Dues and registration fees only cover so much. Whether your sports team or league needs to pay for new uniforms, equipment, travel, or scholarships, the right fundraisers can help you raise the money you need to make this season a home run.
But if fundraising feels like a hassle to you, you’re not alone—that’s where team fundraising platforms come in! These apps and solutions are designed to help teams like yours raise the money they need as quickly and easily as possible. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about team fundraising platforms, including:
- What is a Team Fundraising Platform?
- Essential Features of Team Fundraising Platforms
- Top Online Fundraising Platforms for Sports Teams
- How to Use Team Butter: The #1 Team Fundraising App
Let’s start with the basics so you can start raising the dough your team needs in no time.
What is a Team Fundraising Platform?
A team fundraising platform is a software solution designed to simplify the fundraising process for groups. Whether you’re raising money for a sports team, school club, or another small community group, these solutions make it possible.
While team fundraising platforms come in all shapes and sizes, the key capability they share is the ability to process payments for your team so you can raise money. Instead of dealing with cash and coordinating all the logistics yourselves, you can safely accept payments through the platform, making fundraising easier for everyone.
Essential Features of Team Fundraising Platforms
Before we get into our list of the top platforms, let’s discuss some of the criteria we used to rank them. Your team needs a solution that’s easy to use, affordable, and has a few crucial functionalities to make raising money a breeze.
In particular, you should prioritize team fundraising platforms with these key features:
- Easy, fast set-up: Coaches, parents, and players shouldn’t have to spend hours setting up their fundraisers or profiles. The best platforms will have your team up and running in minutes so you can start fundraising right away.
- Customizable fundraising pages: Fundraising as a team typically means each participant contributes by raising money individually for the common goal. To do so, each team member needs a personal fundraising page to share with friends and family. Make sure your platform can host these easily and lets players customize their pages.
- Built-in donation/supporter tracking: With multiple participants raising money at the same time, you need a way to track both individual and group progress. Your system should do this automatically, making it easy to see fundraising totals throughout the process.
- Mobile-friendly fundraisers: Supporters shouldn’t have to struggle to use your platform, either! Software with mobile- and user-friendly fundraising pages helps you engage anyone visiting them on their phones (and boost total fundraising revenue!).
- Social sharing tools: Many platforms can help your team reach a wider audience with built-in social media sharing buttons and other communication tools. This means participants and supporters only have to click a button to spread the word about your fundraiser!
To make sure your chosen platform has these features, explore the provider’s website, read customer reviews, and request free trials. You can even start using some platforms right away with no cost commitment!
Top Online Fundraising Platforms for Sports Teams
Now that you know what you’re looking for, let’s explore our picks for the best team fundraising platforms.
Team Butter
The Team Butter app makes running online product fundraisers easy for any team or group. Quickly create online fundraising pages for team members and sell popular snacks like popcorn right from your phone. Get set up in minutes and run your fundraiser for as many days or weeks as you like. There’s no minimum order size, no cost, and no hassle. It’s just fundraising done right!
With our app, all you have to do is set up your fundraising pages and share them with supporters, and we handle the rest! Your supporters get delicious food products shipped to their homes and a free digital discount card with every purchase, and your team gets the money it needs to thrive.
Check out this video to see our top team fundraising platform in action:
Pros of this platform:
- Completely free to access. There’s no cost to create a Team Butter fundraiser or participate in one. It’s easy—you run the fundraiser, and your team receives 50% profit from every product you sell.
- Incredibly easy to set up and use. You can start fundraising with our app in minutes. Once an organizer signs up and downloads the app, they share a link with team members who can create their pages and start sharing them immediately.
- Free fundraising pages with leaderboards. Each fundraiser participant can customize their own fundraising page or “online store.” Every page is easy to navigate and includes a leaderboard. Check out a sample store to see what yours could look like.
- Exciting product options. Your team can choose to sell discount cards, popcorn, cookie dough, and more. We’ve even got new products on the horizon, so stay tuned!
- High profits for your team. Every Team Butter fundraiser ends with your team receiving 50% of all sales profit.
- Ability to expand your reach across the U.S. Since our fundraisers are 100% online, your team can sell products to any supporter nationwide.
Our platform is specially designed for online product fundraisers, so it won’t be the best fit if you’re dead-set on hosting a walk-a-thon or just want basic donation pages. However, we believe any fundraiser can benefit from adding on product sales—why not open the door for extra opportunities to raise money for your team?
No more door-to-door sales or messy order forms. With Team Butter, you can run an easy, profitable fundraiser from the palm of your hand.
RallyUp
RallyUp mainly serves larger organizations and nonprofits, but they work with small groups like sports teams, too. With this team fundraising platform, your team can create custom-branded fundraising and donation pages to easily raise money online. You can also run events like raffles and a-thon fundraisers—you can even start a livestream!
Pros of this platform:
- The free option has no upfront costs or financial commitment
- Instant fundraiser templates speed up page creation
- Option to have a fundraising expert review your campaign and provide tips
Cons of this platform:
- Charges your supporters a platform fee (called “Donor Tipping”) when they donate
- Not designed with small teams’ needs in mind
Mightycause
Mightycause is another nonprofit platform that offers free fundraising tools for smaller organizations. With Mightycause, your team can create online fundraising pages, run peer-to-peer campaigns, and even host events. Pages are completely customizable, giving you free rein over what your fundraiser looks like.
Pros of this platform:
- Fundraiser templates to help team members build their pages faster
- Leaderboards, event features, and tools to highlight team sponsors
- Extra team management tools in the backend
Cons of this platform:
- Free plan is only available to registered 501(c)(3)s
- To access team fundraising features, pricing starts at $119/month
FundRazr
This team fundraising platform lets you host free peer-to-peer fundraisers online. With FundRazr, you can access unlimited campaign pages, registration forms, and donation reporting. However, if your team is looking for anything beyond basic fundraising pages, you’ll need to choose another platform.
