Mobile Giving Helps Indy Eleven Soccer Foundation Score Big [Case Study]

The Indy Eleven Soccer Foundation partnered with Givelify to utilize mobile giving at their first fundraiser, held at the team’s annual pre-season Kickoff Ball.

Indy Eleven Professional Soccer, the North American Soccer League team located in Indianapolis, Indiana, recently formed the 501(C)3 Foundation with a mission to:

Provide Indiana youth with positive experiences by supporting educational, soccer and other athletic programs and facilities, all of which promote healthy lifestyles and character development in underserved communities.

They set a goal of $2,000 for the four-hour event with team merchandise and ticket rewards offered at various tiered giving levels. Each level was associated with what that donation would provide, showing the tangible results of every gift.

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Promotion Drives Mobile Giving

The Foundation used the Indy Eleven’s well-established social media channels as a means to promote the event and fundraiser. In the weeks leading up to the event they included instructions on how to donate both via the mobile giving app and the Foundation’s website.

They also created a custom graphic outlining the tiered giving rewards and directions for how to download and donate via the app. This graphic was included in social media posts, printed out as postcards distributed on all the tables and at the bars, and shown in rotation on a large projection screen throughout the event.

The D.J. emceeing the event gave regular reminders over the P.A. including updating attendees on how much had been raised. He also directed people’s attention to monitors throughout the facility showing a Givelithon, the real-time readout of donations.

There was also a press release announcing the event and the partnership with Givelify. According to the release:

Partnering with Indianapolis-based app company Givelify, the Kickoff Ball will have a donation element to this year’s festivities benefiting the foundation.

Through the app, Indy Eleven fans and partners have the opportunity to donate and be entered to win various prizes including Indy Eleven gear, tickets, a player meet-and-greet, and more, with different donation levels offering different chances to win. Through Givelify and the Kickoff Ball, the Indy Eleven Foundation has a chance to continue accomplishing the larger goal of providing opportunities to underprivileged youth in Indianapolis and across the state.

The Foundation made sure to customize their mobile giving app profile with a cover image reflective of the event. They added a custom giving envelope called “Kickoff Ball” so donations would be credited to that event. Finally, they added the address of the event facility to their account’s physical location, ensuring donors would easily be able to find their profile using location services.

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Results

The $2,000 goal was exceeded just over halfway through the event. Several donors also took advantage of the ability to set up recurring donations.

Since Foundation staff were able to monitor donations in real time, they were able to give out the merchandise donation rewards instantly.

Key Takeaways

To make the most out of mobile giving for your fundraiser, here are the lessons you can learn from the Indy Eleven Soccer Foundation’s success:

• Start promoting your mobile giving capability via email, social media, and press releases well in advance.
• Create images instructing attendees how they can use the Givelify app to donate.
• Update your app profile to highlight your fundraiser, including a cover photo and giving envelope.
• On the day of your event, set your organization’s physical location to the facility’s address.
• Show donors exactly what their contributions will provide.
• Provide instant thank-you rewards.
• Utilize a Givelithon on screens and monitors to show real-time giving and engage donors.
• Make regular reminders during their event.

Congratulations and Thank You

Team Givelify offers our congratulations to the Indy Eleven Soccer Foundation for a successful event. We hope this case study will be a model to help other charitable organizations increase their giving.