Here's a fun idea for cheer fundraising that's easy to organize and a lot of fun.  It's also a great way for your squad to showcase their talents and get some extra practice.

Does your squad love to cheer?  I mean REALLY love to cheer?  Of course they do!  That’s why they’re champion cheerleaders!  By taking that love of cheer, and using it to add energy, enthusiasm and excitement to your fundraiser, they can be fundraising champions too.

A cheer-a-thon cheer fundraiser is a great way to capitalize on your squad’s energy to raise funds.  I know what you’re thinking, “my squad is good, but nobody can cheer all day!”  True, an all-day cheer-a-thon would be beyond exhausting, so a great way to organize it is to split your squad up into groups of 2 or 3, with each group cheering for a set amount of time, and then switching with another group.  You also don’t have to take a whole day for your cheer-a-thon.  You can plan for just a morning, or an afternoon and still have a very successful cheer fundraiser.

Your squad can raise money in a variety of ways with this type of fundraiser.  The most obvious, of course, is to collect pledges from friends, family and neighbors before the event.

Here are some other fun and unique ways to raise funds with your cheer-a-thon:

- Have your squad run cheerleading workshops that members of the community can take part in.  You can charge a small fee, or simply ask that people make a donation amount of their choice to take part.  You can hold workshops in the days leading up to the event, or on the actual day before the cheer-a-thon starts.

- Sell a fun and easy snack at your cheer-a-thon.  Lollipops are a great choice because they’re one of the easiest fundraiser products to manage, and they really sell fast.  Squad members who are not cheering can go around with buckets of lollipops, and money collected can be thrown right into the same bucket to make it even easier.

- Raffle off an exciting prize at your cheer-a-thon.  Ask a local business to donate a prize, or the money to one in exchange for advertising their business at your event.  One idea is to ask a few businesses to donate just $50 or $100 each in exchange for advertising.  Then pool the money together to buy one big prize, or several smaller prizes.

Cheer-a-thons are great summer fundraisers, or back to school fundraisers that lift everyone’s spirits, and can raise a lot of money for uniforms, tournaments and travel.  They’re also a great opportunity for your cheer squad to show off their talents to the community!