The Calhoun High School Athletic Booster Club in Port Lavaca, Texas sells reserved parking spaces for CHS home football games as a quick and easy fundraiser. All of the $3,300 raised is earmarked for the school's scholarship fund.

The Lee's Summit High School Athletic Booster Club in Lee's Summit, Missouri, partnered with a local shopping center developer to sell coupon books to two area shopping centers and in the process raised more than $6,000.

For almost 20 years, the Kearney High School Bearcat Booster Club in Kearney, Nebraska has hosted a tailgate fundraiser before a Friday night football game. This year's event took in more than $3,000.

The Osbourn High School Athletic Booster Club in Manassas, Virginia decided to capitalize on the popularity of Texas Hold'em Poker by holding a tournament fundraiser. Due to some planning mistakes and growing pains, the event didn't produce the funds it was seeking, but learned enough to hold two more this school year and is optimistic for the future.

The Creswell High School Booster Club in Creswell, Oregon, formulated a clever and fun fundraiser by holding a Retro Night that cleared inventory of old sports uniforms and gear while tying into the school's 70th anniversary with a nostalgic theme.

The Clear Brook High School Soccer Booster Club has cooked up a terrific and easy fundraiser by selling fully cooked smoked whole briskets to the hungry masses just in time for Super Bowl Sunday Parties. This year the club raised more than $2,000.

To help boost budgets for local youth sports, the Red and Black Sports Club of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a non-profit organization that derived its name from New Smyrna Beach High's school colors, sponsored the inaugural Elite 7-on-7 "Battle by the Beach" football tournament this July that awarded $15,000 to local high school booster clubs.

In order to help pay summer coaching stipends and defray the costs of equipment, the Elsinore High School Football Booster Club and the school's players hold three yearly E-waste collection fundraisers that bring in a tidy sum of $5,400 annually.

To raise funds for its high school sports teams, the West Yellowstone Booster Club in West Yellowstone, Montana, planned a donkey basketball fundraiser that collected $745.

The West High Booster Club in Torrance, California employed the services of 10 food trucks that sold an assortment of menu items to suppress the appetite of any discerning diner and made over $1,000 to help support the high school sports teams.

The 12 sports teams at Berne-Knox Westerlo High School in Berne, New York consolidated their efforts to host a combination community yard sale and chicken barbecue that brought in more than $5,000 for the athletic programs.

Partnering with a local Applebee's Restaurant, the Norman High School Soccer Booster Club in Norman, Oklahoma, raised more than $1,300 to help benefit the soccer program.

The Jersey Village Booster Club in Jersey Village, Texas, held it's inaugural Crawfish Boil fundraiser this year and netted close to $2,000. The club plans on making it an annual event.

The W.T. Clarke Athletic Parents & Booster Club holds an annual night of games, fun, and food that has not only become a staple in the community, but the main fundraiser, this year bringing in $7,00.

With very limited resources to generate income for its sports programs, the Vernon High School Athletics Booster Club in Vernon, Florida, became proactive by starting a bluegrass festival as a primary fundraiser. The 2nd Annual Orange & Bluegrass Festival this past April 16 tripled the money it made last year by raising $1,200.

By participating in the Ford Motor Company Drive One 4UR School program and Lincoln Drive Smart 4UR School program, Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, brought in almost $5,000 through a single-day fundraising program.

The Hudson High School Athletic Booster Club in Hudson, Massachusetts, has been hosting an annual comedy show for nine years. Hiring Boston-area comedians and comediennes, the night is always full of laughs and good times, not to mention that it can bring in $2,500 to aid the school's sports programs.

The students and faculty at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon have instituted a Dodgeball fundraiser, now in its fifth year, that provides a night of laughs, fun, and boosts school morale while generating income for an array of worthy causes.

