Selling isn’t easy. Ellen Wiese, head girls basketball coach at Eden Prairie High School (MN), knows this first hand. Each year, her team sells advertising slots in their gamely program to raise money for the season.
“The whole process of having to go and try to sell to businesses, then coordinate the artwork and try to get the money, it’s hard,” she said.
So when Wiese heard about Rally Around Us, an easy and effective digital fundraising platform for athletics, she approached it with a “nothing to lose” attitude. The Eagles, who had gone from winning just five games four years ago to claiming the sectional championship last year, had fallen short of their fundraising goal over the summer. They were hoping to raise money for new uniforms and hopefully, a trip to the state tournament.
A new approach to fundraising
Wiese said that getting started with Rally Around Us was easy. The team created a highlight video explaining what they were raising money for and sent it to over 1,000 of their friends and family members. Supporters could help the team by donating, leaving an encouraging comment or sharing the fundraising campaign on their social media accounts. By crowdfunding online, the Eagles increased their reach to contacts both inside the community and outside of state lines.
Exceeding goals and expectations
Over the course of one month, the team earned 158 online donations totaling $16,675 – exactly $1,675 more than their goal. With the proceeds, Wiese was able to pay for a live virtual training program while the team’s season is on hold due to COVID-19. The money will also help to support the team’s mentoring program.
“It was simple, straightforward and we could get it done quickly. It was not labor intensive and anything we got could just be pure profit,” Wiese said.
Interested in learning more? Schedule a demo of Rally Around Us here.
Campaign at a Glance
- 1 Video
- 1 month long
- 30 athletes participating
- 1,163 supporters contacted
- 158 donations
- $16,675 raised
Campaign takeaways
- The more supporters you can contact, the better. Each contact generated $14 for the team. Sometimes you can get lucky receiving a large donation, but it’s often small ones from many people that make your campaign a success.
- Create a compelling video that explains your team’s goals well. Donors love to see the student athletes and hear about the cause that they are donating to.
- Consider sending personal thank you messages or coordinate freebies for supporters. One concern from Ellen was how the team would be perceived if they were simply asking for donations. Be creative to make your campaign right for your community.
Want to get your team started with RallyAroundUs?