Basketball Fundraising Ideas: Slam Dunks, Jump Shots, and Three Pointers

So you want to run a basketball fundraiser? If you’re a coach, you’ve been around the game long enough. You’ve seen everything from shoot-a-thons to selling concessions at games. You’re here because you need something better. That’s where tools like Teamfi come in.

A strong fundraising plan balances both digital fundraising tools like calendars, crowdfunding, and liftathons, with traditional fundraisers like merchandise sales. 

Below, we’ve grouped 15 basketball fundraising ideas into three categories:

1. Slam dunks (easy wins)
2. Jump shots (moderate effort)
3. Three pointers (big undertakings with big rewards)

See which ones are best for your programs below.

Slam Dunks (Easy Fundraisers)

These ideas are quick to set up, low-cost, and can be executed with minimal planning.

Shooting Contest at Halftime

Charge fans a small entry fee to attempt free throws or half-court shots during halftime of a game. Offer a small prize if they make it. 

• Pop-a-shot - For $1 each or $2 each, have kids shoot three-pointers to win a two-liter of pop.
• Half-court shot - A similar version to pop-a-shot, but offer a bigger prize like a t-shirt.
• Game of “Lightning” or “Knockout” - Charge $1 to $5 entry for the childhood classic game, with the winner getting a prize.

50/50 Raffle

Selling raffle tickets is one of the simplest ways to raise money. Half the pot goes to the winner, half supports the team. Start by purchasing inexpensive rolls of raffle tickets. Have volunteers walk the stands before and during the first half of the game selling tickets for set prices (for example, $1 each, 6 for $5, or 15 for $10). 

At halftime or late in the game, draw one winning ticket and announce the number. The winner gets half of the money collected, while the other half goes straight to the basketball program. 

Teamfi Calendar Fundraiser

A digital calendar donation page is a customized landing page where your team and fundraiser participants can share to family and friends. In these pages are fundraising calendars where each spot represents a dollar amount to fundraise. With anywhere from a few to hundreds of participants, we find that digital calendars raise over $300 a participant on average.

Crowdfunding Campaign

Launch an online fundraiser where athletes share personalized links with family and friends. Highlight a specific goal like new uniforms or travel funds to help encourage friends and relatives to donate.

The best part about these online fundraising campaigns is how custom they are to your basketball team. It’s the little details that go a long way into bringing donations home. Just because it’s an easy fundraiser doesn’t mean you can’t raise a lot of money. Teams often raise thousands of dollars, even tens of thousands of dollars with our fundraising software that’s free to use!

Donation Buckets at Concessions

Place decorated buckets at concession stands or entrances with signs supporting the basketball program. Easy setup and steady returns.

Donation buckets aren’t the most profitable fundraiser, but you can’t beat the ease.

Jump Shots (Medium Effort Fundraisers)

Skills Clinic for Younger Players

Host a Saturday morning clinic where varsity athletes and coaches teach elementary or middle school kids the fundamentals of basketball. Charge a registration fee and include a T-shirt so every child leaves with something to remember the day. 

Parents love the chance for their kids to learn from older players, and it builds a strong feeder system for your program. 

Another way to provide value is to invite high profile former players who played collegiately if you’re a high school program.

Shoot-a-thon

When Charlotte High School started their shoot-a-thon fundraiser with us, they had smaller goals, but quickly realized the power of digital shoot-a-thons.

They ended up raising over $13,000 for their program. Charlotte isn’t a huge school either, with an enrollment of just over 600 students.

So how did they do it? By using pledge based donations and one time donations, along with a clear fundraising method, “Raising money for camps, gear, and other items related to our programs!”, Charlotte helped fund their program in just two short weeks.

After their shoot-a-thon, our software collected the money for them, making it easy on the coaching staff! If you’re looking to go old school, use our pen and paper shoot-a-thon template.

