12 Ways to Increase Fundraising with a Charity Sporting Event or Tournament Fundraiser
Planning a charity sporting event like a pickleball fundraiser, cornhole/bags tournament, alumni basketball tournament, or other fundraising event? Some simple strategies and add-ons can go a long way to make the event more fun and provide additional fundraising opportunities. Perhaps you’ve thought through player and team registrations and are mapping out sponsorship options, but what else? Here’s a list of strategies (plus quick tips for making the most of them!) to help event organizers raise more dollars at charity sporting events and tournament fundraisers.
1. Sell Player Registrations & Packages
Certainly player and team registrations are key to a successful tournament fundraiser, but there are some ways to consider packaging them that can maximize dollars raised. First, make sure you’re at a price-point that makes sense (i.e. it covers costs like court fees or facility rental). If the event has previously sold out quickly, consider increasing entry fees. If you’re in an area where access to the sport or activity your tournament offers is limited or expensive, consider offering your event at a higher price point. Worried about excluding supporters with limited financial resources? Early-bird pricing or discounts for certain types of participants (students, for example) can give you the best of both worlds: additional revenue from registrations without limiting accessibility.
2. Hold a Pre-Event Clinic
A clinic can do a lot to enhance a charity event. This can be included in VIP registration packages as an exclusive, high-value add-on for veteran players. It can also be used to make an event more approachable to a broader audience. Consider the rise of pickleball, and its overall accessibility. While the sport is ideal for a range of ages and skill levels with few barriers to entry, a basics clinic can help first-timers feel comfortable participating in a tournament fundraiser, even if they’ve never actually played the sport. It provides an opportunity to teach them the official rules and offer some quick tips and pointers that prevent injury and increase everyone’s comfort level. Hold a clinic the day before or the morning of a tournament fundraiser, selling limited spots based on the availability and your goals for this add-on.
A pre-event clinic, lesson, or coaching session can help new players feel comfortable participating in a tournament for the first time or attract seasoned players looking for ways to improve their game.
3. Sell Mulligans or Do-Overs
Take inspiration from golf tournament fundraisers and boost revenue by selling mulligans (do-overs) for missed shots or lost rallies, priced individually (likely in the $5 to $25 range) or in discounted bundles. Give them a fun name like "Fault Fixers" or "Re-Dinks," or a name that honors a sponsor, and sell them at registration, check-in, and during matches. Encourage players and spectators to buy for themselves and others by introducing a twist where a player can use a mulligan to force an opponent to replay a winning shot. Promote them with live announcements and a “Mulligan Station” to maximize fundraising impact while keeping the tournament fun and competitive.
4. Include Raffle Items or a 50/50 Raffle
With a raffle, attendees purchase tickets that give them a chance to win prizes. The prize items are typically donated by local businesses, which are often eager to support for a number of reasons. For many, this is tax-advantaged charitable giving. Participating also provides opportunities to spread the word about products and services, and helps build goodwill among existing and potential customers. As an event organizer, you’ll want to start by creating a target list of local businesses to make a successful raffle happen. Think outside the box, and remember that raffle items can be tangible goods, but they can also be gift certificates. Discuss with your committee and board members, who will likely have connections they can tap. Task everyone with making a certain number of asks, and be sure to put sponsors on your ask list. As you’re planning and delegating asks, it’s a good idea to be thinking about whether you’ll hold an auction (which will also require donated items), so you can better coordinate these asks.
A 50/50 raffle works a little differently in that there are not donated items to win. Instead, the money from raffle ticket purchases is split in half; 50% of it goes to the organization as a donation. Those who bought raffle tickets draw for a chance to win the other 50% of the pooled money. Holding a 50/50 raffle can help you save on prizes and incentives for the tournament as a whole while increasing donations. It’s also fairly common for a 50/50 raffle winner to donate their prize money to the cause.
Consider a wine-and-whiskey-themed raffle, curated/themed baskets, or a wine pull activity where participants make a donation for an opportunity to randomly select a bottle. These options are great for engaging local beverage distributors while also appealing to supporters.
