BoosterHub

Are Online Fundraisers a Good Idea for Our Booster Club?

Fundraising is a critical part of booster clubs, and it can be a challenge for many organizations. It can be hard to get parents and students involved, and not every fundraiser may be as successful as you want it to be. That’s the bad news first. The good news is that there are easy-to-use tools available to do all the heavy lifting of fundraising for you—all integrated into your booster club software. And a successful fundraiser can set your club up to support your students for the entire year!

An easy way to change up your normal fundraiser routine is to switch to an online format. Online fundraisers can be much less work for volunteers and are a quick way to raise funds. With today’s trends, more and more people are familiar with, and prefer to use, online fundraising. Going door to door is a thing of the past, as are fundraisers requiring delivery, warehousing, and driving of products around!

How Do Online Fundraisers Work?

Online fundraising is a way to raise money using internet platforms that facilitate donations. In the simplest terms, supporters are able to donate directly to the booster club online. The most common form of online fundraising is an online donation page. The page is permanent, and is available at any time of day or night, so supporters can donate whenever they’d like. You don’t have to manage the process while it is ongoing. Many platforms offer a simple process for supporters to make their donations, and they can complete them in just a couple of steps.

Some booster clubs simply create the page to exist as an easy donation point, while others organize fundraising campaigns to drive traffic to the site.

Benefits of Online Fundraisers

Online booster club fundraising is becoming more popular because of its convenience and the expectations of supporters. Supporters may not have time to attend an in-person fundraiser, but they are still able to support through online fundraising.

One of the primary benefits of online fundraising is unlimited reach. In-person fundraisers can only reach a certain number of people, but online fundraising opens up donations from neighbors, relatives, coworkers, and acquaintances worldwide.

Online fundraising is also a great way to make a connection with your supporters, as you have the opportunity to tell them about your booster club on the donation site. This is a perfect place to spread the word about your organization, tell your story, let people know what it is you do and what it is your organization is trying to achieve.

Finally, online fundraisers make tracking cash flow simple. If you are trying to improve your club’s accounting practices by going cashless, online fundraisers are a great place to start.

Online Booster Club Fundraising Ideas

With online fundraising, you always have the option of putting up a permanent donation page for your supporters to access at their convenience. However, there are other ways to drive more traffic and get people involved.

Pledge drives can be an effective way of getting supporter engagement, particularly if you are a new booster club. Supporters can promise a donation in just a few clicks that will be paid down the line. Just make sure to have an organized way to follow up.

An online giving platform can be a perfect companion to virtual fundraisers. Try a virtual cooking class, wine tasting, trivia, or a guest speaker. You can either sell tickets to the event or simply direct attendees to your online fundraiser.

The most popular online fundraising option is peer-to-peer fundraising. In this format, you have a primary campaign page, and participants also create their own mini-campaigns to help raise funds. When participants have some skin in the game, they tend to come through with results. Your participants are able to send messages out to their contacts, connect with donors, and enjoy the enthusiasm of seeing incoming donations grow toward the club’s goal and toward individual goals.

Leveraging online platforms is quickly becoming a core part of booster club fundraisers. If you are considering pivoting to the online platform, just be aware of some of the fees charged by online programs. Some fees can be as high as 20% to 40%. BoosterHub has its own, fully integrated, peer-to-peer online fundraising platform called BoosterBucks. Access to the BoosterBucks platform is included with the BoosterHub annual subscription. The BoosterBucks platform walks you through all aspects of setting up, managing, and accounting for your club’s fundraiser. While most online fundraisers charge very high platform fees, BoosterBucks platform charges a 5% platform fee, allowing your booster club to keep 95% of the funds you receive. This rate of return makes BoosterBucks the most cost effective, integrated platform available for booster club fundraising.

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Ways to Fundraise for a Booster Club

Fundraising is perhaps one of the most important functions of your booster club. However, it can be tough to build momentum, especially if you are new to fundraising as a whole. You can also get stuck in a rut and feel like you are running the same two or three events on repeat. That’s when it’s important to mix things up to keep club members and donors engaged, ensuring a steady stream of support for your student-athletes. With that in mind, here are a few ways to raise more money for the student-athletes you support:

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Non-Profit Donation Receipt

Whenever someone donates to your club, you must ensure that you send them a clear receipt so they can take advantage of their tax deduction. These receipts are your club’s way of saying, “Thanks for being on the team,” and they’re essential for keeping records organized. Providing a timely and well-documented receipt also makes your club appear professional and organized. In turn, you’ll be able to more easily build trust with donors and encourage them to give again in the future. After all, donors need to be confident that you’re acknowledging and managing their contributions properly. On that note, here are a few tips to help you create compliant receipts:

Booster Club Best Practices

Booster Club Rules

You certainly wouldn’t sign up for a sports league without knowing the rules of the game, so why would you attempt to run a booster club without a clear set of guidelines? In a booster club, the rules take the form of bylaws, which are policies and procedures that are vital in keeping everyone on the same page, helping to avoid misunderstandings, and ensuring that each member understands their part in supporting the club’s mission. In some cases, these bylaws will spell out who can and can’t be members, as well as who is eligible to serve on the board. Some states even have standardized playbooks that you need to follow. The University Interscholastic League (UIL) in Texas, for instance, has a playbook of its own, covering specific bylaws for booster clubs that support school programs. In any case, here are some tips for ensuring everyone in your booster club plays by the rules so you can have a productive year: