Cheerleading Fundraising Ideas for Parents, Teams and Committees

Cheerleading can become expensive—especially when competitions and travel are involved.

Fundraising can make an enormous difference to families, but it isn’t always as simple as holding a sausage sizzle, depositing the money and dividing it between the athletes.

Who is responsible for the funds? How will the money be allocated? What happens when some parents volunteer for every event while others cannot attend? Is the fundraiser optional, and do participating athletes receive an individual benefit?

These questions might not feel urgent when you plan your first event. Once money starts coming in, however, they become very important.

Check the Rules Before Collecting Money

Before choosing a fundraiser, find out which laws and organisational rules apply where you live.

The requirements may depend on:

• Your country, state or local area
• Whether fundraising is conducted by a business
• Whether you have a not-for-profit association or committee
• The type of fundraiser being held
• Whether raffles or other regulated activities are involved
• How the money will be held and distributed
• Whether the funds benefit individuals or the whole program
• What permits, reporting or record-keeping may be required

You may need a constitution, committee approval, a dedicated bank account, insurance, permits or clear financial records.

Business sponsorships also need to be structured correctly. A payment isn’t automatically tax-deductible simply because it is called sponsorship. The business should obtain its own tax advice, and the organisation receiving the money should record it correctly.

This isn’t the exciting part of fundraising, but getting it right protects the athletes, families, volunteers and program.

Look for Grants Before Planning Another Event

Fundraising doesn’t always have to mean selling something.

Depending on your location and how cheerleading is classified, athletes or sporting organisations may be eligible for grants, travel assistance or other funding.

Look at:

• Local councils
• State or regional governments
• Sporting organisations
• Community foundations
• Youth-development programs
• Travel assistance
• Regional athlete support
• Grants offered by local businesses
• Equipment and facility grants

Create a shared list showing application dates, eligibility criteria and how frequently somebody can apply.

Even a grant covering only part of an athlete’s travel costs can make a meaningful difference to a family.

Unfortunately, cheerleading is not recognised or supported in the same way everywhere. Read each program’s definition of an eligible sport or organisation instead of assuming the team will qualify.

Smaller Cheer Fundraising Ideas

Over the years, our athletes and families participated in plenty of smaller fundraisers.

These included:

• Sausage sizzles
• Community stalls
• Easter raffles
• Donated chocolate or gift baskets
• Small local events
• Selling tickets or products
• Club displays connected to fundraising activities

For an Easter raffle, families could donate eggs, chocolate, bunnies and other treats. The athletes and parents would work together to turn those donations into baskets before selling raffle tickets.

These activities were fun, visible and relatively easy for the community to understand.

They also gave young athletes opportunities to practise skills that had nothing to do with stunts or tumbling.

The children learned to speak politely to customers, handle money, serve food, clean up, organise supplies and work together. I loved watching their confidence grow in a different environment.

Fundraising wasn’t only paying for cheer. It was helping them become capable young leaders.

When Small Fundraisers Become Exhausting

The downside is that small fundraisers can require a lot of time for a relatively small return.

One sausage sizzle may not feel overwhelming. Several sausage sizzles, raffles and community stalls throughout the year can become another part-time job for parents who are already managing training, competitions, school and work.

Over time, we found that fewer large fundraising events often produced a better result with less constant demand on families.

Before adding another activity to the calendar, estimate:

• The realistic amount it could raise
• How many volunteer hours it requires
• Setup and cleaning time
• Stock and venue costs
• The number of families likely to participate
• Whether the same volunteers are always doing the work
• How much each athlete might actually receive

A fundraiser isn’t automatically worthwhile because it raises some money. The return needs to justify the time, expense and energy required.

Larger Fundraisers That Can Make More Impact

Larger events require more organisation, but they can raise a more meaningful amount in one go.

Ideas could include:

• A large raffle using donated prizes
• A bingo night
• A ticketed community event
• A trivia or quiz night
• A showcase combined with fundraising activities
• A business sponsorship program
• A major auction or prize event

Larger raffles may allow you to charge more per ticket when the prizes are genuinely valuable. Local businesses might donate products or services in exchange for appropriate recognition.

