Volleyball Serve-A-Thons are tons of fun while being successful fundraisers for schools, extra-curriculars, and clubs.
Here, we’ll show you the A-Z of Serve-A-Thons, including planning, tracking donations, and ideas on how to organize and promote your event.
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Everything you need to know about starting a volleyball serve-a-thon, from A-Z.
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A quick introduction to what a volleyball serve-a-thon is and how it works.
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Thon’s can be a powerful fundraising tool.
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The tools, support, and volunteers you’ll need for a successful volleyball serve-a-thon.
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How to raise money with volleyball serve-a-thons.
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Kickstart your volleyball serve-a-thon using curated templates and tools.
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Feel inspired with our volleyball serve-a-thon theme examples.
Schools that sign up get full access to all of FutureFund’s features—it’s always free and it always will be.
Use these templates to keep your Serve-A-Thon planning on track:
Use FutureFund to create a Pledge-A-Thon campaign and provide your campaign details.
Make sure your campaign has the following elements:
Here’s a Canva template of sample Serve-A-Thon rules. Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Subject: Spike, Serve, Score at the [School Name] Volleyball Serve-A-Thon!
Hello Students,
Get ready to hit the courts for our annual Volleyball Serve-A-Thon! This event is not just about showcasing your volleyball skills; it’s an opportunity to have fun, be active, and support our beloved school.
Why should you join?
How to Sign Up:
Signing up is easy! Just visit this link and follow the steps: [insert FutureFund link]. You’ll get your own link to share with friends and family to collect pledges for each serve you make.
Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to volleyball, this event is for everyone. Let’s rally together for sportsmanship and our school spirit.
Serve It Up,
[Your Name]
[School or Name of School Group]
You can also use this Canva template to keep a copy of your email script handy. Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Subject: Your Support Boosts Our Spirits – [School Name] Volleyball Serve-A-Thon Update!
Dear [Donor’s Name],
As our Volleyball Serve-A-Thon progresses, we want to express our immense gratitude for your support. Your contribution is not just about funding an event; it’s about encouraging our students to stay active and engaged, and helping us achieve our goal of [insert specific goal or cause].
Here’s the latest scoop:
Remember, you can still support and promote our event through FutureFund at [insert link]. Your generosity is vital to our success and greatly appreciated by our school community.
With heartfelt thanks,
[Your Name]
[School or Name of School Group]
You can also use this Canva template to keep a copy of your email script handy. Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Subject: Final Call for the [School Name] Volleyball Serve-A-Thon!
Hello [Name of School] Students & Families!
We’re entering the final week of our Volleyball Serve-A-Thon, and the excitement is through the roof! It’s been amazing to see our students practicing their serves and getting ready.
Here’s what you need to know:
Just one week left to gather your pledges! Don’t miss out on last-minute donations, warmly welcomed via FutureFund at [insert link].
Be sure to join us on [Date] at [Location] for the big day, and stay for our closing ceremony where we’ll celebrate our achievements and recognize our top servers!
Let’s make this final stretch a smashing success. Your support and enthusiasm are making a big difference in our school and for each of our students. Let’s end strong!
Ready to Serve,
[Your Name]
[School or Name of School Group]
You can also use this Canva template to keep a copy of your email script handy. Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Here are some Canva templates to help you spread awareness for your Serve-A-Thon on social media and in your community! Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Canva Serve-A-Thon Template for Instagram Story
Canva Serve-A-Thon Template for Instagram Post
Canva Serve-A-Thon Template for Printable Poster
Example caption: Support [insert school name]’s Serve-A-Thon from [insert date range]. Help our school community raise money for [insert cause] by registering to hit as many volleyballs as possible in the gym!
Ask local businesses to sponsor the Serve-A-Thon. This can help your PTA reach your fundraising targets while business owners get exposure and positive PR.
Make sure to explain how each sponsor’s contribution will be recognized. For example, you could:
Finally, the day of the event will arrive—and if you’ve followed all the steps above, you should have everything you need to make it a success. Here’s a sample schedule:
Morning Kickoff (8:00 AM – 9:00 AM)
First Serving Session (9:00 AM – 10:30 AM)
Mid-Morning Break (10:30 AM – 11:00 AM)
Second Serving Session (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM)
Lunch Break (12:30 PM – 1:30 PM)
Final Serving Rounds (1:30 PM – 3:00 PM)
Closing Ceremony (3:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
Post-Event Activities (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
Follow-Up (Next School Day)
One Week After the Event
Serve-A-Thons are a type of A-Thon fundraiser. Just like Read-A-Thons and Walk-A-Thons, students commit to hitting a certain number of volleyballs and raise money by collecting pledges to support their efforts.
Serve-A-Thons are great because they give students a fun way to exercise and develop hand-eye coordination. They can also be exciting events to watch!
Treat these as a base and feel free to tailor these to suit your specific event.
A volleyball serve-a-thon is made up of 2 main parts: the pledge collection and the tournament. Give teams at least 2 to 4 weeks before the tournament to register and collect donations.
The tournament should be at least 1 day, usually a Saturday or Sunday. If you have a large amount of teams, it might need to be a 2-day event. A typical volleyball game is 60 to 90 minutes, so plan around 90 minutes per game.
Teams will compete by seeing which class or grade can hit the most serves—but you can tie this to fundraising by providing a specific number of balls based on the number of pledges raised by each group. This motivates students to fundraise while also encouraging a healthy competitive spirit during the event.
Start telling students about the Serve-A-Thon at least two weeks before it starts.
Students should be signed up in your fundraising system so they can gather donations for at least seven days before the fundraiser starts (although it’s still okay to take last-minute sign-ups).
Volleyball is a team sport, so you should create some ground rules to keep the teams as fair as possible. Think about how many children, female players, and playtime each team should have.
On the day the fundraiser starts, be sure to re-explain the rules and encourage students to continue fundraising.
Players register in teams, from 6 to 12 players. Teams spend two weeks collecting donations in the form of pledges from their peers before the event.
During the event, each team is awarded a number of balls to serve based on pledges raised. Once all balls have been hit, the final number of points is recorded and a winner is announced. Points are awarded for correctly serving a ball, and bonus points may be awarded for hitting special targets.
You’ll need a volleyball court to host your Serve-A-Thon. For a smaller tournament, you might be able to use your school gym.
For bigger teams, you should book a volleyball center or large gym for the event. Typically, you’ll want enough courts for all teams to be able to play at once, minus two teams, so everyone has the chance for a break.
Volleyball Serve-A-Thons are usually held indoors, so you can host them any time of the year. That said, you probably want to save the warmer months for outdoor activities, making fall or winter the ideal time for a Serve-A-Thon.
To make the tournament as fair as possible, you should create some general rules for teams. Some factors to consider include:
For example, if the teams are open to all ages, you should make sure every team has a similar amount of children. So you can make a rule saying each team needs at least 2 players age 12 or under.
Serve-A-Thons promote physical fitness, are broadly accessible to most students, and require few startup expenses.
FutureFund gives you the ability to generate financial reports for fundraising campaigns in just a few clicks. To do this, navigate to Store and click the Reports tab near the top of your screen. Then choose Campaign Summary from the drop-down menu and click Generate Report.
Yes—FutureFund lets you create a list of the volunteer positions you’ll need to fill, then add a volunteer page to your registration portal so parents can sign up in just a few simple clicks. See the steps for signing up volunteers here.
Schools that sign up get full access to all of FutureFund’s features—it’s always free and it always will be.
An “a-thon” is a peer-to-peer style fundraiser that involves participating in a certain activity and gathering donations for participating in said activity.
The activity can be almost anything, from reading to running to bowling. No matter what activity you choose, the premise is the same. Participants commit to doing the activity (reading a certain amount of books, running a certain distance) and ask their friends, family, and coworkers to support them.
A-thons work great because you reach a huge donor pool through peer-to-peer fundraising. People are also more likely to donate since participants are “working” in return for the donations.
