Revitalizing Community Spirit: Roe Green Tennis Club’s Crowdfunding Journey

Hidden in the suburbs of Manchester, Roe Green Tennis Club was facing a significant challenge. Their courts had deteriorated over the years, leading to a substantial repair bill that the small club struggled to meet.

We caught up with Martin Kast from the club to talk about how they used Crowdfunder to raise the money they needed.

“We are a small club in Manchester. Over the last couple of years, our courts have deteriorated. Last year, we ran a really big fundraising campaign to raise money to refurbish the courts,” Martin explained.

The club’s initial fundraising efforts laid the groundwork for essential repairs. However, as the project progressed, it became clear that more improvements were needed—new fencing, upgraded maintenance equipment, and other enhancements. This realization led them to Crowdfunder.

“On top of that, we have now just finished our Crowdfunder campaign to add additional funds with match funding from Sport England and Salford Council as well,” Martin shared.

The simplicity of the Crowdfunder platform, combined with the excellent support provided, made it an obvious choice for the club. The application process was straightforward, especially for the Sport England funding. The club was able to ask questions beforehand, attend webinars, and draft their campaign early on to receive feedback.

“It is initially a one-page application online, especially for the Sport England one. There was the opportunity to ask questions beforehand. We went through the webinars first, had a look at how it is structured, did the application really early on while drafting our campaign with Sport England to get some feedback on the form, which came very quickly and was very clear on what they thought needed to be added or improved on the draft,” Martin elaborated.

The campaign leveraged rewards to encourage community participation and support from local businesses. This strategy allowed businesses to contribute without directly donating money.

“We think it’s a nice way for businesses in the community to contribute to the crowdfunding without actually sending donations, but they can give a reward that way. For people who then donate for them, it is a nice extra. Rather than giving money, they actually get something back in return,” Martin said.

These rewards ranged from simple acknowledgments to more significant incentives. A £5 pledge would get your name on their Wall of Fame, a £60 pledge would get you a Sunday coffee for two at a local hotel, and a £300 pledge could secure a two-night stay at a local cottage. There were many more rewards available, including local business vouchers, Portuguese lessons, and even a lifetime membership to the club.

Despite being somewhat hidden from public view, the Crowdfunder campaign significantly increased the club’s visibility in the local area.

“We are hidden behind a cricket club and a bowling green and a community center. So this crowdfunding campaign, because we advertised it very actively on our social media sites as well. Businesses who have donated rewards were shouted out on Facebook, on Twitter and I think every business had a shout out on one of our Facebook or Twitter channels for a full day,” Martin explained.

The success of the campaign was not only measured by the amount of funds raised but also by the community spirit and involvement it fostered.

“We were quite certain that we could raise somewhere in the region of £9,000 to £12,000 ourselves, but our target was set at £30,000 because we were hoping for the match funding from Sport England and Salford Council to come in. That match funding came in three or four days into the campaign, so it became a race to get to that threshold of donors, which gave us a bit of ammunition to put into public relations and posts about the campaign and pushing people a little bit,” Martin recounted.

The campaign hit its £30,000 target days ahead of schedule, marking a huge success with support from 150 people.

Finally, Martin shared some advice for other organizations considering crowdfunding.

“If you’ve got 50 or 60 people and everyone helps, rather than a committee of three doing everything, that will do the trick. Be prepared. Do your research. Do your homework.”

If you’d like to see how you can raise money for your local sport club, find more information at the Crowdfunder Sport Hub