Words by Smiley Team
Not long after protests toppled the short-lived elite Super League, fundraising platform Crowdfunder announced that football fans have raised £4 million for their communities since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since introducing virtual ticketing, clubs and fans realised this was an incredible fundraising opportunity to support local charities. Fans of Salford City, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Tranmere Rovers used recent matches to raise money for charities in their communities, each organising virtual ticketing fundraisers on Crowdfunder.
“At a time when the lack of fans inside the grounds is hurting the game, financially and culturally, it reinforces the old adage that ‘football without fans is nothing’,” stated the platform.
“They remain the centre of everything that’s great about the game, but the pandemic has shown that there are new ways to reimagine the experience.”
Among the initiatives to contribute to the funds fans have raised, Sunderland’s charity, the Foundation of Light, supported the club to raise over £170,000 for four local charities. They successfully mobilised nearly 10,000 fans, players and ex-players, helped by local businesses; to offer the organisations much needed funds, especially due to the impact of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, their opponents, Tranmere Rovers, collected £50,000 to combat food poverty and mental health issues on the Wirral, with the help of the Tranmere Rovers Trust.
Portsmouth also turned to the platform creating a fundraiser for its official charity, Pompey in the Community. At the same time, Salford City selected four charities to benefit from its own fundraiser, promoted by co-owners Gary Neville and David Beckham on social media.
Supporters of Chelsea Women created their own fundraiser to support two local charities and managed to reach over five times their fundraising target.
“As a tool Crowdfunder enables people to come around the things that matter to them and in football, that drives meaningful fan engagement. It’s so much more than an online bucket shake or a meaningless marketing line,” stated the platform.
The fundraisers generated an impressive level of support for the clubs. “The key to their success was giving back,” stated the platform. “Crowdfunder is more than just giving, and rewarding pledgers with a keepsake is an effective way of encouraging support.”
Crowdfunder is a social enterprise and platform for initiatives to raise funds. It has waived its fee for the duration of the pandemic, supporting charities that are struggling through the pandemic.
Start your own Crowdfunder and kick off an initiative to drive positive change here.
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