Fundraising is important part of most clubs to support operational activities such as Umpires, Venue Hire, Staffing, Player Support, Insurance and Uniforms.
Every region of Australia has some economic drivers that should be used to leverage funding for sports activities such as Cropping, Fruit and Veg, Fishing, Tourism, Mining etc.
Make no mistakes, Clubs need to work hard to raise funds and some sports have decided to just jack up registration fees, so they don’t have to bother.
Clubs all over Australia have shown if they bandy together as a community, fundraising can be an enjoyable part of running a club and there are some awesome and creative ideas of how it can be done.
It is critical that a fundraising portfolio is established within the club and committee structure and that the portfolio is managed by a committee person with a great business acumen and connection to local businesses.
Key functions that this portfolio should manage include: -
· Sponsorships;
· Gate Takings (not always available);
· Other Fundraising such as Raffles, Events, Auctions, Cropping Programs etc.;
· Grants.
Specific tasks of the Fundraising Portfolio could include: -
· Managing the Clubs’ current sponsorships and ensuring they are well serviced;
· Seeking out new sponsorship opportunities (a strong connection to local businesspeople helps here);
· Managing additional fundraising opportunities, the Club has in place i.e. raffles, cropping programs, auctions etc.;
· Investigate and apply for grants that the Club may qualify for.
If the Club can successfully improve their Fundraising, this will give them options on how to better run the Club as well as building their sustainability in years to come.
COZ APP has successfully helped connect small business to Clubs and can provide a critical link for converting a sponsorship lead into a leading sponsor.
