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The Role Of Monetary Support

Monetary support for a booster club can happen in a few different ways, all of which have some impact on the club’s overall helpfulness. The best practices for cash support of booster clubs are for a club to create multiple streams of income by choosing different ways to raise money.

Some of the best ways to raise money for booster clubs are:

  • imageDirect monetary donations
  • imageFundraising
  • imageReceiving non-cash gifts
  • imageOnline or offline monetary support
  • imageGrants
  • imageCorporate and business sponsorships
  • imageMembership fees
  • imageSelling goods
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Direct Monetary Donations

Typically, over half of the money raised in a nonprofit group comes directly from individuals. This means that it’s crucial to accept cash donations whenever possible. Donors can make one time contributions or have them be recurring donations; both are great monetary support solutions for a booster club.

Things to keep in mind:

  • imageMajor donors may give less frequently, but give larger sums
    • Make sure that your fundraising efforts seek out major donor leads for booster club financial support.
  • imageRegular donors give more frequently but may give smaller sums
    • Try to cultivate regular donors into becoming recurring donors to provide your booster club with a more sustained income.

Online and offline

What’s great about today’s modern technology is that you can receive monetary donations online as well as in person. This means that you can reach a much larger target audience to help bring in monetary support for a booster club.

You can create your own website

While this does take time and perhaps some money to develop, it can be a long term solution for crowdsourcing. The website can be used as the central platform for multiple landing pages and fundraisers down the road.

In-person donations

While this option may bring you out of your comfort zone and interact with other people, it does make a difference. Encourage your booster club members and students to reach out to local community members to build social relationships that can blossom into direct donations.

Some people that you can ask for donations include:

  • imageFriends
  • imageFamily
  • imageCoworkers
  • imagePeers
  • imageLocal businesses

While donations are a great way to increase monetary support for a booster club, fundraising could be another great way to raise money.

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Supporting Through Booster Club Fundraising Drives

Booster club fundraising is one of the most successful ways to raise money. There are a ton of different fundraising methods that you can use, but some of the best techniques for reaching donors include:

  • imageDirect mail
    • This is a great low-cost way to reach an audience and especially great if your donors are older.
  • imageEvents
    • Great for interacting with donors and showing first-hand what your booster club is all about.
  • imagePhone
    • Soliciting phone donation requests is great if you already have a list of past donors or sponsors that would likely contribute again.
  • imageDoor to door
    • Slightly less effective and growing more unpopular as other methods take over. That being said, politicians and other nonprofits still do door to door requests so if your booster club is comfortable with this idea, it could still be used as a way to seek monetary support for a booster club.
  • imageEmail
    • Email is a great way to reach a wide range of people with a few clicks of a button and minimal cost as you won’t need to pay for postage. With email, you can discuss both online fundraisers as well as the in-person fundraisers. Thereby alerting supporters of upcoming events and how they can assist you in reaching the booster club’s goals.
  • image Online fundraising drives
    • Online fundraisers are a great way to bring in profit. A lot of people are willing to support booster clubs that are selling merchandise online because of how easy it is to do. Not only is it easy to purchase items online, but it’s also easy to promote the event by clicking on social share buttons or sending links to supporters.
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Membership Fees

Another booster club’s successful fundraising tool is cash received from membership fees. Not only are membership fees (or dues) proven to be a useful source of income, but they also add to the list of people that you can contact for volunteering time and skills to help run booster club events.

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Selling Goods

Another idea to raise money for your booster club is tosell merchandise and items. Selling merchandise is made even easier these days thanks to dropshipping, which can be done throughout the year. It’s a great way to get your brand/logo out there and promote your booster club as well.

A few examples of things that you can easily sell:

  • imageT-shirts
  • imageTote bags
  • imageMugs
  • imageLanyards
  • imageKeychains
  • imageBaseball hats

Besides selling products, you can also sell services such as:

  • Selling tickets to events
  • Creating and selling publications like a printed newsletter

Just make sure that you keep a detailed record of how much of your booster club’s income comes from the selling of goods and services for tax purposes.

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Non-cash Donations

While giving money to a booster club is a relatively straightforward process, sometimes non-cash donations could be just as useful as monetary ones.

Some examples can include:

  • imageStocks
  • imageVehicles
  • imageElectronics
  • imageClothing and furniture

Each of these items has its own set of stipulations set in place by the IRS, so it’s important to read up on the laws and see which apply to your booster club.

While the items themselves may not “be money,” they do hold a monetary value that can be translated into monetary support. Selling any of the items can bring in a good amount of cash to the club.

An example would be if someone donated a used car to the booster club.

To keep everything legal, the booster club would then issue a receipt to the donor based on the value of the vehicle. The donor could use this when it comes time to file their taxes to show that they made a charitable donation. Meanwhile, the booster club would sell the vehicle to another party for the cash value.

Two things to keep in mind:

  • imageIf the booster club chooses to keep the vehicle, the donor receives a receipt with the fair market value of the vehicle.
  • imageIf the booster club sells the vehicle, the original donor receipt is based on the amount that the vehicle sold for.
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Grants

Something less often talked about as a source of monetary support for a booster club is grants. As a nonprofit, the local, state, and federal government, as well as private organizations, have grants available.
Pro: This is money that would not need to be repaid.
Con: It could take a long time before your booster club is awarded the money.

You have to:

  • imageWrite a grant proposal
  • imageHope that you win out of the other entries

If you win, you have to:

  • imageFollow the specific conditions attached to the grant
    • These usually tell you how to spend the money
  • imageFollow the specific reporting requirements

Before your booster club starts applying for nonprofit grants, you should consider:

  • imageCan you devote resources to writing winning grant applications?
  • imageCan you meet all of the grant conditions and requirements?
  • imageAre the conducted activities consistent with the mission of your booster club?
  • imageCan you continue with said activity after the grant funding is over?

While some booster clubs may find that grants are an excellent investment for financial opportunities, others may find that they are not their ideal source.
If you would like more information about grants as a support for a booster club, check out this database with more information on government grants.

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Corporate And Business Sponsorships

Corporate and business sponsorships are a great source of monetary support for a booster club because it helps both of the involved parties.
For companies, it helps them to look better in the public eye and improves their philanthropic image. Furthermore, in many cases, they are awarded some advertising placement at a booster event.

Different corporations usually have different programs available; these can include:

  • imagePhilanthropic
    • This is a no strings attached donation, just like individual donations
  • imageEvent sponsorship
    • Short term donations to help with an event
  • imageCause marketing
    • This one is usually geared towards bettering society while increasing the companies profitability. Most likely, not the best choice for your booster club.
  • imageDonor matching
    • When corporations match the cash donations made by individuals.

It’s best to find businesses that have a good social standing in your local community and that are already giving assistance to schools and programs. This will help you to avoid rejections as they are more likely to provide their support.
It takes a lot of time, money, and commitment to get the right funding sources for a booster club. While there are plenty of monetary sources available, not all of the options may work for you. It’s essential to have a plan in place and find the right income sources that align with your booster club’s mission statement.