With the help of a new coordinator, this youth sports booster club experienced a resurgence in its fundraising efforts.
Despite being available since 2010, RaiseRight remained a largely untapped resource for Pride of Illinois, a youth sports gym offering programs for gymnastics, cheerleading, power tumbling, and more. Few families knew RaiseRight existed—let alone how it could significantly reduce their child's expenses.
Things turned around in 2023 when Katy L. took the helm as RaiseRight program coordinator for the Pride Kids Sports Booster Club, which alleviates families' costs for uniforms, gear, coaching, competitions, and travel, and funds scholarships for those in need.
Since stepping into the role, she's transformed RaiseRight into a game-changing fundraising tool for families, increasing participation from nearly nonexistent to an impressive 40% of booster club families actively engaging. And in just one year, she’s increased RaiseRight orders and earnings by 25%, making a noteworthy difference for young athletes and their families.
Katy and her daughter have been active with Pride of Illinois for over eight years, but it wasn’t until just a few years ago that Katy, to her surprise, realized that their booster club had a RaiseRight program.
Having used RaiseRight previously to fund her daughter’s middle school trip to Washington, D.C., Katy understood the value and potential the program could offer. She wanted to revitalize Pride’s approach to RaiseRight by leveraging her past experience.
"When the booster club leadership changed hands, I saw an opportunity to do more with the program since I was already familiar with it. I was eager to promote it better and open up participation to extended families," Katy comments.
Under Katy’s leadership, the booster club fast-tracked its success with RaiseRight. How did she make it happen?
The biggest challenge holding Pride Kids Booster Club back? Awareness. Like Katy, many parents had no idea RaiseRight even existed.
So, Katy placed a strong emphasis on communication and advertising. "Word-of-mouth is powerful. I also post in our private Facebook group and make announcements at meetings."
She ensures RaiseRight is top of mind year-round, regularly sharing the program's benefits, reminding families about physical gift card orders, and celebrating contributions to the scholarship fund. During high-earning seasons like Christmas, she ramps up outreach so every family knows how to maximize their earnings.
At booster club meetings, Katy regularly shares the amount raised as public knowledge. As a strong advocate for transparency, she lets the numbers speak for themselves: "People have to see the impact," she explains. "In 2024, we raised $17,000 through RaiseRight alone! Every dollar adds up, and that money directly supports our kids and funds scholarships. When families see those numbers, they start paying attention."
New booster club families also receive detailed breakdowns of how much the gym earns through other fundraisers, like concessions, and how those funds are distributed.
Katy integrates RaiseRight with dine-to-donate fundraisers. She takes full advantage of RaiseRight’s flexibility and how it seamlessly works with other fundraising ideas and day-to-day activities, like dining out.
"We love doing fundraisers with Texas Roadhouse because of their high earnings on RaiseRight and how they frequently go on bonus," Katy mentions. "We earn 20% from the restaurant, and by paying with eGift cards, we get an additional 8 to 13% back!"
Katy aligns RaiseRight with families’ schedules, habits, and preferences.
When competition season starts, Katy features airline and travel brands such as Marriott. "I promote hotel brands with higher earnings to make it easy for families to book travel."
She also knows what resonates with families and tailors her messages appropriately. "Starbucks is always a favorite, and teens love shopping at places like American Eagle. Once families see how much they can earn with their favorite brands, they’re more motivated to use it. And when parents realize their earnings directly support their child and their fees, they’re hooked."
Since Katy took over, Pride Kids Sports Booster Club has seen a steady stream of RaiseRight earnings for their organization.
In 2023, the group placed over 2,000 orders and earned nearly $14,000. By 2024, they increased orders and earnings by 25%, bringing in over $17,000 for fee reduction and scholarships.
"We don't receive direct funding, so RaiseRight is crucial for our scholarships. We allocate 10% of earnings to scholarships, which may seem small, but it adds up. These scholarships are vital for families who might not otherwise be able to afford our programs," Katy explains.
When families use RaiseRight for both everyday expenses and big-ticket items, their earnings often cover 100% of their fees for the next month. Some parents have even shared with Katy that the savings helped them afford other necessary expenses.
In addition to funding scholarships and fees, RaiseRight earnings cover fun activities for the gym's youth. "We have budget for extra goodies, like picnics or an ice cream truck in the summer. It gives the kids something to look forward to after practice!"
Pride of Illinois Phoenix is crowned the champion of the 2019 XSmall Senior Coed 5 D2 Summit.
Source: EverythingCheerMagazine.com
Katy has truly mastered the art of RaiseRight, and her success is a testament to the power of strategic planning, consistency, and transparency. She’s not just a dedicated coordinator but a dedicated participant, and anyone can learn from her approach. Here are a few ways she maximizes RaiseRight earnings for her family:
"We're big on cruises, and RaiseRight partners with many cruise lines! Our family is going on a cruise for my daughter's birthday, and the money we earned back—over $500—covered a full month of our gym fees."
Katy also uses RaiseRight to support her son, who commutes to college. "Instead of sending him money for food and gas, I just give him gift cards."
And when she forgets her wallet, RaiseRight comes to the rescue. "Sometimes I accidentally leave my wallet behind, but it's not an issue! I just open the RaiseRight app, buy an eGift card, and I’m good to go—problem solved."
If you manage fundraising for a sports team or athletic organization, you can start a free program by completing a short, online enrollment form.
Or, if you're looking for more information to share with others in your organization, check out The RaiseRight Fundraising Playbook to see how RaiseRight can benefit your group.