The Ultimate Guide to Running a Fill My Singlet Fundraiser

Fill My Singlet at a Glance

The takeaway: Fill My Singlet is a style of fundraiser dedicated specifically to wrestling teams. In this fundraiser, supporters choose spaces on a digital or printed singlet and donate the amount connected to that space. Supporters can choose one or multiple spaces with the fundraiser participant’s goal being to fill the singlet.

Pen-and-paper works well when: An individual wrestler, family, or small group wants a simple fundraiser they can manage themselves without setting up an online campaign.

Digital works well when: An entire wrestling team, club, or program is fundraising and coaches want donations, wrestler totals, and campaign progress organized in one place.

The biggest difference: A printed Fill My Singlet puts donation collection and tracking in the hands of each wrestler. A digital version moves the fundraiser online and handles much of that tracking automatically.

Best fit: Paper is often enough for an individual wrestler with a small fundraising goal. Digital fundraising becomes more practical as the number of participating wrestlers and supporters increases.

Wrestling programs have plenty of expenses that extend beyond the singlet itself.

Tournament entry fees, travel, hotels, wrestling shoes, headgear, team apparel, equipment, camps, and other program costs can add up over the course of a season.

A Fill My Singlet is one of those fundraiser ideas that turns one of the sport's most recognizable pieces of gear into a simple fundraising visual. Supporters choose a space, make the corresponding donation, and help the wrestler or program move closer to its goal.

There are two main ways to run one: use a traditional printed Fill My Singlet sheet or take the same idea online with a digital fundraiser.

The concept is similar either way. The experience for wrestlers, coaches, and supporters is not.

What Is a Fill My Singlet Fundraiser?

A Fill My Singlet fundraiser is a donation-based wrestling fundraiser built around an illustration of a wrestling singlet divided into individual fundraising spaces.

Each space represents a donation amount. As supporters contribute, wrestlers fill in or claim the corresponding spaces until their singlet is complete or their fundraising goal is reached.

There are no products to sell and no inventory to distribute afterward. Instead, supporters make a direct contribution toward the wrestler, team, club, or program.

These contributions help cover travel, meals after meets, singlets, headgear and other program expenses. 

Pen-and-Paper Fill My Singlet Fundraisers

The traditional pen-and-paper Fill My Singlet fundraiser uses a physical template divided into donation spaces.

Each wrestler receives a copy of the singlet and asks family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and other supporters to choose an available amount.

This wrestling fundraiser idea is intentionally straightforward and can work especially well for one wrestler or a smaller group that does not need centralized online tracking.

How It Works

First, choose or download a Fill My Singlet fundraiser template.

Print a copy for each wrestler who is participating and establish the amount of time the fundraiser will run.

Wrestlers then begin sharing their sheets with people they know. They can take their templates door-to-door, bring them to family gatherings or school, or share them online with distant relatives.

It's very similar to a wrestling calendar fundraiser. When someone claims a space, the wrestler records the donation and collects the money through cash, check, or whatever payment method the family or team has decided to use.

Once the fundraiser ends, the wrestlers turn in their donations and the organizer totals the results.

Advantages of Pen and Paper

The biggest advantage is there’s little setup. A family can print a template and begin fundraising in just a few minutes.

The physical singlet can also make the fundraiser easy to explain. A wrestler can show someone the sheet, point to the available spaces, and make the ask in person.

For an individual wrestler trying to offset the cost of a camp, tournament trip, or other personal wrestling expense, that may be all that is necessary.

Challenges of Pen and Paper

As the roster grows, managing paper fundraisers becomes more demanding.

Each participant has to keep their own template current, remember which spaces have already been claimed, collect the donations, and eventually turn everything back in.

For a coach managing a full wrestling roster, that can mean reconciling numerous sheets, checks, cash payments, and separate payment-app transactions.

Paper templates can also be misplaced or become outdated if a wrestler forgets to mark a donation.

Supporter reach is another limitation. Wrestlers can send a photo of the singlet to someone who lives farther away, but collecting and recording that person's donation still requires additional steps.

Digital Fill My Singlet Fundraisers

A digital Fill My Singlet fundraiser brings the same wrestling-themed concept online.

Instead of carrying a printed sheet, each wrestler receives a fundraising page or link that can be shared directly with supporters.

Friends and family can open the fundraiser from a phone or computer, select an available donation space, and contribute online.

As donations arrive, the wrestler's progress is updated digitally rather than being handwritten on a physical template.

How It Works

The wrestling program creates its campaign and adds the wrestlers who will participate.

Each wrestler receives access to their own fundraising page or individual link.

From there, wrestlers share the fundraiser with relatives, friends, neighbors, former coaches, community members, and other potential supporters.

When a donation is completed online, the platform records the contribution and updates the fundraiser.

