How to improve your club’s fundraisers

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Image credit: Shutterstock.com / alexkich

Fundraising is a vital aspect of any club’s journey, without it, clubs would not survive. Therefore, it’s critical that fundraising is done as efficiently as possible. Here’s how to improve your club’s fundraisers.

Planning Fundraising Goals 

While it can be tempting to begin fundraising as soon as possible, too many clubs jump straight into it without proper planning.

To fundraise effectively, you have to consider the club’s position.

  • How is the club tracking financially?
  • What needs improvement at the club?
  • Is there club infrastructure that needs repair or upgrades?
  • Do we need new equipment?
  • Are our membership fees appropriate?

These questions and more will inform your fundraising goals. Objectives are important to have as they keep your club on track, and break fundraising into more achievable blocks, preventing overstressing.

When creating club goals, always make them specific and realistic.

If your objectives are too lofty, people will lose trust or feel unaware of what you are raising for. Additionally, if they are unrealistic or too difficult, it can hurt donor’s motivation to contribute money.

For example: Raising $1,000 to buy new shirts is more achievable than raising $10,000 to improve the club.

The latter goal feels endless while the former can be achieved and replaced by a new goal, producing a sense of progress and success within the club’s community.

Delegating Fundraising Work 

Depending on the size of your club and the number of willing volunteers you have, you want to do as many fundraising events as you comfortably can.

However, crowdfunding can be incredibly time heavy and manpower intensive. Additionally, its often tasked upon too few people.

When organising charity campaigns, it is incredibly beneficial to delegate multiple people across different fundraising streams to ensure each receives full attention, and to prevent people from becoming overburdened.

Through this, each fundraising method is being optimised to its fullest extent, while club members can still focus on their club roles.

Choosing Fundraisers 

Choosing what club donations to do can be a tricky process and often depends on the membership base of your club, as members may be likely to contribute to some fundraisers more than others.

When deciding, first reflect on what has worked well for the club in the past and what has been less successful.

Additionally, it’s important to fundraise in a cost-effective manner. Some contributions may be appealing, but if they are too time intensive and expensive than the benefits may not be enough.

Furthermore, the skills of your volunteers are also worth considering. Some of your members may have special talents which you can leverage. For example, naturally extroverted and charismatic members could make for great trivia night hosts.

Traditional Fundraisers 

There are a range of traditional fundraisers that your club can implement to help boost funds in a way that is familiar and approachable to your membership base.

Here are some examples:

  • Trivia Night
  • Sausage Sizzle
  • Auction
  • Raffle
  • Movie Night

Online Fundraising 

In today’s world, technology has generated more ways than ever to fundraise.

A valuable option for your club could be an online donation page. These pages can be added to your cub’s website, allowing members from a wider community to donate in a familiar and trustworthy place.

Donation pages are a great option for clubs as they can be relatively simple to set up and do not require too much work afterwards. However, it’s important to ensure the page stays up to date and works, you do not want to miss out on possible funds.

If your club does not feel comfortable creating a donation page or does not have its own website, you could consider opting into the Australian Sport Foundation’s (ASF) fundraising platform.

The ASF allows clubs across the nation to post a donation page to the ASF website to receive funds for club projects.

Funds donated through the ASF platform are tax-deductible, thus making donations a more attractive option to potential benefactors.

Membership Fees

The most effective way to increase the coffers of any club is to increase membership fees, as it targets everyone involved in the club. However, it can be a double-edged sword.

If your club increases fees too much, you can upset or even drive away members. Remember to always treat membership fees carefully, and as an option of last resort.

Conclusion 

Club finances are an often-stressful dread hanging over the heads of club boards and members, however, fundraising does not have to be daunting.

Through planning and delegating the work, fundraising can be made a far simpler process. Additionally, fundraising events can be an enjoyable time for all involved, generating lifelong friendships and memories.

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Two NPL VIC clubs receive funding boost from State Budget

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Image credit: Football Victoria

Following the announcement of the 2026 Victoria State Budget, Avondale FC and Hume City FC will both receive major backing for facility upgrades.

 

Valuable support for future projects

Avondale and Hume City now have immensely valuable financial support for infrastructure and facility upgrade projects.

Avondale will see an injection of $500,000 for lighting developments at its home ground, Avenger Park. Meanwhile, Hume City FC, will receive $250,000 to further improve its home ground, Nasiol Stadium, which opened in 2009.

Both clubs expressed their delight at the funding from the State Labor Government, and what the backing may bring to club facilities and overall development going forward.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Victorian Government and Sheena Watt for their support through this $500,000 lighting upgrade investment, which will have a lasting impact on our players, families and the wider Avondale community,” said Avondale Club President, Stephen Strano.

“We have hundreds of players across all age groups utilising these facilities each week, and these improvements will help create an even strong environment for excellence, participation, and community engagement,” outlined Hume City President, Ersan Gülüm.

As a result of these respective investments, both NPL VIC outfits appear set for incredibly opportunities to modernise, develop and strengthen their club infrastructure.

