How fundraising diversification can reshape school athletics
For generations, athletic fundraising followed a predictable and familiar model. Cheerleaders washed cars. Soccer teams sold mulch. Booster clubs hosted spaghetti dinners and golf outings. These efforts built community and school spirit and, in many settings, they still have value.
However, the financial reality facing today’s athletic departments is far different than it was even a decade ago. Episodic, team-based fundraisers are no longer capable of sustaining comprehensive, competitive and equitable athletic programs. As a result, fundraising diversification has become a core leadership responsibility for contemporary athletic directors.
A changing financial landscape
Today’s athletic directors operate in an environment defined by shrinking budgets, rising costs, higher expectations and increased public visibility. In this context, fundraising is no longer supplemental, it is essential. There are four primary reasons why:- District funding is often inadequate. When school districts experience financial strain, athletics are frequently categorized as “nonessential” and receive limited support from general funds. Failed bond levies and fiscal restructuring across the country continue to worsen this reality.
- Costs and expectations continue to rise. Modern athletic programs are expected to provide updated safety equipment, advanced video and analytics platforms, improved facilities and enhanced game-day experiences. These items are no longer viewed as luxuries, they are standards. Unfortunately, school budgets rarely keep pace with these expectations.
- Athletic directors are asked to do more with less. Expanded offerings, improved student-athlete experiences and increased risk-management demands persist even as funding stagnates or declines. While pay-to-play models may offer short-term relief, they create equity issues and are unsustainable long-term.
- Public perception matters. Athletics are often the most visible extension of a school district’s brand. Poor facilities, outdated uniforms or cut programs can quickly damage community trust and support. Strategic fundraising allows athletic departments to protect quality without overreliance on taxpayers or parents.
Athletics, privatization and reality
Whenever public dollars are reduced or eliminated, a form of privatization naturally occurs. Athletics frequently sit at the center of this shift. When tax-based funding recedes, private dollars, corporate sponsorships, alumni gifts and philanthropic support must fill the gap.
The challenge is not whether this shift is good or bad; the challenge is how well it is managed. Relying primarily on parents to close funding gaps is neither equitable nor realistic. Sustainable programs require a diversified mix of revenue sources that reflects a balanced public-private partnership.
Traditional fundraisers remain popular, but they share common limitations:
- They are episodic rather than ongoing.
- Revenue is modest and unpredictable.
- Benefits are often sport-specific, not departmentwide.
- They produce volunteer fatigue.
- They rarely scale to meet long-term needs.
Car washes and product sales build camaraderie, but they cannot underwrite the financial complexity of modern athletic departments. What is required instead is a systemic, forward-thinking fundraising strategy.
Diversification: From fundraisers to revenue streams
Fundraising diversification shifts athletic departments away from isolated events and toward sustainable revenue ecosystems. Increasingly, successful athletic directors are generating funds through:
- Corporate sponsorships and facility advertising
- Creative ticket pricing and bundled packages
- Digital and streaming-based advertising
- Licensed merchandise and in some instances, outsourced concessions
- Facility rentals and shared-use agreements
- Booster development and alumni engagement
- Grants and external funding opportunities
The result is not just increased revenue, but predictability, equity across programs and institutional control.
Several athletic directors, many of whom are graduates of the University of Cincinnati Sport Administration Program, illustrate how diversification works in practice.
At St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (SVSM) in Akron, Ohio, Athletic Director Kyle Sasala, CAA, restructured facility rental policies, reimagined partnership agreements and introduced creative ticket packages, generating tens of thousands of dollars in previously untapped revenue. The athletic department was also gifted a pair of videoboards for the gymnasium, courtesy of SVSM alumnus LeBron James and Nike. Sasala is now leveraging those videoboards by selling advertising inventory to corporate sponsors, further strengthening the department’s financial foundation.
At Ansonia High School in Ansonia, Ohio, where pay-to-play fees are not utilized, Athletic Director Clay George, RAA, relies on theme nights, community-engagement events and in-game sponsorships to boost attendance and grow revenue organically.
At West Clermont High School in Batavia, Ohio, the athletic department has demonstrated how sophisticated partnerships can produce transformational results. Assistant Athletic Director Reid Hollinger, CAA, detailed West Clermont’s comprehensive naming-rights agreement with Sharefax Credit Union at the 2025 National Athletic Directors Conference in Tampa, Florida. The partnership illustrates how secondary schools can responsibly leverage facility branding to generate long-term, predictable revenue while aligning with community-based corporate partners.
Another notable example comes from Milford High School in Milford, Ohio, where Assistant Athletic Director Josh McDaniel leveraged academic-to-applied learning through the University of Cincinnati Sport Administration Master’s Program. As part of the Applied Financial Management Strategies in Athletics course, McDaniel and a team of graduate students developed and submitted an NFL Grassroots Grant proposal on behalf of Milford High School. The effort resulted in Milford being awarded $250,000, demonstrating how grant writing can serve as a powerful funding mechanism for interscholastic athletic facilities. This success reinforces the value of grant literacy and intentional external funding strategies as part of a diversified revenue model.
Fundraising is leadership work
Fundraising diversification is not simply a financial task, it is a leadership practice. It requires vision, relationship-building, communication skills and the courage to move beyond tradition.
The most effective athletic directors do not treat fundraising as a series of disconnected activities. Instead, they align revenue generation with the mission of the athletic department, collaborate with boosters and administrators and proactively manage fundraising as part of long-term strategic planning.
The era of athletic departments relying on car washes and candy sales as primary funding mechanisms has passed. Today’s reality demands strategic, diversified and sustainable approaches to revenue generation.
Athletic directors who successfully leverage corporate partnerships, creative ticketing, digital platforms, alumni engagement and booster leadership are better positioned to preserve access, maintain program quality and avoid difficult decisions such as cutting sports or imposing participation fees. Fundraising diversification is not about abandoning tradition, it is about securing the future. For athletic directors willing to lead beyond the car wash, opportunity and stability await.
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