The secret to fundraising is …
OK, let’s get straight to the point.
The ONE thing EVERY club really wants to know.
What is the secret to being able to consistently raise funds for your club?
Well of course there are a number of components but by far the most powerful component of fundraising is … Relationships
THE secret to fundraising is relationships! Sounds a little abstract but bear with us.
The stronger the relationship between the club and the person being asked to participate in the clubs fundraising activities, whether that be the club inviting a person to a club social or fundraising event or making a request for sponsorship the more likely the person will say yes.
In simple terms, the more people that you club has a strong enough relationship with that they will say yes to participate in fundraising activities the more easily your club will be able to raise funds.
Let’s assume you own a local business and a person you didn’t know from a local sports club you had never heard of walks into your business and asks you to sponsor them.
What are you most likely to say?
You’ll probably say no, right?
And in the highly unlikely event you do say yes it is very likely going to be for a very small, nominal amount.
Now, let’s change this scenario around a little.
Consider same local business, who could walk into the business, ask for sponsorship and assuming the business could afford it, almost certainly receive the requested sponsorship?
The answer is anybody who the business owner has a strong relationship with. The obvious people would be close family and friends but the reality the business owner may also sponsor major clients, suppliers, other local business people they deal with in town.
In this simple example the local business owner is significantly more likely to sponsor those they have a strong relationship than somebody cold calling off the street.
Exactly the same concept applies for clubs asking for money, whether it be asking for:
- The community to attend an event or match day,
- Supporters to purchase a membership
- Players friends and family to come to a social event
So, the most important component to fundraising is the relationship between a club, its members/supporters, and the people who are going to be asked to financially support the club in some way.