Start a fundraiser for volleyball in 10 minutes
On the beaches of Bali, a New Year's volleyball camp turned the last days of 2022 into more than a training week. The Beach Box community had raised money at their Zanzibar camp the year before, for our local team adoption hub leader David Neeke and his Play Positive Academy.
In Bali, where volleyball is played on almost every street corner and balls wear out fast, they set up one page, shared it with the people around the court, and raised more than $2,500. That was 166 per cent of their target, spent on balls and equipment for the local volleyball community. The highest donor took home a signed match jersey from Aleksandrs Samoilovs.
"Volleyball has given us everything, so why not give back to it?" the Beach Box team says.
The camp had a reason, a page and a group of people who love the same sport. That is all a fundraiser needs. If you want to start a fundraiser for volleyball, here is how to set one up on our fundraising platform in about 10 minutes, and what the pages that do well have in common.
Beach Box Camp Bali raised 166 per cent of its target with one page and the people around one court.
Before you start: your reason and your goal
Every good page starts with one sentence: why you, why now, and what the money builds. "I'm turning 30 and I want 30 friends to put balls in hands in Mindanao" works. "Please support a good cause" does not.
Then pick a goal. Our fundraising goals run from equipment and materials for our schools, through a month of coaching support and a contribution to an outdoor court, up to a full team adoption. Our guide to the five goals explains each one.
Choose the goal your network can reach. You can always raise the target once you pass it.
How to start a fundraiser, step by step
Go to our fundraising platform and choose Start fundraising. The site works in English and Dutch.
Choose how you take part. Individual, a new team, or joining a team that already exists. Clubs and squads do best as a team: each player gets their own page and every donation counts towards the team total.
Create your account. Your name and email address, so you can log in and update your page later.
Set your target. UNICEF UK reports that pages with a target raise around 17 per cent more. Pick a number your circle can reach.
Write your story. Three or four sentences: who you are, why volleyball matters to you, what the money builds. Pages with a personal story raise far more than pages without one.
Add a photo of you. On a court, with a ball, in your club shirt. Pages with a profile photo attract around 262 per cent more donors, according to Enthuse data shared by Mind.
Make the first donation yourself. It sounds odd. It works. JustGiving reports that pages where the owner gives first raise around 29 per cent more, and a page that already shows a donation feels safe to join.
That is the 10 minutes. Then the real work starts: telling people.
Start small. Send your page to five or ten of your closest people first: family, your best teammate, your coach. A page that already shows a handful of donations gives everyone after them a reason to join. Only then share it with the wider group.
Share it where your people already are
Your best donors already know you: teammates, family, your coach, parents from the club. Send personal messages before you post anything public. A personal message to one person lands harder than a story seen by 500.
Copy this, change the words, send it:
Hey [name]! I'm raising money for [goal] with Let's Keep The Ball Flying, so kids in [place] can play the sport we love. I've put in the first [amount] myself. Would you join me? [link]
Every page has its own QR code. Print it on a poster for the club noticeboard, put it on the screen at your next home game, add it to your email signature.
Post updates on the page as you go. Pages with an update attract around 73 per cent more donors on the same Enthuse data. A photo from training, a message when you pass halfway, a thank-you when you hit target: each one gives someone another reason to share.
The last two weeks matter most. Plan a final push: a second message to the people who said "later", a story from the court, a deadline.
A few things people ask
What currency is it in? Pages run in euros. Credit cards work from anywhere, so friends in the US, Italy or the Philippines can give without trouble.
Fundraising from the United States? Email us at info@lktbf.org before you start. We can set up a dedicated fundraising page in US dollars for you, built for your club, school or event.
What is the extra amount at checkout? The platform asks donors for a voluntary contribution to its costs, offered as 10%, 15% or 20% of the donation. Donors who would rather give it all to the cause choose Other and enter 0. Say so in your message if your donors are new to it.
Can donors stay anonymous? Yes. Anyone can hide their name from the public page.
Can I run a raffle? Check local rules first. In the Netherlands and many US states a paid raffle needs a permit. Pledges, entry donations and auctions are simpler and just as much fun. A thank-you prize for the highest donor, like a signed shirt at a live event, is fine; a random draw among donors counts as a lottery.
Say thank you, then show what it built
Thank every donor personally, and soon. Pages that thank donors attract around 59 per cent more donors, and around one in ten donations arrives after the event itself. When your goal is reached, we share back what it built, so you can close the loop with everyone who joined you.
Your court, your page
Beach Box Camp Bali did it with one page and one community. Your club, your birthday or your next tournament can do the same. Start your page, pick your goal, and bring your people with you.
Every page you start puts balls, coaches and courts within reach of a team that is waiting to play.
Read next: What your volleyball fundraiser builds: pick your goal. See what each goal builds before you set your target.