The Steamboat Springs Booster Club in Colorado kicks off its fundraising ventures every year with the sale of its Steamboat Sailors Gold Cards. The $20 cards contain discounts to restaurants and retailers from the Steamboat Springs area. The fundraiser grossed nearly $25,000 last fall thanks to the efforts of the schools' football, volleyball, soccer, and cheerleading teams.

The Ponte Vedra High School boys' lacrosse team in Florida sells bales of pine straw needles and bags of cypress mulch to raise money for uniforms, equipment, and traveling expenses. This year's second annual event, which took place in March, netted $27,000 in sales, more than doubling last year's proceeds, and an additional $6,000 in sponsorships.

To compensate for the postponement of its annual Golden Eagle Walk for Student-Athletes fundraiser this year, the athletic department at the University of Minnesota-Crookston decided to honor Bill Tyrrell, the director of the walk-a-thon and the school's Director of Athletic Fundraising, with the sale of bobblehead dolls in his image as a new and different fundraiser. They hope to unveil the bobblehead at their annual Fun Nite.

To help restore coaching stipends that were cut from their budgets, athletic directors at Murrieta, California's three high schools are teaming up to raise $125,000 through a golf fundraiser.

The North Royalton Athletic Boosters of North Royalton High School in Ohio have prided themselves on conducting unique fundraising events that go beyond the nickel and dime projects. One of the most successful is the annual Night at the Races, which last year netted nearly $9,000.

Entering its fifth year, the Chaska High School Activities and Athletics Fundraising Gala has been a great way for alumni to bond while raising money for an identified need within the school and its athletic facilities.

In order to offset the $3 million price tag to resurface the high school's track and install artificial turf on the football, soccer and baseball fields, Grant High's student-athletes were presented with a Team Challenge where each of the school's sports squads are doing separate fundraisers to contribute to the cause. So far they've helped raise $390,000.

Morgantown High School in West Virginia has utilized the far-reaching effects of social networking to bolster a $6 million fundraising campaign to renovate the archaic sports facilities at the school. By using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, in addition to building a Web site, Morgantown High has been able to reach thousands of alumni who have donated towards the project.

Athletic Director Karl Heimbach of Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland has taken a personal initiative to increase the athletic budget by selling Italian ices after school. After partnering with a local vendor for on-campus games eight years ago, Heimbach has been selling the sweet treats for the past four years to students waiting for the bus or going to sports practice. The extra money has helped pay for a new message board, among other items.

By Karl Heimbach
Athletic Director, CMAA, Colonel Zadok Magruder High School
Rockville, Maryland

In order to offset the tremendous costs of travel for its nationally ranked football team, the Don Bosco Prep High School Touchdown Club in Ramsey, New Jersey is involved in several fundraisers every year. Its bi-annual roast of former players and coaches not only brings in the most money, it also provides the most bang for the buck.

By Dr. Ed Fox
President, Don Bosco Preparatory High School Touchdown Club
Ramsey, New Jersey

The Apex High School Cougar Club in North Carolina has found great success selling sports passes for all of its home contests. With four levels of memberships from which to choose, students and fans alike can attend the programs' games for a fraction of the gate price. And the Cougar Club reaps the benefits, grossing about $80,000, including sponsorships.

By Bob Poliachik
Vice President of Family Memberships, Apex High School Cougar Club
Apex, North Carolina

In South Texas, former high school football players are returning to the gridiron after being away for as long as 35 years. The reason? To raise money for high school athletics. At Robstown High School, Arturo Gonzalez explains how a series on contests against other school's alumni will raise money for his alma mater's football boosters.

By Arturo Gonzalez
Robstown High School '95
Robstown (Texas) Cotton Pickers Alumni Football

Student-athletes at Marshwood High School in South Berwick, Maine, aren't allowed to go soliciting door-to-door, and are generally expected to do their fundraising in-season. In one exception, the ski team and its boosters make the most of the community's summer strawberry festival by selling kabobs, noodles, and snow cones to a long line of neighbors and visitors.

