purchases, events, or educational opportunities.
Grant writing:
1. The first step is researching organizations that may offer grants in areas that reflect your club’s mission – this can be a very diverse list and thorough research is vital. Places to begin include university affiliated organizations that offer money to groups providing educational opportunities outside the classroom, national governing bodies pertaining to your sport, groups promoting women’s participation in sport, etc.
2. Once a list of potential organizations has been compiled, the second challenge is to meet all of the criteria of the grant application itself. This includes details such as type of information provided (e.g. mission statement, budget, members, etc.), format of the presentation, number of copies provided, and deadline dates. These details are crucial in whether or not your organization is awarded a grant.
Some grants are one-time awards and others can be given once in a specified period of time, so make sure to apply for grants wisely.
Time Required: High; dependent upon amount of research and type of grant
Risk: None
Profit: Determined by the grant proposal and the terms of grant. Can be very high.
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP
Corporate sponsorship or matching can be a very profitable form of fundraising in the correct circumstances. This type of sponsorship exists primarily in two forms:
1) Financial. An example of this would be the club agreeing to display a business’ logo/name on the team jersey, sweats, or t-shirts in exchange for financial support.
2) Product. Product sponsorship would include an exchange of merchandise (could range from athletic equipment to gas, lodging and/or food for travel) for advertising of the business on the piece of equipment donated, team apparel, banners, etc.
Research and approach a national or local business to sponsor your club for a specified period of time. Before officially soliciting sponsorships, University Development requires prior approval, and you should contact their office through the Sport Club Coordinator. In the beginning of the sponsorship, a 1-year commitment is reasonable. Both parties must agree on the terms of the sponsorship e.g. value of donation, type of merchandise, length of time or # of contests, size of logo on apparel or merchandise, sponsor exclusivity, etc.
When approaching a business for this type of sponsorship, a professional approach is expected. Be specific about the club’s needs and goals. Also bring any press releases, results, or other news regarding the club.
Do not engage in sponsorship activities that are in direct conflict with the University or CSU’s position on social responsibility. For example: Alcohol and tobacco use. If there is a potential sponsor and you are unsure if a conflict exists, contact the Sport Club Coordinator before pursuing the sponsorship further.
Gift Type Corporate Sponsorships:
1. Philanthropic intent
2. Recognition for these types of sponsorships are limited to:
a. The name of the corporation or individual in the title of an event
b. Sponsor logos and slogans that do not contain comparative qualitative descriptions of the sponsor’s products, services, facilities, or companies
c. Sponsor locations, telephone numbers, and internet address
d. Value neutral descriptions, including displays or visual depictions of a sponsor’s product line or services
e. Sponsor brand or trade names and product or service listings.
Non-Gift Type Corporate Sponsorships:
3. For corporate sponsorships where the sponsor recognition exceeds the recognition methods noted in section III (D) above, or if any other benefits are given to the sponsor, then the sponsorship may be required to be documented in a written sponsorship agreement and signed by the Contracts and Procurement Office or a representative authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the University.
a. Contact University Development to discuss these types of sponsorships
Corporate Sponsorship: Examples
- The Ping Pong Club has a sponsorship with Dick’s Sporting Goods. A member in the past initiated the sponsorship through a relative in the company and the relationship has worked well since the beginning. Dick’s supplies the club with 250 three-star ping pong balls every fall, and in return, Dick’s is on the home page of the club’s website with a large logo and link. It is a simple relationship, but the club is able to cut one expense out of their budget. Dick’s requested a tax-deductible receipt, and it was issued from University Development for the value of the balls in the form of an Acknowledgment Letter.
- The Fishing Club has a sponsorship with Outdoor Pro Sports. After shopping there for years and winning multiple large tournaments, Alex, the club president, asked the store manager if he was interested in sponsoring the club. He told Alex to come back with some ideas about what he wanted and expected out of the relationship. They agreed on a year-long sponsorship with a 20% discount for club officers (who could make large purchases on behalf of the club) in return for exclusive rights to club sponsorship, a large company logo with local address on the home page of the website, and if they won any more tournaments the club would have to thank Outdoor Pro Sports in all interviews conducted.
- The Women’s Volleyball Club began a relationship with a printing company to have their jerseys printed at a discount. The company logo went on all merchandise printed, and the club got a 10% discount.
- The Rugby Club hosts an annual tournament, the SSU Annual Rugby Tournament, on campus every year. The club wanted to find a sponsor to supply food for the tournament and worked with University Development to create a solicitation letter. The club went out to all grocery stores in the area and hand-delivered the letters. They dressed professionally and had a short script to follow. A few weeks later, the club negotiated a sponsorship with Safeway. The tournament was to be labeled ‘SSU Annual Rugby Tournament sponsored by Safeway’ on all flyers, posters, websites, and other publicity. Safeway would then donate up to $2,500 in food and drinks to the tournament. Since this is seen as a charitable donation, Safeway requested an Acknowledgment Letter from University Development.
LIVE EVENTS
Each sport club should host at least two live events per. Getting your club out in public is a good move, even if you break even on the financial side. Sport clubs can conduct fundraising events on- or off-campus, provided the project is consistent with the purposes of the student organization and in agreement with University policy. Below is a list of event ideas that will get you thinking about your own fundraiser. There are thousands of ways to fundraise, so be creative and run it by the Sport Club Coordinator.
Good production demands paying extra attention to the details of an event. Effective promotion includes developing channels of communication with your audience, and using these channels properly. In order to build an audience in the long run, credibility and consistency are crucial.
Only publicly promote events once they are confirmed.
For the sake of publicity, the following items should be on all publicity for student organizations hosting events
1. The full name of your organization
2. Date, Time and Venue of the event
3. Contact information
4. Admission charge (if any)
Alumni & Parent Events
As a club, you can’t deny the importance of strong alumni and parent support. Catering events for them is a great way to bring them all together. Designate a date and time when alumni/parents will be invited to campus to compete against current club members in a game/competition, or to participate in a “season kick-off” or “year-end celebration.” This may include games, homecoming weekend activities, or banquets.