Volunteer Support Donate

There are many ways to support your local community to run Midnight Basketball tournaments.

Volunteering on a community Management Team

The local Midnight Basketball volunteer Management Team organises each Midnight Basketball tournament.

As a management team member, you are welcome and encouraged, but not required to attend tournament nights and no prior basketball knowledge is required. Training and support is provided for all roles. The online Midnight Basketball Tournament System (TS) automates a lot of the delivery requirements and contains extensive help guides and templates to run your tournament efficiently. As a local management team member, you are also supported by Midnight Basketball Australia, through your Chair, for support whenever you need it.

Have a read through the following role summaries and see if this is you. Full role desciptions and help is available on the portal once you have created an account.

  • Chair: Responsible for leading and overseeing management team planning, delivery and post-Tournament activities for the local Midnight Basketball Tournament.
  • Finance manager: Responsible for the timely and accurate preparation of both forecast and actual Tournament budget in compliance with Australian taxation standards, and managing the budget pre, during and post Tournament.
  • Fundraising and support manager: Responsible for engaging with diverse sectors of the community to identify and secure in-kind support as well as funds required to run each Tournament.
  • Logistics manager: Responsible for organising the supply and quality of all logistical components of the Tournament, as well as the recruitment and retention of Tournament night roles requiring professional qualifications and/or specific prior experience. Works with the management team to ensure logistical requirements supplied are from within the local community, and at a high quality standard, sourced either in-kind or at the best possible rate available. Co-ordinate supply and rostering of stadium arrangements, security, catering, referees, buses, administrative and other items.
  • Marketing manager: Responsible for overseeing all activities related to raising awareness of Midnight Basketball in the local community and ensuring the brand is strictly aligned to the strategic objectives of the Tournament Model to maximise benefit for the teenage participants.
  • Player manager: Midnight Basketball is a social inclusion activity that targets all teenagers in communities which will involve a broad marketing campaign combined with extra activities to engage disadvantaged and marginalised teenagers who will be directly targeted to ensure they are identified and aware of the Tournament and feel very welcome to attend. Responsible for developing and implementing the Player Recruitment Plan for the Tournament, including engaging with the Youth and Family Services sector, high schools, and other organisations.
  • Skills sessions manager: Responsible for the co-ordination and development of the Skills Sessions for the Tournament to meet local objectives and the requirements of the Midnight Basketball Tournament Model including the life skills teenagers need to increase job readiness and the ability to transition to independent living and a happy, well lived life.
  • Volunteer manager: Responsible for engaging with the local community to recruit, retain and roster volunteers to support the Tournament through the development and implementation of a volunteer recruitment plan.

Volunteering on tournament nights

Midnight Basketball provides volunteers with a unique, significant and personally rewarding opportunity to be engaged in a local activity. We couldn't run it without your support. It is also flexible. When you register, simply select roles on the weeks you are available (from 1 to 8 weeks) and your preferred role(s) and we will do all we can to meet your availability. To achieve excellence and tournament outcomes, some roles require more experienced/qualifications or certifications, such catering, security, driving buses , refereeing or coaching. Please only register if you hold the relevant/required certification to undertake the role. There are plenty of other roles you can be readily trained to undertake if you don't have specific qualifications.

Inkind support

Inkind support for tournament night requirements:

  • Basketball related items - whistles, balls, etc
  • Catering - healthy food ingredients, cooking facilities, resources to make the meals
  • Water - water towers, sustainable water bottles
  • Buses - 12, 24, 36 seat buses/coaches (ideal), petrol/vouchers, credit at local petrol station
  • Venue - 2-court minimum indoor stadium with room for dinner and skills sessions
  • Music - upbeat (appropriate) music, music setup, speakers and other music requirements for atmosphere and vibe
  • Miscellaneous - lots more including stationery, printing, first aid kit/items

Financial support

To make a cash donation, please contact the local Management Team Chair.

To see if your community already runs Midnight Basketball, see dropdown 'Select location'.

If your contribution applies for all communities nationally, please Contact Midnight Basketball Australia.

If you would like to start a Midnight Basketball Tournament in your community, see dropdown Start a new location

We bring together the collective experience of over 250 Tournaments around the country over 10 years. We help wherever we can with elements that it makes sense to support nationally. From enterprise technology, to fantastic Tournament kits, we want to get every tournament off to a great start by providing communities with a heap of support.

Select this help icon to see just some of our great support:

Donate by Credit Card

Please visit our secure site: Secure Commonwealth Bank BPoint Payment Site

Donate by Cheque

Please make cheques out to 'Midnight Basketball Fund' and post to: Midnight Basketball Australia, PO Box 775, Neutral Bay NSW 2089

Donate by Direct Deposit

Please contact us for bank details.

