Fundraising

Funding is an integral part of running your lifesaving sport club. Developing a detailed financial plan is necessary when looking for new ways to fund your club's activities and find financial partners. With time and effort, your club can raise enough to compete at regional, provincial, national and international levels. Here's a step-by-step guide:

UNDERSTAND YOUR CLUB'S NEEDS

  • Determine your specific financial needs, including equipment purchases, training facility rentals, travel expenses and administrative costs.

MEMBERSHIP FEES

  • Membership fees, often in the form of registration fees, are one of the main ways to fund your club’s expenses (i.e., rentals, equipment, training, competitions). However, membership fees should be affordable and have many benefits, so as not to infringe on your recruitment.

DRAW UP A DETAILED BUDGET

  • Develop a detailed budget outlining income and expenditure in order to understand the funding gap that needs to be filled.

DEFINE UNIQUE SELLING POINTS

  • Clearly explain what makes lifesaving sport unique and attractive to potential partners. What sets your club apart?

SEARCH FOR POTENTIAL PARTNERS

  • Identify potential partners, including local businesses, corporations and philanthropic organizations. Look for entities with an interest in health, safety or community development.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Work with your local sports centre to introduce lifesaving sport to potential athletes.
  • Include lifesaving sport in your municipality's summer programming.
  • Offer day camps to introduce children to lifesaving sport and generate interest as early as possible.
  • Sports clubs (e.g. swimming, athletics, canoeing and kayaking) can be excellent allies.
  • Partner with a sports shop to get discounts on training equipment (jerseys, shoes, clothing, etc.) and promote your club and lifesaving sport.

DEVELOP AN APPEALING PROPOSAL

  • Create a partnership proposal that highlights your club's mission, achievements, and the benefits of supporting lifesaving sport.
  • Ensure your proposal includes all current and future goals to demonstrate how your vision aligns with the potential partner's mission.
  • One crucial aspect of a partnership proposal is explaining the benefits of collaboration. Prospective partners will seek maximum value beyond financial support, such as association with your club's image. Hence, preparing an enticing offer is vital. Keep in mind that partners can offer more than just money (e.g., fuel, food, crafts).

ESTABLISH LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS

  • Focus on building enduring relationships with partners. Keep them informed of club progress regularly and involve them in significant events.

ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

  • Develop a user-friendly, informative website showcasing your club's mission, training programs, and achievements (e.g., hosted competitions, medals and banners won, national and international presence).
  • Use various social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) to share engaging content, success stories, and upcoming events.
    • Consult the social media management guide.
  • Reach out to local media (e.g., newspapers, radio, television) to secure coverage of your achievements and events.

CROWDFUNDING

  • Technology brings a whole range of opportunities. Crowdfunding offers new ways to raise money by collecting small donations or making small sales. The fundraising is usually done through an online platform, such as Kickstarter or GoFundMe, and the money is directly transferred to a PayPal account.
  • Like a sponsorship, you need to be careful about how you present your project, so be brief and concise and be clear about what your event can do for people interested in sponsoring your club.

GRANTS

  • There is a variety of funding opportunities for non-profits, so learning how to successfully apply for grants can set your club apart from others. The Government of Canada website has a database of federal funding opportunities. Each of these funds is designed to promote a specific goal, so read the descriptions to determine if your non-profit can take advantage of one of these opportunities. Next, you’ll need to write a grant application, a task that can be time-consuming. Don’t make one general grant application to send to all the organizations you are interested in. If you want to stand out, you need to create a detailed, customized proposal for each grant you’d like to apply for.

COMPETITIONS

  • Organizing a regional, provincial and/or friendly challenge is one of the best ways to raise funds. If you have access to a sport facility and/or a body of water at little or no cost, organize sanctioned competitions with the Lifesaving Society. Each athlete pays an entry fee or a fee per event and not only will you have fun, but you’ll also fill your bank account.

PROVEN FUNDRAISING METHODS FOR CLUBS

COLLECTING CANS

  • It’s a well-known fact that people hate having to return their cans and bottles to the grocery store. So do it for them in exchange for the refundable deposit on the returned containers. Do the people in your neighborhood and around you a favor and fill up your coffers at the same time.

FLEA MARKET

  • We all have objects or furniture that we don’t need and that we would like to get rid of so that others can benefit from them. Ask your athletes and their friends to provide some of these items and hold a “yard sale.” You’ll fill your coffers while emptying your attic or garage of all that clutter.

HOMEMADE GOODIES

  • If you want to sell goodies, homemade cookies and cupcakes can be a great alternative to the usual chocolate bars. Set up a booth at your competitions and have your athletes make some sweet and healthy snacks to sell throughout the day.

GROCERY BAGGING

  • Bagging groceries is a fun way to raise funds. Many supermarkets already have setups allowing clubs to participate.

By combining these strategies, your lifesaving sport club can create a robust financing plan, securing funds and establishing lasting partnerships within your community.