Anyone involved in a sports club, school or community group knows that fundraising is about much more than the event itself. Behind every successful Race Night, Golf Classic, Quiz Night or Family Fun Day are countless volunteer hours spent in committee meetings, chasing messages and trying to keep track of who’s doing what.
It’s a challenge that Con Magees clubman Cormac Scullion knows only too well.
Having spent years involved in grassroots GAA both on and off the pitch, Cormac saw first-hand the amount of time and effort volunteers dedicate to fundraising. But the more he looked around, the more he realised these challenges weren’t unique to the GAA. Sports clubs of every code, schools, PTAs, charities and community groups all face the same problem—raising vital funds with limited time and burnt out volunteers.
That realisation led to the creation of FundraisePro Club, a new online platform designed to take the stress out of fundraising by helping committees plan, organise and deliver successful events which not only raise those vital funds, but also bring the local community together and keep that support base engaged and involved – crucial to clubs and organisations everywhere.
Rather than starting with a blank page every time, organisations simply enter a few details about themselves and their fundraising goals. FundraisePro Club then uses this information to suggest suitable events and fundraising ideas before generating a complete step-by-step playbook to guide the committee from planning and marketing, through to delivery.
Committee members can assign tasks, monitor progress, keep deadlines on track and manage everything from one central dashboard, replacing the endless messages, spreadsheets and handwritten notes that so often become part of fundraising and lead to the same people getting burnt out time and time again.
Although inspired by Cormac’s experiences within the GAA, the platform has been built for any volunteer-led organisation.
“The GAA gave me the inspiration because I’ve seen first-hand the commitment of club volunteers,” Cormac said. “But the more I spoke to people, the more I realised every volunteer organisation faces similar challenges. If FundraisePro Club can save committees time, reduce stress and help them raise more money for the causes and clubs they care about, then it’ll have achieved exactly what it was built to do.”
FundraisePro Club has recently gone live and is now welcoming its first users.
To allow organisations to experience the platform for themselves, every club, school or community group can plan one complete fundraiser completely free, with no credit card and no obligation.
The first 20 organisations to join will also become Founder Clubs, securing a discounted annual membership while helping shape future features through their feedback.
As a locally developed platform with ambitions to support volunteer organisations across Ireland and beyond, Cormac hopes clubs, schools and community groups throughout County Antrim will be among the first to put it to the test.
“Grassroots organisations are powered by volunteers,” he said. “If this gives them back a few hours every week and makes fundraising a bit less stressful, I’ll be delighted.”
To find out more or start your free fundraiser tailored to your needs, visit https://fundraisepro.club or check out the FundraisePro Club Facebook page.
For any enquiries, contact Cormac directly at fundraisepro.club@outlook.com