Fundraising for Hockey: 12 Brilliant Ideas for Teams and Clubs

Whether you’re an ice hockey team, field hockey program, roller hockey club, youth hockey organization, or school hockey team, you know that fundraising is a part of the sport at this point. Hockey in all forms is expensive. In fact, ice hockey and field hockey were two of the three sports that cost the highest amount of money to participate in at over $2,000 a year. For context, basketball costs just over $400 and tackle football around the same amount.

Between equipment, travel, tournament fees, uniforms, facility costs, team events, and training expenses, the cost of playing can add up fast.

That is why fundraising for hockey teams is so important. The key to fundraising is to blend different fundraiser types over the course of the year to keep families engaged, donating, without feeling like it’s a chore.

The best hockey fundraisers are simple to run, easy for players to share, and appealing to supporters. Some teams do best with online fundraising, while others prefer community events, team challenges, or sponsorship-based ideas.

Here are 12 brilliant hockey fundraising ideas for teams and clubs.

Digital Hockey Fundraisers

1. Digital Crowdfunding Hockey Fundraiser

If you’ve been around youth hockey, you’ve seen digital crowdfunding in action before. You just may not recognize the name.

Digital crowdfunding is one of the easiest ways to raise money for your hockey team or program. Using online crowdfunding with trusted no-fee digital fundraising platforms like Teamfi makes the process simple. No more selling products, collecting forms, or handling cash.

Just create a digital fundraiser that players, parents, and coaches share with family, friends, alumni, and local supporters.

Many digital fundraising platforms like Teamfi are free to use and will push out reminder texts to contacts players add in your fundraiser.

It’s great for ice hockey teams, field hockey teams, youth hockey clubs, school programs, and travel teams because it is simple and flexible.

Be sure to explain your goal clearly and what donations are going toward to help increase both fundraiser conversion and size.

2. Hockey A-Thon Fundraiser

The a-thon is the digital fundraiser that turns events like practices, lifting sessions, and skills challenges into easy digital fundraisers. These fundraisers can be pledge-based or simple one-time donations.

Players complete a challenge and supporters donate to encourage their effort.

This is one of the best hockey fundraising ideas because it can be adjusted for different types of hockey. Ice hockey teams can run a skate-a-thon, shot-a-thon, save-a-thon, or goal-a-thon. Field hockey teams can do a pass-a-thon, shooting challenge, sprint challenge, or skills-based event. Roller hockey teams can use many of the same ideas with a rink or outdoor court.

For example, players could collect donations for every shot they take, every lap they skate, every goal they score, or every save a goalie makes. You can also keep it simple and ask for flat donations instead of pledges.

A lift-a-thon or walk-a-thon is universal across all hockey programs.

This style of campaign feels more personal than a basic donation request and can be made easy with custom a-thon fundraising platforms.

3. Hockey Calendar Fundraiser

If you like the idea of fundraising online, but need something with a bit of visual pop beyond the custom team and player pages in a crowdfunding campaign, you might enjoy a calendar fundraiser.

It’s a simple process. A visual digital calendar where supporters claim spots and donate the amount associated with that day. A filled calendar? Nearly $500 for your hockey program.

It’s easy to understand and younger kids especially love seeing their calendar fill up over the course of the campaign. With Teamfi, you get individual player calendars and a place to put your fundraiser goals and why you’re fundraising.

Offset uniforms, equipment, tournament fees, or travel costs before, during, or after the season. It’s a simple online fundraising concept that is high yielding and takes the stress off the fundraiser organizers.

Product-based Hockey Fundraisers

4. Product Fundraiser

The product fundraiser is the “OG” team fundraiser. It has been around for a long time, and it still has a place in the 2020s. Instead of asking for a straight donation, players sell items like subs, cookie dough, popcorn, pizza kits, discount cards, coffee, candles, or other popular products.

