20 Football Fundraiser Ideas to Help Your Program Reach the End Zone

You’re in the redzone of your football program’s fundraising journey — and now’s the time to score. Just like on the field, the last 20 yards are the hardest. The defense is packed in tight, there’s no room for error, and you need a sharp, well-executed game plan to find the end zone. You’ve already put in the work: built a strong program, motivated your team, and rallied your community. Now you just need the right set of plays to finish the drive.

That’s where we come in. We’ve put together 20 proven football fundraiser ideas that can take you from the redzone to the end zone. Many of these football fundraiser ideas come directly from coaches and one of the biggest takeaways we learned, almost everyone is doing more than one fundraiser. Whether you need something quick and easy like a car wash or something powerful and strategic like a lift-a-thon or golf outing, this playbook has it all. These are the same fundraisers that real teams have used to raise thousands — and now they’re yours. Let’s punch it in.

We totally get it, you're a coach who has to run a fundraiser every single year to keep your team in position to have all the resources they need to be successful, but maybe your team or your community are getting a little worn-out from the fundraising. That’s totally normal.

The good news is that there’s plenty of ways you can switch up your team’s yearly fundraiser to keep things both creative and fresh. We’ll break down the top twenty ways you can run a fresh and creative fundraiser (Hint: many of them can be run for 100% free using Teamfi).

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 1 Host a Team Lift-a-Thon

A lift-a-thon football fundraiser ties your players’ strength and training directly to their fundraising efforts. Each athlete collects pledges based on how much weight they lift during key exercises like bench press, squat, or deadlift. Donors can pledge per pound lifted or make flat donations.

Using a platform like Teamfi, you can track progress digitally and make the whole process seamless — no messy forms or chasing checks. Plus, it adds excitement and motivation to the weight room, especially when you create leaderboards and livestream the event for supporters.

‍Chelsea High School Football in Michigan wanted to run a fundraiser in 2024, but did not want to run a traditional crowdfunding campaign. Instead, they opted to utilize Teamfi’s 100% free-to-use Lift-a-thon to raise money for their football program.

By doing this, they were able to successfully tie their team’s performance to fundraising dollars by gaining pledges from their community for each player’s project weight (squat, bench, deadlift) that they would successfully complete – learn more about running a Lift-a-thon with Teamfi.

Once Chelsea completed their lift-a-thon, Teamfi’s lift-a-thon software helped them seamlessly collect their pledges. The end result? Over $40,000 raised for their team’s safety equipment for the upcoming football season.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 2. Crowdfunding Fundraiser

Using a crowdfunding fundraiser is a simple and one of the most stress free types of fundraisers you can run.

Teamfi’s completely free digital platform provides an incredible option that sets up personal fundraising pages for both your team and players that lets family members, neighbors, and friends donate directly to help offset gear and travel costs. Include bios, photos, and fundraising goals.

2.1: Be incredibly intentional about your goal and your fundraising dollars (Crowdfunding + Specific intentionality)

Setting and communicating a clear fundraising goal is super important and can help with transparency for all of your team’s fundraising. Mendon Rocket Football in Mendon, MI did exactly this with Teamfi’s custom fundraiser description field, and it helped them raise $6,000 for their youth football program. Here’s how Mendon communicated where their fundraising dollars would go:

‍“This year, funding will be used to purchase training equipment for our players. We will purchase tackle wheels, and training tackling dummies that will teach players the proper and safe way to tackle opponents. Along with new training equipment, funds will be used to continue providing the best and safest equipment and uniforms for our program.”

They were 100% clear about what they were fundraising for and where their fundraising dollars were going, and it directly translated to their fundraiser’s success.

‍2.2: Be overly-organized with your football team’s fundraiser (Crowdfunding + Diligent organization)

Look, we get it, maybe this is NOT “creative” in the traditional sense, but we wanted to share this because going the extra mile with your team’s fundraiser can make all the difference in its success.

‍Springport Varsity Football in Springport, MI used 4 levels of organization to absolutely crush their Teamfi fundraiser and set a small-school fundraising record with a total school enrollment of just 250. Here’s what they did:

• Level 1 – Kick-off Meeting: Pre-designate a fundraiser kickoff meeting. This allows you to get your entire team in one location in a group setting to start things off, making sure everyone is on the same page as far as timeline and expectations go.
• Level 2 – Alumni Network: Include all of your football team’s alumni in your fundraiser. Taking the time to include previous players and likely donors to your team’s cause will help you maximize your football team’s raise.
• Level 3 – Minimize Overlap: Before launching, double-check to make sure there’s no overlap between contacts. By keeping multiple players from reaching out to the same person, it will maximize your fundraiser’s reach.
• Level 4 – Timing: Start your fundraiser on a Thursday or Friday, aligning with a typical payday for possible donors – this will help your team maximize your fundraising yield.

Using these 4 levels of intentional organization, Springport Varsity Football surpassed their 2024 fundraising goal by nearly $1,500.

2.3: Implement a strong Incentive for your football players (Crowdfunding + Incentives)

Lexington Christian Academy in Lexington, KY used a team-wide incentive to raise over $40,000 for their football team in Spring of 2024.