By Lisa Greenblatt
President, Marshwood High School Ski Team Boosters Club
South Berwick, Maine

By partnering with a local shopping center, the Big South Conference raised $10,000 for middle school athletics with its inaugural 5K road race. The keys, says Big South's Chad Cook, were scheduling the race alongside the area's fall festival, plotting the course to enlist the help of corporate sponsors, and working closely with a wide range of supporters.

By Chad Cook
Director of Marketing, Big South Conference

In a tight economy, the major auto manufacturers are hoping to drum up sales by offering fundraising opportunities to high school athletics programs. In this story, Tommy Mathews, President of the booster club at Boerne (Texas) High School, explains how Boerne's two high schools were able to capitalize on a local car dealer's initiative.

By Tommy Mathews
Greyhound Athletic Booster Club
Boerne (Texas) High School

With the opening of a new high school, the athletic program at Loudoun Valley High School found itself split in two. Half of its student-athletes--and their booster parents--moved to the new Woodgrove High School on the edge of town. To start their rivalry on the right foot, the two booster clubs created a partnership that helped turn a potentially divisive battle into a positive for the community.

By Kenny Berkowitz

In Ohio and Pennsylvania, high school athletic boosters are trying a new spin on the old Las Vegas night. Using video projection, they're hosting an evening of virtual horseracing, complete with food, beverages, gambling games, auctions, and all the atmosphere of a racetrack to create an effective, adult-oriented fundraiser.

By Teri Mollison
Hudson (Ohio) High School Athletic Booster Club

By collaborating with their school's music boosters, the Mahomet-Seymour (Ill.) High School Athletic Booster Club has turned a modest tailgate party into an annual event for 2,500 people. The key to their successful Dawgapalooza, says Vice President Julie Clapper, is to keep the menu simple and the entertainment family friendly.

By Julie Clapper
Vice President for Concessions
Mahomet-Seymour (Ill.) High School Athletic Booster Club

In its first year, East Dubuque (Ill.) High School's Wingfest was small enough to fit into an empty lot and happy to break even. Six years later, it stretched to fill a whole downtown block, and was able to raise $15,000 for high school athletics. In this article, restaurateur and Warrior Booster Club President John Digman explains how they've created an annual tradition.

By John Digman
President, East Dubuque (Ill.) High School Warrior Booster Club

At Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, Head Football Coach John Walsh wanted to recognize booster Tracy Radamacher for all her hard work. His solution didn't just affect the outcome of opening day--it entered Radamacher's son into the Wildcat record book.

Eight weeks after losing their entire athletics budget, boosters at Saugerties (N.Y.) High School raised the $300,000 they needed to preserve the program.

Finding Sponsors For the past four years, boosters at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, N.C., have hosted a golf tournament at the community's most difficult course. In 2010, they used sponsorships to more than double their profits--well before the opening tee-off.

After voters eliminated the budget for athletics, the Hull Boosters Club at Hull (Mass.) High School went into high gear. With only three months to save fall sports, they reached back to a long-forgotten event, raised the money they needed, and set the stage for a successful year.

In 11 years of using eScrip, the Amador Valley High School Athletic Boosters have raised close to a million dollars. Working at a school with 850 athletes, Dalice Godwin explains how boosters have been able to sign up 7,000 members.

What could be more fun than competing against your teachers? In 2006, the Smith Middle School Booster Club launched the Cyclone Games, a tradition that 's still going strong. The key to success, says booster club president Margaret Conrad, is to offer students and teachers a different way to interact--along with inviting special guests from the community and providing a nutritious meal for everyone.

In St. Paris, Ohio, a town of 2,000 people, Graham High School Athletic Director Brook Cupps finds himself repeatedly asking the same businesses for donations. Not wanting to tap that well too many times, he reached out to the program's wrestling alumni, who provided a $500,000 loan to cover the cost of a new athletic building.