Product fundraisers can work well for hockey teams because supporters get something in return. They are often strongest when the team keeps the options simple. Selling one main item, such as subs or cookie dough, is usually easier than managing a large catalog with too many choices.

The main drawbacks are cost of goods and product delivery especially when compared to crowdfunding. Teams need to think about order collection, payment tracking, delivery dates, and how much work parents or volunteers will need to handle.

Still, for hockey teams with an active parent group or booster club, a product fundraiser can be a familiar and effective way to raise money.

5. Team Gear or Spirit Wear Sale

Every hockey program has team merch or at least should have team merch. It’s a fundraiser yes, but keep in mind that most merchandise or team sales fundraisers have a high cost of goods.

It does work for any program. Supporters like buying items they can actually use, especially when the designs look good and help them show support for the team.

Popular hockey spirit wear items include T-shirts, hoodies, hats, beanies, decals, water bottles, warmups, blankets, and rally towels. Ice hockey teams may also sell rink-friendly items like winter hats, scarves, or heavy sweatshirts. Field hockey teams may focus more on school spirit gear, sideline shirts, or fall sports apparel.

Offer a few simple options instead of too many choices. A basic shirt, a hoodie, and one or two accessories is usually enough. Online apparel stores prevent overstocking, but eliminate the ability to sell in person, so it’s a give and take. While both clubs and schools can run this fundraiser, it’s going to have a broader appeal for schools.

Community and Team-based Fundraisers

6. Hockey Night Out

A hockey night out is a community fundraiser built around attending a game together. A fundraiser that became popular with minor league baseball clubs, you can also do the same especially for ice hockey programs if you have a nearby lower level hockey program like an AHL team.

The AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins are a stone's throw from Teamfi headquarters here in Michigan and they offer a wide variety of fundraising opportunities for local groups.

A hockey night out works because it brings the community together and connects your fundraiser to the sport. It is also a good option for youth hockey clubs that want to build excitement around the program.

7. Restaurant Fundraiser

Why do most sports ideas pages have this fundraiser? Well it’s an easy one, and the only requirement is having a restaurant near your town.

Work with the restaurant. Establish a night where a part of proceeds go to your hockey program, and that’s it.

Sound easy? It is. It’s just not always the best use of your fundraising money. Think about it. A collective bill of $1,000 for your program’s families that go to this restaurant fundraiser may yield $100 on a 10% bill cut. So you had to spend $1,000 for your program to get $100. That’s why digital fundraisers have been booming, with Teamfi your program would keep $966 out of that $1,000 donation.

So it’s a good fundraiser idea for youth hockey teams especially with families that like to eat out at pizza places, burger restaurants, sports bars, sandwich shops, and local diners. It’s just not going to be the highest yielding. If you make it a team social though, that’s a good way to do two things at once. They are easy to run of course.

8. Hockey Clinic or Youth Camp

An important low-yielding fundraiser that is critical to the development of your program is a hockey clinic or youth camp.

By using players as volunteer coaches, you can make a skills clinic or youth camp a money-making venture, but that’s usually secondary to developing young players interested in your program. 

Registration fees will help you raise money, but insurance, t-shirts to hand out to kids, and any meals if applicable would offset some of those registration fees.

Ice hockey teams can run skating clinics, shooting clinics, goalie sessions, or beginner skills camps. Field hockey teams can offer stick skills, passing, shooting, defensive positioning, or goalie instruction. Roller hockey clubs can do beginner clinics, stickhandling sessions, or small-group training.

You can run the clinic as a one-day event or create a short camp over several days.

9. Team Dinner or Pancake Breakfast

A team dinner or pancake breakfast is a simple broad hockey fundraising idea. Instead of asking supporters to buy a product or make a donation online, the team hosts a meal and invites families, friends, teachers, alumni, and local supporters to attend.

