There are a multitude of ways to generate income for your Club/Province. Some ideas which clubs have used in the past are noted below.
Sponsorship
The key to obtaining sponsors is ensuring that there is benefit to both parties. Generally the benefit to the club will be direct finances or goods which can be used to generate finances. Benefits to Sponsors can include increased patronage, additional exposure of company, assisting employees, and just a general sense of community involvement.
Generally the easiest sponsors to achieve are companies of the players/parents, Australian based or associated companies, and pubs for the 18+ teams. However there is nothing wrong with approaching any company as long as they’re a good fit with your Club.
Grants
Grants are available to Clubs/Provinces from AFL Canada each year. A formal submission must be made to the board which includes background on what the grant will be used to do, what it will achieve and a budget if appropriate. In addition to that most Provinces have major grants available for Casinos and Lottery wins which are generally directed to non-profit organizations. You may require formal accreditation of your non-profit status to qualify for the grants.
Fundraising
Fundraising is a key to raising money for a club. Ensure the fundraising ideas you choose are appropriate for your Club/Province and ideally focus on fewer fundraising events throughout the year but ones which generate the most revenue with the smallest amount of organisation required. Sometimes you can combine two or more events together such as a Trivia Night and Silent Auction. Some fundraising ideas have been shown below.
- Game day concession
- Apparel Sale
- Team / Tournament Videos
- Team Calendar
- Slave Auction
- Trivia Night
- Silent Auction
- Pub Event (where the pub sponsors each person to a beer and wings and allows you to charge $10/ticket)
- Community Hall Event (allows for supply of cheap drinks)
- Bottle Drive
- Raffles / 50:50’s if allowed to
- BBQ’s outside a major outlet such as Walmart (with prior permission)
- Chocolate Drives