High school athletic programs can’t run on registration fees and ticket revenue alone. While some school districts carve out funding for sports programs, it takes a village to cover costs for uniforms, equipment and traveling. For many schools across Minnesota, fundraising is the way to go, and some have found pretty unique ways to do so.

In August, I asked readers to submit answers to a question I had been pondering: What are the most unique and creative fundraisers teams across Minnesota have used? Thanks to readers’ submissions, we learned about a few favorites.

Click the video box above to see the Taste of Maple Grove and hear from the Austin golf team.

For 22 years, the Maple Grove dance team has put on the Taste of Maple Grove. On Sept. 6, the 21-and-over event, held at the city’s community center, welcomed more than 500 guests who purchased food and beverages from over two dozen restaurants and drink vendors. Proceeds from the event, which included a silent auction, helped raise thousands of dollars that will fund the team’s 2025 season.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to raise money for our dancers,” said Mesa Eckstein, whose daughters compete on the team and who is the co-lead for Taste of Maple Grove. “[We have] many expenses. We have a lot of coaches to help pay for, we have studio space, we have costumes [and] transportation.”

The Austin girls golfers know all about fun fundraisers. They’ve hosted their Putt Fore Dough competition for five years.

“For our fundraiser I have the girls do 100 3-foot putts,” head coach David Brown said. “We set up what we call a clock, and we put some tees in the ground and then they are sponsored based on the number of putts they make out of 100.”

Brown said each golfer raises roughly $250, resulting in nearly $2,500 in additional funding for shirts, bags, golf carts and balls.

For two decades, the St. Louis Park cross-country team has raised money through its annual Geezer Chase. Donors get a two-minute head start in a 2-mile race against the varsity runners. This year, 250 people signed up to test their speed, earning the team over $4,000 to help with coach salaries, shoes, travel and gear including the team tent.

Several readers mentioned the sale and delivery of water softener salt, carried out by such programs as Orono boys hockey, Prior Lake baseball, football teams in Fosston and Heron Lake-Okabena and Morris-Chokio-Alberta softball.