If you’re looking to raise money and gain exposure for a sports group (in fact, any competitive group, like a chess club, will work), this might be the perfect fundraising idea for you.

In this fundraiser, your group will compete against an array of challengers over a 24-hour period.  Offer to compete against any opponent (individual or team) who is willing to pay the competition fee (a donation to your group).  Make sure to hold the competitions in a public place in order to amass spectators (without spectators, this idea could flop).  Ideas for good places to hold this fundraiser include college campuses (in locations where many people naturally pass) and town centers.  In order to really get the crowd going, make sure to recruit opponents that have the potential to generate a lot of spectator interest, like a team of high school teachers, a team of police officers or a team of people dressed up in ridiculous costumes – you get the idea.

Don’t forget to get local and college media involved.  Additionally, you can get a local celebrity (for instance, a TV news anchor or radio personality) to emcee a portion of the event (hopefully for free), which will not only draw a larger crowd, but will also add some variety to the day-long event in order to reinvigorate your die-hard supporters.  Add other auxiliary events like this for increased variety.

Remember, you’re goal is to raise money by getting individuals and teams to compete against your group, but it is also to amass a large crowd in order to gain exposure for your team.  While you have that crowd in place, why not sell refreshments and/or run a raffle to raise more money for your group?  Also, don’t forget to ask for donations from fans.

For an overview of a successful 24 hour golf fundraiser, see below:

See below for an overview of a successful 24 hour soccer tournament for charity:

Some groups get very creative.  See how one organization raised $19,000 by recruiting volunteers to read The Odyssey for 24 hours: