DO have a fundraiser brainstorming session. Gather the squad in a room with a chalkboard and scribble down every idea that comes to mind.

DO keep in mind that the purpose of a brainstorming session to think of as many ideas as possible without shooting anything down.

DON'T say anything negative about anyone's idea until the end when you go through the list and cross off unfeasible ideas, such as giving skydiving lessons.

Car Wash
Have it at your school, local gas station, restaurant parking lot...anywhere! Be sure to either set a price limit or ask for donations.

DON'T use signs like 'Free Car Wash' because they are misleading if you want people to donate money. You will get folks who will actually want to get their car washed for free.

DO stand on the street corner in pairs. You never know what might happen!

Bake Sale
It's best to have the bake sale at a school event that doesn't require cheerleaders to cheer such as a track meet or baseball game.

DO bake all the goodies yourselves,

DON'T make mom, dad, grandma or grandpa do the work for your team.

DO plan a small cheering section for your school team, after all, what are cheerleaders for?'

Craft Sale
It's fun to make school-spirited crafts (such as hair scrunchies, necklaces in school colors, bracelets, jewelry boxes, stuffed animals in school colors, painted pens and pencils, painted megaphones, pom pons, cross stich) and sell them at games.

DO assign one or two people per craft and have a craft making party!

DON'T rely too much on help from family members, again, this is your fundraiser.

DO split the cost of the materials evenly between squad members and DO model the jewelry by wearing it to school.

Candy sale
DO check with your school for candy sales during school hours. If you go door-to-door,

DON'T go to houses of people you don't know, DO take a pal with you and DON'T interrupt people during dinner time.

Tee shirt/sweatshirt/boxer short/hat sale-Have apparel with school mascot and name made and sell it.

DO make signs and hang them around the school advertising the apparel.

DO keep a stash in your locker so you can sell them between classes.

DON'T order too many so your squad doesn't make any money.

Cookbook Sale
Putting together a cookbook to sell can be fun!

DO have teachers, friends and relatives contribute their favorite recipes.

DO type them into the computer (so everything looks nice) make a nifty cover and photo copy the pages to make a book. Bind the book with ribbon, plastic bindings or sew them up.

DO make sure the font size is large enough to be read by people with eyesight disabilities.

DON'T use too many different fonts (more than two or three is considered too many).

DON'T use scripty, hard-to-read fonts.

DO give credit to the folks who submitted recipes.

Stunt-Off
Have a stunt-off at one of the games. First select two or three groups and pick the stunt. You can stunt-off to see who can hold an elevator the longest, or who can re-take an elevator the most times.

Take a picture of each stunt team and put them on jars. Have people purchase a raffle ticket or write their name on a piece of paper and charge about a dollar per chance (allow them to enter more than once).

Then they can put their ticket in the jar of the team they think will win the stunt-off. If they are smart, they will buy three tickets and put one in each jar!

Hold the stunt-off during halftime. After the winning stunt is determined, pick a name or ticket from the jar of the winning stunters. That person wins a fabulous prize!

DO make sure the stunts are well-spotted.

DO have extra spotters standing in front or back of the stunt.

DO listen to each other and bring the stunt down the second someone says 'down.'

DO help the crowd cheer you on.

DON'T get hurt!

Hold A Cheerleading Clinic
Cheerleading clinics are a fun way to involve the children of your local community. Have a one or several day clinic where you teach cheers, chants, band chants and maybe basic stunts and tumbling.

Then have the little cheerleaders perform at halftime of one of your games. This will also draw more fans to the game because the stands will be full of proud mommies and daddies.

DO have the children dress appropriately.

DO make sure the clinic is supervised by an adult for legal reasons.

DO have the children sign waivers.

DO make sure the children have plenty of water.

DO have an alternate clinic site in case of rain.

DO be careful when having the children stunt.

DO emphasize safety.

DON'T expect perfection.

DON'T criticize too harshly.

DO be organized.

DO have fun!

More Fundraising Do's

DO tell people what you are fundraising for, whether it be for new uniforms or a trip to a competition.

DO involve local business. You might be surprised that they will be willing to donate money if you are willing to patronize their place or display a sign during a parade on your float.

DO put up pictures of yourselves cheering and stunting if you have a booth. People will love to see pictures of your team in action. If you are buying new uniforms, display a picture of the uniforms.

DO wear uniforms, or school shirts during fundraisers.

DO be friendly, outgoing and professional.

More Fundraising Don'ts

DON'T approach stopped cars in an intersection and beg for money with milk jugs. People will see you as lazy and unwilling to work for your money.

DON'T act silly, giggly, loud or obnoxious in front of potential customers. That only enforces the stereotype that cheerleaders are airheads.

DON'T do a half-hearted job if you are washing cars or teaching a clinic. People are paying money for your services.

DON'T shirk your responsibilities onto other members of the squad or members of your family.

DON'T let your squad be talked into a money making scheme that sounds fishy. Check everything out thoroughly before you try it.