FutureFund’s built-in pledge campaigns allow you to easily collect money and keep donations/pledges organized. Since parents cover payment processing fees, 100% of the funds raised go to your school!
FutureFund makes running a Serve-A-Thon easy for everyone. Easier for PTAs and PTOs to run, for students and parents to participate, and for donors to donate.
Instead of dealing with paper pledge forms and cash and cheques, FutureFund takes the process online. Donors can donate instantly online with their credit or debit cards.
FutureFund makes it easy to track how the fundraiser is going. Easily view how much money has been raised and more with detailed reporting.
Consider the below when organizing your volleyball serve-a-thon. Spending a bit of time up front getting organized from an admin and donation perspective will save a lot of time and potential frustration later.
Each student will sign up as a participant in the fundraiser. Then, they can collect pledges individually by credit or debit card. You can also accept cash pledges, but be mindful of properly storing and tracking cash you collect.
If you are using FutureFund, you can record these pledges and they will automatically count towards the student’s total and the grand total for the fundraiser.
Before launching your fundraiser, confirm what records you need to collect from donors.
If you are using FutureFund, it’s easy for students to sign up, especially if their information is already in the system. You can bulk sign up entire grades or classes. All donor payments are automatically entered into the system, so you can instantly see each student’s total and the grand total.
Fundraising campaigns that accept online donations perform much better than fundraisers that only accept cash or check.
If you are using FutureFund, you can accept payments online. Donors are given a donation link and can pay by credit or debit card. Any cash donations can also be noted in the system to be collected later.
Use these templates to keep your Serve-A-Thon planning on track:
1. Participant Eligibility
2. Team Formation
3. Fundraising Rules
4. Serve-A-Thon Format
5. Scoring and Challenges
6. Safety and Equipment
7. Prizes and Recognition
8. Spectators and Community Involvement
Or, here’s a Canva template of sample Serve-A-Thon rules. Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Unsure of where to start? Use this sample student and parent messaging to get the ball rolling!
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We’re serving up a new fundraiser! On [date], [school name] will be hosting a volleyball serve-a-thon to help fundraise for [cause]. You can help by registering a volleyball team and participating! Each team will be collecting pledges online through FutureFund: [link], so even if you can’t participate, you can still donate!
Let parents and supporters donate online with FutureFund’s online pledges. Try it out for free!
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Make your donation easily and instantly! Click this [link] to make your donation through secure credit or debit card payment.
If you prefer to donate by cash or check, just donate directly to the student you’re supporting. Thank you for your support!
Use these Canva email script templates to call out for Serve-A-Thon participants, donations, and to keep your fundraiser top-of-mind. Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Canva Serve-A-Thon Student Sign-up Email Template
Use these Canva templates to help you spread awareness for your Serve-A-Thon on social media and in your community! Click “Use template for new design” to create an editable version, then add custom information for your event, change fonts and graphics, and more!
Canva Serve-A-Thon Template for Instagram Story
Canva Serve-A-Thon Template for Instagram Post
Canva Serve-A-Thon Template for Printable Poster
Example caption: Support [insert school name]’s Serve-A-Thon from [insert date range]. Help our school community raise money for [insert cause] by registering to hit as many volleyballs as possible in the gym!
Teams can get into the competitive spirit with an Olympic theme. Each team represents a country and competes for the gold medal.
Volleyball is a team sport, which means pretty much any team costume goes! Encourage each team to coordinate a costume like superheroes, flower patches, mimes, and more.
Celebrate the holidays and fundraise with a holiday-themed serve-a-thon. Plan a Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s, or even a St. Patrick’s Day tournament.
Color coordinating is a classic theme. Let each team choose a color and get creative, including neon, glitter, and patterns to make each team stand out.
A movie or TV-inspired theme gives teams tons of options to choose from. Teams can dress up as anything from The Avengers to Care Bears.
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Bollinger Elementary & Iron Horse Middle School
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Tassajara Elementary
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