With bass fishing on the verge of becoming an official high school sport in Alabama, organizers at Wetumpka High School launched their first bass fishing tournament at Lake Jordan, host of the 2009 Toyota Tundra Trophy Triumph. Forty-nine boats and a few hours later, they'd netted $3,500 for high school athletics.

In Eden, N.C., 19 high school athletic programs from five counties partner with a local bank to create the area's largest sporting event. Now in its 11th year, the NewBridge Bank Invitational Football and Cheerleading Jamboree has raised more than $350,000 for public schools, with the company doing the lion's share of planning, organizing, fundraising, marketing, and publicizing the preseason celebration.

Between increasing gas prices and a down economy, most athletic directors are dealing with squeezed budgets this fall. Some have been hit even harder and are battling major cuts that are threatening their programs. But they're finding ways to survive by cutting back and getting creative.

A Georgia high school baseball program uses different forms of broadcast technology to boost teamwork and sponsorship revenues.

A shift in demographics creates a new opportunity for a Wisconsin high school athletic booster club to reconnect to it community, alumni, and fans.

With the help of an exploratory committee and 100-year old athletic board, a Great Lakes school district looks at ways to renovate its stadium by preserving its traditions.

New leadership restructures a northern California high school athletic booster club to help turnaround declining memberships.

The Barrington United School District, located 35 miles northwest of Chicago, has grown substantially over the last decade. The school district is composed of more than 9,000 students in 12 schools throughout four counties. With the expansion in enrollment, so too has the number of students, especially girls, participating in sports. Unfortunately, the high school's stadium, which was built in the 1970s, couldn't keep up with the population's needs. All that changed, however, in late 2006 when voters passed a school referendum for a $4.4 million stadium renovation project.

A Minnesota youth sports assocation develops a joint private-public partnership with the local city government and school district to help serve the needs of more than 3,000 students and athletes.

Sometimes, although a track and field facility is desperately needed, it simply doesn't make it onto an administration's list of priorities. At the University of New Mexico, Head Men's and Women's Coach Mark Henry encountered that scenario, and for him, the solution was to look elsewhere for help. After his pleas for a facility upgrade fell on deaf ears within his department, Henry turned his focus outside the university and found the assistance he needed in some nontraditional places: city council.

"Dig for a Cure Night" was the name of a breast cancer awareness fundraiser developed by the girls' varsity volleyball team from Corbett (Ore.) High School held this past October. The fundraiser generated $2,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the idea behind the Dig stemmed from a coaching philosophy Head Volleyball Coach Sue Busk has been emphasizing for 15 years: "We first, me second."

A softball team from Central New York raises more than $50,000 over a five-year period to fund its annual spring break trip to help build team chemistry and prepare them for their future careers.

Toni McKee, Head Boys' Track and Field Coach at Campbell County High School in Alexandria, Ky., has never forgotten the sense of connection and camaraderie she felt as an athlete when she met the runners who'd gone before her at Northern Kentucky University's track and field reunion.

And when her current athletes started asking about the record holders on the plaques in the school hallways, it brought back memories for McKee, who ran with some of those record-holders when she competed for Campbell County High School. So McKee took it upon herself to organize the school's first track and field and cross country alumni reunion.

The bright lights, the perfectly groomed infield, and baselines painted just so—is there anything more exhilarating than playing at a professional league ballpark? A lot of your players probably dream of playing on a field like that someday, but for several Ohio high school teams, the dream has already come true.

During the 2006-07 school year, Teanna Meinhold was a marketing intern for the athletic department at Eastern Washington University (EWU). Her internship as Athletic Liaison was simple: re-organize a group of basketball fans who called themselves 'Team Red' (in honor of EWU's school colors) into an athletic department-run spirit club.

The task was a perfect fit for Meinhold, who double majored in marketing and business management. Within a four-month span, she transformed Team Red into a university-brand force that was responsible for helping increase home game attendance and bridging stronger relationships between the university and local businesses.

