As prices increase for—let us just check our notes here—absolutely everything, it’s even more important for coaches to run successful fundraisers that keep their teams funded.
As a coach, it falls to you to help your team come up with creative and innovative ways to fundraise. After all, your soccer team can’t keep hosting the same car wash over and over again. The trick is finding new fundraising ideas and strategies that are easy to facilitate but keep the money rolling in.
With all the responsibilities and stresses already placed on your shoulders, choosing online fundraising is the surefire way to keep your team going and their passion funded. Learn more about the benefits of online fundraising and how it can revolutionize your fundraising efforts.
The Challenges of Traditional Fundraising
Traditional fundraising methods like planning events or selling products door-to-door have worked in the past. However, as technology has evolved, so have participant and supporter expectations. This has made traditional fundraising even more difficult for four reasons.
1. It’s Time-Consuming
Planning a massive fundraiser takes a lot of time and effort. You need to carve out hours to plan, organize, and host fundraising events. You could spend time coaching your team to bring home all those beautiful participation trophies (or taking a well-deserved day off relaxing on the beach).
2. It’s Expensive
Events can be fun—especially if you have oodles of cash to pour into them! After all, you need to take into account things like buying supplies and equipment, renting a location, and even hiring performers.
You can set up a concession stand or school store. Of course, first, you need to buy the stuff you will turn around and sell. And what if you overestimate the demand for Fruit by the Foot? You’ll just be sitting on all that vaguely fruity, not-so-vaguely leathery sugar! (Pro-tip: Sell them to the math teacher.)
3. It’s Hard to Get Supporters
Listen: Do you want to go door to door? Yeah, we didn’t think so, even without considering safety concerns. And flyers posted around town aren’t bringing in supporters like they did in the past (although hopefully, they’ll help you find your lost puppy, Nippy). Getting the word out or finding new supporters isn’t easy without using the internet or mobile communication methods.
4. There’s More Competition
Since fundraising has become so common, every team, group, and nonprofit seems to ask for frequent donations, so supporters are constantly bombarded with fundraisers. Fundraiser burnout, anyone?
You need to stand out from the crowd, or your request for financial help will get lost in the competing noise.
So what’s a hard-working coach to do? There’s just one answer: Join the internet age!
5 Top Benefits of Online Fundraising for Coaches
Modern fundraising uses the best aspects of online technology to your advantage. Thanks to online platforms, you’ll become the hero as your team earns all the money they need. Let’s look at 5 of the biggest advantages of online fundraising.
1. Convenience
Online fundraisers are convenient for supporters. They can make a quick donation from their phones while sitting on the couch watching The Amazing Race. You don’t take up much of their time, and you don’t have to worry about the logistics of gathering physical donations.
2. Expanded Reach
Online fundraisers can be used to easily send texts or emails inviting people to support your cause. You can even use social media platforms to share your team’s story and ask for support. You could get donations from people across the world. (Time to slide into celebrity DMs asking for cash, assuming you don’t mind risking being blocked by Alyson Hannigan. Again.)
3. Cost-Effectiveness
With an online fundraiser, you don’t have to pay for products to sell or events to host. You can do everything from your phone or computer, making it far cheaper to facilitate and carry out. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can make without spending a dime.
4. Easy Management
You can easily track your progress with an online fundraising campaign run through a reputable platform like the MoneyDolly app. When you get close to goals, you can see which of your team members brings in the most donations and how much donors have contributed.
5. Increased Team Bonding
As a coach, any activity that helps your team build trust in each other and fosters better teamwork is a bonus. With online fundraising, your team will work together to spread the word and find supporters. They’ll learn valuable life skills as they communicate with their friends and family and ask for support.
Why Coaches Love Online Fundraising
We have years of experience in the world of fundraising that helped us learn what works best as we help you each step of the way. We’re not a one-and-done kind of company either—let’s maintain a relationship for any future fundraising you’ll need.
Coaches are sure to find success with MoneyDolly. Don’t just take our word for it; here’s what some of our clients had to say:
Choose the Best Online Fundraising Platform for Your Team
So, it’s time to turn to online fundraising, but who do you choose to partner with? Three cheers for MoneyDolly! MoneyDolly specializes in online fundraising and can give you the tools you need and help you develop the skills for success for your school, community group, or club.
How it works is simple! Get started by signing up with some basic information about your team. Then, you’ll invite your team members to participate and begin the onboarding process. When your team is all set up, you can use the contact list on your phone to send the MoneyDolly link or QR code to your networks. You’ll see success in as little as a few minutes!
You know the basics, so now it’s time to see how it will work for your team. Visit our site and get a demo today. You’ll see for yourself how everything works and how we can help you carry your fundraiser across the finish line.
