6 Ways to Raise Funds for your Rowing Club
Along with our friends at Rowperfect UK, we bring you a collection of the diverse activities which rowing clubs undertake in order to raise funds every year. Be creative, think way outside the box, and turn a dreaded task into something that actually can be fun, and help establish your rowing club as a community.
Want more great ideas? Check out our e-book: Fundraising Hints and Tips for your Rowing Club.
Host a Kid’s Day
It’s essentially glorified babysitting and perfect for High School rowers – host a ‘kid’s day’ on your school grounds or at a park, plan events such as capture the flag, three legged races, finger painting, etc. Parents can drop their kids off for half a day ($15), or a full day ($30), and know that their kids are taken care of, while they get a day to themselves. Of course, there will be parent volunteers to oversee the juniors as they entertain the children too. Do this one or two Saturdays per month for 4 months – you only need 5 rowers each time, so you can rotate (depending of course, on the number of children who show up).
Celebrity Row-Off (and we don’t mean rowers)
Are you from a small town that’s supportive of its youth? In this fundraiser, we mean ‘celebrity’ on a smaller scale – you’re local news anchorman, chief firefighter, the best baker in town. This team in Tulsa held a ‘Celebrity Row-Off’ for all of the TV stations in Tulsa. Your local celebrities want to support young kids from their community working toward their goals. Invite them to a ‘celebrity row-off’ – they’ll have to do a simple 200 meter race, and attendees have to make a minimum $10 bet on one of the ‘rowers’ – all proceeds go toward your junior rowing club. And don’t forget to bring towels for those good-hearted celebrities and a prize for the winner.
Q&A with Olympians
Well you may not be able to get a hold of Olympians, but rowing is a small world and if you’re from a small country, like New Zealand, you can get a hold of some pretty top tier rowers to support your fundraiser. Sell tickets to a dinner in which a local reporter or MC conducts a Q & A session with your Olympic rower guests. (And don’t forget to make the food delicious!) Inspired by the Wairau Rowing Club.
Part of a University Rowing Team? Well, we hope you’re not camera shy…
If you don’t feel like hosting your annual ‘erg-a-thon’, why not take a tip from Grand Valley Uni and use what you have – you’re rather nicely toned, young rower bodies! Yes it’s exploitative, but as a University student, well, you may not mind. Plus you know you feel great about having this calendar hung in girl’s dorm rooms all across campus. But, let’s try to throw some good photography in there too. And ladies, there have been some awesomely powerful women’s calendars done too – flex your muscles and get in front of the camera if you’re up for it.
Coffee and Bake Sale at your Farmer’s Market
If you’d like to use other skills, such as baking, this one is for you – especially if you’re a Junior rower. Purchase a spot at your local farmer’s market for the year and make awesome coffee and treats – maybe make them organic for a unique draw. You can rotate through your team – 2 at a time, to cover each Saturday. An event inspired by St. Joseph’s college but turned into a weekly event.
Team up with a Pub
An event made for University teams and a Uni crowd – contact your local bar owner and ask them if they’d be interested in a joint promo – hosting an all you can drink event with tasty fries included. You’ll use tap beer, agree a $30 entry price, convince your buddy’s band to play (for free), and 30% of proceeds can go toward your team. You’ll pack their watering hole, so it’s good for them too.
