7 Unique Fundraising Ideas for Sports Nonprofits: Strategies That Boost Sustainability
If you’re on staff or volunteer for a nonprofit that uses sports to further the mission, you know the drill: one-off fundraising events that take weeks to plan, volunteers who are stretched thin, coordinating with coaches and athletes, and unpredictable revenue that makes budgeting a guessing game.
Whether you’re mentoring underserved youth through tennis or sending lacrosse teams abroad for service learning, the work is inspiring—but the fundraising can be, well, exhausting.
Good news:It doesn’t have to be this way. The most forward-thinking nonprofits we know are moving toward something smarter: sustainable giving.
Below are fresh, creative ideas tailored for sports-based nonprofits—plus a breakdown of how recurring monthly giving programs can solve some of your biggest fundraising challenges.
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7 unique, fresh fundraising ideas for sports nonprofits
Let’s explore some fresh, exciting ideas designed to boost engagement and bring in funds for your team. Each of the ideas below pair well with monthly giving programs or a recurring giving ask post-event (examples of how to do that are provided!).
1. Skills clinics with local pros or college athletes
Host in-person or online virtual clinics featuring local pro or college athletes, coaches, or talented alumni who can share drills, insights, or Q&A sessions with aspiring players. Charge a fee to attend and make it interactive for maximum value.
Monthly giving tie-in: End each clinic with a short spotlight on how monthly gifts help fund year-round training access for your mission. Include a call-to-action to “Join the $10/month supporter club.”
Create exclusive, limited-edition items like gear, locally made goods, or signed team memorabilia with a unique design inspired by your mission’s values. (Think about partnerships with local artists or businesses to create truly distinctive items that supporters will be proud to own and display.)
Move beyond standard t-shirts and hoodies! And use pre-orders or pop-up sales during events.
Monthly giving tie-in: Offer a “members-only” item for new sustainers. For example, “Become a $15/month donor and receive our collector’s water bottle.”
3. Peer-to-peer (P2P) campaigns
Empower each player, team, or supporter to launch their own fundraising page and tell their story of how and why they feel connected to your mission. Promote a friendly competition among teammates and share progress on social.
Monthly giving tie-in: After the campaign ends, invite all donors to “stay in the game” by becoming monthly supporters of their athlete or team.
Let each team dedicate one big game to your cause. Have players wear special warm-up gear or jerseys for the game, share about the mission during game breaks, and rally fans to donate in real time.
Lacrosse the Nations also does something similar in their fundraising events; often supporting teams and coaches will have a donation or fundraising challenge game between rivals. Get more ideas from LtN’s sports nonprofit case study.
Javier Silva, Executive Director of Lacross the Nations, shares about his journey building a fundraising engine for this sports nonprofit.
Monthly giving tie-in: Set up a live leaderboard for new recurring donors and celebrate each monthly pledge during halftime or post-game.
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Once we got 4aGoodCause, it totally shifted how it was running and the success that we had.
Javier Silva
Executive Director of Lacrosse the Nations
5. Local business brackets
Pair local businesses with teams or individual athletes in a playoff-style fundraiser. Each week, businesses match donations and cheer on their team or athlete through social posts and displays.
Monthly giving tie-in: Offer businesses the chance to match only recurring gifts that week with an offer like “All new recurring givers will be matched this month. Join our sustainer program starting at $5/month and double your impact.”
Organize a gear swap to support your mission. Collect new and gently used donations for sports gear, and ask for a $5-$15 donation per item taken. Charge a small per-family entry fee to the event, and market the event at nearby schools and sports club.
Monthly giving tie-in: Include signage and a short pitch on how $10/month helps support the mission all season long. Perhaps let anyone signing up for a recurring program that day pick 3 items to take home.
7. Legacy wall
Honor the athletes, coaches, and supporters who have shaped your program with a “legacy wall.” Feature photos, names, short testimonials, or career updates from alumni and long-time supporters . This wall can be physical at your facility or digital on your website.
