As economic challenges continue to grow in high school athletics, more coaches are learning they have to be creative with making financial ends meet. Inevitably, this leads to fund-raisers. Fund-raisers can be a scary proposition for any coach. Basically, when coaches become involved in fund-raising, they ask others for support.

In our society that values the rugged individualism of self-support, coaches may feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Nevertheless, fund-raising is part of the high school landscape that coaches must face. With creativity, however, they can design fund-raisers that are rewarding financially while building team and community bonds.

Throughout the year, schools are bombarded with mailers for cookie dough sales, discount cards and even Internet shopping portals. All of these can be effective fund-raisers; however, there are some avenues that are frequently left unexplored.

In team sports, alumni games can be excellent sources of revenue. Whether such events take place in the summer or are used to kick off an athletic season, invitations to alumni to compete with or against current players can yield monetary returns. As coaches identify alumni, they can set a suggested donation rate as little as $5 or more than $100 a player depending on your community. Of course this doesn't take into account the possibility of creating a pregame event.

Partnering with a corporate sponsor or restaurant for an alumni get-together can be an added financial bonus. Some alumni look to these events as the modern day high school reunions. Food, t-shirts and mementos can be sold on these nights to not only the alumni but to the entire student population in attendance. Yearbook classes can take "updated" graduate team photos and sell them as well. Before scheduling an alumni event, be sure to check local section and state rules to ensure current student-athletes do not lose athletic eligibility.

Another example of a "re-imagined" fund-raiser is the so-called “sport-a-thon." In this fund-raiser, teammates solicit donations to keep the students participating on the court, pool or field for a designated amount of time; however, this isn't the run-of-the-mill free throw competition or swimming lap. The twist becomes in making the fund-raiser an event.

For instance, a volleyball, tennis or water event may start at 4 p.m. and last until 1 a.m. There have even been some schools that have pushed the boundaries of the eight-hour event and tried for the marathon 24 hours. Students thrive in activities in which they believe they are doing something different and exciting. Be sure to enliven the atmosphere with uptempo music and create a food schedule so parents can bring refreshments to keep the energy high. Involve the community in the event by inviting school staff, neighbors, parents and the public to play challenge games or race athletes for a small donation.

At a designated time early in the evening, conduct a youth clinic for elementary and middle school students in which the high school players lead the drills or games. As the event continues, rules of the games can be modified with a social bent to include more community members. For instance, teams may be reconstituted with a male player, female player, community member, junior high student and even an assistant coach. The possibilities of such combinations are endless and can be adapted to any sport. Such activities can bring money to programs and foster goodwill in communities.

Of course, there are many other fund-raisers that are equally beneficial to programs, but these are a few that create lasting memories for both athletes and community members. Such activities can bring excitement to a community, pride to campus and publicity to the athletic program, as well as generate funds for the necessities of sport.