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Sports Day Fundraising Ideas

June has arrived, and after many Jubilee celebrations there’s likely to be a strong sense of community in the air. 

We shared last week some of our favourite fundraising ideas for Summer Fetes, and this week we’re going to look at another summer event – Sports Day! 

School Sports Days are a great way of bringing the school community together – Parents, teachers and children can enjoy a fun day of friendly competition, hopefully in a spot of sunshine. 

Last year we were still in the grip of Covid with restrictions making things very difficult to host in-person events. So this year you have an even bigger excuse to go all out – And a bigger opportunity to fundraise too! 

So if your PTA is wondering how to get involved with Sports Day and make it an easy fundraiser, check out our fundraising ideas for school Sports Days below. 

Fundraising Ideas for School Sports Day

  • Fundraising with Food


Breakfast

Offering a grab’n’go breakfast is a great way of fundraising at your Sports Day event. It can be an early and hectic start for mums and dads when it’s their children’s Sports Day (Isn’t ever morning school run a little bit hectic?!) 

There is usually a bit of waiting around between dropping the children off to their class and the actual start of Sports Day out on the field. So whilst parents are loitering around waiting for the games to begin, why not offer a simple breakfast to the mums and dads? We’re thinking bacon baps, croissants, teas and coffees – Pretty simple to offer and bound to be gobbled up for a few pennies in the pot. Easy money.

Lunch

Many schools have a picnic on the school field for the children to spend with their parents and friends. A great addition to this could be a BBQ – There’s always one who will forget they were supposed to bring a packed lunch that day! And really, who can resist the smell of barbecue? If that seems a bit too much to organise, what about pre-packed picnic boxes? Families could order and pay for them in advance, and then not need to worry about a packed lunch on the day! 

  • Stalls

If you’re a member of the PTA then chances are you’ve attended a school sports day – You’ll know that there is a lot of waiting around between the races your child is involved in! So why not have a few stalls near the viewing area where parents can spend some cash between races? Make sure these are well advertised before the day itself so people know to bring their purses! Popular stall choices for a sports day fundraiser are: 

Refreshments – Water, juice, tea, coffee, biscuits

Cake – A bit of refuelling for after the picnic, and a pick-me-up for the parents!

Fruit – Locally grown fruit like punnets of strawberries; maybe even with some cream! Slices of watermelon would also work well, especially on a warm day 

Flags – You could even get the younger children involved with making them. Lots of different coloured flags to wave the competitors on!

Second Hand Uniform – Always handy, and at the end of term, parents would probably be tempted to stock up on supplies ready for after the Summer

  • Donation Points

Sports Day gives such a wonderful community feel and brings everyone together with such a sense of pride for their children and school as a whole. Parents are bound to feel generous, so it’s a great idea to have some places where they could easily donate some money to the school pot. 

Even better than charity boxes or buckets, you could utilise cashless donation technology so that even the parents who haven’t brought cash can just tap to donate! So simple, and if you set the minimum amount to a few pounds, you’re bound to boost your fundraising. 

Donater Smart Stickers and QR Codes are a fantastic way of doing just this. All you need is the QR code or Smart Sticker on the collection box/bucket, or on each stall, and parents can simply tap the Sticker (on a NFC enabled smartphone) or scan the QR code. They are then taken to your dedicated online donation page where they can quickly make a donation via Apple Pay or Google Pay. Easy!

Sports Day Fundraisers Aren’t Just for Schools

Sports Day fundraisers are a great option even if you’re not a school! Any charitable organisation can reap the benefits of a Sports Day fundraiser – They’re fun for adults too! 

If you want to run a Sports Day fundraiser, here are a few things to consider when planning your fundraising event. 

Where? 

Think about where you will hold your Sports Day fundraising event. If you don’t have some outside space of your own, then you’ll need to work out where you will hold it. A local park, field or even a large garden are great options! 

Who? 

Who will be taking part, and who will be donating? It could be colleagues who are taking part in the actual races, with friends and family making donations via sponsorships. Or you can invite members of your local community to come and take part in your Sports Day fundraiser. Local weight loss groups, running clubs or exercise classes could be a brilliant place to start! 

Combine the Sports Day with a picnic or ‘garden party’ and it gives people the option to come and join in the fun without competing. The more people you have attending, the more money you are likely to raise. 

What?

It’s all in the planning, so make sure you think carefully about what games and races you will be doing. Here are a few Sports Day favourites:

  • Running races
  • Egg and Spoon race
  • Sack race
  • Three-legged race
  • Shot Put bean bags
  • Limbo
  • Wheelbarrow race
  • Relay race
  • Tug-of-War

And how about a theme? You could theme it to the Olympics, or ask people competing to dress up as their favourite sports person. 

When?

Don’t just pluck a date out of thin air! Make sure you take care to check what other events are happening locally so you don’t clash. Also avoid times when lots of people are likely to go on holiday. It might be a good idea to hold this Sports Day fundraiser on a weekend before the children break up from school for the Summer holidays. 

How Much?

Remember it’s all about the fundraising! How will you raise money at your Sports Day fundraiser? You could charge a small fee to join the fun as a competitor, and then sell tickets for anyone wishing to come and cheer them along! 

Stalls and refreshments are another great way to raise easy money – Think BBQ’s and raffles! Asking local companies to donate food and drink would be a good way to keep overhead costs down, as well as creating a sense of community in your local area. 

Make sure you give your supporters plenty of opportunity to make a donation – Via cash or mobile! Collection boxes and buckets are a great way of collecting loose change, but going mobile and taking online donations is bound to give your fundraising a boost. Donater Smart Stickers and QR Codes are a simple and effective way of doing this. Couple this with a Donater online donation page and you’re onto a winner!

Don’t forget to promote your Sports Day fundraiser – And what you’re raising money for! Shout about it on social media platforms and email newsletters, as well as posters in local shops and business. You could even ask for a small feature in your local newspaper! Don’t be afraid to ask people to share your event. The more people you can reach, the more successful it’s likely to be! 

Take lots of photos at the event itself and share on your social media profiles, encouraging people to tag themselves and share! You could even pick up some post-event donations from friends and family of the winners! 

You never know – This could become an annual thing! 

Get In Touch

Here at Donater, we’re passionate about giving PTA’s and charities the tech they need to fundraise digitally in a way that’s straightforward for them and their donors. 

Take the weight off your fundraisers shoulders with mobile payment technology. We have a suite of digital fundraising tools designed with charities and the donor in mind. 

For more information, head to our website or give us a call today. And for more fundraising tips and info, follow along at @donaterapp.

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