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Start a fundraiser

Are you starting a fundraiser for yourself or another athlete or team? We have gathered guidelines, tips and examples on how to succeed. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service.

Your personal guide to a successful fundraiser

It takes only a few minutes to start a fundraiser on SPONSOR.ME, but we recommend that you have a look at the following steps on how to create and run a successful fundraiser:

Planning a fundraiser

We highly recommend that you sit down and spend some time to plan your fundraiser before creating it.

Ask yourself a few questions
  • What do I (or an athlete/team/organization I represent) want to achieve with a fundraiser?
  • How much money do I/we need to collect?
  • How will the money be spent?
  • Where can I share and promote the fundraiser and spread the word?
  • Who will I ask to make the first donations and help me spread the word?
  • What kind of rewards can I offer to the sponsors who supports me/us?
Gather your team

If you are a part of a team, remember to include your team members (and coaches) in your marketing plan. Having your fellow team members and/or coaches promoting and sharing your fundraiser on social media will increase your chances of raising more money.

Inform your closest upfront

Send an email with a link to your fundraiser or an actual letter with the QR code to your family and friends and ask them to be ready to donate the day you launch. This way, people visiting your fundraiser's page will see that you already have had a great start and they will be more likely to donate.

We have drafted an example for you. Just remember to replace MY-NAME and NAME-OF-RECIPIENT with the names of your supporters.

Dear NAME-OF-RECIPIENT,
Today, I focus on my sports more than ever before. In order to fund and reach my next goal, I am creating a fundraiser on WWW.SPONSOR.ME. In this context, I hope you can support me as soon as it is launched. With your support, my fundraiser will get a rocket launch and will have a higher chance of attracting more people to donate to it. I will let you know as soon as the fundraiser is up and running. Thank you!
Best wishes,
MY-NAME

Starting a fundraiser

To get started on SPONSOR.ME you can either create your fundraiser from scratch or use our Genius Wizard to generate a full draft of your fundraiser, texts and photo included. However, you should keep in mind the following tips when creating your fundraiser.

Goal amount

Limit your goal! Few, if any, sponsors will support athletes/teams seeking $1,500,000. Focus on a smaller and more specific part of your project and thus, a smaller financial goal, i.e. $500 to attend a tournament or $1,000 to buy new equipment. This way, you and the sponsors will feel more confident that you will reach your goal, and you both will stay motivated throughout the entire fundraising period.

Remember that the fundraiser continues even if you surpass your goal. Interestingly enough, it often turns out that athletes get even more sponsors when their fundraiser exceeds the initial goal.

Did you know? When you start creating a fundraiser on SPONSOR.ME, our Genius Wizard will advice you on how many people you need to share your fundraiser with to reach the amount you want to collect.

Duration

Our experience shows that fundraisers of 14 days are the most successful. This provides you with enough time to share the fundraiser on Facebook at least 3 times and, at the same time, 14 days seem short enough to encourage possible sponsors to donate now rather than later. We recommend that you do not choose more than 30 days for your fundraiser unless you have a very good reason to.

Title

Create a catchy title to describe your fundraiser. Keep it as short as possible.

Did you know? Our Genius Wizard will draft a title for you. However, remember to add your personal touch to it.

Description

Make a brief description of who you are, what you have achieved so far and how raising money will help you reach your goal. The more you write, the better. Don't be afraid to brag!

Did you know? Our Genius Wizard will draft a description of you and your fundraiser. Remember to add your personal touch to it.

Media (photos and videos)

A picture is worth a thousand words. Attach one or more high-quality photos showing you playing your sport. Our experience shows that low-quality photos do not appeal to sponsors.

Do you have a video of yourself in action? Great! Upload it to convince sponsors to support you.

Did you know? Our Genius Wizard will add a good-quality photo matching your sport and your fundraiser. However, we recommend that you upload your own photos and videos to add a personal touch to it.

Rewards

Remember to appreciate your sponsors by offering them rewards (thank-you gifts), such as "A Big Thank You!" on Facebook for $25, "A signed photo" for $100, "Attend My Workout" for $250, or "Your Logo on My Sportswear" for $500. Do whatever is feasible and what you can deliver on.

Did you know? Athletes and teams that offer rewards have a greater chance of raising more money.