Our sponsorship arrangements included benefits such as business names on shirts and logos displayed at the program’s reception.

Any sponsorship package should clearly state what the business receives, how long the promotion lasts and where its branding will appear. Both sides need to understand whether the arrangement is a sponsorship, donation or advertising expense.

Decide How Funds Will Be Allocated

This is where disagreements can begin if policies haven’t been written in advance.

Imagine a sausage sizzle with 20 volunteer shifts available.

Does every athlete receive an equal share of the profit? Does the money only benefit the families who volunteered? Does someone completing two shifts receive twice as much? What happens to a family that wanted to help but couldn’t secure a place?

There isn’t one correct system for every organisation, but everyone should know the answer before signing up.

Possible models include:

• All funds benefit the team equally.
• Funds reduce shared program or travel costs.
• Each shift produces an agreed credit for the participating athlete.
• Funds go into individual athlete fundraising balances where legally permitted.
• Participants receive the benefit while non-participants opt out.
• Families choose between fundraising commitments and a set financial contribution.

Whichever approach you choose, make sure it complies with your organisation’s structure and local rules.

Give Every Family a Fair Opportunity

If fundraising shifts are limited, create a fair sign-up process.

One system we used was to release the initial shifts to all families several weeks before the event. Each athlete had an opportunity to claim a place.

If positions remained available closer to the date, families who wanted to do more could then take an additional shift and receive the applicable fundraising allocation.

This prevented the fastest person from immediately claiming several positions before other families had a chance.

Your policy should also explain:

• When registrations open
• How many shifts each athlete can initially claim
• When additional shifts become available
• What happens if someone cancels
• Whether another family can take over a shift
• How the funds from each shift are calculated
• When families will see their fundraising balance

Clear rules make the process easier for volunteers to manage and families to trust.

Should Fundraising Be Optional?

Not every family has the same time available.

Some parents work shifts, travel for work, care for other family members or have several children involved in activities. A family being unable to attend a fundraiser does not necessarily mean they are unwilling to support the team.

Decide whether participation is:

• Required
• Completely optional
• Optional with no share of the proceeds
• Connected to individual fundraising credits
• Replaceable with an agreed opt-out payment

An opt-out fee may suit some organisations, but it needs to be considered carefully and explained before families commit to the season. It should not unexpectedly punish families who genuinely cannot volunteer.

The Community Benefit Matters Too

The value of fundraising is not only the final dollar amount.

Working together can strengthen relationships between athletes and parents. Children can develop confidence, responsibility and practical life skills. Families meet one another outside the training environment, and the program becomes more connected.

Some fundraisers may be worth running because they build community, even if they don’t produce the highest financial return.

Others should be judged mainly on efficiency because the team has a significant travel target to reach.

Be clear about which outcome matters most:

• Raising the largest possible amount
• Reducing individual athlete costs
• Teaching life skills
• Building the team community
• Promoting the program locally
• Creating business partnerships

Knowing the goal makes it much easier to choose the right fundraiser.

Fundraising Should Help Families—not Exhaust Them

Successful cheerleading fundraising requires more than a fun idea.

Check the rules, explore available grants and decide how money will be managed before the first ticket is sold. Be fair about volunteer opportunities, recognise that families have different capacities and compare the expected return with the time being requested.

Sometimes a series of small fundraisers will suit your community. Sometimes one carefully planned major event will create a much bigger impact.

Whatever you choose, the fundraising should support the athletes and bring the community together—not leave the same group of parents exhausted by the end of the season.

You can find more honest conversations from life on the mat and inside my books at The Cheerleader Book Club.

If you’d like to explore more — books, downloads, or tools I personally use — you’ll find everything below. Some links are affiliates and help support the blog at no extra cost to you. I only share things I genuinely use or recommend. Content on this website is shared for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace professional advice. Please seek appropriate qualifications or professional guidance for coaching, training, business, or financial decisions.

Allison xx