How do you fund next season when budgets have not moved in 25 years and expectations keep rising?
At the 2026 CSADA conference in California, four Athletic Directors sat on stage during a panel titled "Maximizing Your Athletic Revenue When Budgets Are Tight And Expectations Are High" and took that question head on.
The conversation, hosted by Hometown CEO Dennis Levene, brought together a mix of programs across the state. Scott Giusti from San Diego Unified, Jeff Grant from Damien High School, Justin Graham from River Islands High School, and Ron Lardizabal from Mesa High School traded the kind of advice that travels well beyond state lines, because the funding challenge they described is one Athletic Directors everywhere are living through right now.
Five lessons stood out, and you can put each one into motion this season.
Lesson 1: Stop debating wants versus needs for fundraising
Justin’s school, River Island High School, is in year four of its program and still adding new teams every season, which forces every dollar to defend itself. His position on coach requests was clear: if a coach is asking for it, they believe it will move the program forward, and an Athletic Director's job is to find a way to make it happen.
The wants-versus-needs debate is where momentum dies. When the question shifts to how do we fund this, the conversation moves toward booster engagement, sponsor asks, and gate revenue, so coaches stay focused on coaching.
Lesson 2: Gate revenue is the lever most Athletic Directors are not measuring
During the session, the Hometown team polled Athletic Directors at the conference. Less than 10% of those surveyed knew their actual gate revenue. The number sat with the room for a reason.
Scott’s district has flipped that script. San Diego Unified School District now runs all 17 of its high schools and four atypical campuses through one account on a single digital ticketing platform for increased visibility across all programs. He explained that they used to think gate revenue was just enough to cover reconditioning and helmet replacement. Now, ticket revenue is going to be their biggest fundraiser, and the schools that sell more tickets get more back at the end of the year.
Knowing the number is half the work. The other half is building a plan that pairs every percentage gain with a program outcome, so 10% more gate revenue funds 10% more new equipment, meals, uniforms, etc.
Lesson 3: Fundraising fees compound. Pick your solution based on the math
At Mesa High School, Ron has watched coaches launch campaign after campaign on legacy fundraising platforms that take 15% to 20% off the top before a single dollar reaches the program. Schoolfundr, Hometown's fee-free fundraising solution, lets schools keep more of what they raise by only deducting standard credit card processing fees.
On a $20,000 booster campaign, that is the difference between $16,000 and $19,400 reaching the athletes.
San Diego Unified raised $1.2 million with Schoolfundr in the last year, which equates to a significant amount that could have been forfeited. When fees are multiplied across multiple sports and programs, choosing your fundraising solution based on the math becomes critical.
Lesson 4: Donor fatigue is real. Make it an event, not an ask
Justin shared a story that drew nods from every Athletic Director in the room. His Principal is the parent of two high schoolers, and she had grown tired of the constant text-a-thons and donation requests. So the boys and girls basketball programs at River Islands turned a fundraiser into a community night.
They built a three-point contest that ran from 8 p.m. into the late evening, paired with a Schoolfundr campaign that tied donations to made shots. The result: roughly $20,000 to $25,000 raised for the basketball programs, and a community moment families now look forward to enjoying.
The lesson travels. When you turn a fundraiser into an event, you give your sponsors a stage, your students a story, and your community a reason to show up, so the same dollar feels lighter to give.
Lesson 5: Tell your story before you ask for the check.
Jeff at Damien High School helps run one of the largest holiday basketball tournaments in the western half of the country. That tournament does not fund itself on ticket sales alone. It thrives because corporate partners show up year after year, and they show up because Jeff's team taught them why it matters.
His advice for any Athletic Director starting from zero: most people outside the athletics world think the job is rolling balls out and putting on an event. If that is all they see, that is all they will fund. Break it down. Show them the early mornings, the bus logistics, the equipment costs, and the 200 students whose seasons depend on the budget you are trying to build. When a sponsor understands the full picture, the conversation shifts from a donation to an investment.
Jeff also pointed out something most ADs overlook: the most valuable assets you can offer a sponsor cost zero dollars to deliver. The back of your tickets, your athletic website, your fundraising pages, your in-game shoutouts. Inventory those assets first, then walk into the conversation with a partnership instead of a price sheet.
Takeaway: The best-funded programs are the best-connected ones.
Underneath the five lessons, every panelist landed on the same word. Relationships.
Relationships with the activities director, so a Friday game becomes a Friday event. Relationships with the AD group across your section, so you can swap notes when you adopt a new platform. Relationships with the local businesses that want to be partners, not just check writers. Relationships with a vendor who treats you like a trusted partner, picks up the phone, and shows up when you need them.
Or as Scott put it when he reflected on switching platforms across San Diego Unified, “Meet, listen, and pull the trigger. The hardest thing for me was letting go of the old way.”
Where to start this season
If the panel sparked something, here is a short list to act on before the next season:
- Pull last year’s gate revenue by sport, so you can size the opportunity in front of you.
- Run the 3% versus current vendor math on one upcoming campaign, so your program can see the potential lost dollars.
- Partner with your activities director on one game in the next month and turn it into a community event, so you can test the panel’s biggest behavioral shift in a low-risk window.
- Make three sponsor asks this year, even if every one of them returns a no, so you build those connections and create momentum for next season.
- Check out our Fall Readiness Kit for insights, timelines, and checklists on how to prepare your program for a successful fall season.
How Hometown helps
Hometown is the trusted partner behind ticketing, fundraising, school-branded websites and mobile apps, and communication for thousands of schools and community organizations across the country. Engage gives your athletic program a single online home so families can find schedules and buy tickets quickly. Box Office runs digital ticketing so your team can focus on game day. Schoolfundr keeps ~97% of every dollar with your athletes, so fundraising campaigns return more to the kids. Schoolfundr+ extends the same model across the rest of your school community, allowing for district-wide visibility.
If you would like to walk through any of the panel ideas with someone who has helped peer districts make the same shift, schedule a meeting to discuss how Hometown can help your school district.
