Anyone on a youth baseball travel team can tell you expenses rack up fast. Uniforms take time to produce; at this age, they’re quickly outgrowing their old ones. To keep their season going, equipment, travel costs, and entry fees are necessary.
As a parent or coach, it’s important to do what you can to support your athletes. To keep them playing the game they love, a good fundraising strategy is a necessity.
While your athlete focuses on their game, parents and coaches can support their team by organizing fundraisers. To make sure you can start the next season without any hiccups, start this process as early as possible.
Below we’ve listed some ideas to help you fundraise for your youth travel baseball team.
Team Sponsorships
One of the most valuable steps in fundraising for a youth travel baseball team is gathering sponsorships.
This starts with using the personal network of the team and reaching out to community members and local businesses. You might be surprised by the amount of support you receive. Sponsors want to see your team succeed and have fun.
Examples of supporting sponsorships could be:
- Banners in the dugout
- A patch on the team jersey
- Field signs
- A digital sponsorship on the team website or newsletter
You might even consider creating sponsorship packages to address specific expenses.
As you look for sponsors, keep in mind selling the player’s experience rather than focusing on what the business is going to get out of it.
Putting on a Fundraising Event
Organizing a fundraising event lets potential donors meet your team and helps to put a face to who they’re donating to. These events can also be a fun way for kids and parents to get involved in their community and network!
There are countless options for putting together a fundraising event. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Renting out batting cages for a Hit-a-Thon and collecting donations
- Pancake breakfasts and chili dinners before a high school football game or other local events
- Volunteering at professional sporting events to collect money for the team
- Collecting donations at a home run derby
When hosting a fundraising event, don’t forget to take advantage of tools that already exist for you.
Using social media can be a great way to get the word out to people who wouldn’t have heard about your event otherwise. Creating a Facebook Event is an easy way to help spread the news!
Get the Kids Involved
The kids are who this is all about! Getting the athletes involved in the process gives them a sense of responsibility for their team. When fundraising, people are more likely to directly support the kids rather than buy from their parents.
Traditional fundraisers could include:
- Selling candy bars or cookie dough
- Selling discount cards
- Trash bag sale fundraisers
- Selling team gear like t-shirts and hats
It’s important for kids to have a sense of ownership as they help support their team and teammates. This is a great opportunity to help them understand the work that goes into maintaining their travel team.
Start Planning Your Next Tournament
At Ballparks of America, we live and breathe youth travel baseball. Sign up for a tournament or reach out to us with a question.