Pros of this platform:
- On-page leaderboards, fundraising thermometers, and social sharing buttons
- Customizable forms, waivers, and registration fees
- Fundraising pages come with About and FAQ tabs to answer supporters’ questions
Cons of this platform:
- Peer-to-peer/crowdfunding only
- Must pay payment processing fees and let donors tip the platform
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is one of the most popular online fundraising options for individuals and small groups, such as sports teams. This solution lets you create crowdfunding pages quickly and promote them with a variety of sharing features. It’s a simple, no-frills approach to team fundraising for groups looking for a basic option.
Pros of this platform:
- Free to use, with a 0% platform fee
- Easy, fast set-up
- Multiple social sharing options
Cons of this platform:
- Crowdfunding only
- No individual fundraising pages for participants
Donately
Donately is another team fundraising platform that focuses on online crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising. This solution lets you create fully customized donation pages for your team and individual members, and they say their forms convert 28% more donors than other options.
Pros of this platform:
- Customizable donation pages and forms
- Simple, fast set-up
- Built-in donation reporting dashboards
Cons of this platform:
- Peer-to-peer/crowdfunding only
- $19/month to access team fundraising features
Givebutter
Givebutter’s platform helps teams and nonprofits raise money and host events online. Their free system includes fundraising pages, donor management tools, and auction-hosting abilities. Givebutter is another provider that doesn’t charge platform fees if you turn on optional tips to the platform.
Pros of this platform:
- More comprehensive team fundraising platform
- Mobile app allows you to easily accept donations in person
- Real-time social feed on your fundraising pages
Cons of this platform:
- Must pay platform fees if you turn off optional tipping
- Additional platform fees for different features
99Pledges
If your team wants to host a pledge fundraiser, 99Pledges is a good option. This free platform helps you host walk-a-thons, 5Ks, and other fundraisers that require participants to collect pledges for donations. It’s easy to set up and flexible for a variety of fundraising events.
Pros of this platform:
- Fast, easy set-up
- Designed for small groups like sports teams, clubs, and schools
- No costs or fees beyond a standard transaction fee
Cons of this platform:
- Pledge fundraising only
- Not as customizable as other options
Give Lively
GiveLively supports digital, event, and peer-based fundraising for nonprofits and other organizations. This platform’s team fundraising option lets you quickly create online fundraising pages for your team and each player. The full solution also comes with text-to-donate tools and event management features.
Pros of this platform:
- Unlimited team and individual fundraising pages
- Ability to set personalized fundraising goals
- Live donation tracking thermometers and leaderboards
Cons of this platform:
- No way to turn off optional tipping
- Longer timeframes for receiving donations
BetterWorld
BetterWorld’s team fundraising software helps sports teams run crowdfunding campaigns, host auctions and giveaways, and manage event tickets from the same platform. You can choose from several campaign options with pre-made templates and customizable branding. This platform even supports in-person fundraising if your team is interested.
Pros of this platform:
- Free solution with no platform fees
- Can host a variety of types of fundraising campaigns
- Fast and easy set-up process
Cons of this platform:
- Must let supporters tip the platform
- Some groups have received supporter complaints about fees
Bonfire
Bonfire is a unique option that supports one type of campaign: t-shirt fundraising. This team fundraising platform lets you set up a merchandise store, design team t-shirts, and sell them to supporters online. Orders get shipped directly to your supporters so your team doesn’t have to worry about delivery.
Pros of this platform:
- T-shirt and hoodie design tools
- No upfront costs or commitments
- Printing and shipping are managed for you
Cons of this platform:
- T-shirt fundraising only
- Longer timeline for receiving payments than other providers
How to Use Team Butter: The #1 Team Fundraising App
Now that you’ve reviewed your options, let’s dive a little deeper into how fundraising works with our top choice for team platforms: Team Butter. The process is simple and hassle-free, making it easy for your team to get up and running right away.
Once you’ve decided to work with Team Butter, all you have to do is follow these steps:
- Set up your virtual fundraiser. Sign up using our website or mobile app, then follow the prompts to choose a product and create an online fundraiser for your team.
- Share your fundraiser with your team. You’ll receive a link to share with individual participants, which they’ll use to set up their personal fundraising pages in minutes.
- Players share their stores with supporters. Each participant shares their page with friends, family, and extended family using easy social sharing tools (email, text, and social media) and unique links.
- Supporters buy products, and your team gets paid. Your supporters can browse the online store, choose their favorite products, and get them shipped directly to their homes. Once the fundraiser’s over, 50% of all sales profits go to your team!
With our team fundraising platform, you’ll raise money for your team while giving supporters something they love in return. Better yet, you can run the entire fundraiser from your cell phone to cover team costs in no time.
Getting Started with Team Fundraising Websites
Fundraising for your sports team or small group doesn’t have to be hard work—you don’t even need to break a sweat. With the right platform at your fingertips, your team can get set up fast and raise the money you need without all the hassle.
Want to learn more before you dive into the team fundraising process? Check out these additional resources:
- 45+ Game-Changing Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams. If you’re not sure what type of fundraiser to host, explore our list of the best fundraising campaigns and event options for teams like yours.
- Popcorn Fundraising Made Easy. 100% Online. 50% Profit. Learn more about Team Butter’s popcorn fundraisers and how they can make a difference for your team. Browse our flavors, view a sample store, and get started here.
- Raise More Money with a Digital Coupon Card Fundraiser. What supporter doesn’t want discounts on dining, entertainment, and travel costs? Discover our discount card fundraisers and start one for your team.
