Fundraising Advice

Why Sports Teams Need a Specialized Fundraising Platform

Author:
Peter Hair
-
Fundraising technology expert, Co-Founder of GalaBid
Updated:
January 16, 2025

Sports team fundraising goes beyond simple donations— the most successful campaigns engage supporters with a range of interactive tools like silent auctions, raffles, and ticket sales.

Platforms must provide:

  • Mobile Accessibility: Allow all supporters from parents,  fans, and athletes to participate from anywhere.
  • Secure Payments: Ensure donor trust with secure, PCI-compliant transactions.
  • Custom Branding: Represent the team’s identity with customizable pages.
  • Flexible Fundraising Options: Auctions, raffles, donations, and hybrid event support.

🥇 1. GalaBid – Best All-in-One Sports Team Fundraising Platform

Why GalaBid Stands Out as the go-to fundraising platform for Sports Teams:
GalaBid is a comprehensive fundraising platform built for sports teams in 2025. Whether you're running a small-school fundraiser or a large-scale club event, GalaBid makes fundraising simple, effective, and engaging.

✅ Key Features for Sports Teams:

  • Mobile Bidding & Donations: Perfect for on-the-go supporters, making fundraising events more inclusive.
  • Raffles & Silent Auctions: Engage fans with competitive bidding and interactive raffles.
  • Ticket Sales Integration: Sell tickets for fundraising events directly through the platform.
  • Customizable Fundraising Pages: Highlight team colors, logos, and personal stories.
  • Real-Time Leaderboards: Keep the excitement high with live donation and bidding updates.
  • Low Fees & Transparent Pricing: Flexible pricing options with donor-covered fees available.

Best For: School teams, amateur leagues, professional sports clubs, and travel teams.

🥈 2. OneCause – Great for Large Events, Limited for Team-Specific Fundraising

Key Features:

  • Strong auction tools with mobile bidding
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising available
  • Limited branding customization for sports teams

Best For: Larger charity auctions at fundraising gala events but less flexible for smaller, community-based sports fundraisers.

🥉 3. Givebutter – Good for Small-Scale Team Fundraising

Key Features:

  • Free platform with optional tipping
  • Basic donation pages with limited customization
  • Simple ticketing features but no advanced auction tools

Best For: Smaller teams or local youth sports organizations with basic fundraising needs.

🏅 4. Zeffy – Fee- Free But Limited Features

Key Features:

  • 100% fee-free platform relying on optional donor tips
  • Simple campaign pages without advanced features
  • No auction or raffle tools

Best For: Basic donation-based fundraisers but lacks sports-specific tools like auctions and ticketing.

🎖️ 5. 32 Auctions – Basic Auction Platform

Key Features:

  • Simple silent auction platform
  • No mobile optimization or hybrid event tools
  • Limited real-time engagement features

Best For: Small-scale silent auctions with minimal complexity.

🏆 6. Classy – Professional Fundraising Tools for Larger Organizations

Key Features:

  • Great for larger non-profits and professional teams
  • Advanced donor management features
  • Higher pricing structure for premium features

Best For: Professional sports teams or larger clubs with advanced fundraising needs.

🏅 7. Handbid – Strong Auction Features But Less Flexible for Sports Teams

Key Features:

  • Mobile-friendly auction tools
  • Limited donor management and event ticketing
  • Higher fees for advanced features

Best For: Auction-based sports events but limited beyond auctions.

🎖️ 8. Fundly – Basic Crowdfunding Tool

Key Features:

  • Crowdfunding focus with simple donation pages
  • No auction or raffle features
  • Basic design customization

Best For: Simple donation-based fundraisers.

🏆 9. Snowball Fundraising – Good for Simple Donations

Key Features:

  • Text-to-give tools for simple donations
  • Limited design flexibility

Best For: Basic fundraising campaigns with minimal event requirements.

🏅 10. Soapbox Engage – Solid for Peer-to-Peer Campaigns

Key Features:

  • Good peer-to-peer fundraising tools
  • Limited auction functionality
  • Designed more for non-profits and educational institutions over sports teams

Best For: Peer-based fundraisers but lacks sports team-specific features.

🎯 Why GalaBid Outperforms the Competition for Sports Teams

✅ 1. Tailored for Sports Fundraising Events

Unlike other platforms, GalaBid offers complete flexibility for:

  • Team fundraising events
  • Equipment fundraisers
  • Travel expense campaigns
  • Season-opening kick-off events

✅ 2. Engages Fans and Boosts Participation

With features like mobile bidding, real-time leaderboards, and QR code access, GalaBid ensures maximum participation, even from remote supporters.

✅ 3. More Than Donations

While many platforms focus solely on donations, GalaBid offers a full suite of fundraising options:

  • Live and silent Auctions
  • Raffles and prize draws
  • Ticket sales for events
  • Direct donation campaigns

✅ 4. Transparent Pricing and Flexible Plans

Unlike platforms that charge hidden fees, GalaBid provides transparent pricing with donor-covered fee options, making it ideal for sports teams on a budget.

✅ 5. Unmatched Support and Campaign Health Checks

GalaBid offers live chat support and campaign health checks, ensuring teams get personalized strategies to maximize success.

Whether you're raising funds for a local youth team, a high school squad, or a professional club, GalaBid offers the most complete set of tools for successful sports fundraising campaigns. Its mobile bidding, raffle tools, and event ticketing features make it the standout choice over competitors like OneCause, Zeffy, and Givebutter.

📢 Ready to Raise More for Your Sports Team?


Boost your sports team fundraising efforts with the #1 platform built for results. Launch your campaign today and score big for your team!

More advice articles about Fundraising

About GalaBid

Ideal for donations. Perfect for Raffles. Awesome for Live and Silent Auctions! GalaBid’s online fundraising platform is designed for fundraisers of all types and sizes. For over 10 years we’ve been helping non-profits, charities, community clubs, churches, schools, and individuals to raise more and make a difference.

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