Volleyball Fundraising Ideas: 3 High-Profit Team Programs

A volleyball season creates a specific set of expenses that most school athletic budgets do not fully cover: uniforms and team apparel, travel and lodging for away tournaments, additional coaching or clinic time, safety and training equipment, and the unplanned costs that come up over a season, an injury, a facility rental, a last-minute registration fee.

Big Fundraising Ideas has supported sports team fundraising programs since 1999. This guide leads with the three formats that best fit a volleyball team's schedule, then covers additional options once the core need is met.

Why Volleyball Teams Fundraise

• Essential Equipment: Volleyballs, nets, training aids, and safety gear that support player development and injury prevention.
• Travel and Tournament Costs: Away games and tournament participation carry real transportation and lodging expenses that fall on players and families without a fundraising offset.
• Coaching and Training: Additional clinics or specialized training sessions that raise the level of the whole roster.
• Team Apparel: Uniforms and spirit wear that build team identity and a unified appearance.
• Unexpected Expenses: Injuries, facility rentals, or last-minute needs that a season inevitably produces, which a fundraising reserve absorbs without a mid-season scramble.

The 3 Fastest, Highest-Profit Formats for a Volleyball Team

1. Discount Cards: High Value, Low Effort

Discount cards are a strong fit for volleyball teams because the pitch requires almost no persuasion. A discount card fundraiser pairs the team with local businesses, restaurants, pizzerias, ice cream shops, and car washes, offering cardholders exclusive discounts. The team sells the cards at a set price and keeps the majority of each sale. It is an easy sell because everyone wants to save money, and supporting a local team gives the purchase a second reason to say yes. There is no product beyond the card itself, so there is no delivery day to schedule around a tournament weekend.

2. Scratch Cards: Fast, Interactive, No Product to Carry

Scratch cards work well for a volleyball roster because the format is simple enough for every player to run individually, and the interactive reveal gives supporters a reason to say yes beyond a plain donation ask. Each player receives a scratch card with donation amounts hidden beneath scratch-off dots. A supporter scratches a dot and donates the revealed amount. Each completed card collects approximately $100 gross. The whole cycle (distribute, collect, submit) fits within about a week, making it the fastest of the three when a team needs money before a specific deadline.

3. Snack and Concession Sales: Selling to a Crowd That's Already There

Snack and concession sales convert well for volleyball specifically because home games already put a captive, hungry audience in the gym. Offer a mix of familiar direct-sale items: candy bars ($1 to $2), beef jerky for a savory option, and gourmet popcorn for broad appeal. No separate event needs organizing. The team is already at the gym for the game; the sale happens alongside it, producing steady income across the season rather than a single payout that requires its own planning cycle.

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Additional Fundraising Options for Volleyball Teams

Custom Apparel: Team Identity That Keeps Selling

Custom apparel builds team identity while functioning as ongoing, passive advertising. A supporter wearing team gear around town provides visibility the team didn't have to pay for beyond the initial sale. Sell custom t-shirts, hoodies, or hats featuring the team logo, either pre-ordered ahead of the season or sold on-site at games. Custom items carry a higher perceived value than generic products, supporting stronger margins alongside the visibility benefit. Still, the pre-order lead time makes this a better fit for the off-season than a mid-tournament push.

See the custom apparel fundraiser guide, boosting school spirit with custom apparel, and the online custom apparel store.

Online Fundraising: Reaching Supporters Beyond the Gym

An online store lets out-of-town family and friends contribute without being at a game, reduces the cash the team has to handle directly, and gives supporters a convenient payment option. Several product formats, including cookie dough and other snack-based programs, can run through an online store alongside in-person sales, which adds reach without adding a second campaign to manage.

Community Events and Challenges

Event-based fundraisers build team camaraderie and public goodwill in a way that a straightforward sale does not. These work well layered on top of one of the three core formats rather than as a standalone campaign, since they typically need more lead time to organize.

• Serve-a-thon: Players collect pledges for every successful serve over the net, or for hours played, tying the fundraiser directly to the sport.
• Car Wash: A classic, low-cost format that performs especially well in warmer weather.
• Benefit Dinner: A sit-down meal gives the community a reason to gather and support the team, and can incorporate a silent auction for additional revenue.
• Skills Clinic for Younger Players: A high school team hosting a clinic for elementary or middle school players raises funds while building a future fan base for the program.
• Silent Auction or Raffle: Donated items from local businesses or team families, run standalone or combined with another event.

Maximizing Your Volleyball Fundraiser's Success

• Set Clear Goals: Define exactly how much is needed and what it funds, and share that number with the team and their families so everyone is selling toward the same target.
• Form a Fundraising Committee: Delegate tasks across parents, coaches, and players rather than leaving the work to one or two people.
• Communicate Consistently: Keep everyone updated on progress and upcoming milestones through team meetings, email, and social media.
• Build in Friendly Competition: Fundraising performs better as a team activity. Encourage competition among players or small groups to sustain motivation.
• Use Social Media Deliberately: Photos, short videos, and a consistent hashtag give supporters an easy way to follow and share the campaign.
• Thank Supporters Promptly: A specific thank-you, not a generic one, builds the goodwill that makes the next campaign easier.
• Time the Campaign Around the Season: Avoid launching during tournament-heavy stretches or against a competing school event.
• Explain the Benefit Clearly: Tell supporters specifically what the funds accomplish rather than asking generically for support.

Frequently Asked Questions About Volleyball Fundraising

What are the most profitable volleyball fundraising ideas?

The three fastest, highest-profit options are discount cards, scratch cards, and snack sales at home games, since none require product delivery and all fit inside a tight tournament schedule. Cookie dough and other brochure-style items generate strong per-buyer totals when the team has more time.

Why do these three formats work best for volleyball specifically?

They share three traits that matter for a team squeezed between practice and tournaments: no product to warehouse or deliver, a short full cycle from launch to payout, and, for snack sales, a built-in audience at every home game without extra promotion.

How much money can a volleyball team typically raise through fundraising?

The total depends heavily on roster size, the format chosen, participation rate, and community engagement. Successful teams often raise several hundred to a few thousand dollars per season. Setting a specific, realistic goal at the start makes it easier to judge whether the campaign is on track.

What are some unique volleyball fundraiser ideas beyond the top three?

A serve-a-thon (pledges per successful serve), a skills clinic for younger players, a parents-versus-players exhibition match with ticket sales, or a themed team bingo night are volleyball-specific event formats that build community engagement. However, they generally need more lead time than the core three formats.

How do I get volleyball players motivated to fundraise?

Set a clear, specific goal the team can picture, such as an out-of-state tournament or new uniforms, and communicate it before the campaign starts. Recognize top participants and explain exactly how the funds affect the season to keep motivation higher than a generic ask. See increasing school fundraising participation for the underlying principles.

Is online fundraising effective for volleyball teams?

Yes, as a supplement to one of the core three formats. An online store reaches supporters who cannot attend games in person and can run alongside an in-person sale without requiring a separate campaign.

Should we run custom apparel instead of one of the top three?

Custom apparel is worth running, but usually as a second program rather than the first choice under time pressure, since pre-order apparel needs more lead time than a scratch card or discount card campaign. It fits well in the off-season or alongside one of the three core formats.

Can we combine different volleyball fundraising ideas?

Yes, and running formats in sequence often performs better than running several at once. A discount card campaign for a few weeks, followed by ongoing concession sales at home games, followed by a scratch card push before a specific deadline, diversifies income without asking supporters for too much at once.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.