17 creative gymnastics fundraising ideas to raise money for clubs, competitions and equipment
Gymnastics is one of the most watched sports at the Olympics, especially by Americans. But who can blame us when we’re represented by the likes of Simone Biles, Jade Carey and Suni Lee in Team USA?
Anyone who takes part in gymnastics, whether they’re a budding athlete, the parent of one, or a coach, knows that this high-performance sport doesn’t just take dedication, it takes a lot of money to stay competitive, too.
Monthly costs can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars to cover competition entry fees, travel, costumes, private lessons and equipment. That’s why in-person and online gymnastics fundraising initiatives are so vital to help keep clubs going, whether it’s to support pre-school classes or people training for the Olympics.
Read on for our guide to the best gymnastics fundraiser ideas to help your local teams, booster clubs and athletes succeed and reach their goals – or gold.
What gymnasts and gymnastics teams need to fundraise for
There are many reasons to start fundraising for gymnastics clubs in your local community or school, which you can do on your own or as part of a gymnastics booster club.
Equipment: Local gymnastics clubs and gyms use a range of equipment such as bars, vaults and balance beams, and safety equipment like hand guards and crash mats. It is essential that all equipment is regularly checked for safety issues and upgraded or replaced when needed to prevent injury, and it’s not cheap to do so.
Competitions: Any gymnasts who want to compete with their team either on a local or national level will also need to pay for competition entry fees, any costs for travel to and from meets and to stay over if necessary, and for any gymnastics apparel or team leotards needed for the event. There are also music licensing fees to consider for gymnastic routines, and coach choreography fees.
And if you or your team want to capture the magic of the day and your performance, you can hire a photographer or choose from a range of gymnastics photo packages offered by a local sports photography company to take pictures at the event, or even ahead of time to promote the team.
Private lessons and training camps: Many gymnasts will want to pay for private lessons ahead of competitions to improve their performance, and those who are becoming serious athletes and hoping to compete in the US Championships or even try for the national team will attend elite training camps to receive high-level education and technique development.
Why start fundraising for gymnastics teams?
Fundraising for gymnastics is important to help young athletes realise their potential no matter where they’re from.
Supporting athletes and families: Unlike other sports such as football or hockey where there are seasons that run for a certain number of months a year, gymnastics is considered a year-round sport that requires constant commitment from its young athletes and the families who support them. When gymnasts aren’t training for season meets, district championships or other competitions, they rarely take time off from their gym programme so they can stay fit and competitive, which often involves paying for extra private coaching.
Recreational or level one gymnasts usually do around one to two hours of classes a week, which can cost around $200 a month depending on the gym. If they continue to improve and compete then their training hours (and overall costs) usually increase in line with their level, up to around 40 hours a week for level 10 gymnasts or those in the elite programme. Even at level six the monthly costs can go beyond $500 for training alone.
Non-profit organizations like booster clubs can become lifelines for families struggling to financially support their child’s burgeoning hobby, as the money raised through the clubs is used to subsidize competition fees, travel expenses and equipment costs.
Inclusion and equality in sport: Money raised through booster clubs is spent on all the gymnasts in the club it supports equally and fairly. Fundraising through these clubs or through your own crowdfunding efforts allows all the hopeful athletes on the team to participate and thrive, regardless of their background or family income.
Where to fundraise for gymnastics teams and how to donate
You can organize gymnastics fundraisers with your local community or online, and collect additional donations at competitions and meets.
Local events: Host a fundraiser for gymnastics athletes and teams at an event happening in your local community like a festival or parade. If your team is part of your school then hold an event to raise money at the next sports day, or use the gym or rec centre where your gymnastics team trains as an events space.
Start a fundraiser: Kick off your gymnastics team fundraising efforts by using an online fundraising platform like GoFundMe. It’s easy to set up a personalized campaign that clearly sets out who you are and why you’re raising money, and you can start collecting donations as soon as the page is live. It’s simple to share your donation page on social media, in an email or over text, and it’s a great way to target friends, family and members of your local community to get as much support as possible.
- Tip: Create compelling stories about the gymnasts you’re fundraising for by including photos from team practices, routines, competitions and other gymnastics picture ideas. You can read how to set up a GoFundMe from start to finish here.
You can get supporters to donate to gymnastic clubs in a number of ways. Collect in-person donations at fundraising events or competitions. You can even set up a gym drop-box for people to donate wearable gymnastics kit that their children have grown out of or usable equipment they no longer need.
Raise money for personal or team campaigns online by setting up a GoFundMe, or get people to donate through local booster club websites or local nonprofit platforms that support gymnastics programs, like Scats Gymnastics in California or Dakota Start Gymnastics in North Dakota. You can also use social media donation tools to raise money online like starting a Facebook Fundraiser.
Who can organize gymnastics fundraising events?
Gymnastics booster clubs: These tax-exempt organizations are separate from for-profit gyms and are run by volunteers. They can raise money to support all athletes in a gymnastics club by helping to cover specific costs like competition entry fees, coaching fees and team clothing costs. You can check out booster club fundraising ideas here.
Team coaches and gym owners: Coaches may start fundraisers to help cover the cost of their team’s competition entries or to support an individual athlete to get to an elite camp, while gym owners may fundraise for teams that train with them or to buy new equipment.
