For Fundraising Managers

• 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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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>

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.