Plan A Successful Sporting Clay Shooting Fundraiser

Have a blast with a clay shooting fundraiser by raising essential funds for your organization while spreading awareness for your cause. If your organization is looking to host something different from the typical walk-a-thon, why not consider running a skeet shoot fundraiser? With over 30 million recreational shooters in the United States, a clay shoot fundraising event may just be the perfect fit for your mission, donors, and fundraising goals.

Check out our simple guide to planning a Sporting Clay Shooting Fundraiser In 7 Easy Steps and see how fun, unique, and profitable an event like this can be. 

What Is A Sporting Clay Shooting Fundraiser?

Sporting clay shoots, also known as skeet shoots, have a broader appeal than you might think. Based on the number of individuals who shoot for recreation and the fact that the events can be quite lucrative, more and more organizations are jumping on board, but what is it exactly? Clay Shooting is an event where you use a shotgun to shoot clay targets tossed in the air or across the ground. To add fun and competitiveness to the event, there are a number of shooting stations to test your skills. It is pretty similar to a charity golf tournament, but instead of completing 18 holes, participants are required to experience different shooting stations. 

DoJiggy hosts several sporting clay shoot fundraisers each year, including some of the highest-grossing events in the US (like this one for Special Forces Charitable Trust). We’ve seen the impact that successful events can have on the mission and programs of an organization. We’ve taken what we have learned and created software that will support your efforts. Organizations use our event ticketing software for general registration tickets, sponsor registration, product sales, and event promotion in managing a seamless sporting clay shoot fundraiser from start to finish.

Plan A Clay Shooting Fundraiser In 7 Easy Steps

Before diving into the planning process, be sure to decide if a sporting clay shoot is the right event for your fundraiser. As with any fundraising event, it is important to consider your organization’s mission and how the event aligns with that mission. Fundraising skeet shoots are great fundraising events for Boy Scout troops, military and police groups and supporters, Oil and Gas industry groups, and those organizations that support and champion shooting sports and outdoor pursuits. You probably need some expertise within your organization as well to safely and successfully pull off this type of fundraiser.

Once that’s decided, you can plan your sporting clay shoot fundraiser. Follow these seven manageable steps to get the most out of this exciting and unique event. 

• Clay Shoot Fundraising Step 1: Gather Your Event Committee and Set Fundraising Goals
• Clay Shoot Fundraising Step 2: Choose and Negotiate Your Gun Club Wisely
• Clay Shoot Fundraising Step 3: Create a Donor-Friendly Skeet Shoot Fundraising Website
• Clay Shoot Fundraising Step 4: Promote Your Event
• Clay Shoot Fundraising Step 5: Recruit Skeet Shoot Teams
• Clay Shoot Fundraising Step 6: Acquire Sponsors, Ask For Donations and Prizes
• Clay Shoot Fundraising Step 7: Competition Wrap-up and Follow Up

Gather Your Event Committee and Set Fundraising Goals

Don’t go it alone when planning your sporting clay shoot. Your tournament planning committee is a critical part of the success of your event. Consider the following when gathering a planning committee for your clays shoot:

• Recruit an incredible set of active, committed, and leading volunteers that will put in the work and time to help pull off a successful sporting clay shoot fundraiser.
• Try to get some knowledgeable sporting clay shooters on your team, as they will bring valuable experience to your event and planning strategy. 
• Remember that in addition to your volunteers helping to bring in sponsorships, participants, and media exposure, they are the perfect people to put together teams and create peer-to-peer camaraderie, which is so important to event registration and participation.

Once you have assembled the ideal planning committee, it’s essential to start outlining your fundraising event budget. Think about the following when mapping out your fundraising goals:

• How much will you need to raise and create in net proceeds in order for this event to create the financial momentum and publicity that your mission needs? 
• Consider all of your expenses. Remember to also include in-kind contributions and support through media, public relations, food, venue, or anything else that you think you may be able to get donated. While these may not bring in actual income, the exposure and expense savings offset can be a tremendous asset to any charitable organization. 
• Take your revenue goal and break it into categories that will eventually have action plans associated with them.

Choose and Negotiate Your Gun Club Wisely

It’s crucial to select a  reputable gun club and negotiate the terms and conditions of your fundraiser from early on. Here are a few points to consider before signing a contract:

• Be flexible with the date and time of your fundraising event – some clay shoot courses may offer special rates during off-peak hours and weekdays over weekends.
• What do you get included in your agreement with your chosen gun club? For example, will you be covered for safety equipment, service fees, food and beverages, and gun club staff?
• Make sure everything is signed and in writing before the day of the clay shoot fundraiser to avoid any confusion. What will be the total costs of the event? 
• Be sure to be clear about cancelation terms and weather policies.   

Create a Donor-Friendly Skeet Shoot Fundraising Website

Many organizations are turning to nonprofit crowdfunding to increase fundraising capabilities and awareness around their sporting clays tournament. With this option, all of your shooters become fundraisers for your organization. DoJiggy offers powerful peer-to-peer crowdfunding software for sporting clay shoots, where each shooter and team have their own personal and team fundraising pages, which they can customize and send to friends and family via email and social media. Their network of friends then becomes supporters of your organization via easy, secure online and mobile donations.

