One of the biggest mistakes organizations make in sponsorship sales is treating the signed agreement as the finish line. It’s actually the starting line. You’ve identified a business partner. You’ve agreed on the financial commitment. You’ve promised certain benefits. Now comes the most important part: Delivering on those promises. Too many organizations spend months securing a $5,000 or $10,000 sponsorship, only to communicate with that partner again when it’s time to renew.

Every season, coaches build a roster, create a schedule, develop a training plan and establish goals. When a new coach is hired, they usually start with zero alumni and/or donor relationships. When it comes to fundraising, too many coaches and programs start over at zero. New campaign. New spreadsheet. New list. New scramble. Then they do it all again next year. And then they do it all again with the next coach. That’s not a fundraising strategy. That’s an annual emergency.

One of the biggest mistakes athletic programs make is defining supporters only by how much money they give right now. Honestly, that's so short-sighted, and is more transactional than it is relational. Consider the former student-athlete who can’t make a meaningful financial contribution today—but is willing to mentor a current player. Or the parent who can’t write a large check—but can introduce you to the company where she works. Or the alumnus/alumna who hasn’t donated—bu

One of the unfortunate realities of college athletics is that not every former student-athlete leaves with a perfect relationship with their coach, their program, or even their institution. Sometimes relationships change. Coaches disappoint us. Administrators make decisions we don’t understand or agree with. Programs evolve in directions we wouldn’t have chosen. And occasionally, people walk away feeling like the place they gave so much to no longer feels like their place at

Asking for Money. And if that makes you uncomfortable, that's ok, and now this is the opportunity to fix that, because... The best fundraising campaigns start before the ask. Most athletic programs are 'episodic' and begin fundraising when they need the money. The strongest programs begin building support long before they need to make the ask. That means creating simple, consistent habits throughout the year: Share team and individual student-athlete accomplishments Highligh

When an athletic program falls short of its fundraising goal, the natural reaction is often: “We need to ask more people.” Sometimes that's true. But sometimes the real problem isn't the size of the audience. It's what you're telling them. Consider the typical fundraising message: 'Please support our team.' That's just an ask. Now compare it with: 'Your support will help us purchase 30 new uniforms, cover transportation to three additional competitions and ensure

“I don’t mind being the tip of the pyramid…I just don’t want to be the whole pyramid.” I received this invaluable perspective from a prominent program donor when I first got into fundraising, and it still stands true to this day. One of the easiest ways for an athletic program to hit a fundraising ceiling is to rely on the same loyal donors year after year. Those supporters are incredibly important. But sustainability requires growing the circle—not simply asking the existing

🏆 CLUB & RECREATIONAL SPORTS DESERVE A BETTER WAY TO FUNDRAISE. Across colleges and universities, club and recreational sports programs are doing incredible things and having transformative experiences—often with limited budgets and significant financial constraints. And when teams need more resources, they’re often told to fundraise on their own. The problem is that these efforts can be time-consuming, inconsistent and less successful than they should be. And because the fu

Athletic organizations often begin sponsorship sales by asking one question: “What companies should we contact?” There’s a better question to ask first: “Who already has a connection to us?” Before buying lists, sending hundreds of cold emails or chasing the biggest companies in your market, take inventory of the relationships that already exist around your program. Look at your alumni. Your parents. Your board members. Your coaches. Your vendors. Your former athletes. Your d

One of the conversations we have regularly with coaches at Fundraise4U is about alumni relations. Not transactional fundraising. Not just asking former players for money. Relationships. Your alumni are the history of your program. They wore the uniform before your current players. They experienced the wins, losses, bus rides, practices, friendships and moments that created the culture you inherited. And whether they graduated last year or 40 years ago, most still want to fee

This week, I had the chance to reconnect with a good friend—someone I’ve known for more than a dozen years. From the beginning, he has...

It’s funny how time flies when you’re working your tail off. All of a sudden, five amazing years have passed since we founded...

I am not a handy person. I cannot change my oil by myself, and I know it. My main role as a child when it came to ‘assisting’ on home...

A simple calendar. This is one of the most valuable tools that costs your organization virtually nothing to put together, but it can...

My first boss and mentor in college coaching, Matt Cushing, always told me that it was his role as our head coach was to help me (his...

Over the past several weeks, our hearts have been breaking for our friends in college, high school and club athletics, seeing playing...

The world changed, and we needed to change with it. Does this sound familiar? We at Fundraise4U.net were fortunate to have worked...

Organizations of all ages and levels have been confronted by the sheer reality that they need to develop a secondary plan for revenue...

You picked a hell of a time to start a new business, didn’t you? The (many) people who have asked this question...they have a point,...