Winning Online Fundraising Strategies for High School Basketball Teams

Building a championship caliber basketball program takes hard work and dedication, but also financial resources. Online fundraising has become a vital lifeline for high school, middle school, and club basketball teams aiming to develop their programs and raise the necessary funding to invest in their program. Building a winning program requires investment in new equipment, uniforms, accessories, travel, and meals at a time when the rising expenses of these culture drivers frequently exceed school athletic budgets. When projected costs exceed budgets, basketball teams must turn to fundraising.  While many programs still resort to product sales like cookie dough or wrapping paper, going door to door selling discount cards, or relying on donations via paper check, newer online fundraising methods enable you to raise more funds with less work.  

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Schoolfundr, the pioneer in fee-free online school fundraising, is designed to maximize your basketball fundraiser while enabling you to keep everything you raise. When fundraising for your basketball program, you can enhance your campaign’s effectiveness with a few straightforward strategies:

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_{Winter Sports Fundraising Tips}

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1. Clearly Define Your Fundraising Needs: Your community is ready to support you, but clearly articulating your needs significantly enhances your chances of receiving contributions. Whether you're fundraising for new equipment, team uniforms, travel costs, or meals, informing donors about how their contributions will be used greatly increases the effectiveness of your campaigns.
2. Tap Into a Broader Base of Potential Donors: Ask your players to compile an email list of family members, friends, and community members who might be interested in supporting the team. Personal connections want to support your cause, and with Schoolfundr you can personalize your donor outreach which leads to greater supporter buy-in and contributions.
3. Get The Word Out Through Text and Social Media: Promote your fundraising campaign on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get the word out and build excitement for your campaign. Take advantage of engaging visuals, stories, and updates to share your progress and motivate supporters to contribute. Utilize group texts to keep everyone informed and encourage them to spread the word! With Schoolfundr, you can share personalized and engaging text messages and social media posts about your campaign with a single click.
4. Supercharge Your Fundraiser by Adding an Activity Based Component (a-thon): Incorporate an activity such as shooting 100 free throws and transform your basketball fundraiser into a free-throw-a-thon. Friends and family across the country will get behind a fun event that goes towards a great cause! Gone are the days of manually sending donor request letters and collecting checks, Schoolfundr’s platform seamlessly enables you to collect donation per shot or per free through and takes care of keeping track of the donations, charging the credit cards, and sending donation receipts and thank you’s. 
5. Connect with a Schoolfundr Fundraising Expert: Reach out to a Schoolfundr expert who can guide you through the fundraising process, offer tips and strategies, and help you maximize your campaign's potential. Their experience can be invaluable in navigating challenges and ensuring a successful fundraising effort and is completely free! 

At Schoolfundr, we have supported hundreds of basketball teams by applying our online fundraising strategies. Below we highlight three coaches who successfully embraced “The Schoolfundr Way” and maximized their fundraising success for their basketball program!

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• Roy High School Basketball  - “I think donors really like knowing that their money is going directly towards the cause they want to support versus giving it to a third party.” - Ryan Hannah, Head Coach

• Pueblo West Girls Basketball:  “We reached our goal within the first 2 days and the results were outstanding. As a coach Schoolfundr makes it really easy for people to donate and for coaches to focus on their athletes.” - Michelle Blackford, Head Coach 

• Seguin High School Basketball : “What attracted us to Schoolfundr was the percent we got to keep. In the past the percentage we had to give up really cut into the funds we were able to use for our program.” - Guy Nowlin, Head Coach

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How is Schoolfundr different?

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Schoolfundr differentiates itself from other fundraising platforms with its no-split, no-sacrifice philosophy. While other online fundraising companies charge 20% or more of funds raised in fees, Schoolfundr takes no cut of the funds you raise, aside from credit card processing fees charged by Stripe.  With an easy to use and feature rich platform, plus dedicated customer service and support, Schoolfundr helps you raise more than ever before. Schoolfundr empowers you to raise more and keep everything you raise, allowing you to concentrate on what truly matters—supporting your basketball team.

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Join the growing number of teams successfully achieving their fundraising goals with Schoolfundr, ensuring your team is prepared for the upcoming winter season without sacrificing funds to hefty fees.

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