Monthly giving tie-in: Add a callout like “Help build the next legacy” with an invitation to give $15/month to support the mission and earn a spot on the “sustaining supporters” area of the wall.
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4aGC is not just a platform to accept donations, but an all encompassing system, utilized by our Donor Relations Manager to track all necessary data for tax purposes, follow up, notes and record keeping, donor details, text to give, fundraising campaigns, professional donor-facing site building and customization, a plethora of fundraising educational resources, and more. The customer service/tech support is out of this world, not even measurably comparable to other industry “norms”.
Lauren Mauk
Board President at Mommy's Haven
How to avoid the one-off fundraiser burnout cycle at your sports nonprofit
For many smaller nonprofit orgs, fundraising has long meant a string of isolated events, chasing down donor pledges, and direct mail campaigns: Your team works hard to drive the annual raffle, the once-a-year fundraising gala, or the midyear giving push.
These require weeks of planning, massive volunteer support, and tons of marketing and promotion (only to be followed by long gaps in momentum).
🤯Did you know?Monthly giving programs free your team up to do what matters most: Further the mission and share the impact. Find out how to start a monthly giving program so you can raise more and stress less.
Fundraising events are crucial to building community and connecting with donors, but they’re also the most time-intensive for your team.
In my work with nonprofits, I see it all the time:
A well-intentioned email fundraising campaign or in-person event ran by volunteers
A flurry of outreach and marketing across teams and your community
One big push… and then quiet recovery and down-time until your next big fundraising event
This event-based and one-off campaign-based cycle takes its toll after a while.
It wears down your staff, your volunteers, and—not to mention—it can make long-term planning a challenge.
Enter the monthly giving program! (They’re easier to start and run than you expect.)
How monthly giving benefits both your staff and supporters
Think of your monthly giving program as your mission’s ultimate fan club—where donors become loyal sustainers and your staff gains breathing room to focus on what matters most.
Here’s some of the research on the benefits of monthly giving:
A typical monthly donor’s lifetime value (LTV) is around $7,604 on average.
Recurring givers have retention rates from 77% up to 90% (depending on the study).
New donor acquisition can often cost 10 to 20 times that of donor renewals.
31% of online revenue came from monthly giving in 2024. (And according to M+R Benchmarks, if long-term trends continue, it’s likely that percentage will only increase.)
How much can you earn?
$
Total raised for your organization
For your staff and volunteers, monthly giving means:
Stability you can count on: When you know what’s coming in each month, it’s easier to budget, plan programs, and invest in your mission with confidence.
Less burnout, more impact: With fewer one-off campaigns to manage, your team can put energy into mission delivery—not just fundraising event logistics.
Better stewardship: Monthly donors stick around longer and engage more deeply, giving you a solid base of support you can build on year after year.
Simplified operations: Automated gifts cut down on manual tasks and save your team precious time.
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As a small and growing nonprofit, we need a fundraising platform that serves not only our budgetary needs but also provides a seamless experience for our donors AND for us as well. 4aGC checks ALL the boxes. Excellent product and the best customer care around! Highly recommend!!
Kelly Mellen
Managing Director, Making Things Right
And for your supporters? Recurring giving offers:
A manageable way to make a big difference: Giving $10 or $20 a month feels doable—and adds up to something powerful.
A front-row seat to your success: Monthly updates or behind-the-scenes stories keep them connected to your wins on and off the field.
Stronger emotional ties: Consistent giving helps donors feel like part of your inner circle (because they are!).
Easy, set-it-and-forget-it generosity: Once they sign up, their impact keeps going with no extra steps.
By building monthly giving into your fundraising strategy (and layering in peer-to-peer campaigns or special events when it makes sense for you and your staff) you create a rhythm that’s both exciting and sustainable.
Each new one-time event and each new one-time donor is a chance to grow your base!
Next steps: Raise more, stress less
You’re already doing incredible work—shaping character, building community, and opening doors through athletics. It’s time your fundraising supported that mission without stretching your team too thin.
