Raise to Win: How last year's winners raised over $260,000!

"The money raised via the 2017 Team Challenge went to great lengths to make it affordable for our players to travel during the school year. Each player was able to save almost 400 dollars off the trip via FlipGive."

- Khalil Ajram, Coach of Trent Rugby Sevens

During last year's Team Shop Challenge (known as Raise to Win this year), over 5000 teams competed to win prizes totaling over $10,000! In just five weeks, our top teams earned over an incredible $260,000 to help with travel, new equipment, and so much more.

Let me show you the top winners and share how they were able to win as examples on how YOUR team can crush Raise to Win.

 

FSBA Rampage 12U, Raised $12,307

The FSBA Rampage have been playing together for the past three years. This community of players and parents shopped till they dropped all month long, and we were so thrilled to have them as our top prize winners, woohoo! According to team mom Melissa Hanesworth:

“Fundraising has always been a difficult task. We’re busy sports families with almost no extra time available to raise money, especially over the holiday season. We found a wonderful solution with FlipGive, and this prize money will help fund our spring tournament fees!”

This speaks to a lot of moms and dads on FlipGive and why they decided to use our site. Baseball is more than a sport, to this team and probably to yours too it’s a way to teach balance and a great opportunity for players to develop their skills on and off the field. "Although baseball is our common thread for coming together, there is not a focus on winning at all costs”, says Hanesworth. "Teamwork, respect, love for the game and a real family atmosphere – those are the things that keep us here.”

Their top brands:

Schwan’s, Dicks Sporting Goods and Nike

 

Trent Rugby Sevens, Raised $10,906

The Trent Rugby Sevens are an athletic club based out of Peterborough, Ontario. They've been playing together for the past four years, and they were super excited to be our second place winners!

They raised over $12,000 during last year’s Team Shop Challenge, what a huge win! They worked hard to raise money to attend the Tropical International 7s Rugby Festival. According to their coach, Khalil Ajram:

"All of our members are university students, so as you can probably imagine, getting the funds we need to attend tournaments can be a challenge. Some of our players even have to take on extra jobs to cover the cost of playing. But, no matter what, we find a way to get back on the field. Playing on the team helps with the stress of school, and many of our players who are in the same program have met through the team and study together after practice.”

Even after the contest ended, they kept going strong! They raised an additional $2,500 and have earned over $15,000 to date and are well on their way to hitting their $20,000 dollar goal. Pretty awesome right?

Their top brands:

Amazon.ca, Sport Chek, Indigo and Apple

 

SP Select, Raised $5,461

For these boys, being on a team together is all about having fun and learning lessons along the way. According to coach Mike Amrhein, "As coaches, we're trying to give them the guidance, teach them lessons on and off the field and surround them with good baseball people”. This is why news of their Team Shop Challenge third place win couldn’t have come at a better time. “We had been hoping to run winter training and attend tournaments to prepare for the upcoming season, and our winnings will help us provide that to our players at a reduced rate.”

The team raised over $6,000 long before their season even started. “I always tell people that starting early is the key to success”, says Amrhein. This has proved to be the truth time after time. Mike and his team always get a head start long before the season starts and has won the Team Shop Challenge twice in the last 3 years.

“We all did our holiday shopping through our campaign page, and we just saw the dollars coming in. We get to provide a financial break for our team, and focus more on creating memories.” Think ahead about your opportunities to win and get a head start or a chance to earn even more. 

Their top brands:

Nike, Under Armour, and Applebee’s

We couldn't be more proud of last year's winners, and cannot wait to see what all our teams will be able to do for the Raise To Win Challenge 2018!  I know what you're thinking, there's no way my team can earn as much as these guys have. But the truth of the matter is, you CAN. These are teams no different than YOU, so let's get you up on that leaderboard!

Here are some hot tips to help you win Raise To Win:

1. It's never too late to start, create a team and invite your team members!
2. Donate to yourself to help get you started and show your team the ropes.
3. Send out daily or weekly reminders to your team on your feed to keep them motivated and keep their eye on the prize.
4. Use and download the FlipGive app to shop and earn easily at the tip of your fingers.
5. Buy your teacher's gifts (gift cards) now, you're going to buy them anyways right?
6. Download FlipGive Max to help fetch your cash back earnings on your desktop.
7. For those shopping via desktop, set FlipGive as your homepage or even bookmarked for easy access.
8. Share your team link with supporters; family, friends, you name it. Their contributions can help you get up that ladders.
9. The most important, keep your team engaged and talk to each other! 
10. Book a call with our in-house Personal Fundraising Coaches to make the most of these 4 weeks.

[earners]

Good luck, and I look forward to writing and interviewing your team as this year's winners soon!

 

Want to start your own and start raising? Click here to get started!