Creative hockey fundraising ideas for teams

Host a fundraising hockey game

What is a better way to fundraise for hockey than with hockey? Tap into the team spirit by hosting a tournament fundraiser. You can charge kids, parents and other community members a small fee to play and spectators a small entry fee. You can also raise further money by introducing sponsorship packages for local businesses.

Partner with your local restaurant

Connect the community with youth hockey by reaching out to local restaurants and businesses with various sponsorship levels. In exchange, you can offer to print logos of the business on the team jerseys, t-shirts and other team merchandise (a little publicity can go a long way!) and host team outings at the local restaurants that sponsored you.

Walk-A-Thon

Get active by throwing a walk-a-thon, where the players can collect sponsors and dollars for every mile they walk or run. This is a positive way to leverage the player’s love of competition. Pro tip! Make it an annual walk-a-thon, so people have plenty of time to train, create teams, fundraise, and build awareness for the walk.

Bottle drive

Raise money while doing something good for the environment. Did you know that in 2019, GoFundMe saw a 65% increase in campaigns mentioning climate change? Inspire the hockey community to get involved in social issues and support the sport by running a bottle drive. Keep in mind that the deposit value of each bottle changes seasonally but fall is generally a great time to raise money this way.

Host a youth hockey camp

Ask coaches and older players to donate their time and skills to host a youth hockey camp for kids just starting off in the sport. You can charge fees for the families of the kids who want more ice time or time on the field, and leverage your off-season to help develop a new generation of hockey players while raising money for your sports team.

Bake sale

Bake sales have long been one of the most popular fundraising events to set up because they don’t cost a lot run and they have delicious results. Ask families and hockey moms to donate their time and baking skills to whip up some cakes, cupcakes and cookies, and host your bake sale at a location that is likely to see lots of traffic.

Set up shop near schools or tie the bake sale to a local event that is sure to see lots of traffic like a car wash fundraiser or a local sports day. You could even set one up for half time during the next hockey game, whether you’re out in a field or next to the ice rink.

Live auction

Send a team of volunteers to approach local businesses to collect some big-ticket items for a live auction. Once you have found a great space, send out your invites and equip attendees with paddles and a list of items up for grabs. The trick is to find a fun and lively auctioneer to set the tone and incite bidding wars!

If you get some really big items donated like a weekend stay in a hotel, a boat trip, or some sports memorabilia, then you could host a fundraising event with a silent auction. Expand the prizes available by getting local businesses to donate smaller items that could work for a raffle like a gift card or a cake and raise more money by selling raffle tickets.

Sell used gear

According to SidelineSwap, the average sports family has $500 worth of ‘old’ gear sitting at home. Multiply that times a roster of 20, and that is a lot of potential money that can go towards new equipment like pucks and sticks, fees, and even travel. Consider also hosting a gear swap for families and team members who are looking for consignment gear.