This year, the Berlin Football Club (BFC), Dynamo became the first professional football club to have a playground built on their stadium grounds. The club has its diligent fans and supporters to thank, as well as betterplace.org, the transparent marketplace for social engagement. The entire playground project was financed in record time by donations made over betterplace.org. Such a successful campaign is therefore a prime example for effective fundraising among one’s own networks over betterplace.org
Set-Up
Fans of the BFC Dynamo began by posting a profile site on betterplace.org. Potential supporters and helpers could read about chosen tactics: how the project was planned, how much money is needed for which specific purposes, and who was managing those tasks. A teeter-totter was the first in line to be constructed, followed by a swing-set, a bench, a sand box and – last but not least – aslide.
Kick-off
To give the project the initial boost needed for its launch, the project managers next activated their networks: the fans of the BFC. They displayed the playground project prominently on the club’s official homepage along with a link to the project page on betterplace.org. Fans, guests, sponsors and journalists learned first-hand about the planned construction of the new play area. Each contact was thereby a possible networker for further donors.
Gameflow
The project was quickly picked up on and discussed in the club’s forums. One click, one donor – it couldn’t be more simple. Fans were updated about latest developments on the project as well as the donation levels needed for the next step. The project managers posted a Call-to-Action text with a link to the project on their website. The text could be cut and pasted and passed along through emails, messenger, blogs, or online communities. Whoever had their own BFC fan page could use the downloadable project widget to spread the word. As soon as one phase of the project was completed, the project managers documented the accomplishments with photos and blogposts on betterplace.org. This transparency motivated new donors: “There’s something going on, and I want to be a part of it!”
Game analysis
The community of donors on betterplace.org soon outgrew the boundaries of the playground project, reaching out to other supporters and even members of other football clubs – an astonishing effect. In one online community for active football fans, a user remarked on a common solidarity: “Separated by our colors, united by our cause.” The success story of the new BFC playground illustrates more and more the preferred mode of action for social engagement on betterplace.org. Instead of the more-costly and less-efficient conventional fundraising practice to cover all bases in every direction, a project could be specifically targeted, spread and concluded all via betterplace.org. Tailoring messages specifically within one’s own target groups and networks can optimise the donor potential for the organisation.
Plagiarism emphatically recommended!