Restaurant Night Fundraiser

Partner with a local restaurant that donates a percentage of sales from one evening back to the team. Encourage families, fans, and players to attend by promoting the event on social media and through flyers at school.

With strong promotion, these nights can become reliable repeat fundraisers, but are often low yield. Finding the right restaurant willing to donate a decent percentage of the evening’s sales back is the key difficulty with this fundraiser.

Silent Auction at a Game

Collect donated items from local businesses and host a silent auction during a marquee matchup when the gym will be full. Popular items include restaurant gift cards, sports gear, or themed baskets created by player families. 

Set tables near the entrance where fans can browse and place bids before the game or during halftime. This fundraiser works best when tied to a high-profile game, ensuring maximum participation. Be sure to get permission from your school to run a fundraiser like this during a game.

Team Car Wash

A classic fundraiser, players wash cars in uniform or team gear, with donations going straight to the basketball program. It’s simple to run, but best done in warmer weather to draw a crowd. 

The only cost is car washing supplies. Setting up in a busy parking lot with plenty of visibility will help maximize traffic and revenue. The key to these fundraisers is promoting ahead of time, with the only drawback being you need good weather.

Three Pointers (High Effort, High Reward Fundraisers)

These take more coordination and planning but can generate significant revenue for the program.

Alumni Basketball Game

Invite former players back for a scrimmage against current athletes or each other. Donations at the door can help raise funds, along with concessions.

These fundraisers are high effort because of the time involved to get players in the game, coordinate a time to host when most people are available, secure a gym to play in, and staff the event with scorekeepers, officials, and concessions.

The reward? Get dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people to attend with the right marketing. With an encouraged $10 to $20 donation as a ticket to the event, that money adds up.

Charity 3-on-3 Tournament

Basketball is a great sport for fundraising because of how accessible the game is. Whether you’re shooting hoops in your driveway or you played during high school, members of the community from a young age to older, have the ability to play in a three on three tournament.

Organize a community-wide tournament with divisions for different ages. Entry fees, concessions, and sponsorships can make this a top fundraiser.

Color Run or Walkathon

Extend beyond basketball by hosting a fun community event that appeals to a large number of people. Walkathons are fundraisers in which individuals get pledges from donors for how many laps or miles they can walk in a certain amount of time later in the year. 

Color runs are similar to walkathons, but the fun is increased ten fold. Color runs incorporate non-toxic color dyed corn starch lightly tossed onto participants during the event. By the time it’s over, you’ll certainly understand why they call it a color run.

Charge registration, get your walkathon or color run set up with digital pledge collections, and combine with other fundraisers.

These are some of the most complex fundraisers to put together, but a great community event when put together.

Want to learn more? Here’s our guide to running your own walkathon fundraiser.

Corporate Sponsorship Packages

Approach local businesses with tiered sponsorship levels that include advertising on banners, programs, or jerseys. Sponsorship packages and planning takes a tremendous amount of work:

• You have to develop pricing for sponsorships and deliverables including signage and social media shout outs.
• Get to local businesses and sell those packages. Use connections to make the process easier.
• Deliver on those promises and fulfil your end of the bargain swiftly and efficiently.
• Show how businesses benefited from their partnership to ensure repeat business.

Basketball Banquet & Auction

Host an end-of-season dinner where players are recognized. Basketball banquets are fun to begin with and can be pretty easy and cost effective to run if you do a potluck style food system. 

Now you ask, how does a banquet raise money? By presenting a banquet as a team celebration, take advantage of the generosity of families who will be in your program next year and those who are outgoing.

Pairing your banquet with a silent auction, photos from the season, and awards is a great way to conclude your year.

Start Fundraising Today

By mixing “slam dunks,” “jump shots,” and “three pointers,” your basketball program can build a fundraising strategy that balances easy wins with ambitious and long lasting fundraisers.

When it comes to effectiveness though, our calendars, a-thons, and crowdfunding are the best ways to fundraise. One high school program in Michigan raised over $60,000 with one fundraiser. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get going.