The London Jr Mustangs Purple team is an enthusiastic group of 10-year-old boys and one girl from London Ontario. They play A/AA hockey for the London Jr Mustangs Purple team in the Alliance division. They are an amazing group of kids who show great comradery, terrific sportsmanship, and an outstanding dedication to their sport. The team has started the year very successfully with two tournament wins, one in Stratford and the Collingwood Huronia tournament.
If there was one word to describe this team it would have to be: strategic! Why, you might ask? Off field, they use FlipGive, a team funding app allows them to earn money on their purchases at more than 600+ retailers and restaurants. Megan Rigby, the owner of the team on FlipGive, quickly became FlipGive savvy and went through all the ways she could to raise money for the team.
6 months after: Their FlipGive campaign has 49 members, referred 3 different teams, raised over $5452 and are one of our Raise to Win Shopping Challenge winners with $1619 raised.
So how did they do it?
Megan insists on the fact that the magic trick to their FlipGive success was to slowly bring everyone on board. It all started with Megan feeling frustrated by traditional fundraisers. Just like many FlipGive teams that we know (and that you know too!), they have tried many fundraisers to raise money for player development and team building activities. Chocolate fundraisers, penny auctions, hockey pools... You name it, they have done it!
However, Megan felt like coercing families and friends to buy things they didn't really need and she even admits to resulting to buy the items for herself and giving them away. This pushed her to look for an easier fundraising alternative and that is how she stumbled across FlipGive on Google. She tried it out on her own and quickly saw the potential it could have if the entire team was using the app proactively. She brought it up at one of the team meetings and everyone agreed to start using FlipGive. They started small at first, 5 parents were regularly purchasing gift cards to eat out and making household purchases on Amazon, but when the rest of the team realized how quick and effortless it was to raise money, they got hooked as well!
5 Tips to Success
1. Educate, Educate, Educate!
" When the others saw how quickly we were earning money I had a lot of interest! I made sure everyone knew how to join and use the app." said Megan. This one seems obvious but you'd be surprised by how many team members don't use FlipGive to its full potential due to a lack of knowledge. There are so many things you can do to raise money and it's important to inform everybody of the team about it.
2. Explore the things you can buy with FlipGive
There is so much you can buy with FlipGive! This is something that this team has understood and mastered perfectly. Gift cards to eat out at restaurants around you: Check. Your weekly Amazon order: Check. Gas gift cards: Check. No matter what your needs are, take the time to browse on FlipGive because chances are, we carry a lot of the stores you already shop at.
3. Participate in FlipGive's contests and events!
" The Raise to Win contest really helped to motivate us though – especially after we came second in week one!" said Megan. What is more motivating than extra rewards for your team's efforts? The London Jr Mustangs Purple team made an effort to participate and raised $1600 leading them to score first place in the Raise to Win challenge and win over $1500 in cash! There are constantly new events and winning opportunities on FlipGive to motivate your team to earn even more. Make sure you follow us on Facebook to stay tuned and participate to Raise to Win, Bonus Cash Events, Referral Promotions or even our Weekly Give Contest!
4. Tell your friends and family... and other teams!
The next step to raising even more money was to tell people who were willing to support the team. "I even had family and friends that were happy to join since they were buying the products anyways." said Megan. Many people also quickly heard that the London Jr Mustangs Purple were raising lots of money and that was the perfect opportunity for the team to use their referral code to make even more money!
5. Take advantage of big merchandising events
Last but not least, Megan tells us that one of the great ways to make money through FlipGive is by using it during big merchandising events. "I did my back to school shopping with FlipGive and have already put a big dent in my Christmas shopping." said Megan. Motivate and remind your team to use FlipGive when you know they are already going to spend money. For example, remind them to do their Christmas Shopping, decorating and hosting through FlipGive for this Holiday season and you will raise a lot of money as a result!
Their favorite retailers: Amazon, SportChek, Under Armour, UGG, Indigo, ESSO, the Ultimate Dining Card and Jack Astor's.
New to FlipGive? Start earning money for your team here.
Want to share your team story with us? Send your story at [email protected] to be featured in one of our team highlights!
** Please note that this team is from Canada and the retailers/brands/gift cards mentioned might vary for US.