Spring Sports Fundraising Starts Before the Season
Spring Sports Fundraising Starts Before the Season
Helping Middle Tennessee coaches prepare their programs and develop their athletes.
Spring sports preparation begins long before the first game. Coaches are thinking about rosters, practice schedules, equipment, uniforms, and travel. Behind those plans is an important question:
How will we fund what our athletes need?
November is an opportunity to start that conversation. Planning now gives coaches, athletic directors, and booster leaders time to identify priorities, work through approvals, and choose a fundraising approach that fits their program.
Through 44 Sports Network, part of 44 Sports Connect, we connect coaches with resources that support their teams. One of those resources is Fundraising University, where I serve as a Fundraising Coach for Middle Tennessee.
Start With the Need
Before choosing a fundraiser, define what your team is working toward.
Does your program need new equipment? Help with tournament travel? Uniforms? Support for a special project?
A specific purpose gives everyone a clearer direction. “Help us support our team” is a starting point. Explaining what the funds will make possible gives athletes and supporters something concrete to understand.
Ask three questions:
What does our team need?
What will it cost?
When do we need the funds available?
Those answers help shape the goal and the calendar.
Protect Time for Coaching
Coaches already carry responsibilities beyond practices and games. Teaching, planning, communicating with parents, and supporting athletes all require attention.
Fundraising needs a clear place in that schedule.
When considering an approach, look beyond the percentage your team keeps. Ask how much work falls on the coach, what support is included, how long the campaign runs, and what your program could realistically bring in after costs.
The goal is to make a sound decision for your team’s time, needs, and community.
Through Fundraising University, our mission is to help programs raise more in less time with less interference to coaching. As your Fundraising Coach, I work alongside you through the process—from planning and preparation through the campaign’s completion.
Build Leadership Into the Process
Fundraising can give athletes an opportunity to contribute to something bigger than their individual performance.
With intentional coaching, it becomes a place to practice:
Ownership: Understanding what the team needs and accepting a role in helping.
Accountability: Preparing, following through, and completing agreed responsibilities.
Communication: Explaining the team’s purpose clearly, asking respectfully, and thanking supporters.
Teamwork: Working toward a shared goal and encouraging one another along the way.
These lessons take guidance. Coaches can help athletes connect their actions to the equipment they use, the trips they take, and the opportunities they receive.
From a biblical perspective, this is also an opportunity to teach stewardship—caring for what has been entrusted to us and using it responsibly.
Give Your Fundraiser a Place on the Calendar
For spring teams, a useful planning target is to run the fundraiser after tryouts and before the first game, when practical. That allows the roster to participate and helps keep fundraising from competing with the demands of the season.
The conversation and approval process can begin earlier.
Before selecting dates, consider:
Your school’s fundraising approval process.
Tryouts and roster decisions.
School breaks and testing.
Other team or school campaigns.
When equipment orders or travel payments are due.
Booster leaders, coaches, and administrators may each have a role. Bringing the right people into the conversation early helps everyone understand the purpose and next steps.
Find the Right Fit for Your Program
Every school and team has a different situation. Some have an established fundraising strategy. Others are looking for a more organized approach.
A conversation can help identify whether Fundraising University could serve as one part of that strategy—for a season’s needs, a particular team, or a special project.
My starting point is to learn about your program: what you are building, what your athletes need, and where fundraising support could be useful.
That reflects the heart of 44 Sports Network: building the right team around the athlete.
Let’s Plan for Your Spring Season
Middle Tennessee coaches, athletic directors, and booster leaders: If you are preparing for spring sports, I would welcome a brief conversation about your fundraising goals.
Let’s explore an approach that supports your program, respects your time, and gives athletes an opportunity to grow through shared responsibility.
Tyler Lennon Fundraising Coach | Middle TennesseeFundraising University tlennon@fundraisingu.net https://fundraisingu.net
44 Sports Connect | 44 Sports Network
Develop the Athlete • Build the Right Team • Pursue the Dream https://www.44sportsconnect.com
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