Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser: Template + Step-by-Step Guide

A Super Bowl squares fundraiser is one of the highest-return, lowest-effort fundraisers of the year. You sell 100 squares on a grid, assign random numbers after they sell, and pay out based on the score at the end of each quarter. The team keeps the difference between what the squares sold for and the prizes. A full grid at $25 a square grosses $2,500, and the whole thing runs on a single Sunday that people are already watching.

A 10 by 10 Super Bowl squares grid with dollar amounts, set up as a team fundraiser

This guide covers the template, exactly how to set it up, how to price it to hit your goal, the payout options, the legal check you cannot skip, and how to collect the money cleanly.

Squares is a game of chance built on a 10 by 10 grid. Each of the 100 squares is sold to a supporter. Once every square is claimed, the numbers 0 through 9 are randomly assigned to the ten rows and the ten columns.

One team’s score controls the rows, the other controls the columns. At the end of each quarter, you take the last digit of each team’s score, find the square where those two numbers meet, and that square’s owner wins that quarter’s prize. Because the numbers are random and assigned after selling, every square has a fair shot, which is what makes it easy to sell.

You do not need special software. Any 10 by 10 table works, on paper, a whiteboard, or a shared spreadsheet. Set it up like this:

  • Rows and columns: 10 each, making 100 empty squares.
  • Top edge (columns): label for one team, numbers filled in later.
  • Left edge (rows): label for the other team, numbers filled in later.
  • Each square: a space for the buyer’s name.

Sell the squares first, with the number rows and columns blank. Only after all 100 are claimed do you randomly draw the 0-9 numbers for each row and column and write them in. Drawing numbers before selling lets people cherry-pick, which kills the fairness and the fun.

  1. Get approval. Confirm your athletic director or league allows a game-of-chance fundraiser (see the legal note below).
  2. Set the price and prizes. Pick a per-square price and decide how much of the pot goes to winners versus the team.
  3. Build the grid. Create your 10 by 10 template with names blank and numbers blank.
  4. Sell all 100 squares. Players, parents, and coaches each take a stack to sell to their networks.
  5. Draw the numbers. Once the grid is full, randomly assign 0-9 to the rows and columns and share the finished grid.
  6. Pay out by quarter. After each quarter, match the last digits of the score to a square and record the winner.
  7. Report the total. Hand the net to your treasurer or AD with a clean record.

Your gross is simply the per-square price times 100. Your net is that minus the prize pot. Here is how common setups shake out:

Price per square Gross (full grid) Team keeps (50% payout) Team keeps (no cash prizes)
$5 $500 $250 $500
$10 $1,000 $500 $1,000
$25 $2,500 $1,250 $2,500

If your community is happy playing for bragging rights or small donated prizes (a signed ball, a gift card from a local business), you can keep 100 percent of the pot. If you want bigger buy-in, offer real cash prizes and keep the rest.

You control how the prize pot is split. Two common approaches:

  • Even quarters: 25 percent of the prize pot for each quarter’s winner. Simple and predictable.
  • Escalating: 10 / 20 / 20 / 50 percent across the quarters, so the final score pays the most. This keeps people watching to the end.

Decide the split before you sell so every buyer knows the deal. Whatever you choose, keep the team’s cut clearly stated on the grid.

The cleanest way to run the money side is to pair the squares pool with your team’s online fundraising rather than a shoebox of cash. Collecting buy-ins through a payment method with a record keeps your reporting simple and your athletic director comfortable.

For the team’s broader season fundraising, an online donation drive on a 0% platform fee tool like Team Donor keeps about 96.5% of every dollar after standard payment processing, and setup is concierge: you reach out and the campaign is built for you within about a day. A squares pool on Super Bowl Sunday pairs well with that always-on campaign. For the full picture on funding your program, see the guide to sports team fundraising.

Squares pools are a game of chance, and many states and school districts regulate them as gambling. Some prohibit them for school-affiliated groups entirely, others allow them under specific rules or licensing.

Before you sell a single square, confirm what is allowed with your athletic director, principal, or league administrator. This is the one step that can shut a squares fundraiser down mid-campaign, and it takes one conversation to clear.

A squares pool only pays off if all 100 squares sell. Keep it simple:

  1. Split the grid across the roster. Give every player 4 or 5 squares to sell to family and friends.
  2. Post the live grid. Share a photo of the filling grid on team social channels so people see it going fast.
  3. Set a deadline. “All squares must be claimed by Saturday night” creates urgency.
  4. Offer a small incentive to the player who sells their squares first.

Squares consistently ranks near the top when fundraisers are measured by profit per volunteer-hour, precisely because a full grid sells fast and the overhead is almost nothing. For more formats to run the rest of the year, the 30 sports team fundraising ideas list is sortable by effort and net.

How much can a Super Bowl squares fundraiser raise?

A full 100-square grid grosses the per-square price times 100, so $500 at $5, $1,000 at $10, and $2,500 at $25. Your net is that minus whatever you pay out in prizes. With donated prizes or bragging-rights play, the team can keep the entire pot.

How do you assign the numbers in squares?

Sell all 100 squares first with the number rows and columns blank. Once the grid is full, randomly draw the numbers 0 through 9 and assign one to each row and each column. Assigning numbers after selling is what keeps it fair.

Is a Super Bowl squares fundraiser legal?

It is a game of chance and is regulated as gambling in many places. Confirm the rules with your athletic director, school, or league before running one, since some prohibit it for school groups and others require specific handling.

Can you run squares for other games?

Yes. The same 10 by 10 format works for any football game, including playoff games and a team’s own rivalry matchups. The Super Bowl just draws the biggest audience, which is why it fills the fastest. For football fundraisers beyond squares, see football fundraising ideas.

A Super Bowl squares fundraiser is about as close to free money as team fundraising gets, as long as you clear it with your school first and sell all 100 squares. Pair it with an always-on online drive and one Sunday can fund a real chunk of your season.

To set up the online campaign your squares pool sits alongside, reach out to get started. Team Donor builds it for you, usually within a day, with a 0% platform fee so your team keeps the maximum of what you raise.

Get Started Today!