 

Lighting the path to a brighter future

The investments will see features such as lighting upgrades improve facility access for men’s and women’s teams, and LED scoreboards become part of a more modern matchday experiences going forward.

For both clubs, however, lighting upgrades are about more than keeping a pitch open late at night. Improved lighting is a means to a more accessible and supportive future in which both the men’s and women’s teams can utliise local facilities, and matchdays can take place in the excitement of playing ‘under the lights’.

And as Football Victoria CEO, Dan Birrell, highlighted, the improvements made to club facilities are benchmarks for the wider Victorian football community.

“Both Avondale and Hume City are pillars in the Victorian football landscape,” Birrell stated via press release.

“Professional level facilities like Avenger Park and Nasiol Stadium are critical for the development of Victorian football and Football Victoria welcomes the news that they will continue to improve thanks to the support of the Victorian State Government.”

 

More must follow

While the investments from the State Government come as welcome updates for these two clubs, there is still plenty more to be done to evenly develop facilities and infrastructure across Victoria’s football landscape.

Indeed, Avondale FC and Hume City FC are two fantastic community clubs who will no doubt put the funding towards impactful improvements.

But there are plenty more who still need external backing to build infrastructure not just for now, but for future seasons to come.

Football Community Supports Ange Goutzioulis Following MND Diagnosis

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Image Credit: One Nil Media

At just 52 years old, former National Soccer League player Ange Goutzioulis stood in front of a packed room at the Chisholm United launch night in Oakleigh and spoke about something no one ever expects to hear: a diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease.

But rather than retreat into silence, Goutzioulis chose to speak openly. He spoke not just about the disease itself, but about the reality of living with it, the uncertainty ahead and why awareness matters more than ever.

 

Early stages

For years, football was part of Goutzioulis’ identity. Coaching, movement and routine were all things that once felt natural. Then slowly, something changed.

“I couldn’t even stand properly… I was losing my balance,” he explained.

At first, the signs were confusing rather than alarming. A couple of falls. Difficulty moving. Hospital visits and tests.

“They said, ‘You haven’t got cancer, you haven’t got MS and you haven’t got MND,’” he recalled.

But the symptoms continued worsening. Eventually, further neurological testing revealed the diagnosis: Motor Neuron Disease (MND).

The confirmation came quickly.

“They called it after two or three minutes… they saw the machines and basically said, ‘Yeah, you’ve got MND.’”

The shock was immediate.

So too was the reality.

 

Understanding Motor Neuron Disease

Motor Neuron Disease is a progressive neurological condition that attacks the nerves controlling movement, gradually taking away the ability to walk, speak, swallow and eventually breathe.

There is currently no cure.

For many Australians, awareness of MND remains limited until it touches someone close to them. Goutzioulis now finds himself confronting not only the physical decline, but the emotional weight of understanding what lies ahead.

“There’s no way to stop it… it’s going to kill me,” he said honestly.

Even breakthrough treatments tomorrow, he acknowledged, may come too late for him personally.

Yet despite the enormity of that reality, his focus has already shifted beyond himself.

 

Fighting for awareness while fighting the disease

What stood out throughout the evening was not despair, but resilience.

Goutzioulis spoke candidly about refusing to surrender mentally to the disease. Against medical advice centred around conserving energy and managing fatigue, he continues trying to stay active.

“I keep walking,” he said.

“I’ve got a theory in life that if you work out and keep moving, maybe [your] muscles won’t waste away as quick.”

Whether medically proven or not, the mentality reflects something deeper: a refusal to let MND define every remaining moment.

There was also optimism in the small victories.

Doctors believe he may have already been living with the disease for three years — longer than expected given his current condition.

“That’s a positive,” he said. “So, I’ll take it day by day.”

Image Credit: One Nil Media

Football’s power beyond the pitch

The event itself quickly transformed from a club launch into something more profound: a reminder of football’s ability to rally around people during their hardest moments.

As speakers addressed the room, one message became clear — Goutzioulis is not facing this battle alone.

“There’s probably 100 people here,” said Bill Kosmopoulos, who was hosting the discussion,

“I guarantee there’s 100 people cheering for you, 100 people that would do anything to find a solution for MND.”

In community football, conversations are usually dominated by results, signings, tactics and ambition. But nights like this reveal another side of the game entirely.

Connection.

Humanity.

Support.

By speaking publicly, Goutzioulis gave a deeply confronting disease a human face. Not statistics. Not headlines. A person. A father. A football figure. Someone trying to process what it means to slowly lose control of their own body while still showing up for the people around them.

That vulnerability is precisely why awareness matters.

Because awareness drives conversation.

Conversation drives funding.

And funding drives research that could one day change outcomes for future families facing the same diagnosis.

Image Credit: One Nil Media

“We’re behind you”

As the night closed, the room rose behind him.

Showing admiration for someone willing to confront unimaginable news publicly in the hope it helps others understand the devastating reality of MND.

“On behalf of everyone… thank you so much mate,” one speaker told him.

“We’re behind you.”

Support and raising awareness for the disease is what matters.

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