The incentive? For each player that raised $600, they received a free pair of LCA (Lexington Christian Academy) football gloves for the upcoming football season.

The results speak for themselves! Using a strong incentive to boost your player participation can be a new wrinkle to add to run an effective football fundraiser.

IMAGE - "Teamfi’s platform has it all: it's user friendly, allows admin to track goals set for players for accountability purposes, has easy signup for all players, AND IT IS COMPLETELY FREE!!" Oakley Watkins, Head Football Coach at Lexington Christian Academy in Kentucky, over $40,000 raised through crowdfunding.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 3. Run a Helmet or Jersey Sponsorship Drive

Offer businesses or families the chance to sponsor a helmet or jersey for a player. In exchange for a set donation, they receive recognition in the program, on social media, or at games.

This is a great way to give local sponsors direct visibility while covering your biggest costs — gear and uniforms. When done right, it can raise thousands and strengthen relationships with local businesses.

A key here, the National Federation of High Schools prohibits sponsorships on uniforms during games, however on social media, t-shirts, spirit wear, fan jerseys, and senior gifts these sponsorships can be displayed prominently.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 4. - Host an Auction

Live auctions especially in football programs can be extremely profitable. By pairing a professional auctioneer with donated items of high value from community members, and pre-purchased trips from your program, a live-auction is an extremely high reward fundraiser.

Now it doesn’t come without some risk and a lot of work. Getting a venue, catering, donated items, and staffing for the event is expensive.

If you’re doing this, do it right with a live auctioneer. It makes a world of difference. If you can fill up a room with a good group of people from the community this can raise tens of thousands of dollars.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 5. Host a Car Wash

A classic that never goes out of style, a car wash fundraiser is a low-cost, high-energy event that lets your team raise money while interacting with the community. You’ll just need a public space like a school parking lot, some hoses, soap, and volunteers ready to scrub. Charge a flat fee or let people donate what they want — you'd be surprised how generous folks can be when they see a hardworking team putting in the effort.

To make it even more effective, pre-sell car wash tickets and offer add-ons like an interior vacuum or tire shine. Get your players in matching shirts and play music to create a fun, visible atmosphere. It builds camaraderie, raises money, and earns community goodwill all at once.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 6. 50/50 Raffle at Games

Running a 50/50 raffle during home games is a simple way to raise consistent money throughout the season. Sell tickets before and during the game, draw the winner at halftime, and split the pot — 50% to the team, 50% to the winner.

This works especially well at football games with large crowds. It’s easy to set up, and since the prize scales with the number of tickets sold, it naturally encourages people to buy more. Be sure to check local regulations for raffles, and consider offering bonus prizes to create more incentive.

Many times, many will offer their winnings back to the program, but don’t count on this happening all the time.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 7. Host a Youth Football Camp

If you’re not doing this already, a youth football camp is a must in your community. Have your varsity players and coaches run a youth skills camp on a weekend or during an entire week during the summer. Charge an affordable participation fee and invite players from the local youth league or elementary schools. Camps can focus on drills, fundamentals, or even game-day simulations.

Parents love opportunities for their kids to learn from high school athletes, and your players get leadership experience out of it. This fundraiser doubles as a recruitment tool and a brand-builder for your program in the community.

Use ice cream and rewards at the end to finish on a high note that’ll have youth players eager to sign up again next year.

You can score some bonus points with your cheer program by sharing their own unique cheer calendar pick a date fundraiser template.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 8. Sell Discount Cards

Partner with local businesses to create a football-themed discount card offering exclusive deals (10% off pizza, free fries with burger, etc.). Sell the cards for $20 and split the revenue between the team and participating businesses.

These cards are easy to sell because they offer real value. Players can sell them door-to-door or online, and the partnerships you build with local businesses may pay off in future sponsorships or donations.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 9. Run a Golf Scramble

A golf outing fundraiser appeals to alumni, local business owners, and parents. Rent a course for a weekday afternoon, charge teams of four to play, and include a meal or raffle as part of the day.

You can add sponsorships for each hole, contests like longest drive, and prizes for winning teams. It’s a premium fundraiser, but one that can raise thousands in a single afternoon with the right planning and promotion.

Use Teamfi as a way to register teams. Instead of using paid form services, utilize Teamfi for free and take advantage of our state of the art website design with a hub for your team fit with your logo and fundraiser goals. There’s plenty of great reasons why Teamfi is a great choice for simple clerical work like this.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 10. Host a Restaurant Night

Partner with a local restaurant willing to donate 10–20% of proceeds from a designated night to your football program. These events require minimal work on your end — just pick a popular location and promote it heavily.

Encourage players and families to dine out together, and bring flyers or wear spirit wear so the restaurant knows who’s supporting the team. Some restaurants even let players bus tables or greet guests to increase involvement.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 11. Create a Team Apparel Store

Set up an online apparel store featuring football-themed gear like hoodies, T-shirts, hats, and more. Use a print-on-demand service to avoid upfront inventory costs and get a cut from each sale.

Your team’s logo and colors make for a strong brand in the community. Parents, students, and fans love wearing team gear — and it becomes an ongoing source of revenue throughout the season if promoted well.

