An ice cream social is a fun way to raise money for your school or sports team and build community spirit at the same time. Volunteers donate  homemade or store bought ice cream for this event.  Each year the youth group at church does this ice cream social fundraiser  during intermission at its summer musical program and it’s always a hit.

Approximately 4-5 tables are set up with 2 or 3 kinds of ice cream at each table and volunteers at each table to serve. The homemade is usually the most popular, but there’s also store bought too. Small styrofoam coffee cups are used to serve one scoop of ice cream each. A donation jar is placed at each table, so people can leave whatever donation they feel like. Many people come back for more than one scoop and add donations when they do.

There are many places that an ice cream booth would be successful:

• School play or musical performance (at intermission or after the show)
• Fall festival or school fair
• Chamber of Commerce Mixer
• Social event after a regular organization meeting
• At a sports game
• After a school pep rally

Variations:

1. Charge $1 per scoop instead of donation basis
2. Charge a flat fee for entry, usually $3-5, and serve smaller portions of ice cream. Give people who paid a wrist band or necklace to show booth volunteers that they have paid.

It works best to have this fundraiser during an already planned event, where people are already gathered. Many people love ice cream so this can be a great fundraiser.

Contests can be done at half time or before the football game in an effort to increase attendance and raise funds at the same time. A numbered ticket can be given to fans as they enter the gate if this is an effort just to increase attendance, or chances sold if this is a fundraiser. If used as a fundraiser, then sell tickets for several weeks before the event. A grand prize and secondary prizes are donated by local businesses. Advertisements including newspaper ads promote the event and the sponsors. Tickets are drawn at random and 1-6 contestants will get the chance to win the prizes. Contests are a fun and memorable high school football fundraiser.

Field Goals and Football Kicks - Contestants have a chance to kick a field goal for the grand prize (donated by a local business). It can be a natural field goal, through the uprights or through a two-foot target hole in a sign.

Football Tosses - Contestants try to throw a football through a target hole in a sign from various yardages for a prizes.

When it comes to high school football fundraising, with some creativity you can easily come up with a great event. Anything that relates to the sport, will likely be a fun and profitable event.

Even though high school football season is months away, it’s time to start now when it comes to planning for fundraisers.

High school football boosters are some of the most dedicated volunteers. Many parents have been supporting their children in sports activities since elementary school youth sports. They are often excited for their kids to be playing sports at the high school level and are dedicated football booster club members.

Concession stands are one of the most popular ways that football booster clubs raise funds. Most spectators want to purchase food and drinks at the games anyway, so this is a matter of giving people what they really want. Often the lines at the football game concession stand can be very long indeed!

If another organization is in charge of the concession stand, football boosters can work with them to man the booth and split the profits. Otherwise, with the support of the other organizations, they can host their own small booth once or twice during the season.

Another popular fundraising idea for football boosters is the sale of spirit items. These are items that school team fans can buy, wear or use to show their support. T-shirts, stadium seats, noisemakers and buttons are just a few of the popular spirit items. These items are sold at pep rallies, through fliers sent home with students and at the games.

These are just two of the many fundraising options that school athletic booster clubs can choose. Groups should evaluate all of the options to find the most effective and profitable fundraiser for their school.