Coaches can then follow the team's progress without waiting for wrestlers to return paper sheets or manually adding up each participant's donations.

Payouts by check take 1–2 weeks, while direct-deposit payouts arrive within two business days.

Advantages of Digital Fundraising

Teamfi offers a digital Fill My Singlet fundraiser, so the features described below focus on Teamfi.

Digital fundraising isn’t limited to fill my singlet, but also includes a-thons, calendar fundraisers, and crowdfunding campaigns.

The biggest advantage to digital fundraising for wrestling teams is it makes it easier for wrestlers to reach people beyond their immediate community.

A wrestler can send the same fundraising link to someone across town or a relative who lives several states away. The supporter can make the donation directly instead of coordinating how to send money back.

It also reduces much of the administrative work that comes with a large paper fundraiser:

• Donations can be collected online.
• Wrestler progress can update automatically.
• Coaches can follow individual and overall campaign totals.
• Participants can share one link through text, email, and social media.
• Follow-up and reminder features can help wrestlers reconnect with potential supporters.

Those differences become increasingly important for high school teams, youth wrestling clubs, and larger programs where dozens of wrestlers may be fundraising at the same time.

Challenges of Digital Fundraising

Digital fundraising still requires participation from the wrestlers, someone to manage the digital campaign, and choosing the right platform.

Creating an online campaign does not automatically bring in donations. Wrestlers have to share their pages, contact people they know, and follow up during the campaign.

Teams should also review the pricing and features of any fundraising platform before getting started.

Look at platform fees, payment processing, donor charges, communication tools, payout structure, and the amount of administrative control available to coaches.

Still, when you get it right, you can raise five figures with a digital wrestling fundraiser.

Pen-and-Paper vs. Digital Fill My Singlet Fundraisers

There are plenty of similarities between the two. The concept is the same for each.

The difference is how the fundraiser is shared, how money is collected, the tracking systems, and ultimately the time expense of managing the fundraiser.

Which Option Is Better for a Wrestling Team?

For an individual wrestler, a printable Fill My Singlet fundraiser can be more than enough.

A wrestler raising money for a summer camp, travel tournament, or personal wrestling expenses may only need to contact a relatively small circle of supporters. In that situation, printing a sheet and managing the donations personally keeps the process simple.

When an entire wrestling team needs to fundraise, that's when things get tough on pen and paper.

A high school wrestling roster might have dozens of athletes fundraising simultaneously. Youth clubs can be even larger.

With paper, every additional wrestler means another sheet to manage and another set of donations the organizer eventually has to reconcile.

A digital fundraiser centralizes that process while still giving each wrestler an individual goal and a wrestling-specific fundraising experience.

Digital sharing can also help wrestlers expand beyond whoever they happen to see in person. Grandparents, extended family members, former teammates, and other supporters can donate from anywhere through the same link.

Tips for Running a Successful Fill My Singlet Fundraiser

Regardless of whether the fundraiser is printed or digital, the wrestlers still drive the results.

Give participants a specific plan instead of simply handing them a template or link and telling them to fundraise.

• Explain what the money is paying for. Supporters are more likely to donate when they know what their money is specifically going toward.
• Give every wrestler an individual goal. A clear target makes progress easier to understand and gives wrestlers something concrete to work toward.
• Start with personal contacts. Family members are going to be your biggest supporters. Aunts, uncles, mom, dad, grandparents, and other close family members. Neighbors and family friends should be the next points of contact.
• Make the first outreach personal. A direct text or in-person conversation is usually a better way to bring in donations than simply posting on social media.
• Set a beginning and end date. Keeping your fundraising in a 2-3 week window helps encourage a strong fundraising push without overdoing it.
• Encourage follow-up. Someone who does not respond the first time may simply have forgotten.
• Keep wrestlers updated on progress. Regular team totals or individual milestones can help maintain participation throughout the campaign.
• Thank supporters afterward. Let donors know what the team accomplished and how their contribution helped.

Is a Fill My Singlet Fundraiser Right for Your Wrestling Program?

Fill My Singlet fundraisers whether digital or pen-and-paper represent a fun and innovative way to raise money for wrestlers. 

The biggest question is which makes the most sense for your program?

Programs, teams, and full clubs are going to benefit from digital fill my singlet fundraisers because of the tracking, ease of use, and reduced workload that digital fundraising platforms provide.

Individuals and families would benefit from fill my singlet pen-and-paper templates because they’re easy to print out, and few digital fundraising platforms are tailored toward small fundraisers.

Whether you choose paper or digital, the core strategy remains the same: give each wrestler a clear goal, make the fundraiser easy for supporters to understand, and consistently ask the people most likely to support the program.

A Fill My Singlet fundraiser simply packages that strategy in a format built specifically for wrestling.