Digital Fundraisers Are on the Rise–Is Your Team Ready?

Youth sports organizations (YSO) are starting to return to play after nearly a full year because of COVID related restrictions. As clubs and organizations figure out the logistics of starting back up in 2021, many families who once comfortably covered their kids’ sports expenses may be at a loss. As a YSO, you may find yourself in a position where more scholarship requests are coming in than you can cover and no organization wants to turn away kids because of an inability to pay. Enter fundraising–specifically digital fundraising. 

As more and more people have become comfortable with online shopping, grocery delivery and online transactions, conducting a digital fundraiser falls right within people's comfort zone. However, as an organization, what do you need to do to be able to support a digital fundraising campaign? Currently, life has all sorts of challenges; fundraising should not be one of them. 

An online, digital fundraiser offers a contactless, virtual experience that is safe and effective. Athletes can raise funds for their club without ever leaving their homes. The old school days of fundraising are long gone.  

Choose your product and register

One of the simplest and most profitable sports fundraisers is the sale of edible goods. Not only can these be profitable, but people like them because they  actually GET something in return for their donation. The amount you collect can range from around one dollar per candy bar to six dollars per pizza kit sold. 

Using a well known partner not only makes sure you get a quality product, but most provide everything to get your fundraiser started including marketing materials, direct delivery and quick turn around of funds.  Not only that, most do not have any upfront costs or overhead!

Name a chairperson

Once you’ve selected your product and signed up for your fundraiser, next appoint a chairperson to run the fundraiser. Several things you should look for from your fundraising chair include: 

• Reliability
• Availability
• Organizational, motivational and communication skills.
• A great personality

All of these will contribute to the success of your fundraiser

Set your timeline & create your fundraising goals

Now that you have a chairperson selected, provide them with the overall fundraising goals. They can then help create sales goals for each athlete or team.

Next, select a start and end date for your fundraiser. Fundraisers, typically average two to four weeks. Make sure you consider running your fundraiser outside of any major holidays, especially over the summer when families may be traveling for summer vacations.

Get your club & teams on the same page

Have your fundraising chair schedule a video call meeting with your players and parents. During this call, cover the mechanics of the fundraiser and what is expected from each athlete. Also, make sure you discuss any prizes that participants could win for sales. 

Additionally, this is a perfect time to talk about why you need to fundraise and who or what will be the recipient of the funds raised.

Get the word out by focusing on your core supporters

Product sales are best geared towards those closest to your organization. Start with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Those who support you will want to help. And don’t forget to ask them to buy more than one item. 

Great methods for getting the word out are:

• Phone call–it may seem old-fashioned today, but a direct phone call to your supporters is the best way to get a commitment for your fundraiser.
• Text message–text messages also work well because of their immediacy and interactive nature
• Email–while not as timely as the first two options, email can also be an effective way to inform someone of your fundraiser and provide details as long as it is followed up by a phone call or email.
• Social media–while this may expand past your core supporters, it is an easy and digital way to expand your customer base and increase your sale

Monitor progress & create healthy competition

During the sale, make sure your chairperson is keeping track of the progress of each athlete. Focus on celebrating athlete’s successes to help nudge those that aren’t doing as well. Also, make sure you provide regular updates to all participants throughout the fundraiser tracking against your overall and team goals. 

Don't forget to celebrate a successful sale! Consider different prize levels for individual athletes (or teams) who reach certain sales goals. Recognize everyone, and award special prizes to the top sellers

In conclusion

With the power of technology, a digital fundraiser can be completely managed from your phone, tablet, or computer. Athletes no longer need to do face-to-face selling, keep track of order forms or handle delivery of products.

Even once our lives return to “normal,” virtual club and team fundraisers will remain as a fantastic tool for enhancing your other in-person events and sales. And with some experience already under your belt, your club will be in a great position to succeed with another tool in their fundraising toolkit.

A FUNDRAISER THAT DELIVERS EVERY TIME!