You can combine a reselling tool like an apparel store with a Teamfi calendar fundraiser or crowdfunding campaign to really put your fundraising over the edge. That’s what Tift County Football in Georgia did, using an apparel store for fans while also saying, “Hey while you’re shopping, we’re raising money to help offset program costs.”

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 12. Community Service Work

Offer your team’s players for odd jobs in the community — yard work, moving furniture, dog walking — in exchange for donations. Set a minimum donation amount and often community members are willing to pay more.

This type of fundraiser connects your athletes to the community and teaches them the value of service. Plus, people appreciate having a way to donate and get something helpful in return. This is especially true of older community members who may need affordable help around the house.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 13. Teamfi Calendar Fundraiser

Have you heard of a calendar fundraiser? It’s the fundraising idea that’s been sweeping the nation. In fact in January, we projected that calendar fundraisers would be the biggest fundraising trend in 2025, and so far that’s proven true. We’ve seen programs big and small score big wins off calendar fundraisers just here in 2025.

Each day of the month is tied to a dollar amount (e.g., $1 for the 1st, $31 for the 31st), and donors “claim” a day to donate. If every day gets claimed, that’s $496 per athlete raised — and even more if some donors give extra.

This type of fundraiser is incredibly visual and trackable. Teamfi’s free-to-use digital calendar software makes it seamless, letting players share links and see progress in real time. It’s low-lift and highly effective.

With both digital options and a pen and paper pick a date calendar template, there are two great ways to jump into a calendar fundraiser.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 14. Sell Football-Themed Yard Signs

Design yard signs that say things like “Proud Supporter of [School] Football” or include a player's name/number. Sell them for $20–30 each and encourage parents, alumni, and businesses to display them.

Signs increase visibility for your team around town and create a sense of community support. Bonus points if your players deliver and install them personally.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 15. Host a Pancake Breakfast

Work with your school or even your local fire department to host a weekend pancake breakfast. Players help cook and serve food, and you charge admission or accept donations at the door.

This type of fundraiser brings people together and feels like a community event. You can pair it with raffle baskets or silent auctions to raise even more money while everyone eats. Not just limited to pancakes, you can also do a lunchtime or dinner time barbecue and share videos, photos, and information about the program after food is served.

Don’t forget you can use Teamfi to serve as a registration hub for the event, allowing for a digital online payment portal to manage registration payments to take all the paperwork out of your hands.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 16. Engraved Brick Fundraiser

Give supporters the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on your football program by purchasing engraved bricks, plaques, or nameplates. These can be placed in a walkway near the stadium, on the actual stadium especially if building or renovating, inside the weight room, or on a "Wall of Fame" near the field.

Alumni, parents, and community sponsors love fundraisers that provide a physical legacy. Not only does this create a new income stream, but it also builds tradition and pride — and adds a meaningful layer to your facilities.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 17. Football-Themed Bingo Night

Host a bingo night at the school cafeteria or gym. Charge entry and sell bingo cards, concessions, and raffle tickets. Make the prizes football-related — team apparel, signed memorabilia, or game-day experiences.

Bingo is easy to organize, appeals to all ages, and creates a fun night for families and supporters. The more entertaining the emcee and prizes, the more successful the night becomes.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 18. Run a Touchdown Pledge Drive

Similar to a lift-a-thon, a touchdown pledge drive uses incentives to help drive donations. Let’s call it a touchdown-a-thon.

Ask supporters to pledge a donation amount for each touchdown your team scores over the season. For example, $5 per touchdown across 10 games adds up quickly.

This creates an emotional connection between team success and fundraising — every score helps the program. Keep donors updated weekly to maintain engagement and drive larger pledges.

If you’re interested in lift-a-thons, we’ve got a great football lift-a-thon template already made for you. If you want to change it up and do a touchdown-a-thon, don’t be afraid to reach out to us! We’re football people just like you.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 19. Host a Cornhole Tournament

Cornhole is low-cost and widely popular. Host a community tournament with entry fees, prize packages, and food for sale. Teams of two pay to play, and local sponsors can support lanes or bracket boards.

It’s a casual, inclusive fundraiser that brings out players, parents, and local businesses. You can even pair it with a silent auction or 50/50 raffle for extra profit.

Football Fundraiser Idea No. 20. Pie Sales

Make pies or another baked good with your team and sell them as a fundraiser. This type of fundraiser is a great way to build both team camaraderie and sell a physical product to your community that provides value. Especially useful around winter months as pies go great paired with Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Don’t forget, Teamfi is a great way to take payments for everything from pies to engraved bricks. Take the stress out of your fundraiser and see just how much you’ll be bringing home.

Conclusion

There you have it, twenty ways to spark some creativity for your football team’s next fundraiser.

If you want to get a live demo (takes about 10 minutes) from one of our founders on any of our Teamfi products like crowdfunding, donation pages, lift-a-thon, registration, or the calendar fundraiser, you can book one here and we’ll show you exactly how to implement the ideas above for your team’s next crowdfunding or lift-a-thon fundraiser with Teamfi – all for 100% free.