how to run a sports equipment drive

get the go ahead

You don't want to get on your principal's bad side, so first make sure that he or she is okay with this sort of thing. You'll also want to locate your local Boys & Girls club with our handy locator and contact them to make sure they'll be able to accept your donations. If they don't accept equipment, no problem, just shoot us an email at sports@dosomething.org and we'll help you find a new donation site.

get your teachers on board

Have the teachers promise to do something crazy if you reach a certain goal, like promise to wear a ridiculous t-shirt (perhaps the rival high school or college's jersey) to work or shave their heads. The hope of punishing a teacher has a certain way of inspiring people.

get your friends on board

You don't want to do this alone so recruit anyone and everyone to help you out. Pull the guilt trip and/or friendship card if you have to - hey, it's for a good cause! Have your friends sign up online or tell them to text SPORTS to 38383 to join.

spread the word

You need to market your drive! Make posters and fliers ahead of time giving people the details. You can download some sweet materials from us here

Get attention

Use some creativity to decorate collection bins. The more people know about it, the more donations you'll get. Download our action kit and use the materials to promote your donation site.

use your lungs

Ask if you can make an announcement over the PA system, during morning announcements or homeroom. Or use your big mouth during lunch or in between periods and shout out the cause.

make it easy

People are more likely to help if they don't have to do much work, so offer to pick up the donations at their houses or set up a collection bin in the front of your school or in the lunchroom. As a matter of fact, DO BOTH!

show off the goods

Display the donations you've gotten to get other teens into the mix. You may even want to set a goal and give a daily update on how close you are to achieving your goal. Create huge poster boards that you can display in a prominent place. You can set a goal of 1,000 pieces of sports equipment and update the sign everyday with the number collected.

close down

Officially end the drive by posting the total amount of sports gear you collected in the main lobby or lunchroom and give special thanks to everyone who chipped in.

now that you've got the goods

Find your local Boys & Girls Club using our handy locator, and drop off the equipment you collected. Then, report back on our website about your drive to let us know how big of a success it was! Make sure to include pictures in your reportback to get your sports drive water bottle. By reporting back, you'll also be entered to win prizes and scholarships!

Of course, you can always email sports@dosomething.org if you have any questions at any point in the campaign.

drive ideas

Can't think of anything off the chain to raise donations for your cause? Check out our list of 11 Ideas for a Collection Drive.