We very much welcome aligned sponsorships in line with our Fundraising Guidelines below.

Please contact us Contact MB Australia to discuss further including how we can also bring benefit to your organisation, people and culture.

As a highly innovative organisation, we would love to talk to you about expertise and other support you could provide. Please get in touch - Contact MB Australia page.

We have enormous gratitude for all the organisations working with Midnight Basketball in many innovative ways, some who have supported us in the past and those who are making change right now as we become stronger, bolder, better and excited.

  • The Australian Government
  • Perpetual/William Buckland Foundation
  • Enterprise support - these best practice individuals and organisations have helped us pursue global best practice:
    • IT Support - Amazon Web Services and AWS Premier Partner AC3 who provide our cloud-based portal hosting and administration, allowing us to provide state of the art technology for our communities
    • Cameron Billingsley PFM generously provides all things legal, even those left field ones...
    • Nick Holmes Trademark Attorney generously supporting our trademark requirements to keep our brand safe and strong for all our stakeholders.
  • Local community supporters and volunteers - the tens of thousands of volunteers and organisations including local Councils and supporters who have provided funds and support to our local programs across Australia.  
Gratitude for the Founding Support that helped us become what we are today - we thank you.

We acknowledge the long term support from the Commonwealth Bank Staff Community Fund, Commonwealth Bank Group including legal, corporate strategy, IT, education, and the many community divisions and projects, branches nationally; The Sidney Myer Foundation; all State and Territory governments and too many to mention local government bodies across the country, who along with the tens of thousands organisations and individuals who have supported Midnight Basketball since its inception, have been proactive partners in the pursuit of better futures for all Australian teenagers.

  • Midnight Basketball Australia Ltd is a public company, limited by guarantee with an independent Board.
  • ABN: 40108259749.
  • Charity status
    • Midnight Basketball Australia is listed on the Register of Harm Prevention Charitable Institutions under Subdivision 30-289B of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
    • Midnight Basketball Australia is a national not-for-profit charitable organisation with Deductible Gift Recipient Status. This means that donations are tax deductible and we will provide you with a tax deductible receipt for donations.
      • Note: they must be made out to: "Midnight Basketball Fund".
      • DGR Fund structure (for tax-deductible donations) - donations are contributed through the Midnight Basketball Fund
    • Midnight Basketball Australia is an Endorsed ACNC Charity - Midnight Basketball Australia ACNC listing

Australian Charities and Not For Profits Commission Endorsed Charity Tick

Midnight Basketball Australia is a not for profit dependent on fundraising for financial viability. The organisation takes a broad based approach to fundraising, working with all tiers of Government, Corporates and individuals to develop relationships of mutual benefit. The following principles guide our approach to partnerships and fundraising and assist us in avoiding conflicts of interest or intent:

  • Seeks to develop long term, mutually beneficial relationships with its funding partners.
  • Is committed to the highest ethical standards in the way it solicits funds, keeps a record of donations and engages with donors or potential donors.
  • Will accurately describe the objectives and activities of Midnight Basketball and the intended use of donated funds.
  • Will act truthfully & fairly in all its communications, dealings and appeals for funds.
  • Will only partner and accept support from organisations or individuals which support the philosophy and objectives of Midnight Basketball and specifically will not partner or accept support from organisations or individuals where that partnership or support would promote products detrimental to individual and community health or social structure, including the promotion of the use of alcohol, tobacco products or illegal or illicit substances.
  • Reserves the right to refuse donations from organisations and individuals with practices inconsistent with the objectives of Midnight Basketball and the philosophy of community capacity building.
  • Will respect the dignity and privacy of those who benefit from Midnight Basketball’s activities and will not exploit those it seeks to help through its approach to fundraising.
  • Will protect the public identification of a person making an untied donation and who requires that the donation remains anonymous.
  • Will under no circumstances exchange, rent, or otherwise share its fundraising list with other organisations.

If you have any further questions about donating to the Midnight Basketball Fund please do not hesitate to contact us - refer Contact MB Australia page for contact details.

On behalf of our Midnight Basketball teenagers and communities, we appreciate and thank you for your kindness and generosity.

"Midnight Basketball is great. You meet a variety of people and make new friends. You also learn things from the workshop sessions that you can really apply in your life." Midnight Basketballer

"This is a very professionally run endeavour ... I believe it thoroughly achieved its stated aims in every sense and am proud to have been involved. Midnight Basketball has helped build a sense of community and belonging." Midnight Basketball Volunteer

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." Vincent Van Gogh