How to raise money for your local GAA club

December 20, 2024 | 4 min read Uncategorized

Struggling to fund your GAA club? Online fundraising can not only cover running costs, but it can also contribute to development.

Improved facilities such as stadiums, gym equipment or dressing rooms can make a difference to the quality of the team, and also attract more fans.

Moreover, it can boost your presence in the community with things such as increased youth development, but on a simpler level, fundraising events such as charity matches or fundraising dinners can also bring the community together in the name of their local GAA club.

Start a GoFundMe

What might your local GAA club need?

Whilst the prospect of jumping straight into setting up an online fundraiser is exciting, it is important to assess your club’s financial goals and needs. While writing a fundraiser, think about what you are trying to fund. For example:

Equipment
- Training and matchday kit
- Training gear such as balls, cones, tackle pads etc

Travel
- Costs to matches
Facilities
- Running costs
- Maintenance
- Upgrades and development
Youth programs
- Talent ID, academy coaches and facilities, supporting camps

It is important to identify the necessities to keep your club going and moving upwards because it is a good idea to include them in your fundraiser summary. When donors know specifically where their money is going, it helps them feel more connected to the cause, boosting that sense of community that is so important to GAA clubs.

Fundraising tips for your GAA club

Before setting up your fundraiser, it is important to have ideas on ways to bring your local community together to spread the word.

Bringing people together in a community themed event is a great way of bringing about this face-to-face action. Some ideas could be:

Charity matches or sporting events
- Hosting a charity match with members of your team, the public and even celebrities is a great way to bring the community together to watch something unique. Use QR codes to point people to your GoFundMe.
Event nights
- Quiz nights, bingo nights, auctions or gala dinners are also a great way to bring the community together with the aim of fundraising
Family fun days
- EG: a summer féte
Parish walks and runs
- Great for bringing people together and getting the community fit and healthy

Online fundraising

After laying the groundwork for this online fundraiser, you now need to set it up. When setting up an online fundraiser, it is important to compare different sites and their donation fees, ease of use, customer support etc. That is why the best option to take is GoFundMe. With seven day customer service, easy to use website and mobile app, and free to set up fundraising meaning that more of your donors’ money actually goes to the cause, it is the undeniable top choice.

Important things we advise to include when setting up your online fundraiser are:

A short and snappy title that easily conveys the what the fund is for
Adding photos and even videos of aspects of the club, the stadium, the player etc
Including details of where the money will go
- Adding smaller goals in there as well will be good as it makes those first few hurdles seem much more achievable
Make it personal and communal
- A main identity of a GAA club is its association with the community, you want to create a connection with your fanbase/members
Share on social media to spread awareness before you host your events
Thank your donors regularly and post updates on milestones and goals

Once you have taken action, it can also be useful to engage the community further in the form of businesses and sponsors:

Approach local businesses
- Offering sponsorship packages highlighting how they can help both the club and the businesses
Tiered sponsorship levels
- So that both small and large companies can get on board
Approach local businesses for donations
- Seek donations, partnerships or discounts to lower costs

Raise Money for your GAA club on GoFundMe

We hope this article has laid out all the reasons why an online fundraiser could be so beneficiary for your local GAA club. So, what are you waiting for?