Online Pledge Fundraisers Explained

What Is an Online Pledge Fundraiser?

A pledge or pledge-based fundraiser (also called an a-thon fundraiser) is when supporters commit to donating based on participation or performance. While many can do pledges based on activities like pounds lifted, miles ran, or laps walked, these fundraisers also typically provide an avenue to donate a simple flat amount.

The difference is simple: everything is collected digitally. No pen-and-paper sheets. No cash envelopes. No manual tracking.

Let’s break down exactly online pledge fundraisers types and how they work.

Types of Online Pledge Fundraisers

Popular A-thon Fundraisers: 

Easy activity based fundraisers that take pledges and flat donations in exchange for your fundraiser participants hitting those goals. A-thons are run in all shapes and sizes with groups big and small.

• Hit-a-thon (Ex: How many home runs can you hit in 20 pitches)
• Shoot-a-thon (Ex: How many free throws out of 100 can you score)
• Stunt-a-thon (Ex: How many stunts can you safely do in two minutes)
• Read-a-thon (Ex: How many pages can you read in a month)

A-thons are a large part of the free fundraisers we help run, and there there are well over two dozen different proven a-thon ideas out there that we’ve worked with! Curious about which a-thon could be best for your organization? We wrote a. whole breakdown just for you, just click below: 

Fitness-Based Pledge Fundraisers

• ‍Fun Runs and Color Runs: A “run” that doesn’t have to be a run, these pledge based fundraisers are built for families. Times don’t matter as much with these style fundraisers, but it is good and important to have timing based elements for those a little more competitive. Events like color runs and fun runs, well they’re all about having fun and raising money.‍
• Walk-a-thons: Want a truly non-competitive event? Ditch the “run” and just host a walk-a-thon. Again fun runs and color runs aren’t super competitive, but if you know you’ve got a group that just wants to walk there’s nothing wrong with hosting a walk-a-thon. Timing equipment may not feel necessary, but it does enhance the professionalism of the event. A nice timer, start, finish line, those are your bread and butter.‍
• Lift-a-thon: This versatile fundraiser can work from football programs to lacrosse. How many pounds can you lift across the powerlifting trio of deadlift, bench press, and squat? That’s really great for say a wrestling team. Maybe you have a program lifting isn’t a big part of like golf, you can still do a lift-a-thon!‍
• Push-up challenge: As easy as how many push ups can you successfully do in a certain amount of time.

Skill-Based Fundraisers

• ‍Free Throw Challenge: A basketball staple that’s simple to run and easy to promote. Players collect pledges based on how many free throws they can make out of a set number of attempts. Supporters love it because it’s measurable, competitive, and exciting to track in real time.‍
• Batting Accuracy Challenge: Instead of just measuring power, this challenge focuses on precision. Players earn pledges based on how many balls they can hit into designated target zones during a set round. It’s engaging for spectators and creates a skill-based fundraiser that highlights technique and consistency.‍
• Goal Scoring Challenge: Perfect for soccer or hockey programs, athletes collect pledges based on how many goals they can score within a timed session or number of shots. The fast-paced nature keeps energy high and makes it easy to build hype leading into event day.‍
• Takedown-a-thon: A wrestling favorite where athletes collect pledges based on how many takedowns they complete during live rounds or controlled scrimmages. It combines competition with fundraising momentum, and because results are performance-based, supporters feel invested in every match.

Why Online Pledge Fundraisers Raise More Money

Online pledge fundraisers are often winners because it combines a traditional community based style fundraiser with that of a digital one. A shoot-a-thon for a basketball team for example, you can host this event where parents and friends of the program can watch, but also you’re pulling in donations from online.

Online pledge fundraisers remove friction. The fewer obstacles between a supporter and a donation, the more money your organization raises.

No Inventory or Upfront Costs

• No product delivery. Every product fundraiser, that company that makes the product whether it’s a jar of candy or submarine sandwiches, you’re paying for that initial inventory.
  
• No leftover inventory. Let’s take the submarine sandwich example again. You bought that inventory. Guess what, if you don’t sell it, you’re stuck with the products.
  

Nationwide Reach

• Not limited to local buyers. An important fundraising tip, the more people you can reach with your fundraiser, the more money you can make. Family, alumni, friends out of state. These are all groups of people that would not be able to donate to a pen and paper traditional fundraiser, at least, easily.
  

Performance Creates Excitement

• Donors feel invested. If your grandmother donates $1 for every free throw you make and you make 91/100 free throws, she’s going to be ecstatic that her pledge helped push you forward.
  
• Engagement increases totals. This style of fundraise gets people to be generous with donations.
  

Real-Time Tracking

• Live leaderboards. With over 10 ways to track progress on sites like Teamfi, you can be in full control of your fundraiser without having to check in with every kid.
  
• Motivation between participants. Fundraiser participants can see this tracking, which serves as motivation to either kick it into gear or outfundraise others.
  

