School Fundraiser Squares: Beyond the Super Bowl

Your booster club has done the candy bar sale, survived the car wash, and probably ran a read-a-thon or two. At some point someone says, "What about a squares pool?" and everyone nods because everybody already knows how to play. Here's what most people miss about school fundraiser squares, though: they're not a football-only thing. The common assumption is that squares are something you break out for the Super Bowl and forget about until August.

Skip that assumption and you unlock some of the easiest fundraising your program can run all year.

Squares boards work for any game where two teams keep score, and spring sports season is loaded with them. Basketball playoffs, baseball double-headers, soccer championships, track and field invitational nights where the whole school turns out. If there's a scoreboard and a crowd, there's a fundraiser waiting to happen.

Why Squares Work So Well for Schools

The mechanics are almost embarrassingly simple. You sell the 100 squares on a 10x10 grid at whatever price you set (common range: $5 to $20 per square), assign random numbers along the rows and columns after the board fills up, then pay out at quarter or half breaks based on the last digit of each team's score.

That's it. No bracket knowledge required. No fantasy football experience needed. A grandparent visiting for grandparent's day can buy in just as confidently as the coach. That accessibility is exactly what makes squares such reliable fundraisers. You're not selling expertise; you're giving everyone a reason to care about the score.

For a $10-per-square board, you're looking at $1,000 in gross sales for a full board. Run four payout periods and you're paying out maybe $500-$600 and keeping $400-$500 for the program. Some booster clubs run two boards on the same game to double that.

PickMySquare's free boards handle all of this online. No spreadsheets, no printing, no chasing people down for cash (Venmo your players instead, then log it). The link goes out to parents, alumni, and local businesses and squares fill up from phones.

Spring Sports That Make Great Squares Games

Basketball (state playoffs, conference finals): Basketball is the obvious crossover from football. The scoring pace is faster so there's natural drama every quarter. End-of-quarter buzzer beaters hit different when you've got a square in play. High school playoff games especially draw the whole community together and a squares board is a simple way to charge everyone a small cover to participate.

Baseball and Softball: Scoring in baseball is lower and less predictable, which actually adds some fun. Innings work well as the payout periods. Five or six-inning games for youth leagues, seven innings for high school varsity. You'll want to think through the payout structure since scores like 3-1 or 2-0 show up a lot. Running payouts at the end of the third, fifth, and final innings tends to spread the wins out.

Soccer: Lower-scoring and payout periods are more limited, but soccer booster clubs run successful squares boards all the time. A lot of them do a halftime payout and a final payout, keep the prize structure simple, and make it more social than competitive. The community feel of a soccer night lends itself to that.

Track and Field Meets: This one takes a little creativity but it works. Some programs use the cumulative score (points for your school in the team competition) at the end of each rotation of events. Others run a simpler raffle alongside the meet instead of a true squares board. Depends on your crowd and how much you want to explain.

End-of-Year All-Sports Night: Some schools roll it into a bigger event. One big squares board on display, tied to a local pro game that night (NBA playoffs, NHL, whatever's on), and families mingle, bid on silent auction items, and check the score every quarter. The squares board gives people something to root for even if they're not watching the game live.

Setting It Up Without the Headaches

The biggest friction point with any school fundraiser is coordination. Who's tracking payments? Who has the grid? What happens when someone wants a square but you're already at practice?

Online boards solve that. Send one link to parents at the start of the week, let them claim squares from their phones, and collect via Venmo or Zelle instead of loose cash in an envelope. When the board fills, the number assignments happen automatically and everyone gets notified. If squares don't fill all the way, you can still run the board and just hold the empty squares yourself (or offer a last-minute discount to fill them).

A few things that help:

• Price per square to your crowd. An elementary school PTA fundraiser might do $5 squares. A varsity sports booster club can push $20-25 without losing buyers.
• Name the beneficiary clearly. "All proceeds go to new uniforms for the girls' soccer program" converts way better than a vague fundraiser. People want to know exactly what they're supporting.
• Promote it two or three days before the game. Send the link Monday for a Friday game. Don't wait until the morning of.
• Think through the prize structure too. Some programs split it: half goes back to the winner, half goes back into the fundraiser. Others give a small gift card plus bragging rights and keep all $1,000 for the program. Both work depending on your community.

For more on running a smooth board from start to finish, the how to run football squares guide covers the mechanics well even though it's football-specific. The logistics translate directly to any sport.

Getting Alumni and Local Businesses Involved

School fundraiser squares aren't limited to parents. Alumni are natural buyers because they've got school loyalty and no direct obligation to attend every bake sale. Send the board link through your school's alumni Facebook group or email list and you'll pull in buyers who haven't set foot in the building since graduation.

Local businesses are another angle. A $20 square isn't a big ask for a restaurant or hardware store that wants to show support for the local school. Some booster clubs do a "sponsor a square" push where businesses get a small shoutout on the board or in the recap post in exchange for buying a few squares.

The online format helps here because you're not asking someone to show up somewhere to participate. They click, pay, and check scores from wherever they are.

If you're running a bigger fundraising push beyond just one game, the spring sports fundraiser ideas post has additional approaches worth pairing with your squares board.

School Fundraiser Squares FAQ

What sports work for a squares fundraiser besides football?
Basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, hockey, and lacrosse all work well. Any sport where two teams score at regular intervals gives you natural payout moments. Basketball and baseball are the easiest because the quarter or inning structure maps cleanly onto a traditional 10x10 grid.

How much should we charge per square?
It depends on your school community. Elementary fundraisers often do $5-10 per square ($500-$1,000 gross). High school booster clubs can push $15-25 per square. Start with what feels accessible and you can always bump it for a bigger game.

Do we have to fill all 100 squares before running the board?
No. You can run the board with however many squares are sold. Unfilled squares just mean no winner is paid out if that number combo hits. Some groups hold those squares themselves as a way to increase the prize pool payout, or they cap payouts so only filled squares can win.

How do we collect money from online participants?
Most booster clubs use Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal. The player claims a square and messages or transfers payment to whoever is managing the board. Some programs require payment before the square is "locked in," others work on the honor system for people they know.

Can we run multiple boards at the same time?
Yes, and it's a common way to double your take from one game. You'd sell two separate 100-square grids tied to the same game. Just be transparent with buyers that there are two boards running so nobody feels misled.

Is it legal to run a squares fundraiser at a school?
Laws vary by state. Most states treat low-stakes fundraising games differently from commercial gambling, and school-run charity pools with proceeds going to a program are generally in a gray area that's tolerated. That said, it's worth checking with your school district's guidelines before running a public board. Many booster clubs frame it as a donation with a raffle-style payout to stay on solid ground.