When Tom Bundy dreams, he dreams big. Bundy is entering his 17th year as a head coach of the Astronaut High School boys' and girls' track and field teams in Titusville, Fla. For as long as he can remember—and he's an AHS alum, so he's been remembering for awhile—he's always wanted a rubber track for the school. Bundy's dream track, however, carried a price tag of well over $100,000.

"The first thing I did," Bundy says, "was place it on my Christmas wish list. Next, with the motivation of [volunteer] Sandy Myers, I started looking into the cost analysis of installing a rubber track."

Four years ago, Everglades High School didn't have a stadium. Today, it has a state-of-the-art facility with seating for 3,750. One factor made it possible to build this great facility: For $500,000, just over half of the total cost, the school sold the stadium's naming rights to Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union.

Many athletic booster clubs raise money to offset the cost of their schools' sports program. Fergus Falls Youth Activities Club, though, has a different role. The 501(c)3 athletic booster club's main goal is to promote football to younger students in this central Minnesotan community in an effort to reverse the declining number of high school student-athlete participation. The club's six-man football program, now entering its third year, is hugely popular among parents and has attracted more than 150 kids each season.

The Fergus Falls School District has taken notice. In an innovative three-year pilot program, the school district is leasing its junior high football program to the activities club with the hope that success at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels will encourage these younger student-athletes to go out for varsity sports when they reach high school.

This past year, the Middleboro High School Athletic Department undertook its most successful fundraiser ever. The school created an engraved brick sidewalk that generated a $7,000 profit within only a few months and will continue to bring in revenue for a long time to come.

A community recreation club and parent sports booster club work together to help a New Jersey high school's swim team enhance its facility and popularity.

For the 27th year, a Chicago suburb's Super Bowl party raises thousands of dollars to benefit an all-girls school's sports program.

Amherst Steele High School's fastpitch softball clinic continues to thrive 15 years after its first session. Part of its success is due to how head coach Bill Matthews designs the clinics: small groups, simple drill adjustments, and the inclusion of former student-athletes.

With tournaments spanning the country, members of a 16 and Under softball organization team up with a local restaurant and trade in their gloves to wait tables to raise money for their travels.

The 2006-07 school year marked Mick Lowie's 18th year head coaching the Cortland (N.Y.) High School boys' basketball team and the Purple Tigers' 10th year participating in the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer, the society's fundraiser geared toward basketball programs to raise money in the fight against cancer. "Cancer touches so many people," he says. "It's hard to find someone in your community not personally affected." Lowie himself has lost two close friends and his mother-in-law to the disease.

During the 2006-07 school year at Plano Independent School District, there was one big goal: ending the school district's pay-to-play fee. Varsity high school athletes were paying $100 a piece, and many felt strongly that no one should have to pay to participate in high school sports. Through a combination of strategies, the school district increased its fundraising by $300,000 per year and ended the fee.

In the April 2007 issue of Fundraising For Sports, Amherst Steele High School (Ohio) Head Softball Coach Bill Matthews discussed how his team raises $3,000 each year through its fall and summer softball clinics. In this month's newsletter, Matthews explains how his team made a profit of more than $6,000 at its recent steak dinner and auction.

A lot of schools hold tailgate parties before their Friday night football games—that's certainly not a new idea. But how about a tailgate party that generates a profit of $18,000 in one night with virtually no cost to the school? That's how much Forestview High School raised this year.

Visibility is the key factor for the success of a Tampa-suburb 5K race that benefited the area's two newest schools.

by Abigail Funk, an Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing

Spearheading a large fundraising project requires years of fundraising experience and expertise, and coaches with neither shouldn't bother trying, right? Wrong. A high school in Roanoke, Va., is getting new athletic facilities, thanks to a 26-year-old rookie coach who didn't let his inexperience deter him from starting a campaign that has so far raised $300,000.