This can be done as a spaghetti dinner, pancake breakfast, chili cook-off, pasta night, taco night, or soup supper. Pick a food that is inexpensive and easy to make. Unless your program has some deep wallets, a prime rib dinner isn’t going to be the highest yielding fundraiser for example. Spaghetti? Pancakes? Tacos? Pretty cost effective.

For ice hockey teams, this works especially well during the winter season when families are already used to gathering indoors. For field hockey teams, it can be a great preseason or end-of-season community event.

Teams can charge a set price per plate, sell tickets in advance, or ask for donations at the door. Players can help serve food, clean tables, greet guests, or sell raffle tickets during the event.

10. Raffle or Prize Basket Fundraiser

A raffle or prize basket fundraiser works best when paired with another hockey fundraiser or an event that is already happening.

Think hockey tournaments, senior nights, banquets, and large team events. Families, local businesses, or sponsors can donate items, and the team sells raffle tickets to raise money.

Popular basket ideas include a game day basket, family night basket, local restaurant basket, coffee basket, sports gear basket, hockey fan basket, or team apparel basket. Ice hockey teams could include rink blankets, hand warmers, hats, or hockey tape. Field hockey teams could include athletic gear, water bottles, team accessories, or school spirit items.

If you are doing prize baskets, a few strong baskets are usually better than too many small ones.

While many hockey fundraising ideas can pair well with digital fundraising options like donation pages, raffles are one of the few fundraisers that may still work better with cash or in-person ticket sales.

11. Car Wash or Community Service Fundraiser

We’ve all seen car wash fundraisers and they’re great for being visible in the community. It’s a fun summer team bonding day and you can raise money along the way. It’s very weather and community dependent though. You want to set up in a high-traffic area ideally where few car washes already exist.

This idea works for school hockey teams, field hockey programs, youth hockey clubs, and roller hockey teams that want a simple local fundraiser. Promote the event ahead of time, and let supporters donate instead of charging a fixed price to increase both turnout and fundraiser donation average size.

You can also turn this idea into a broader community service fundraiser. Players might clean up a park, help with yard work, volunteer at a local event, or complete a team service challenge while collecting donations.

This kind of fundraiser can be useful because it shows that your team is willing to work for support. It also gives players a chance to represent the program in a positive way while helping out those in the community who may be older, disabled, or unable to perform certain tasks.

12. Golf Outing Fundraiser

Hit the links at a local golf course and raise money at the same time. Golf outings are an extremely popular summer fundraiser, especially in northern states where ice hockey is popular.

It’s really great for ice hockey booster clubs, field hockey programs, and other larger hockey programs. It takes more planning than a simple online fundraiser, but it can raise a significant amount of money when done well.

1. Set up a date with a local golf course and negotiate an outing rate.
2. Promote your event and fill up the course with teams. For 18-hole outings, which is the norm, try to get at least 18 teams of four.
3. Layer in additional revenue generating ideas beyond registration fees. Hole sponsorships, business sponsorships, raffle prizes, silent auction items, dinner tickets, and 50-50 are a number of ideas popular at golf outings.

Golf outings are not always ideal for small teams with limited volunteer help, but for established hockey clubs and booster groups, they can become a major annual fundraiser.

Choosing the Best Hockey Fundraiser for Your Team

The best hockey fundraiser depends on your team’s size, season, budget, and support network. A youth hockey club with many families may do well with an online fundraiser, restaurant night, or raffle. A high school field hockey team may prefer a calendar fundraiser, skills competition, or youth clinic. A larger ice hockey program may combine digital fundraising with a golf outing, sponsorships, or team event.

For most teams, the best approach is to keep the fundraiser simple. Players and parents are already busy with practices, games, school, travel, and family schedules. The easier your fundraiser is to explain and share, the more likely people are to participate.

Digital fundraising is often the best starting point because it gives every player a simple way to help. From there, your team can add community events, sport-specific challenges, or larger annual fundraisers based on what fits your program.

No matter what type of hockey your team plays, a good fundraiser should help reduce costs, bring supporters together, and make the season better for athletes.