Here are a few of the functions our fundraising websites include:

• Participants drive potential donors to their personal fundraising page to make secure online donations.
• Personal fundraising pages include a fundraising statement, banner image, social media share, and fundraising thermometer to track goal progress.
• Interactive features: Campaign Chatter and Donations Page where donations received are optionally displayed.
• P2P event managers can promote sponsors on the website with sponsor logos, text, and Social Media.
• Participant Center includes registration, leaderboards, prizes, and more to motivate participation.

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Promote Your Sporting Clays Shoot

Used efficiently when fundraising, a social media campaign can set off an explosion of energy that boosts awareness of your cause, increases donations, and gains you unlimited and recurrent supporters. So get online and start promoting your sporting clay shoot fundraiser. Here are some ideas to help maximize your outreach and get as many donors as possible involved in your charity event:

• Post entertaining, creative, and genuine videos, stories, and content about your cause to tap into the emotional and personal interests of your followers.  
• Offer fun polls, quizzes and games to help boost engagement, which is key to increasing your donor network. 
• Post daily reminders and updates to keep your donors in the loop regarding your fundraising progress.
• Learn to Livestream, which allows you to engage with your supporters and show the human face of the story behind the cause you’re raising awareness for. 

The impact of promoting your clay shoot fundraiser online can be staggering. One ofthe great things about online promotion is that it is also very cost-effective.  So, take advantage of this to maximize your outreach and get the most out of your charity campaign. Check out our guide for more Social Media Tips and Trends to smash your fundraiser.  

Recruit Skeet Shoot Teams

Your sporting clay shoot fundraiser won’t exist without shooters, so start recruiting early. Tell your shooters about the benefits of the tournament, what they will receive on the day of the shoot and how much fun they will have while making a huge impact on the community and individuals with the money raised from the event. 

Acquire Sponsors, Ask For Donations and Prizes

When planning to run a charity clay shoot fundraiser, one of the best ways to help finance it, make a profit, and expand your outreach is by finding great charity event sponsors.  It’s crucial to remember that the relationship between nonprofits and sponsors should be mutual. While your charity receives funding to help create a successful event, the sponsors should gain significant exposure and marketing opportunities. If you can grasp how to add value to your charity event and the sponsor’s brand, your fundraising success will be limitless.

Desirable prizes for top fundraisers and fundraising teams can provide inspiring incentives for your supporters to take part in the sporting clay shooting event. With so much competition out there, ensure your charity tournament prizes catch everyone’s attention and obtain as much awareness and money for your fundraiser and chosen cause as possible. Here’s a list of the best prize ideas and how to get them donated.

Competition Wrap-up and Follow Up

Sporting clays shoot software will help manage your follow-up, with thank you note writing being easier than you imagine. Ensuring that your notes of gratitude are not only correct but prompt and on time is an amazing way to leave a donor with a lasting impression of your nonprofit or charitable organization. Make sure you tell supporters how much was raised, where the money raised is going, and how it will help your community, sharing a story of its impact.

Take a look at our Sponsor Thank You Letter Template to get started.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Clay Shooting Fundraiser

How will you raise money, other than the obvious ticket sales or P2P revenue? Break your revenue goals into selling event tickets, sponsorships, and crowdfunding goals (if you have decided to go this route). Then consider that there are many other ways to raise additional funds, once you have your shooters all in one place.

Why not host a lunch or dinner after your clay shoot and incorporate a charity auction or a fund-a-need at the event? This will boost profits and awareness as you won’t be limited to the clay shooters’ attendance but extend the invitation to their friends, family members, and colleagues. 

Another great way to generate more giving during your sporting clay shoot fundraiser is by selling event-related products. Custom printed merchandise can help raise funds, boost awareness, and improve visibility for your nonprofit or charity. Capture supporters’ attention and ensure that your cause is at the forefront of people’s minds by providing eye-catching personalized printed products for sale.

Organizations can now maximize donations by hosting a merchandise sales fundraiser with their very own eCommerce store to showcase a variety of print-on-demand merchandise.

Our Crowdfunding Software Makes Clay Shooting Fundraisers More Successful

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Pro Tips To Make A Blast At Your Sporting Clay Shooting Fundraiser

When you make it to the big day of your sporting clays shoot, the event’s logistics must run smoothly and seamlessly for participants, donors, and sponsors to have a phenomenal experience. And don’t forget that having a fun shoot is what everyone wants. Here are some critical elements for an amazing event day experience:

• Think safety first! You may want to offer or require new shooters to take gun safety classes or shooting lessons to participate. Be sure to include vests and earplugs for all shooters. Talk to the shooting complex and follow their lead here.
• Before deciding on your fundraising date, contact local clay shooting ranges to find out if other sporting clays tournaments are taking place in your area. You don’t want to compete against other tournaments, which will risk low attendance at your event.   
• The more volunteers, the better. Always err on the side of having too many volunteers than not enough as things come up.
• Give your participants plenty of good food. Make sure the food is tasty and presented in a way that will wow your participants.
• Ensure that the drinks are cold and readily available. If the skeet shoot is on a hot day, plan for even more drinks to be served.
• Create fun games that are in addition to the skeet tournament. The more winners you have, the better. Many gun clubs will be able to include a 5-stand setup, a wobble trap, or a flurry. You may be able to charge for contests and raise even more money here.
• Have music playing so that it’s not a distraction yet adds to the party-like atmosphere that you want at your event or post-event party. DJs may work with you on their rate to create a truly lively gig while promoting themselves. Make sure the day is fun!
• Keep the mission on the minds of your shooters by placing stories, pictures, and inspiring client quotes throughout the online fundraising campaign so that supporters remember why they’re involved.