Sponsorship question

[shockcoach]

I budgeted so that my team fees covered 100% of expenditures this year. In the past I have had trouble with getting everyone on board with fund raising, especially last year. What I did tell the parents is if they wish to go out and get sponsorships, that money can do directly to the team or towards their player fees. One parent took me up on this and had business sponsor their child. This way worked MUCH better than budgeting income from future fund raising ideas.

I also tell them if they want, we can do fundraisers to get money for extra items like jackets for the girls, etc. In these times, I dropped down to the essentials for what the team needs.

 

[absdad]

WOW. That's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard of!! Even if 100% of the proceeds went into the team's fund, I'd still have a huge problem with this. There's a big difference between this and the father of one of the girls allowing the team to set up a lemonade stand in front of his drugstore.

I'm glad it worked for you guys, but even though the team did benefit, I strongly disagree with using the girls as a private sales force.

It wasn't the girls actually at all. It was the parents selling it. The parents are the ones paying the fees. It was really easy to be honest, but didn't make much money. In almost every case, the mother would take the catalog and order form to work, and brought it back a week later filled out with sales. Not knocking the Pampered chef thing at all, but by the time you take out the cost, and the commission, there isn't alot left going towards fees.
Our best fundraiser, was selling hot dogs and drinks in front of a grocery store on a nice spring saturday afternoon. We told the store we'd buy all our hot dogs and drinks from them, if we could sell them to raise money for the team. Turns out, they donated the hot dogs themselves, which was the biggest expense, so it really helped us out. $1.50 for a hot dog and a cold drink, we had a short line most of the day. Moms helping out, and dads grilling, and girls selling. Was a fun time.

 

[SoftSocDad]

Couldn't the same be said of those parents who are more well-connected or ambitious? Why would you penalize them or "spread the wealth" of their work. Why wouldn't a team reward those players more who play/train/practice and ultimately perform better on the field? I would assume on your travel team, you do in fact reward those harder working and better performing players. Why wouldn't you use the same logic for those harder working and better performing parents in their fundraising efforts?

In an age where we can have anything we want right now, unfortunately, many of our kids are getting that message. The hypothetical I have set up allows an excellent opportunity to teach kids about delayed gratification and even though a year or two might seem like an eternity to a young player or eager softball parent (I'm counting myself in that group), the rewards will come.

I don't see the value in expecting that reward to come right away or to set up that expectation for our kids. Yes, if you put in 8 years and never saw any return, I'm going to agree there was a flaw in the system, but with the hypothetical you have set up, there's absolutely nothing precluding the parents from going out and seeking individual sponsorships for their children outside the scope of the team's efforts.

Using small- to medium-sized businesses as an example, oftentimes, similar businesses will have to band together to support lobbying efforts to protect their interests. This costs money and not every small business has the resources - or the interest - in being a part of the coalition, yet will benefit if certain legislation is enacted. For better or worse, they'll get a free ride, but be that as it may, the greater good will have been served.

For an individual travel team, no one succeeds unless they all succeed. Yeah, one girl is going to bat .200 while another bats .600, but if they aren't able to get to the tournaments at all...

Private fundraising is fine, but if we're doing it as a team, everyone should attempt to carry a fair share of the load. Some are going to bring in a lot, some are going to bring in a little, but if you guys feel a particular family isn't carrying their weight, you are free to replace them with someone else.

 

[SoftSocDad]

It wasn't the girls actually at all. It was the parents selling it. The parents are the ones paying the fees. It was really easy to be honest, but didn't make much money. In almost every case, the mother would take the catalog and order form to work, and brought it back a week later filled out with sales. Not knocking the Pampered chef thing at all, but by the time you take out the cost, and the commission, there isn't alot left going towards fees.
Our best fundraiser, was selling hot dogs and drinks in front of a grocery store on a nice spring saturday afternoon. We told the store we'd buy all our hot dogs and drinks from them, if we could sell them to raise money for the team. Turns out, they donated the hot dogs themselves, which was the biggest expense, so it really helped us out. $1.50 for a hot dog and a cold drink, we had a short line most of the day. Moms helping out, and dads grilling, and girls selling. Was a fun time.

Ok, that it was the parents who did the actual selling...huge difference. I would still come down on the side of 'probably not a good idea', but because the parents were the sales force, it's hard to argue too much against it.

Love the hot dog stand idea, even though I hate hot dogs! lol You offered something of value to the store and they reciprocated by making an even bigger donation to you. Factor in the fun factor of the together time you guys had, and you're talking about the ultimate win-win-win situation.

 

[mudbug]

I know teams that do fundraising where you earn towards your team fees, and are required to work a certain amount, or to raise a certain amount . Any amount ABOVE the required is yours to use for your own travel expenses, gas, food, etc. This sounds good since will spend thousands on top of team fees for teams that travel a lot.

 

[Hollyrockartist]

Our varsity girls have sold flip flops (super cute ones) for the past two years. This year, they raised (in the bank) $2,100. That will cover whatever the Boosters didn't pay for their new uniforms and other "extras" for the girls. There are always going to be folks who won't fundraise - always. Sometimes it's easier for them to just write a check than to have to ask someone to "help" their child's team. It is what it is - then there are those of us who get out there and bust our tails trying to raise the money for the girls...our coach knows who does and who doesn't. Last year, she asked for a tally of which girl sold what. The team is going to have some car washes this summer which, in my opinion, is a good thing because it makes the girls work!!