Fundraising

[snooplax]

Gin & Juice part fund some of the tournament fees by selling tees at every game.

[the lax]

Mysportsdream.com

That's all you need.

[CATLAX MAN]

Having a team function (BBQ, party, etc.) in which parents attend along with players is a good opportunity to have a silent auction as a fund raiser. It takes planning & organization ahead of time, but it can be a very successful fund raising event. T-shirt sales are always good. Obviously, begging from the parent group is going to produce results.

[A.J. Stevens]

One of our largest fundraisers at Dartmouth was a goal-a-thon. We had each player address 7 envelopes/write notes to seven people that have supported them in the past. The letters go to grandparents, clergy, scout leader, girlfriends parents etc. NOT PARENTS. The notes could say anything as long as they are handwritten and from the player. Most players would write about the upcoming season along with what they have done to prepare. The staff would then mail them along with a goal-a-thon letter. In the letter we asked them to pledge a certain amount of money per goal we score this coming season. We gave them the option to donate up front based on last season’s goals or to pay at the end of the season based on this season’s goals. When you mail the letter include a STAMPED return envelope. When the letter is returned with a pledge or a check we would add the email address to our booster list. During the season we sent a weekly update by email to the boosters letting everyone know how the team is doing. Most of the money will come at the end of the season just in time for the National Tournament. The best part is that you just tripled the size of your booster club. The staff writes notes to alumni and boosters to be sent with a goal-a-thon letter.

Another that has always worked well is a Christmas clothing sale. The players take an order form home during thanksgiving. On the form are hooded sweatshirts, crew sweatshirts long sleeve tees, short sleeve tees and mock turtleneck. Each item is offered in 2 colors. The key to this is to make the gear look like team issue. Keep it simple like arching the university name over lacrosse in one color. The same print is going on all items so you will only pay one screen charge. The players turn in orders along with money after thanksgiving. The shirts are brought home at Xmas break. Most players will get several items under the tree and you will see loads of shirts on the sideline during games. Remember, grandma does not want to wear a shirt with a questionable slogan on it. This one is great because you don't have to put any money into it beyond the order form.

[uwmlax2]

A.J. how succesfull were those 2 fundraisers? They sound real good and that they could both bring in alot of money with the markets that they work with.

[A.J. Stevens]

A.J. how succesfull were those 2 fundraisers? They sound real good and that they could both bring in alot of money with the markets that they work with.

I think we made around $113 per goal with the goal-a-thon. With that said have some class and don't run up the score for $. With the clothing sales the average player raised around $150 in profit. The most any player raised was $655 in profit. The key to fundraising is to have several projects planned to meet your need. Some will do better than others. In the end you add them all up and hope it is enough.

[TexOle]

Minnesota's team works concessions at Swarm games. I have done it at the Metrodome with other groups. Working concessions is a great way to make money. It also helps with team unity. You end up spending 8 hours together so you learn to get along.

[Danny Hogan]

we would collect dues in aug/sept (when we had 50 kids out @ practice) then order the uni's/helmets in late november when about 20 of the less dedicated had thinned out. No refund, easy money.

[Campbell]

Mysportsdream.com

That's all you need.

How effective are these people? They have been contacting me since last spring and I tend to shy away from big corporate type fundraising programs. What has been your experience with them?

[Zeuslax]

Does anyone know if advertising on uniforms from a donor is allowable? IE. Could a team follow European soccer format? The latter is an extreme example, but some would consider small and tactful locations, possibly.

[Sonny]

I would recommend that teams NOT do lots of team clothing sales as a primary source of fundraising.

A. Clothing items are bulky to store/inventory in a variety of sizes and colors for a non-varsity program such as an MDIA team. (Varsity programs have lots more support staff to handle stuff like that.). Also, clothing items tend to develop legs and "walk away on their own." A few "lost" items destroy your profit margins.

B. You don't make that much money on them. Frankly, the profit margins aren't great on custom clothing items. The market isn't too great for $25 t-shirts or $60 sweatshirts outside of handful of parents.

C. You typically have to outlay a certain amount of money for a minimum # of custom items. If sales don't go well and/or you have trouble collecting money from deadbeats, you could barely break even. Or worse, lose money.

The pure cash fundraisers (Goal-A-Thon, MySportsDreams.com) seem to work better with little/no overhead. Another idea is to schedule a 24-hour "lacrosse-athon" in the center of campus where teammates play catch for a set period. Helps raise visibility among the students/faculty and raise funds at the same time.

[Sonny]

Does anyone know if advertising on uniforms from a donor is allowable? IE. Could a team follow European soccer format? The latter is an extreme example, but some would consider small and tactful locations, possibly.

That is a school (or possibly conference) issue. The NCAA rulebook doesn't prohibit logos on the uniforms. School XYZ might not like Hooters patches on your uniforms.

[WCLLPREZ]

Although there are no lacrosse specific rules in the NCAA rulebook barring this, I believe in the NCAA Manual there are very specific guidelines as to how much space a logo can take up on a team's uniforms.

When Santa Clara was a varsity program in the late 80's-early 90's, we tried to sell some of this type of advertising/sponsorships and we met a great deal of institutional roadblocks based on these NCAA rules. I am not sure if they still apply.

From my point of view, if you don't see it done on Div I uniforms, then it isn't allowed by the NCAA.

[mholtz]

Mysportsdream.com

That's all you need.

Has anyone else used this? We are in the middle of trying this, and I am interested in hearing others opinions of this service.

[Danny Hogan]

From my point of view, if you don't see it done on Div I uniforms, then it isn't allowed by the NCAA.

i think*...

you would see it on NCAA uni's but nike, reebok adidas, obviously have something contractually banning 'Humberto's Bail Bonds' from donating money and getting the left shoulder of syracuse's jerseys.