Submitting a fundraiser for review

Once your fundraiser is ready, you need to submit it for review. Note that the review pocess is required for your fundraiser to be published and open for raising money.

To submit your fundraiser for review, simply log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Submit" in the pop-up. Follow the instructions to submit.

Why does the fundraiser have to be submitted for review before being published?

We review each fundraiser to ensure that it contains all the necessary data, that the information is correct and that the content is not offensive. We do this, because we want SPONSOR.ME to be a trustworthy, pleasant and safe service to use. The review process normally takes a few hours and we will notify you by email when finished.

When will the fundraiser be approved?

It normally takes a few hours to review a fundraiser, but it might take a little longer if many fundraisers have to be reviewed at the same time. We will send you an email once the fundraiser is approved / not approved.

What happens if the fundraiser is not approved?

It is very unusual for fundraisers to be rejected/not approved. Reasons might be that the fundraiser has missing content, or that texts, photos or videos are of a wrong format or can be viewed as offensive by the SPONSOR.ME audience. If this happens we will ask you to edit your fundraiser and resubmit it for review. You will keep your first place in the queue.

What should I do in the meantime?

While we are reviewing your fundraiser, take the time to plan on how to get the maximum exposure when the fundraiser is approved and published. Once the fundraiser is approved, you can start marketing it. Your success depends on your effort and creativity. Do not be shy, be proud!

Send an email with a link to your fundraiser or an actual letter with the QR code to your family and friends and ask them to be ready to donate the day you launch. This way, people visiting your fundraiser's page will see that you already have had a great start and they will be more likely to donate.

We have drafted an example for you. Just remember to replace MY-NAME and NAME-OF-RECIPIENT with the names of your supporters.

Dear NAME-OF-RECIPIENT,
Today, I focus on my sports more than ever before. In order to fund and reach my next goal, I am creating a fundraiser on WWW.SPONSOR.ME. In this context, I hope you can support me as soon as it is launched. With your support, my fundraiser will get a rocket launch and will have a higher chance of attracting more people to donate to it. I will let you know as soon as the fundraiser is up and running. Thank you!
Best wishes,
MY-NAME

Sharing a fundraiser

The essential element of fundraising success is sharing. Once your fundraiser is approved and published, you can share it.

There are several ways to share a fundraiser. You can simply visit your fundraiser's page and press the Share button at the bottom of your screen, or log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Share" in the pop-up window.

Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc

Share your fundraiser's page with family members, friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Ask them to make a donation and to share your fundraiser with their friends and followers.

We have drafted an example for you to use. Remember to replace MY-FUNDRAISER-ID with your fundraiser's public URL.

Dear all! Please visit and support my fundraiser on WWW.SPONSOR.ME/MY-FUNDRAISER-ID I rely on the power of friendships to get me to the next level of my sports ambitions. Even small donations bring me closer to my dream. Thank you :D

Did you know? Sharing a fundraiser through Facebook is the most popular and effective way to get sponsors.

Message services: WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger etc

Contact your friends on WhatsApp, Viper, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger and ask them to support your fundraiser. Also ask everyone to forward the link to their friends. Let the word about you spread across the networks!

We have drafted a sample message you can use. Remember to replace MY-FUNDRAISER-ID with your fundraiser's public URL.

Hi! Please have a look at my fundraiser on WWW.SPONSOR.ME/MY-FUNDRAISER-ID. I hope you can support me and my dream. I rely on the power of friendships and social media to get me closer to my goal. Thank you a lot! :D

Email

Send an email to all your contacts and ask them to support your fundraiser. Ask your family members to reach out to their contacts and spread the word.

We have drafted a sample message for you to use, just remember to replace NAME-OF-RECIPIENT, MY-FUNDRAISER-ID and MY-NAME with your recipient's name, your fundraiser's public URL and your own name.

Dear NAME-OF-RECIPIENT,
Today, I focus on my sports more than ever before. In order to fund and reach my next goal, I am creating a fundraiser on WWW.SPONSOR.ME/MY-FUNDRAISER-ID and I hope for your support. All donations are highly appreciated!
PS: Please like, follow and share the fundraiser so that the word spreads ;)
Best wishes,
MY-NAME

SMS / Text message

Text your family and friends and ask them to visit and support your fundraiser on SPONSOR.ME.

