Fundraising Through a Pandemic: Engaging a Sports-Hungry Fan Base

Arizona State University partners with Fund Raisers Sports to engage the Sun Devil community while benefiting Covid-19 Relief

By: Carlie Dawson & Cody Van Vliet


Dear Faithful Readers,

We hope that everyone and their loved ones are staying safe during these unprecedented times. Once it is safe to do so, we are optimistic that sports will be bigger and better than ever and our industry will bounce back in full force. For now, please stay healthy & safe, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything that we can help you with!

On this edition of the Selling It feature, we take a look at how the Fund Raisers Sports teamed up with Arizona State University to provide fans the opportunity to leave a legacy at ASU while also raising money for COVID-19 Relief and the ASU Athletic Department.

Best,

Carlie Dawson

Marketing and Communications Manager

carlie@sports-forum.com

P.S. – Don’t forget to stay engaged with us on social media! Follow @NatlSportsForum on TwitterInstagramLinkedin and like us on Facebook!


PROGRAM TITLE

Fundraising Through a Pandemic: Engaging a Sports-Hungry Fan Base


OBJECTIVES

Empty campuses, on-line classes, virtual graduation, and fans & donors stuck at home. Arizona State University’s Athletic Department, like many other organizations, grappled with the issue of needing to continue to engage their fans. But the looming question remained – how can you sell and fundraise during a pandemic? Michael Meitin, Associate Athletic Director of Ticket Sales, Service and Operations at Sun Devil Athletics, found that not only are fans happy to accept calls, but are eager to help their favorite program stay afloat during these unprecedented times. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Fund Raisers Sports, a pioneer in engraved brick legacy programs for donor recognition and fundraising with over 100 professional and college team clients, partners with Arizona State University to aid fundraising. Universities and athletic departments are facing a difficult reality around engaging donors during this difficult climate, while looking to replace missing revenues. To combat frozen spending, Fund Raisers Sports is deferring all upfront setup costs through September 2020 for any university or professional team foundation starting a donor legacy program. “Teams across pro and college sports are beset by challenges on all sides as a result of this pandemic, but we know fans and donors are craving engagement with their teams. We want to ensure our programs are more accessible than ever before so Fund Raisers Sports can help these teams ensure a lasting, meaningful connection with their fans even in the absence of live events,” says Fund Raisers Sports’ Director of Partnership Development Michael Scotto D’Abbusco. It’s their hope these programs, traditionally a significant revenue stream and now available with no out-of-pocket costs, produces funds during this COVID-19 era that could help save athletic programs, support scholarships and community engagement initiatives, and generate much-needed cash while also donating some of the revenue to COVID-19 relief funds.  

(Pictured is a photo of 2020 graduation legacy bricks that are available for purchase now)

PARTNERSHIP

Utilizing a partnership with Fund Raisers Sports that began just before this last football season, Arizona State University has had the ability to give donors a life-long connection to the Sun Devil community through their brick program. With COVID-19 developments, Arizona State has taken the opportunity to not only push their program to engage their fans from a far, but also aid in relief as they are donating 20% of the proceeds from their brick program to COVID-19 relief.

Michael Meitin, Associate Athletic Director of Ticket Sales, Service and Operations at Sun Devil Athletics, stated, “As an anchor institution in the Valley community, ASU and Sun Devil Athletics are fundamentally committed to the overall health and well being of the people we serve. We also recognize our fan base is looking for ways in which they can help out. This unique program allows us to give our fans a way to not only support our student athletes, but also the community as a whole.” Fans are loving the chance to leave their legacy. ASU alumni Barbara McWilliams seized the opportunity to honor her son who graduated this year, but was unable to walk during graduation due to the COVID-19 restrictions. McWilliams stated, “I am an ASU graduate from 1986. My eldest son graduated in 2015. Austin is my youngest son and graduated this May. It’s unfortunate that he cannot walk for his 2020 graduation but this is a reminder of the times and his permanent imprint on this university.”

The partnership between Fund Raisers Sports and ASU allows both programs to help their communities during this unprecedented time while also giving fans a chance to leave their legacy at the doorstep of Sun Devil Stadium.

LOOKING AHEAD

Fund Raisers is offering this promotion through September of 2020, with the ability of their partners to launch their initiative through the end of this year. Through these uncertain times, Fund Raisers Sports will continue doing everything in their power to help athletic departments and team foundations remain funded and provide teams with the opportunity to engage fans and donors from the comforts of their own homes with the support of a proven, essentially, risk-free concept with no costs to implement. Arizona State University is looking forward to helping support their community during the pandemic and ensuring their athletic teams are back to competing when it is safe to do so.

CONTACT

For more information regarding Fund Raisers Sports, please visit www.fundraiserssports.com/COVID19 or contact Michael Scotto D’Abbusco, Director of Partnership Development, at michaels@fundraiserssports.com.

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THE NSF SALUTES OUR PARTNER

Daktronics offers the most complete line of integrated electronic scoring and display products available, including scoreboards for all sports and all levels of competition, and the latest programmable display systems that incorporate LED (light emitting diode) technology.

No other company can provide truly integrated systems like Daktronics. From the largest video screens in the world, to small displays above ticket windows, to scoring and statistics systems for nearly any sport, Daktronics delivers. Other companies purchase third party components and attempt to make them communicate and work together. Daktronics systems are designed and manufactured to work together to improve effectiveness and operating efficiencies for teams and venues.

LED video technology from Daktronics offers superb picture clarity, color uniformity and reliability. Many different sizes and configurations are available for indoor and outdoor use, Daktronics high resolution displays and control systems are HD-ready. Daktronics scoring and display systems are currently operating at 27 National Football League venues, 26 Major League Baseball parks, 19 National Basketball Association arenas, 20 National Hockey League venues, and more than 1,000 collegiate facilities across the country.

Daktronics has sold more than 3,700 full-color LED video displays and has installed tens of thousands of scoreboards and displays in 95 countries worldwide. The company offers truly integrated scoring, video and sound systems with complete after-sales support.

Contact 
331 32nd Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006
P: 1-800-DAKTRONICS (325-8766) | www.daktronics.com