Fundraising

How do we raise some money to cover the cost of participating in tournaments?

The first thing we highly suggest every officer to do is to see how much per person a tournament will cost. Tournament fees usually run between $50 to $100, depending on the scale of the event. If you have to travel, make sure you add in the cost of transportation (i.e., airplane tickets, car rentals, gasoline, etc.) as well as the cost of lodging (i.e., cost per night, how many rooms you need, etc.). Once you come up with a number for cost-per-person, then you have a fundraising goal. It is important to set a fundraising goal so you can estimate how much effort your club will need to spend on raising funds.

One idea is to host a tournament. The advantages are that one tournament with 40-50 people could help you take a 'leap' towards your fundraising goals. The disadvantages are obvious: need money to purchase trophies, need mats, need scoring systems, need referees, need people to attend. We do have resources to help you off-set some of the disadvantages listed above. Contact us for more detailed information: programsupport@ikickonline.com.

Another idea is to start a beginner's section within your club. If you practice twice-a-week for 2-or-more hours each practice, you might think about taking 45-60 minutes out of each practice for a beginner's class. For college students who have no martial arts experience, joining a taekwondo club is not a very attractive option; however, if you advertise your club with a section specifically for beginner's, new members may not feel as self-concious or nervous since they could expect everyone in that section to have very little experience as well. As always, consult with your school administration before moving forward with this idea. The advantages of this idea are that your club becomes a more inclusive Taekwondo club, your club can raise some funds through membership dues, your club becomes a place where people can meet new people...which is after all an opportunity that any college-level club or student group should provide.

Conclusion:
First, decide on a fundraising goal that works for your group. Even if you raise only $1000 an entire year, if you have 10 people who are going to a competition, that is $100 that each person can save on his/her costs of participation in the event!

Summary:
Think outside the box...in this case 'the box' contains ideas you are used to, such as the way your old private studio operated.

Contact us for more detailed fundraising ideas that might be suitable for your college or university club. Email us at programsupport@ikickonline.com or call us at 626.590.7565. We'd love to hear from you!