5. Add an Auction
Make asks for physical donations or gift certificates, and don’t forget to target less common options, like professional service providers (accounting, real estate, home renovations, catering, financial advising) and experiences (hospitality, resorts, tours, food and wine tastings, and the like). If you end up with various smaller miscellaneous items, look for ways to bundle them into baskets or gift boxes for raffles and auctions. Consider adding into your registration process a simple auction management software, so supporters can check out auction items and bid from a mobile device. This eases logistics, and increases bids and overall auction revenue.
6. Donate-your-Score Campaigns
Engage teams and players at the end of the event or in the days that follow with a simple campaign that prompts them to donate their score. This can be the number of total points scored in a round-robin and/or elimination tournament, or their final score (perhaps plus a zero) in a winning match. Be sure to include information about the impact value of even small donations in your asks, and time them in such a way that brings out participants’ competitive spirit.
7. Sell Spectator Tickets
If your venue has space for spectators, consider selling tickets for family and community members who aren’t necessarily playing the event, but may want to join the fun. This works especially well if you have food, music, and other activities at the event. Sell tickets at a price point that is accessible to a broad audience, and be sure to cap the number of tickets sold based on the capacity of the venue.
8. Offer Buy-Backs for Eliminated Teams
Similar to mulligans or do-overs, buy-backs allow teams or players that have been eliminated in a single- or double-elimination tournament to re-enter the event. Be sure to consider how many buy-backs you’ll make available and how you’ll incorporate these teams buy-back rounds into the overall bracket system for the tournament. Using an online registration tool with built-in tournament management functionality makes these (and the sale of other types of event add-ons!) especially easy.
9. QR Code Donation Prompts
The easier you make it to give to your cause before, during, and after the event, the more likely people are to do it. Print and display QR codes on-site that link directly to your event website (where supporters can make a quick donation from their mobile device in seconds). Alongside QR codes, look for ways to make the impact tangible. Explain the outcomes on small-dollar donations as they relate to your organization’s work. For example, a $10 donation provides a new backpack with supplies for a child in need, or a week of nutritious lunches, or a month of food for an animal at a shelter. QR codes can also be used for other on-site purchases, like raffle tickets and mulligans.
10. VIP Packages
There are lots of ways to utilize VIP perks and benefits to raise additional dollars. Add perks to VIP player packages like mulligans, premium swag bags, priority check-in, and access to VIP brackets with higher-tiered prizes, more competitive play, or other VIP players. VIP spectator packages can also be effective, offering premium seating, complimentary snacks and drinks, and premium event swag. Limit VIP options as needed, but also to create some exclusivity and buzz around them.
11. Event Shirts & Merch
Shirts can be a nice way to generate revenue and help spread the word about the event (now and in the future). They also reinforce the cause behind the event, tying back to the reason many supporters are inclined to give their time and dollars. A few pro tips: Aim for a trendy design and tie back to the cause. Let your t-shirt vendor know that your order benefits a cause, and ask about discounts or interest in sponsoring or donating. You can also sell a t-shirt sponsorship to cover costs and maximize fundraising revenue.
12. Absentee & In-Memory Donations
As you’re promoting the event, inevitably not everyone will be able to make it. Prompt supporters who can’t join the fun to submit a wish-I-could-be-there-style donation. Prompting supporters to donate in honor of someone special can also be an effective strategy. These donations can happen before, during, or after an event, and can be displayed with names and well wishes on your event website.
Hit the Easy Button
As you’re planning, pick and choose the fundraising add-ons that make sense for your event, your venue, and your demographic. Consider that supporters are often generous, but also that offering an experience, a memory, or a prize in exchange for their additional support builds sustainable goodwill and cause connection. And, of course, don’t forget to thank donors in meaningful ways–through recognition, personalized communications, and updates on the impact of their generosity.
Don’t track and manage the component parts of your tournament by hand! There’s a better way! RecDay keeps all the tools and information for your event in one place, right alongside registrations, sponsorships, logos, payments, and communications–saving event organizers time and making it easier than ever to incorporate add-ons that help you raise more dollars for your cause. Ready to learn more? Get in touch below.