A Missouri high school booster club president helps the football program win new uniforms

By Danielle Catalano

A southwest Virginia community fundraising committee points out how its fundraising efforts help repair its damaged field.

To help raise money for a fitness center named in honor of a slain police officer, an Illinois school district creates its own Amazing Race.

Mike Meyers, president of Marshall University's women's volleyball booster club, the Thundering Spikers, talks about how the club has spent the last year rejuvenating interest in the sport.

The University of the Pacific's (Calif.) seat-naming program created to cover the cost of seating in the school's new baseball stadium raises $160,000 in its first six months.

by Kenny Berkowitz, Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.

The educational tradition starting more than 50 years ago by North Dakota State University's official sports booster club becomes a key component to the school's transition from Division II to Division I.

by Danielle Catalano

by Danielle Catalano

Looking for a way to reduce the amount of time parents spent preparing for fundraisers, a Burnsville (Minn.) athletic director found his solution by downloading music.

by Danielle Catalano

To raise money for its new irrigation system, a Maryland high school booster club reorganizes a popular bull roast fundraiser.

by Danielle Catalano, FundraisingForSports.com

University of Tampa Assistant Athletic Director Gil Swalls explains his success story.

by Laura Smith, Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing

A Tennessee high school works with Lowe's for a $1-million athletics complex makeover.

with Brian Cain, M.S., CAA, North Country Union High School, Vt.

A Vermont atheltic director explains how his student-athletes use the radio to reach their fans and sponsors.

By Danielle Catalano, a writer for FundraisingforSports.com.

Rival towns work together to raise money for their sports programs.

By Danielle Catalano, a writer for FundraisingforSports.com.
Strong community support helps Homer High School in central New York raise funds for its new scoreboard.

[SYN]When Freeport (Maine) High School received a gift of $300,000 two years ago to build a track and field facility, the school gave the money to nearby Bowdoin College instead.[/SYN]
[AUTHOR]By Abigail Funk[/AUTHOR]
[BIO]Abigail Funk is an Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.[/BIO]

By Laura Smith - Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.
With the help of a friends' organization, a Connecticut high school saves its athletics program.

By Kenny Berkowitz - Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.
A look at what happens when six college athletic marketing departments let their imaginations go wild.

By Laura Smith - Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.

If you want taxpayers to vote 'Yes' on a facilities bond project, you'll need more than a good argument. You need to gather facts, know your history, and find a way to reach out to voters.

By Danielle Catalano - writer for FundraisingforSports.com.

Knowing the right people helps save 11 sports programs from being cancelled in Long Island.

By Danielle Catalano - writer for FundraisingforSports.com.

The Parkersburg (W.Va.) News and Sentinel celebrates the 100th anniversary of its local high school's football program by creating a historical pictorial of the program called the Centennial Celebration: 100 Years of Big Red Football. Proceeds from the sale of the book benefiting the school's athletic booster club.

By Danielle Catalano - writer for FundraisingforSports.com.

$65,000 raised in less than two months saves a school's fall sports program.

By Kenny Berkowitz - Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.

The newest ideas in boosting ticket sales include e-mail marketing, rewarding season ticket holders, facilitating group sales, and catering to the hometown crowd.

By Laura Smith - Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.

When businesses complained to athletic director Randy Richards about receiving too many fundraising phone calls, it was time to restructure the booster club's market plan.

By Danielle Catalano - writer for FundraisingforSports.com.

Students in the small southwest town of Conway, Mo., help its athletic booster club earn big money for a new gym floor.

By Laura Smith - Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.

A newly consolidated booster club saves an Ohio high school's sports program from being cancelled.

By Danielle Catalano - writer for FundraisingforSports.com.

Safety codes, an insurance ultimatum, and the tenacity of a football booster club jump-start a western Pennsylvania school district's campaign to create a new sports complex.

By Kenny Berkowit - Assistant Editor at MomentumMedia Sports Publishing.

How to carefully approach the game of selling naming rights.