We have drafted a sample message you can use. Just remember to replace MY-FUNDRAISER-ID with your fundraiser's public URL.

Hi! Please have a look at my fundraiser on WWW.SPONSOR.ME/MY-FUNDRAISER-ID. I hope for your support :D

Embed

If you run your own website, we recommend that you embed the fundraiser onto your site to spread the word and let your visitors see your progress in real time. The snippet also has a "Donate" button, encouraging people to click and support you. Simply copy the code-snippet below and paste it on to your website. Remember to replace MY-FUNDRAISER-ID with your fundraiser's public URL.

<iframe height="360" width="200" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.sponsor.me/embed.jsp?id=MY-FUNDRAISER-ID"></iframe>

Posters

Design one or more posters and ask for permission to put them on the wall of your training facility, your school or the nearest shopping center. Remember to add some text, a good photo and your fundraiser's unique SPONSOR.ME address.

Flyers

Create and print a few hundred flyers and distribute them to visitors at your local shopping center. Remember to add some text, a good photo and your fundraiser's unique SPONSOR.ME address.

Media

Do you have a unique story? Have you achieved remarkable results in your sports or outperformed everyone in your age group? Or, maybe your road to success has been paved with struggle? Contact your local media and ask them to share your story and the link to your fundraiser with their readers, listeners and/or viewers.

Running a fundraiser

Remember to to keep your fundraiser alive with updates to encourage more donations. Otherwise, your followers and potential sponsors will lose interest.

Say "thank you"

Always remember to thank your sponsors by mentioning them on your social media (e.g., by tagging them in Facebook and Twitter posts), or by emailing or texting them.

Write something like this:

Thank you very much for supporting me and my fundraiser. I really appreciate your help. It means a lot to me. Best wishes!

Updating your diary

We highly recommend that you post regular updates on your fundaiser's diary, preferrably every second day. It does not need to be much; a few words and a photo of what you have been doing lately or what you are planning to do would be enough.

To create a new post, simply log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Diary" in the pop-up window. Follow the instructions to create a new post.

Payout / Withdrawal

You can withdraw your collected donations as soon as your fundraiser has ended. On SPONSOR.ME, you will receive all the money raised regardless of whether your fundraiser has reached the goal or not.

To request a payout, you can log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Finance & Payout" in the pop-up window. Thereafter, follow the instructions to proceed.

Payout method

Depending on your country, we offer various ways of transferring the raised funds to you (bank transfer, PayPal and others). On average, the payout process takes 4-7 business days before the money can be seen on your account. SPONSOR.ME does not charge for payouts. However, please note that our payment providers may charge a fee per payout.

Personal information

Due to guidelines and local and international regulations, we need to gather information of the contact person, any promoted athlete, and the account holder. The information provided is for review only, and will be stored safely and never be shared with anyone, except in case of reporting and tax audits.

Identification

To make sure the personal information is correct, we may ask you to upload photos or scanned copies of one or more valid identification documents, e.g. driver license or passport. Our Customer Service team might, in special cases, also ask for a copy of a utility bill, e.g. phone subscription. As with the personal information, the files uploaded are for review only, and will be stored safely and never be shared with anyone.

Forms

Due to regulations, users may be asked to fill in and sign a form (e.g. W9 for US citizens) when withdrawing funds. The information provided will be stored safely and sent to a local government for reporting and tax purposes.

Ending a fundraiser

First of all, your fundraiser will not stop automatically when the goal date has been reached. Thus, sponsors who visit your fundraiser a little bit late can still support you. If you want the fundraiser to be stopped completely, log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Stop"/"Pause" in the pop-up window.

Payout / Withdrawal

Remember to request a payout to withdraw the last remaining donations.

Update your diary

Post an update in your fundraiser's diary to thank everyone for their support. If you choose not to stop your fundraiser after the goal date, we recommend that you continue posting updates in your diary on a weekly basis. This way your followers and sponsors will feel appreciated and support your next fundraiser as well.

Say "thank you"

Tell your family, friends and social media followers about how much you appreciate their support and how you are now planning to spend the money raised.

Frequently Asked Questions

We have collected and answered the most commonly asked questions for fundraisers.

