Fundraising as a Team: How to Boost Teamwork and Revenue

In many ways, fundraising is like a big sports game. It takes a full roster of staff members, donors, and volunteers to secure a win—your fundraising goal—for your team. As you compete for donors’ attention, you’re up against barriers that prevent them from donating, like a lack of awareness or engagement. In the end, success is defined by how well you and your team work together to achieve your shared goal.

Whether you’re fundraising for a nonprofit startup or a Little League team, you must know that teamwork and fundraising go hand-in-hand—the more efficiently you work with your team, the more you can raise. Let’s talk about the best ways to incorporate teamwork into fundraising and how you can maximize revenue together.

The pinnacle of your fundraising efforts is the activity itself. Hosting a fun run or walk-a-thon, for example, rather than simply asking people to visit a donation page, will get your team excited to fundraise—and donors, too!

Think outside the box when deciding what type of fundraising activity you’ll host. For example, popcorn fundraisers are highly successful because they’re unique and widely popular. After all, who doesn’t like popcorn? 

With the right platform or product fundraising partner, you can launch this creative fundraiser in four simple steps:

1. Set up your virtual fundraiser. Sign up with a fundraising platform that can facilitate popcorn fundraisers.
2. Share your fundraiser with your team. Invite team members to create their own profiles on your fundraising platform and explain how they can start fundraising.
3. Players share their stores with supporters. Encourage your team members to share their fundraising store with friends, family, and community members through a personalized link.
4. Supporters buy popcorn and you get paid. Support your team members as they secure popcorn sales from donors. The proceeds are split between your organization and the fundraising platform, and popcorn ships right to supporters’ doors!

Popcorn fundraisers are great examples of easy-to-run campaigns that yield high returns for your team. However, there are plenty of other creative fundraising ideas that your whole team will be on board with. Test out different ideas to see which ones donors are most responsive to, and ask your team for their opinions.

Every strong team is composed of players who perform well in their specific positions, and the same goes for your fundraising team. Roles may vary depending on the type of campaign you host, but most fundraising teams need:

• Event or campaign planners. This team coordinates the logistics of your event or campaign. For example, what venue will you use for your in-person event? Do participants need to sign a waiver?
• Marketers. This team handles your website, social media platforms, and other marketing channels to spread the word about your fundraiser.
• Stewardship coordinators: To bolster your supporter community after receiving initial donations, a member or committee of your fundraising team should be dedicated to cultivating relationships with donors.

When assigning these roles, lean into team members’ strengths. For example, a volunteer with professional marketing experience can offer expertise when optimizing your website. As Double the Donation explains, skills-based volunteering can improve your results while providing more fulfilling volunteer opportunities for your team members.

Although team fundraising can be challenging, the right software will simplify many of the tasks involved. Team fundraising platforms offer a variety of tools to enhance collaboration and streamline processes necessary for your team to reach its fundraising goals.

Essential features you should consider in these platforms include:

• Customizable fundraising pages. The platform should make it easy for each member of your team to create their own, personalized fundraising page. They’ll need user-friendly tools and plenty of customization options.
• Social sharing tools. When the time comes to spread the word about your fundraiser, team members and donors should be able to easily share fundraising pages on their social channels.
• Payment processing. According to Team Butter, fundraising platforms come in all shapes and sizes, but the key capability they share is the ability to process payments for your team so you can raise money.

Many team fundraising platforms offer online demonstrations or live consultations with the software provider so you can scope out the solution’s features before purchasing it.

Clear communication is essential for ensuring every team member is on the same page. Your team will appreciate transparency around your fundraising goals, efforts, and progress—and so will your donors. Transparent communication also supports effective financial management by ensuring every transaction is accounted for accurately.

To maintain clear communication within the team, you should:

• Use multiple channels. You’ll need a way to directly contact individual team members, as well as group channels where the team can collaborate. Consider also implementing a team newsletter or similar outreach where you can share updates that don’t need responses.
• Establish regular check-ins. Especially when your team members are conducting fundraising themselves, make sure to check in with them regularly. Offer support where needed and answer questions as they arise.
• Ask for feedback. Identify areas where your fundraiser could be improved by asking for team members’ opinions. For example, a recreational basketball coach could ask for players’ input on future fundraising ideas or preferred communication channels.

Above all, remember to keep your communications positive! Team members should feel like you’re happy to be working with them, and they’ll need encouragement as they fundraise on your behalf.

The most important thing you can do to bolster a strong sense of community during team fundraising is to show your appreciation for their efforts. Thank everyone involved, including your team members, volunteers, and donors. 

Also, encourage your team to thank their peers. Team members could thank each other, or individual fundraisers could thank their donors. A shared attitude of appreciation will strengthen your fundraising team as a whole.