Real families doing real fundraising

Talking to families about fundraising and youth sports.

We sometimes forget that families are an important piece of the puzzle in kids’ sports.

| TeamFund Fundraising is an online food fundraising platform. In honour of Family Day, we share the importance of family in youth sports.

Sports isn’t just competition and training, but also building confidence, interpersonal skills, and other life lessons for kids. And parents? They make it possible through their volunteer hours and fundraising efforts. 

I had the chance to sit down this week with Susan. She’s the mother of three busy kids and an active volunteer within the soccer community.

At the soccer club level, Susan is involved in equipment management and helping with evaluations. Susan also supports her children’s teams with fundraising initiatives and is undoubtedly a true soccer mom.

How I got introduced to Susan

I first met Susan years ago when our daughters were quite young. They were in Goalie Training sessions together for a couple of seasons.

Like many soccer families, we’ve chatted a little over the years, even though the girls no longer train together. Susan’s daughter is still playing goalie and is on a highly competitive tier 1 team. Her oldest son is also on a tier 1 soccer team, although it has a somewhat different focus from her youngest.

Finally, her middle child has other interests and he currently isn’t playing any sports. This means they are a very busy family that is often going in multiple directions. I’m sure many other sports parents can relate.

One of the things that impressed me about Susan is that she sees her kids as capable individuals. Regardless of where their passions lay, she allows them to pursue them. Having the opportunity to try, whether you succeed or fail is important. It creates confidence and a certain level of independence in her children. They are bright and driven kids. That motivation comes from within them and it’s taken them far.

While drive can be related to someone’s personality, there are ways to foster it too. I’ve seen kids over the years that made it to a high level in the sport because their families pushed them. It’s not something that can successfully be forced upon them forever though. Eventually, things fall apart if the parents are the main motivators.

>> Want to read more about how overcoming some adversity is good for kids?

The day Susan and I met was grey and dreary. We sat inside the coffee shop, trying to ignore the serious lack of springtime weather outside. While we nursed our coffees, she relayed her experiences seeing kids who were pushed to play by well-meaning parents. If the player only works hard to avoid getting yelled at, they are missing the benefits. It’s through setting goals for yourself that kids learn and grow.

Susan has always struck me as a parent who allows her kids to try to do things on their own and in their own ways. She has allowed each of her children to choose their own path. They learn to be courageous and confident in themselves when parents instill that kind of support and confidence in them: “Have high expectations but allow them to fail.”

As we sat drinking our coffees, Susan explained how capable her kids are. Not just bragging about their ball skills or being the fastest runner.

She talks about their ability to cope out in the world. It could be as simple as letting kids check themselves in for tryouts at the start of a season.

Let them make mistakes. They will grow from it. Holding their hand through everything won’t help them learn to be independent. It’s the ability to handle yourself in a tournament without your parent being present.

Encourage them to try something new, maybe a little out of their comfort zone. We even discussed the benefit of letting your kids learn how to approach strangers at the local soccer center or store to sell raffle tickets.

>> Want to help your child in reaching their goals. Check out our article on SMART goal setting.

When families step back and let children attempt these things, they learn valuable lessons. Susan’s kids have developed a sense of responsibility that comes with these expectations and commitment to their teammates.

It’s not sustainable for a parent who pushes their child through everything. They learn nothing from it. It’s not just practices and games but technical training, fitness, psychology sessions, and team bonding.

Your team becomes your family, and you need to really want to be there.

We will talk more next time about what it takes to fundraise for a top-level team with additional training and travel costs.

Susan has a wealth of experience in parenting and fundraising for youth sports.

Despite two of her kids playing tier 1 soccer, the teams have very different philosophies. Her daughter’s team does a lot of fundraising that pays for various activities and training. Her oldest son’s team has less fundraising with separate goals.

Are you a parent or board member for a youth sports team  or club who is looking for fundraising ideas? 

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