Imagine a world where your fundraising efforts aren’t reliant on your ability to complete a grant form or solely on collections from your supporters and members.
A fairer place where the number of people supporting your ambitions is the main determining factor of it success, and even better the amount you raise can be doubled to help you make these ideas happen!
We’re all familiar with how grants can be distributed, especially how it leaves you feeling when it's unsuccessful or even when it’s been successful! We've been there before you've got a great idea, but can't quite express it well enough convince enough people to part with the full amount. You needed £10k, but only received £4k, so you're stuck trying to make up the difference or another failed application. As it becomes more difficult to get the additional funds.
So what if this was all the other way round? What if your idea was pre-approved for funding and you need to just show that it's needed by the club or the local community. How would there be a fair way of doing this, as all club's would take a free brand new clubhouse or facilities if they collected a few hundred signatures, even if they didn't really need it.
So there needs to be a balance... letting 'demand' be the determining factor to drive whether an idea happens and the amount of funding.
Match Funding or Extra Funding is becoming very prevalent in the sports Crowdfunding world and it's surprising many people how effective it can be. Especially when ideas can be judged or even cancelled if they don't capture the support of your crowd. You can just go again with a new idea, nothing ventured nothing gained.
Just this week Crowdfunder have announced that there is now up to £7.5 million available through their funding partnerships with Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport Northern Ireland and British Cycling… an impressive list! But how does it all work!
The idea of match funding, is actually fairly simple.
As a club, you set your goal of what you are looking to achieve and the monetary value required. Create a simple but well thought out Crowdfunder page. Explore the match funding options that are available and apply through a simple online form. If approved, then the partner will back your project idea in line with their terms and conditions.
Simply put, if you’re looking to raise £10k and have a partner matched. Your club and supporters will only need to raise £5k and the rest will be matched by the partner.
The best bit is your not even limited to just one match funding partner. If more than one of their partners agrees to back your project, you could be getting more money from different sources. Even some that are very unexpected!
Is this the future of grants? Absolutely, more and more grant givers are now exploring the idea of matchfunding. As it allows them to be the good guys all the time. No rejections or negative press, as it's down to you to make it work.
The criteria is more simple to follow and they can easily judge the need for the project by the number of people supporting it.
So if you've got an idea and you think people will like it, nows the time to see you can secure a match funding partner.
Find out more about Crowdfunder's matchfunding opportunities
Contact us at SF Sports Marketing about running a successful Crowdfunder project and how we can help.