This page covers what a booster club actually needs to fund, the constraints that shape how you can raise it, and which event formats fit. If you want the general guide first, start with fundraising by group.
What a booster club is usually funding
- equipment and uniforms the school budget does not cover
- travel and competition entry fees
- coaching stipends and clinic costs
- facility improvements
- senior recognition and banquets
What makes this group different
These are the constraints that decide whether a fundraiser works here, and they are the reason generic advice underperforms.
- The budget is tied to a season, so the fundraising window is narrow and non-negotiable
- Booster funds are often subject to district rules about what school programs may accept
- Families are already paying participation fees, so the ask has to reach beyond the roster
- Leadership turns over with the graduating class
Why an event-based fundraiser fits
Booster clubs have something most parent groups do not: participants who are already organized, already meeting regularly and already motivated by a shared goal. That makes participant-led online fundraising work far better here than a generic school-wide ask.
What is realistic to raise
Booster budgets are set by the season's costs, not by ambition, which makes the target unusually easy to state and unusually hard to move. Work from the equipment, travel and entry costs already committed, then add whatever the program has been deferring. The deferred list is usually where the persuasive part of the ask lives.
A working timeline
The dates that matter here are set by this group’s own calendar, not by a generic fundraising season.
- Off-season: agree the allocation rule and the target before any money is raised
- Eight weeks before the season: launch, while athletes and families still have capacity
- Season start: fundraising closes, because nobody has an hour after that
- Post-season: report what was bought, which is what makes next year's ask land
What goes wrong
- Fundraising during the season, when the people you need are least available and the money is already spent
- Raising first and deciding the allocation afterwards, which turns a good year into an argument
- Treating the roster as the donor list instead of as the distribution network
Formats that suit a booster club
You are not doing this alone
Every Get Movin' group is paired with a Personal Event Coach — a former PTO/PTA volunteer who has run this before. Get Movin's company president and all of its fundraising coaches are former PTO/PTA members, teachers and volunteers. For a booster club, that means someone who has already helped other groups like yours through exactly this.
Your coach:
- strategizes your budget goal with you
- brainstorms incentives that actually motivate your participants
- advises on promotion and timing
- steers you away from the pitfalls they have already watched other groups hit
You also get the FundHub Event Toolbox — 100+ guides, templates, playlists and printables. Meet the coaches.
The platform behind a booster club fundraiser
FundHub is Get Movin's online donation platform, built specifically for schools, teams and community groups by former PTO/PTA leaders. It carries 35+ tools. These are the ones that matter most here:
- Personalized student webpages. A parent sets one up in about five minutes, and each page raises an average of $140.
- Teacher access and classroom webpages. Every class gets its own page that the teacher controls, with their own log-in and class-specific incentives.
- Volunteer Organizer. Post positions with dates, times and headcount; parents self-select their shift instead of a chain of emails.
- Instant, customizable donation reports for students, classes and the whole group.
- Employer Match Identifier, which finds donors whose employers will match their gift. It located over $1.4 million in matching donations in its first year.
See the full platform on the FundHub page, or book a walkthrough with a coach.
How Get Movin’ runs your booster club fundraiser
- Book a call or a FundHub demo and get matched with your Personal Event Coach.
- Your coach helps you set the goal, pick the date and choose incentives.
- Your group page and student pages go live; parents set theirs up in about five minutes.
- Families share by text, email and social; the coach checks in through the campaign.
- Event day, with volunteers organized through FundHub.
- Funds arrive by automatic ACH transfer after the event.
What it costs and what you keep
Get Movin’ groups keep 95-97% of every dollar raised. Donors pay however they want — cash, check, credit or debit, PayPal, Venmo, or Apple and Google Wallet. Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
Full detail on the pricing page.
Next steps
See what a booster club fundraiser costs on our pricing page, or browse free templates including printable pledge sheets.
Common questions
When should a booster club fundraise?
Before the season, not during it. Once competition starts, athletes, coaches and parents have no capacity, and the money is needed for costs that are already incurred.
How do booster clubs reach beyond team families?
The roster is the distribution network, not the donor list. Each athlete shares their own page with grandparents, neighbours and family friends — most of whom would never see a school-wide appeal.
Start your booster club fundraiser
Get Movin’ has powered 10,000+ events and raised more than $200 million for groups like yours since 2007, with 1,300+ five-star Google reviews.
Take a FundHub tour with a coach, or book your event. Questions first? Contact us or call 248-895-0206. Also useful: the free school grant guide, the parent and donor FAQ, and our fundraising webinars.