Individual gymnasts and their families: If you’re a gymnast with a dream there’s nothing to stop you fundraising to cover your own class costs, or for your family to raise funds to be able to send you to camps and meets.
17 gymnastics fundraising ideas for your team
Check out our gymnastics fundraiser ideas to suit any situation:
5 event-based gym fundraising ideas
1. Host a flip-a-thon: Get your budding athletes to see how many flips or handsprings they can do on the floor in a certain number of minutes, or how many giant swings they can do around a bar, to raise money. Each athlete can get sponsored for how many flips they manage. You can also host a tumble-a-thon and see how many somersaults they can do in the air or rolls on the ground.
2. Gymnastics showcase night: Put on a night of floor shows, flips and tumbles for a good cause. Sell tickets or charge a small entry fee to raise money for the team and collect extra donations on the night though donation stations.
3. Parent participation night: Get kids and parents to connect over an evening raising money for a good cause. Set up competitions for parents and athletes to compete against each other in a friendly gymnastics competition or an evening mini golf event and charge a small fee to take part.
4. Host a gym carnival: Get some more family friendly competition going by running a gym carnival where people can donate to take part in different fitness exercises and challenges around the gym. Alternatively you could run an open house event at the gym so people can meet the team and see how their donations will be used.
5. Host a trivia or bingo night: Get local businesses to donate prizes for the winner and host a trivia or bingo night where people pay a small fee to take part.
5 product-based gymnastics fundraiser ideas
1. Host a bake sale: Find out who in your team makes the most delicious baked goods and get them to whip up a few batches of cupcakes and cookies for your next competition or sports day where they can be sold to attendees. You can even make themed treats by making the cookies look like competition medals. All the profits will go to your fundraiser.
2. Sell merchandise: Create custom merch for your gymnastics team like t-shirts and water bottles with the team logo on them, and stickers, to sell at competitions.
3. Sell gift cards: You can do gift card fundraising for gymnastics teams by getting coaches and gyms to donate their time and gym space, and then sell gift cards for free gymnastics classes.
4. Popcorn catalogue: Find a popcorn brand that facilitates fundraising by allowing people to order batches of fun popcorn flavours through a catalogue from brands like Double Good. Collect the catalogues to send back to the company and you’ll get a donation of 50% of everything you sold for your team. (This also works with candle or cookie dough catalogues.)
5. Sponsor a skill: Set up a donation board where people visiting the gym can sponsor a skill such as one of the gymnasts learning to do a handspring for $25 or a triple somersault on the trampoline for $40.
3 photo and media gymnastics fundraiser ideas
1. Gymnastics photo day: Hire a photographer and have supporters pay to have their picture taken like a gymnast. They can dress up in team merch or competition outfits and pose with their favourite athletes. Alternatively, have the team come up with themed gymnastic picture ideas like an enchanted forest or Halloween for a set of fun team photos that can be sold to raise money.
2. Sell routine videos: Did your gymnastic team’s routine win at the last competition? Then create a video of the winning moment you can upload and sell online in return for donations. Better yet if you’ve had a number of winning routines, turn it into a highlight reel.
3. Make a team calendar: Don’t let those themed gymnastics picture ideas go to waste – pull 12 of them together to make a calendar you can sell at competitions and in your team’s local gym to raise money.
4 educational or service-based gymnastics fundraiser ideas
1. Host a kid’s workshop: Put the chalk down and take a turn at teaching the next generation of gymnasts with a “mini gymnast” workshop. Aim it at four or five year olds and teach them how to cartwheel and forwards roll like the best.
2. Run strength and flexibility clinics: Get coaches and athletes to donate half an hour each to run professional clinics helping people to learn how to improve the strength and flexibility in their body, no matter their age or abilities, for a small fee.
3. Yoga and gymnastics class: These two disciplines center around strength and flexibility, so why not combine the two to host a specially designed class for people to attend at the team’s gym? Raise money by selling tickets to the class.
4. DIY leotard workshop: Teach the kids how to make their leotards more bling for competition day with a craft class for sewing on badges, fun fabric or crystals. You can also make a DIY chalk bag with any leftover materials.
Get your gymnastics fundraiser seen by new donors
Once you’ve decided on an idea and set up your donation page, get it seen by your network of friends, family and local community members by sharing it on social media. Use hashtags with search-friendly terms so that potential new donors can easily find it on social media sites. Post reels and behind-the-scenes clips to your donation page and encourage friends to share the videos to their own social media pages to make your fundraiser stand out against the competition.
Ask your local parent network to include the link to your fundraiser in their next email to members or local newsletter to spread the word. As the gym to include a link to the fundraiser the next time they email their mailing lists, too.
Raise the visibility of your fundraising efforts by getting local businesses to sponsor team events or have their logo added to team shirts. It will show others your team is open to sponsorship and donations, and will bring in positive publicity for the local business – it’s a win-win.
Get started with gymnastics fundraising today
Whether you’re part of a competitive team, recreational club, or an individual athlete, gymnastics fundraising can unlock opportunities, strengthen community ties, and help dreams take flight. Get started today — and consider launching your next gymnastics fundraiser on GoFundMe to reach more supporters online.