Easy Payment Processing

• Digital payment processing built in. This is an underrated aspect of online fundraising. Just over Less than half of Americans (40%) are using cash as their primary form of payment.
• There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’ve raised a bunch of money, and then having to spend a bunch of time and effort organizing that money. It’s why online fundraising has exploded. No cash handling, no chasing checks, just one simple direct deposit or check going back to your organization.

Who Should Run an Online Pledge Fundraiser?

We’ve gone over why online pledge fundraising is successful, but online pledge fundraising is also for everyone. Any group can run a fun run, walk-a-thon, or color run. Those have universal appeal to both fundraiser participants and donors. 

Now, some groups there just aren’t great a-thon based fundraisers for, and while in Teamfi you can create your own custom a-thon, again sometimes there just aren’t great a-thons. One exception is the bowl-a-thon, which is a great community based a-thon.

• High school and youth sports teams: Pledge fundraisers are often involved with an activity, so naturally there’s an a-thon for every sport. Stunt-a-thons for cheer, hit-a-thons for baseball and softball, lift-a-thons are nearly universal.‍
• Booster clubs, school clubs, religious organizations: A number of online pledge fundraising exists for these organizations, but with their broad appeal, walk-a-thons, fun runs, and color runs are exciting community based fundraisers that these organizations can raise money for. As we’re writing this, it’s the heart of winter here in Michigan where we’re located, so definitely plan it during the warmer months.‍
• PTOs and PTAs: The read-a-thon is a time honored classic with PTOs and PTAs, even if you didn’t call it a read-a-thon growing up. Did you participate in the Accelerated Reader program? Have competition between classmates based on how many books you could read? These were read-a-thons just without the raising money aspect.

Common Questions About Online Pledge Fundraisers

How do you do a pledge fundraiser?

To do a pledge fundraiser, decide on an activity, set a date for testing, collect pledges or flat donations based on how well they think you’ll do in that activity, run your event and track performance, and then collect funds after.

What is a fan pledge fundraiser?

A fan pledge fundraiser is a style of fundraise that uses either traditional pen and paper sheets or digital online software to help you fundraise based on an activity.

How to set up a pledge fundraiser?

The easiest way to set up an online pledge fundraiser is to decide what you want to do, sign up for a platform and follow the setup process. There are five basic steps though.

• Choose a measurable activity
• Set a clear fundraising goal
• Give each participant a personal fundraising page
• Collect pledges before the event
• Enter results and automatically process donations

How long should a pledge fundraiser run?

The start and finish of your pledge fundraising campaign should be about a month. One week of pre-promotion and getting contacts in, one to two weeks collecting pledges, then your last week is the actual event and thanking your pledgers! There are exceptions, a longer event like a read-a-thon for example could take up to two months.

Can small teams and organizations still succeed iwth a pledge-based fundraiser?

Absolutely. While you may not have the same raw numbers as larger teams, it’s important to make sure that all contacts your fundraiser participants put in are high quality and they’re hitting their numbers.

What percentage of pledges are collected?

With online pledge fundraising, pledges be automatically collected through secure online payment processing, and with online solutions like Teamfi, your reminders to pledgers can be completely automated! Because supporters enter their contact information upfront when they make a pledge, organizations don’t have to chase down their pledgers and collect checks or cash after the event. In traditional pen and paper pledge fundraising, some pledges were never collected, although most still were.

What happens if someone over-pledges?

There’s a scene in the T.V. show The Office where Michael donated $25 to Oscar’s nephew's walk-a-thon. He didn’t realize what a walk-a-thon was. This is an example of why communication is key in a-thons. If someone really does misunderstand, work with them to allow them to donate something they can afford.

How to Run a Successful Online Pledge Fundraiser

Success in online fundraising comes in many forms. Maybe you just want to out perform your fundraiser last year? Maybe you have a clear cut goal for an upcoming trip? Either way, there’s 

• Set clear goals and communicate those goals clearly.
  
• Create urgency. Having a three month fundraiser has the opposite effect. Keep it short, 2-3 weeks.
  
• Encourage personal outreach. If you have a goal for contacts to reach out to, keep on your fundraiser participants to put in quality contacts.
  
• Use milestone incentives. Especially at the elementary level, incentivization works.
  
• Promote leaderboard competition.

Final Thoughts: Are Online Pledge Fundraisers Worth It?

Online pledge fundraisers have reshaped how teams and organizations raise money. Instead of selling products, managing inventory, and chasing down payments, you’re creating an event that supporters actually want to be part of. They combine the energy of a live activity with the power of digital reach, allowing programs to engage local families and out-of-state supporters at the same time. When done correctly, they’re simpler to run, more exciting to promote, and often significantly more profitable than traditional sales-based fundraisers. If your goal is to raise more money with less logistical stress, an online pledge fundraiser is one of the most effective tools available today.