The Power of Convenience!

Sometimes it’s not always about the big production fundraiser, it’s about opportunity.

It came to the attention of St Eunan’s GAA club that the biggest problem organisers of the Donegal Rally had was finding accommodation for rally goers.

The subject was discussed by the club but it wasn’t until two weeks out from the rally Vice Chairman of St Eunan’s, John Haran, thought they should give it a go - The club grounds, O’Donnell Park, was now the official campsite for the Donegal Rally 2016.

As time was tight someone was brought in to help with promoting the campsite, by simply making a Facebook page and promoting it through this and their club Twitter account, the online bookings soon snowballed.

“At the 11th hour I decided to give it a go. That was about 2 weeks out and at that stage we thought most people had their accommodation booked etc. Online booking was going ok but I didn't have time to push it on Facebook or the expertise. The club Treasurer then decided to get someone on board who could push this…this proved to be a master stroke as the bookings began to flood in.”

With just two weeks of promotion the club managed to bring in around €12,750 from online payments alone!

There were more funds generated through cash payments, club bar and club shop. By bringing people to the club grounds it gave the club the opportunity to make the most of their bar and shop facilities.

“The online booking was great as it gave us a lifeline… The experience with KlubFunder was excellent and Ryan was always on the ball to help out.”

The power of social media promotion and the convenience of paying online is clear to see from the dramatic increase in bookings following the creation of a Facebook page to promote the campsite. People nowadays are constantly checking their social media pages and can pay for something in seconds, the success St Eunan’s had in such a short space of time is evidence of how powerful online fundraising can be.

This just shows what can be done with an eye for opportunity and a little work. The club has made a lot of money in a short space of time and now has something to build on for future years as they will be able to plan ahead and really make the most of the Rally weekend.

Why Do We Love Sport?

Volunteers are the lifeblood of local sport, without them there just simply wouldn’t be any sport!

Behind any functioning sports club is a small army of people who volunteer countless hours of their time to ensure the survival of their local club.

Just what is it that drives these people to give up so much of their precious time to contribute to a local sports club?

You could start with how entertaining sports are, it’s great to have your favorite sport played close to home, or how sport is a distraction from our daily lives…but I think it runs deeper than that.

Sport inspires even the most cynical of us, makes us believe in the seemingly impossible, for example, Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League Final where they were hopeless in the first half going in 3-0 down to AC Milan. Three goals in six second half minutes turned the game on its head and Liverpool went on to win on penalties.

For a split second even the Everton/Man Utd fans where on Liverpool’s side that night, though that will never be admitted…….EVER!

Or

The story of an unlikely hero doing something extraordinary. My favorite example of this is the story of Jason McElwain. Jason McElwain is autistic, he was his high school basketball team’s manager. After a few years of fetching water and towels, the coach lets him suit up for the last game of the season. With four minutes left the coach puts him in, he goes on to score six three pointers in a row, 20 points in total. The scenes are something else, something that only sport could do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMjmzhF5320  give it a watch!

There is simply nothing that can bring a community together like sport can. How many times have you been having a relatively awkward conversation with a stranger before sports comes up and you end up blabbering and being late for something?

Sport provides common ground for people to get to know each other. In local communities many of the volunteers have played very little sports in their lives, but they are extremely passionate about their clubs and their sport. There are countless examples of communities pulling together to fundraise for clubs on the brink of folding, sports clubs give the whole community a common goal to work towards and give a real purpose to everyone in the community.

Simply put, volunteers work hard to keep more than sports clubs alive…they keep the community alive!  

So for that…

What is #Kash4Klubs?

We have been talking a lot about out our #Kash4Klubs campaign lately, so what exactly is it?

#Kash4Klubs has been established to do exactly what it says on the tin – make cash for clubs!

KlubFunder and Find Insurance NI have teamed up to bring this fundraising opportunity to local sports clubs. All the clubs have to do is refer their members to purchase insurance through Find Insurance NI.

For every policy each club member takes out their club will receive £20 for the initial sale and a continuing payment of £5 for each renewal.

Who are Find Insurance NI?

Find Insurance NI was founded in 1972 as a locally based family run business and as you probably guessed, they help you find the cheapest insurance quote tailored specifically for your needs.

With Operations Director Colin Mullan having a background in sport he understands what goes into the running of clubs and was delighted to get the #Kash4Klubs campaign up and running with us.