Start small: Choose three giving tiers, share one powerful impact story, and invite your top supporters to become monthly sustainers.
For a full walkthrough on how to launch, grow, and maintain your monthly giving program, check out these resources below:
How to upgrade monthly donors over time: This video walks you through how to invite existing monthly donors to increase their support with just one click in 4aGC
How to retain monthly donors: This guide provides actionable strategies—like personal outreach, donor events, and payment automation—to minimize donor dropout.
From there, build momentum with game-day challenges, travel showcases, or team-based drives that plug into your larger giving program.
And if you need a platform that makes it easy to do it all—from unlimited, easy-to-create donation pages and recurring gifts to P2P events and ticketing—we’re here to help.
Let’s build a fundraising program that matches your hustle, honors your team, and makes giving feel great—for everyone involved.
Don’t see your question here? Feel free to contact us or connect with me on LinkedIn and ask. I’m here to help however I can.
How do I raise funds without overloading my volunteers or staff?
Burnout risk is real, especially if you’re a smaller organization. When volunteer and staff fatigue might be ahead, lean into easy fundraising ideas that don’t require months of prep or tons of extra coordination.
For example:
A community cook-off, ice cream social, or sports trivia night
A themed movie night or game night with raffle tickets and auction items
Selling a discount card that features deals from local restaurants and sports clubs
These events are fun, flexible, and offer a fun way to build relationships while working toward your fundraising goal.
Can peer-to-peer fundraising help our sports team raise funds?
Yes! Peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the most effective fundraising strategies for team fundraising—use the people you have!
It empowers your individual athletes or team members, parents, and fans to create personalized fundraising pages, tell their stories, and raise funds through friendly competition.
To boost participation:
Add a prize for top earners
Offer small bonuses like gift cards or team merch
Highlight milestones via livestream or social shout-outs
It’s a great fundraising idea for both individual players and full sports teams, especially when combined with events like a gala, fun run, or golf tournament.
In fact, one of our 4aGoodCause sports nonprofit clients has built their entire fundraising engine around P2P campaigns. Check out their story here.
What are some school fundraising ideas that actually work for athletic teams or sports nonprofits?
Whether you’re organizing a school fundraising initiative for high school or elementary youth sports teams, some tried-and-true events include:
Selling tickets to a talent show, video game tournament, or scavenger hunt
Partnering with a local sports store for a memorabilia sale
Hosting a themed obstacle course or face painting station at a community event
Running a silent auction with donated auction items and local partnerships
And don’t forget the classics—baked goods, popcorn fundraisers, or even a mowing service for neighborhood lawns can go a long way.
But these are often incredibly time intensive, even if you have a lot of support from your school’s athletic community. Starting a monthly giving program for your nonprofit or school’s team will reduce the workload.
Look for a fundraising platform (like 4aGoodCause!) that makes it easy to sell tickets, set up recurring gifts, and run both in-person and online donation campaigns all in one place.
The right platform will be:
Responsive to mobile giving
Allow for at least one text-based giving option
Offer plenty of secure payment methods for your donors
You can also boost your fundraising campaign results by:
Promoting your campaign through social media
Sharing stories about your sports team and team needs
Creating a sense of urgency with limited-time events or raffle ticket sales
Don’t underestimate the power of a heartfelt story and a smooth giving experience—especially when you’re driving support for a good cause.
Need a better way to fundraise year-round?
From sports team fundraising to full-scale fundraising campaigns for sports-based nonprofits, 4aGoodCause is the trusted fundraising platform for hundreds of nonprofit organizations.
Whether you’re planning a school fundraising effort, a gala, or a recurring giving push, we’re here to help.
Book a demo and see how simple—and successful—your next campaign can be.
Ronald is the President and Founder of 4aGoodCause, the fundraising CRM that makes recurring, monthly giving a breeze for small nonprofits.
For over 25 years, Ronald has had the joy of doing what he loves, building online solutions that make a difference in the world. He’s helped raise millions of dollars online for small nonprofits across the country. Connect with Ronald on LinkedIn.
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