A raffle book and a sausage sizzle still have their place, but they do not always create the buzz a club needs. The best club fundraising products give supporters something useful, visible or genuinely fun to take home. Better still, they put your colours, logo and message in front of the crowd long after game day.
For sporting clubs, schools, community groups and event teams, fundraising is about more than covering this month’s costs. It can help pay for new uniforms, equipment, travel, facilities and junior programs. The product you choose needs to be easy to explain, simple to sell and worthwhile for the person handing over their cash.
What makes club fundraising products sell?
A product does not need to be expensive to raise money. It needs to make sense for the people who will buy it. Parents at junior sport may be happy to pick up practical supporter gear. Members at a finals match want something that makes them feel part of the occasion. Local businesses may be more interested in products that carry both their logo and a visible connection to the club.
The strongest fundraising items usually do at least two jobs. They build club identity while bringing in revenue. A branded cap can become regular weekend wear. A drink bottle is useful at training. An inflatable cheering stick creates instant noise in the stands and puts your club colours on display in every photo, video and social post from the day.
Price matters, but so does perceived value. If an item feels cheap, generic or hard to use, supporters will hesitate. If it looks bright, works well and clearly belongs to the club, it becomes an easy add-on at the canteen, registration desk or event entrance.
Start with the crowd, not the catalogue
Before ordering anything, think about where and how the item will be sold. A product for a packed footy final can be different from one for a school fete or annual presentation night. The right choice depends on your audience, event format and fundraising target.
For a one-day event, choose products that are quick to distribute and instantly understood. Supporters should be able to see it, grab it and use it without instructions. Inflatable thundersticks are a standout example. Hand them out or sell them at the gate, and the crowd becomes louder and more colourful within minutes.
For season-long fundraising, practical merchandise can work harder. Branded drink bottles, caps, tote bags, keyrings and apparel may continue to sell across registrations, training sessions and club functions. These products suit clubs with a strong member base and enough time to promote stock over several months.
If your club has limited volunteer time, avoid products that need complicated sizing, packing or individual handling. The best fundraiser is not the one with the biggest theoretical margin. It is the one your committee can actually organise, sell and deliver without creating a headache.
Club fundraising products that create event energy
Supporter merchandise has a special advantage over standard fundraising stock: people can use it straight away. That creates an atmosphere at the event and gives buyers a reason to join in.
Custom inflatable cheering sticks, also known as bang bang sticks, boom boom sticks or thundersticks, are ideal for grand finals, gala days, school carnivals, rugby matches, cricket events and sponsor activations. They are lightweight, affordable in volume and simple for supporters of all ages to use. Two sticks clapped together create a sharp, recognisable sound that can lift the energy when your team needs it most.
They also offer plenty of branding space. Add club colours, a mascot, sponsor logos, a campaign message or a simple call such as “Go Tigers!” The brighter and bolder the print, the stronger the visual effect across the crowd. Metallic, foil and LED options can add extra impact for evening events, presentations and festivals.
Custom shapes can make the product even more memorable. Cricket bat, rugby ball and paw-shaped cheering products help reinforce the identity of the sport or club. They are especially effective when you need supporters to notice the item quickly from a distance.
The trade-off is timing. Event-specific products work best when ordered early enough to allow for design approval, production and delivery. Get the artwork sorted before your promotional push begins, rather than leaving merchandise until the week of the event.
Make sponsorship part of the fundraising plan
A sponsor can turn a good fundraising idea into a much stronger one. Instead of asking one local business for a donation, offer a clear promotional opportunity. Their logo can appear alongside your club branding on cheering sticks, banners, drink bottles or event packs.
This approach can reduce the club’s upfront cost while giving the sponsor visibility in front of a highly relevant local audience. At a busy match or community event, branded supporter products do not sit quietly on a table. They are carried, waved, photographed and seen by everyone in the venue.
Keep sponsor placement clear and balanced. Your club identity should still lead, particularly if supporters are paying for the product. A simple club logo on one side and sponsor logo on the other is often enough. Overloading the design with too many messages can make the item look less appealing and harder to read.
For larger campaigns, consider tiered sponsor options. A major sponsor could receive premium logo placement, while several smaller businesses may support a giveaway section or junior team pack. The key is to make the value easy to explain before you ask for support.
Set a price that feels easy to say yes to
Fundraising pricing is often where good ideas lose momentum. Set the price too low and your club misses out on valuable profit. Set it too high and families may decide they can do without it.
Work backwards from your target. Calculate the delivered product cost, include any expected event expenses, then set a selling price that leaves a clear return for the club. If you are using merchandise as a sponsor-funded giveaway, measure success differently: crowd participation, sponsor exposure, email sign-ups or increased attendance may be the return.
A simple price point helps volunteers sell faster. Round figures are easier at a busy canteen or gate, especially where people are paying by cash and card. Bundles can also increase the average sale. For example, a pair of cheering sticks with a club sticker or wristband may feel like better value than each item sold separately.
Be honest about stock quantities. Limited-edition grand final merchandise can create urgency, but only if the product is genuinely event-specific and your communication is clear. Order enough to avoid disappointing a full crowd, while remembering that leftover stock ties up club funds.
Get the branding right before production
Strong branding is not about squeezing every detail onto the product. From the stands, fine print disappears. Use a bold logo, high-contrast club colours and a short message that supporters can read at a glance.
Send clean artwork where possible, ideally in a high-resolution or vector format. If your club only has an older logo file, ask for a digital proof before production. This gives your committee a chance to check spelling, colours, sponsor placement and layout while changes are still easy to make.
Think about the product in use, not just on a computer screen. Cheering sticks are seen in motion. A design that uses strong blocks of colour and large lettering will have more impact than a detailed layout with lots of small elements. If you are unsure, keep it simple. Simple branding is usually the branding people remember.
Plan how supporters will buy or receive them
Even the right product needs a clear distribution plan. Put stock where excitement is highest: at entry gates, near the canteen, beside the raffle table or in a clearly marked merchandise area. Give volunteers a short sales line so everyone communicates the same message: “Grab a pair, support the club and make some noise!”
Pre-sales can help when you have a major event ahead. Promote the item through club newsletters, team managers, social channels and registration emails, then offer collection on game day. This gives you a better idea of demand and reduces pressure on volunteers during the event.
For giveaways, build anticipation. Tell supporters that the first 300 through the gate receive branded cheering sticks, or that every junior player gets a pair for presentation day. A product can be free to the recipient while still delivering fundraising value through a sponsor or increased event attendance.
Cheering Sticks can help Australian clubs create custom crowd merchandise with a free digital proof, practical product options and local service. Whether you need a short-run stock item or a fully branded order, the right advice early can save time, reduce waste and make your event look bigger.
Choose a product your supporters will be proud to carry, wave or use. When it brings the crowd together as well as bringing money into the club, fundraising stops feeling like another job for volunteers and starts becoming part of the event itself.