Success So Far?

Middletown GAA in Armagh have so far reaped the benefits of the scheme. They have already received their first donation from Find Insurance NI. 

Vincent Mallon, committee member and coach with the club had this to say:

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to both Find Insurance NI and KlubFunder.com for setting up this fantastic campaign.

“The donated funds will be used towards the much needed redevelopment of club facilities. Thank you again from all of us at Middletown GAA.” 

Upon handing over the cheque, Colin had this to say: 

"We’re delighted that Middletown GAA have already benefited from our #Kash4Klubs Campaign.

Seeing our donation go towards the redevelopment of club facilities, goes to show how much of an impact the campaign is already having on local sports clubs across Northern Ireland.

“We were taken aback by the response we’ve had towards the recent launch of our #Kash4Klubs Campaign and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s in store over the next coming months.”

KlubFunder founder Stephen Convery has high hopes for the campaign:

"We have huge expectations for the #Kash4Klubs Campaign and we’re thrilled to see that it’s already making a difference. We would highly recommend any local sports club to get involved.

“Well done to Middletown GAA, we can’t wait to see how the donation will benefit the club.”

Fancy Getting Involved?

Getting involved is simple and easy. 

1. Register your club with KlubFunder.com - Registration and all of our fundraising services are absolutely FREE!! So why are you not registered anyway??

2. Once registered your club can start promoting the #Kash4klubs campaign to their members, all they have to do is quote #Kash4Klubs when calling Find Inusrance NI. 

So What Are You Waiting For?

Scared Of Digital?

For clubs the digital world can seem difficult and intimidating, which explains why a lot of clubs are not taking advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

“But where do I start, what do I do?”

Anywhere! Really, just pick somewhere and make a start. It could be your website, social media or it could be a simple e-mail. Pick a tool you already have that’s easily accessible and try that out first. 

Try something small like creating an online newsletter that can be e-mailed to your members.

Remember that you’re not trying to change the world, make your first move and use it as a stepping stone to find your feet. The more comfortable you get the more you can experiment with different avenues, the important thing is….GET STARTED!!

Fundraising Idea : Bubble Ball Footie Tournament

The latest craze sweeping the Ireland and the UK, a mixture of zorbs and five-aside football. Its different and its fun. Why not run a five-aside bubble ball tournament as part of your fundraiser.

You can raise funds by charging an entry fee per player and also asking each team entered to reach a fundraising target. The winning team can be given a prize, though bragging rights alone should be incentive enough. Why not run the event across the rest of the clubs in your league to add some local rivalry?

How to play?

Just like football, bubble football is played on a grass pitch of regulation size, with goalies and a referee. Often, time is kept according to regulation play, or games are simply ended when everyone has run and bounced themselves to exhaustion, or when everyone is laughing too hard to play anymore.

Have a look at the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=140&v=iZ-TfzjS9j0

For more details get in contact with BubbleBallNI at:

http://www.bubbleballni.co.uk/
e: bubbleballni@gmail.com
p: +44 (0)7927 900089

Fundraising Idea :Car Boot / Garage Sale

Get the word out to your club members to donate all their unwanted / unused items to the club for an annual car boot / garage sale fundraiser. Its a great low cost way of raising funds for your club. There is little or no outlay for the club as all items are donated, so all proceeds of the sale go to the club. So its win-win all round:

- Club members get to de-clutter the house of those unwanted items
- The club raises funds on a one off event and can repeat it annually.

Why not run it outdoors on a warm summer day on your local rounds and combine it with a barbeque or cake sale??

Fundraising Idea : The Kube / Cube Fundraiser

The Cube is a relatively new fundraising event based on the popular ITV game show.

How does it work? Club members volunteer (or are volunteered) to take part in the event and they raise sponsorship for the club. On the night, they enter The Cube where they will undertake various tasks competing against other members. The winners of each heat progress through to the next round until there are only two members left that compete in a final round to win a prize.

The Cube fundraising event, will entertain your members and guests while raising funds for your club or association.

Funds can be raised for the club in a number of ways:

Ticket sales
Sponshorship - A main sponsor and also sponsors for each round
Program Ads between heats
Drink sales from the bar    
Betting on the night

Specialist event groups are available to provide the equipment and guidance to run such an event. An example of a group offering this service are the Fundraising Events Group in Ireland

http://www.fundraisingevents.ie/kube.html