Fill My Football Fundraiser FAQs – Coach-Approved Answers

If you’ve ever struggled to find a fundraiser that’s simple, low-cost, and actually works, meet the “Fill My Football” fundraiser. Based on the wildly successful “Fill My Bow” concept used by cheer teams, this football-focused version is fast becoming one of the top paper-based fundraising trends of 2025.

Below, we answer the most common questions teams ask before launching one:

What is a Fill My Football fundraiser?

A Fill My Football fundraiser is a printable donation tracker that looks like a football. The football graphic contains 20 dollar amounts ranging from $10 to $50. Each time a donor chooses one of the amounts, they fill in their name, and that amount is now “claimed.” The total is what is donated to your organization. Once all the amounts are filled, your team member has raised $430.

It’s visual, goal-driven, and motivating for both donors and athletes.

How do I get the free Fill My Football template?

Easy. Just head over to our free Fill My Football fundraiser template, enter your email, and we’ll send you a ready-to-print version instantly. It’s easy to print and ready to distribute to your fundraiser participants.

How much can our team expect to raise?

Each completed football brings in $430. Multiply that by every athlete on your roster and the potential adds up quickly. A 25-player team could raise over $10,000 with this fundraiser alone, and that’s without any upfront cost.

What groups is this fundraiser effective for?

It’s not just football teams that can use the “Fill My Football” fundraiser. Maybe you’re just looking for a fun themed fundraiser with a simple task? We’ve got plenty of other “Fill My” options in the works, one of our popular current ones is our cheerleading themed “Fill My Bow”.

It’s good for teams varsity, JV, middle school. We've even seen baseball teams, dance studios, and elementary PTOs customize the idea. If your supporters understand the goal and want to help, the format translates easily.

How is this different from traditional fundraising?

Traditional fundraisers often rely on selling products. Many times these products are things many don’t even need. Overpriced popcorn bundles, candles, and magazines.

Fill My Football eliminates all of that. There’s no inventory, no product delivery, and no third-party taking a big cut. Instead, donations go directly to the team.

What makes it stand out is the personal interaction. Athletes either hand out or text their fundraiser depending on whether you’re going pen and paper or digital, explain the cause, and thank supporters.

Research shows that adults overwhelmingly see programs like youth sports as invaluable. People pick what they’re comfortable with. You’d be surprised how many go big just to help a kid hit their goal.

Can this fundraiser be done digitally?

Yes. If paper feels too old-school, Teamfi offers a digital option. It’s called our pick a date calendar fundraiser, and it functions similar to the football, it’s just in a calendar format. You fill a calendar with each day corresponding to a specific dollar amount. It’s mobile-friendly, automatically tracks donations, and gives each athlete their own custom calendar.

Want to upgrade to digital? Book a 10-minute demo and we’ll walk you through it.

When is the best time to run a Fill My Football fundraiser?

You can launch a Fill My Football fundraiser any time, but the most successful campaigns usually run during:

• Preseason as parents, fans, and student-athletes are eagerly waiting for the season to start.
  Homecoming week, often one of the most attended games of the season.
• Right before the postseason, as fans are most engaged with your season. One of the many fundraising tips coaches gave us in our e-book, which you can read for free.
• The holidays. It may seem counterintuitive. Season over. Starting back up in six months or more. 34% of Americans give back exclusively during the holiday season though, so something to consider!
  

Some programs even have two fundraising time periods, once in the fall and once in the spring. Speaking of fall, here’s 20 fun fall fundraising ideas for you!

How do we track who paid and who didn’t?

For paper-based campaigns, most coaches simply attach a payment checklist to each participant’s form or have athletes collect donations on the spot using Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal. That is then turned in by the player or fundraiser participant.

One downside of pen and paper fundraisers is the work that goes into tracking who has donated, live updates of which one of your fundraiser participants is putting in the work, and having younger people handling large sums of money, it’s a lot to think about.

That’s why digital methods like our calendar fundraiser or crowdfunding where donations are tracked instantaneously are appealing. When your fundraiser is closed, we send you the check or direct deposit for your full amount.

What if someone wants to donate more than $50?

Great! They can always select multiple amounts, or you can hand them a second sheet. We’ve seen donors fill out half a football on their own. It’s rare, but it happens, and you’ll want to make it easy when it does. The fun part of these fundraisers is that often you’ll see family members try to outperform each other, especially with names attached to donations. A little friendly familial rivalry and the beneficiary is your program.

How long should my Fill My Football fundraiser usually last?

Most teams run it for 2–3 weeks. That gives players enough time to talk to family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. You don’t want to stretch it too long or it loses urgency. You also want to give it enough time to let Teamfi’s automated messaging help raise you some extra money!

Do donors get a tax write-off?

If your organization is fundraising under a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, yes. Why does that matter? That’s an incentivization to businesses especially who may want to participate. Businesses should be encouraged to donate as when they fill a spot on the football, boom that’s advertising they care about local charitable causes. If you are a non-profit, include that info at the top of the sheet.

What if we want to combine this with other fundraisers?

Combining fundraisers is a great way to double down on the fundraising season your organization is in, here’s 20 great ideas specifically for football teams. Fill My Football is one you should focus solely on because of its unique nature.

In this case, there’s individual responsibility associated with this fundraiser. Make sure your fundraiser participants aren’t overwhelmed.

How do we motivate players to participate?

Some programs offer a small prize to whoever completes their sheet first or raises the most. But usually, the cause itself is enough. Let them know the team needs this, and make sure they see where the money goes. That last part is critical, by being clear cut in what funds are being raised for it helps with both incentivizing players and donors as well.

What’s the best way to distribute the Fill My Football forms?

We suggest printing them in color and handing them out at practice with a quick five-minute talk explaining how it works. Bonus points if you staple on a sheet with sample text or bullet points they can use when asking for donations.

Can we use this year after year?

Yes. That’s the beauty of it. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Update the messaging and print new sheets annually, it becomes a staple in your fundraising playbook.

Ready to run your own Fill My Football fundraiser?

Fill My Football works because it’s simple. No gimmicks, no third parties with exorbitant cuts. Just a team, a goal, and a form that makes it all possible. With our free printable Fill My Football template your next winning fundraiser might start with just one football.