Most clubs meet their expenses in a number of ways including:

1. Team dues
2. School support
3. Alumni
4. Special events

Team Dues

Dues vary from team to team, dependent upon the specific circumstances of the club, geographic location, number of members, and total budget. The important element to remember is that the dues structure should be…

• Honest- the money should go for its intended purpose
• Fair- all members should pay the same amount
• Adequate- the dues should cover all expenses not met by other sources
• Timely- members should be required to pay before participating or during the beginning of their involvement

School Support

Most schools have a budget system for student organizations that provides basic funding. How this money may be spent and the total available varies according to the institution.

Typically the school will have a process that requires each organization to submit a budget by a certain date. To see what types of expenses you should consider, click here for a copy of a sample budget.

Make sure you know when your budget is due and how the process works on campus. Contact the campus recreation office or student government for more information.

Alumni

Alumni support is the easiest way to raise money, provided you have an ongoing club administration that keeps in contact with graduating members. The most difficult part of raising money in this area is maintaining a current address listing.

Sending a quarterly newsletter with a request for a donation will generally be successful in raising money. Likewise, any events you can run during Homecoming like an alumni game will help keep alumni ties strong, resulting in higher giving.

Special Events

Special events are activities organized specifically for raising money. The key to success is to keep your invested costs and financial risk low. The last thing you want to do is coordinate a special event that costs you money.

Some basic ideas are listed below.

Labor for the College
Many teams will make an arrangement with the university to provide labor for an event happening on campus. This may include everything from cleaning the basketball stadium after home games to moving equipment at a track meet. Make an appointment with your athletic director to ask what you can do.

Sales
Teams sell everything on campus from pumpkins on Halloween, to a flower delivery service on Valentine’s Day. A few guidelines:

• Be wary of purchasing too much inventory and losing profit.
• Ensure that you have permission from the school for whatever you are selling. Some items may conflict with the school’s licensing agreements with specific companies. Raffles may be illegal.
• Take advantage of opportunities to set up tables in the student union and other high traffic areas on campus.
• Ask around to determine what would sell before you risk your capital.

Movie night
Reserve the university movie theater and order a film that has a unique appeal or cult following (horror, comedy-Marx Brothers, classics-Bogart, etc). Your campus recreation department will generally have catalogues you can look through to see the movies available. Cost-projectionist and movie rental

Coordinate an Athletic Event
Organize a tournament or event and charge teams an entry. For example, four on four basketball, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, or wiffle ball.