I recently participated in a Pickleball tournament called “Paddles 4 Paws” that benefitted my local animal shelter. For me it was heaven because I love both animals and pickleball. I didn’t realize that this kind of fundraiser is being done all around the country.
If you play or watch Pickleball you know it’s a great way to get people together and have fun. It is also a great way to raise money for a good cause. If you are looking for a way to help your local animal shelter or rescue, consider organizing a pickleball tournament.
Here are some tips for organizing a successful pickleball tournament:
- Choose a date, time and a title. You will want to choose a date and time that is convenient for your participants. You may also want to consider the weather when choosing a date. Pick a catchy title like “Dinks for Dogs” or “Pickle for Paws”.
- Find a location. You will need to find a location to host your tournament. This could be a local park, community center, school gymnasium or local club.
- Decide on the recipient animal shelter/rescue for your fundraiser. Let them know and include them along the way.
- Recruit volunteers. You will need volunteers to help with registration, tournament rounds, scoring, and other tasks.
- Promote your tournament. You can promote your tournament through social media, email, and word-of-mouth.
- Collect registration fees and donations. You can collect registration fees from the participants and donations from spectators, possible sponsors and the general public.
Here are some additional tips for making your tournament a success:
- Offer refreshments. This will help to keep participants happy and hydrated.
- Provide entertainment. You can provide entertainment such as music or games.
- Thank your sponsors. Be sure to thank your sponsors for their support.
- Have fun! Most importantly, make sure you and your participants have fun.
Here are some additional ideas for raising money for animal shelters:
- Silent auction. You can collect items to auction off at your tournament.
- Raffle. You can sell raffle tickets for a chance to win a prize.
- Bake sale. You can sell baked goods at your tournament.
- Ask for donations. You can ask your shelter/rescue recipient to provide a donation box.
I hope these tips help you organize a successful pickleball tournament to raise money for your animal shelter or rescue!
And, how did our tournament go? We raised $2,100 for our local animal shelter and had a lot of fun! For more info, click HERE.
Questions? Please contact us! We are happy to help!
Author: Kasey Brown; Founder, Paws Up Projects
