We Surveyed 100 Coaches about Fundraising So You Don't Have To

We Surveyed 100 Coaches about Fundraising So You Don’t Have To

Look - fundraising stinks.

You didn’t get into coaching to become a fundraiser, but here you are. You’re now fundraiser-in-chief. Congrats!

Haha, I kid!

…. but you know what stinks even more?

Trying to find out how other coaches approach fundraising

So we surveyed 100 of them for you

Here’s the top 5 things we learned:

Fundraising still stinks.

Make it stink a little less by receiving our regular tips, tricks, and insights, straight to your inbox

1) (Almost) everybody fundraises

Perhaps this is a moot point…..

But I’m going to say it anyways:

If you’re a club or sports team, odds are that you’re fundraising. 92% of respondents reported doing so in the past year.

The 8% who don’t fundraise?

They all share one thing in common: they were small private schools who fundraise centrally through their school’s advancement office.

So that 92% who do fundraise? Round it up to 100.

Everyone. Is. Fundraising.

2) Don’t feel bad about running more than 1 fundraiser - most coaches do it

If you asked joe-blow off the street “how often should a youth sports team fundraise?”, I think the conventional answer would be “eh, maybe once per year”.

That’s simply NOT the case: 57% of all coaches reported running 2 or MORE fundraisers within the last year.

In fact, almost 1/3rd of the coaches we surveyed ran 3+ fundraisers annually.

So don’t have guilt if you asked for support more than once last year….. it’s what MOST programs are doing.

3) Don’t count on your summer camp as your main fundraiser

Look - basically every coach runs a summer camp for their sport

….. and most charge something for their players to attend

But don’t count on this as a main source of funds!

Check it out below - only 17% of coaches even mentioned their camp as one of their program’s fundraisers.

4) You don’t need to provide value with your fundraiser…..

Crowdfunding-style fundraisers are all the rage these days (I define crowdfunding as the type of fundraisers where you blast out emails / texts to potential supporters and solicit donations from them, without asking for anything in return).

But a lot of coaches have a bit of apprehension around them, and rightfully so.

Unlike golf outings, discount cards, or raffles, you aren’t offering any value in return when you just ask for donations

But here’s the thing: your potential supporters want to support you. They don’t want the cookie dough / restaurant discounts / etc that you’re selling alongside of that - those things simply nice to have

I view it like a lot like I view Thanksgiving with my extended family.

Am I planning on attending?

Yes.

Will I feel better about it if I have Grandma’s Sweet Potato Casserole to look forward to?

Yes.

But what if Grandma can’t cook the night before, will I decide not to go?

Absolutely not.

I’m going to Thanksgiving regardless…. because I love my family, and I’ll support them no matter what.

Your donors are a lot like me at Thanksgiving: they’ll support you no matter what, regardless of what’s offered in return. Because they like YOU…. not what you’re selling.

So why not make it easy on yourself, and simply ask for their support?

The data suggests that’s what most coaches do: more than half reported running a crowdfunding-style fundraiser as part of their fundraising strategy this past year (see graph below)

Pssssst….. if you’re thinking about running a crowdfunding-style fundraiser, you should really do it with Teamfi.

You’ll raise hundreds of dollars per player, and it’s (almost) free!

5) …… but don’t forget about providing value, because that can be a great strategy, too!

Please don’t misread my words above: providing value back to your supporters is still a great way to fundraise!

AKA, I still do love Grandma’s Sweet Potato Casserole!

So don’t forget about some tried-and-true fundraisers like golf outings, discount cards, and raffles.

Our data suggests that of the coaches that ran crowdfunding fundraisers this past year, two thirds of them also ran some other type of fundraiser (see graph below)

That’s all for today’s post!

But one more thing before we part:

If you’re looking for an efficient addition to your team’s fundraising, check out our product, Teamfi

With Teamfi, you’ll fundraise hundreds of dollars per player, for (almost) free!

Learn more (and see who else has used it) by visiting our website.

Fundraising still stinks. Make it stink a little less by receiving our regular tips, tricks, and insights, straight to your inbox