Who can start a fundraiser on SPONSOR.ME?

As long as the purpose of the fundraiser fits the vision of SPONSOR.ME, anyone with a relevant sports project can create a fundraiser on SPONSOR.ME. SPONSOR.ME reserves the right to reject any fundraiser that does not live up to the purpose of the platform or is suspected to be of a deceiving or inappropriate nature.

What kinds of fundraisers can I create on SPONSOR.ME?

We only accept fundraisers within sports. All fundraisers must be approved by our quality-assurance staff before being eligible for receiving donations.

How do I create a fundraiser?

To create a fundraiser, simply press here, click "Start a fundraiser" in the top menu, or go to sponsor.me/start.

Why should I use SPONSOR.ME to fundraise for sports?

There are more than 50 reasons why you should choose SPONSOR.ME over other well-known fundraising services. Our employees are experts in sports. We offer the most user-friendly service on the market. We work only with well-known banks and payment service providers to ensure the safety of your funds. We also offer athletes, teams and sponsors a wide range of payment and payout options. And, we have some of the lowest fees on both donations and payouts.

How much does it cost to start and run a fundraiser on SPONSOR.ME?

It is completely free to start and run a fundraiser on SPONSOR.ME. To cover operational and administrative costs, we will deduct a small fee from each donation in addition to the payment providers' charge.

How do I start a successful fundraiser?

We recommend that you read Planning a fundraiser and Starting a fundraiser. When ready, use our Genius Wizard to auto-generate a draft of the fundraiser with texts and visuals in a matter of seconds.

How much time does it take to start a fundraiser?

By using our Genius Wizard, you can start a great fundraiser in less than a minute. Fill in your contact details and, voila! - You are ready to submit your fundraiser for review.

Why does the fundraiser have to be submitted for review before being published?

We review each fundraiser to ensure that it contains all the necessary data, that the information is correct and that the content is not offensive. We do this, because we want SPONSOR.ME to be a trustworthy, pleasant and safe service to use. The review process normally takes a few hours and we will notify you by email when finished.

How much can I fundraise/collect?

There is no limit to how much money you can collect, but we recommend you to focus on a smaller and more specific part of your project and thus a more reasonable financial goal, i.e. $500 to attend a tournament or $1,000 to buy new equipment. This way, you and the sponsors will feel more confident that you will reach your goal, and you both will stay motivated throughout the entire fundraising period.

How do I share my fundraiser?

There are several ways to share a fundraiser. You can simply visit your fundraiser's page and press the Share button at the bottom of your screen, or log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Share" in the pop-up window.

How and when do I get the collected funds?

You can withdraw your collected donations as soon as your fundraiser has ended.

To request a payout, you can log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Finance & Payout" in the pop-up. Then follow the instructions to proceed.

Who can donate and how?

Anyone can support your fundraiser. Depending on your fundraiser's country and the location of your sponsor, the sponsor will be presented with one or several payment methods, e.g. VISA/Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, or bank transfer amongst others. Please note that fees may apply.

How does a recurring donation work?

A sponsor may choose to support a fundraiser for several months by selecting a recurring donation. If so, the sponsor's credit card will be deducted once every 30th day for the number of month selected. This will continue to happen even if the fundraiser has reached its goal and/or has ended.

What happens if the fundraiser reaches its goal?

Nothing happens. The goal amount is only symbolic, and the fundraiser will continue accepting donations. Interestingly enough, it often turns out that athletes get even more sponsors when their fundraiser exceeds the initial goal.

What happens when the fundraiser's duration is over?

Your fundraiser will not stop automatically when the goal date has been reached. Thus, sponsors who visit your fundraiser a little bit late can still support you. If you want the fundraiser to be stopped, log on to your SPONSOR.ME account, click on your fundraiser and select "Stop"/"Pause" in the pop-up window.

Will the collected funds be paid out even if the goal is not reached?

Yes, of course! The collected donations are yours, even if your fundraiser has not reached the goal. You can request a payout by logging on to your SPONSOR.ME account, clicking on your fundraiser and selecting "Finance & Payout" in the pop-up window. Thereafter, follow the instructions to proceed.

What?! You couldn't find the information you were looking for? Contact our Customer Service. We'll make sure you'll get the support you deserve.