The fundraising for amateur sports teams, athletes, even for those of high level, to support their participation in competitions at home or abroad, purchase of sports equipment, participation in training camps has always been a critical issue. Today, given the current economic oppression and the difficulties of federations or very close family to raise funds, the individual activation of each athlete and team to collect the necessary financial resources might be the only effective solution.

Crowdfunding is internationally a very effective and proven method of seeking funds. It is used by athletes, school and amateur groups and clubs that cannot hope for the support of large donors or the state. Based on direct activation of friends, acquaintances and friends of your friends as well as simple people who love sports, the thrill sports offer, the principles of sportsmanship and culture that govern them.

Support is essential, practical, made with a simple and completely transparent way and it concerns the offer of a small or larger amount of money (usually ranges from 5 € -500 €). In life projects any kind of retribution or reward is not required, only a warm thank you.

So in our example, the members of the basketball team create very quickly and simply their own page on GIVE & FUND’s platform, upload photos, or even better videos ( for example videos captured with their mobile phone) and share with an immediate and always honest way their story. When they have created their page, they follow the notification process through social media and inform friends and acquaintances. If the members of the group remain active, within a few hours only they can share their story and their goal with thousands of other people. If from each player and friend of the group contribute 10 to 15 people, each offering from 20 € - 50 €, then the required amount is gathered directly and quickly.

Another good idea could be to make diaries with photos of athletes and athletic events, which are offered for sale only to a restricted number of people. Through GIVE&FUND`s platform this could be used as a reward to those who fund the team through the page. The more detailed the diary is the easier it will be to attract people who don’t personally know the athletes but they love sport and are willing to help.

The motivation through social media is very important in the achievement of the goal. An idea to attract even more people to contribute to athlete`s effort is to upload photos or videos from the athletes’ efforts to make the diaries, such as the photo shooting, issues or fun moments from putting together or packaging the diaries etc. This is the best way to add emotion and engage your audience into your efforts as well as build personal relationships that go beyond a typical financial transaction.

One of the main reasons that someone will support your project is what you offer him as a reward for his funding. The different value, the nature and the height of the rewards are closely related to the kind of the project, the product or the service that can be offered but also to the imagination and the resourcefulness of the creator. Each creator should design a system of rewards based to what he believes that his future customers would mostly like.

Strategically it is good that the level of rewards begin from low amounts of money (for example 10-20 euro/dollars , without forgetting to thank personally through an email or a thanksgiving letter those who offered less money, or to let them appear as his supporters in his site(if he or she has one).

Examples of rewards for 15-20 euro are: cds, wallpapers signed by the creator of the project or the possibility to download a simple version of a video game, if this is the field that the creator is occupied. In higher level of rewards one can offer the actual product or the possibility to the supporters to meet the creator in a party or in an event.

If your project concerns a new application for smartphones, a video game or something similar, you can offer the possibility to those who fund you with large sums of money to give their name to one of the heroes, to choose the name of the application or something similar. In movies, theater, even products the sponsor can win the right to give a name of his choice in characters of the project.

Nowadays, mainly because of the economic crisis, many Greeks turn to the countryside seeking for new economic activities, which are connected with the output of agricultural, livestock, biological products or creating agro tourist units.

An example of a startup project in this category is a young farmer who wants to produce honey and royal jelly and has been trained in the process but he lacks the capital to start. In a few simple steps, the young farmer, of our example, can open a page on GIVE&FUND’s platform, where he will describe his project, the objective and the rewards system, which has been designed for his supporters. He can speak in front of a mobile phone and with a simple video explain with simplicity, immediacy and realism what he wants to achieve and what inspires him, then he can request for support from friends and other people.

A reward system in this example would be the following: to those who offer 20 €, the creator of the project offers a special wooden spoon for honey, to those who offer 50€ he offers five kg of honey, to those who offer 100€ offers 11 kg honey and so on. One can come up with many examples like this. Keep in mind that it is better your examples to have a relation to your project and the produced product. In fact, with this way, the creator (young farmer) builds an initial clientele, which can trust him after their first transaction. You don't have to offer anything sophisticated or expensive. A simple, humane gesture can have very good results.

The cases of graduates, young professionals or people who change their career path because they discover "opportunities" in a changing market are many. The usual problem facing today these new professionals, in addition to the initial funding to cope with the first costs, is the search for clients. Usually they started from their acquaintances and slowly build a clientele, working with their friends’ recommendations, and the so-called word of mouth. The acquaintances, friends, or the people of the wider environment, had simply the opportunity to be informed for this new professional activity, but not to involve practical and active in the support of the project.

With GIVE&FUND each new professional has the ability to create a vivid and new reality. Within the platform, he can share thoughts, ideas and visions and ask the Community to become a part to this new beginning. By building a targeted reward system (for example, a food expert or physiotherapist can offer a range of therapeutic sessions free of charge, free food programs for two or three weeks, a personal trainer can offer one or two sessions free of charge), the creator can directly convince the Community for the quality and the level of his service and begin to build his own first clientele, between his supporters!

It is important, in rewards relating to the rendering of services, the creator of the project to set out with great care the number of sessions offered, the duration, the place which they will take place, and the time that each sponsor can make use of the offer. Each creator designing the system of rewards, which he will provide, should also consider his availability and set the number of people that he is committed to serve in a given period of time. All these details are important in order not to disappoint his supporters and to obtain the needed funding to start a new activity on a sound basis.

Many NGOS are active in extremely critical areas for the social welfare and cohesion; they fight for human rights, civil society, and the protection of the environment, human health and welfare. Despite the excellent work they do, however, many organizations of this kind remain unknown to the general public, resulting in difficulties for them to serve their work in terms of both revenue and lack of active participation of our fellow human beings.

The use of GIVE&FUND’s platform gives you the opportunity to grow quickly and simply a wide network of supporters, from which you can gather funding and voluntary participation. Also, the publicity and the report of your work to a large number of visitors of the platform allow you to communicate and promote your work with the best way.

If you are NGOS, with the use of GIVE&FUND’s platform you can:

• Collect directly regular or extraordinary contributions from your members and other people, avoiding complicated payment systems, banks, offices, etc. The only thing needed it the access on the internet and the use of credit or debit card.
• Get featured to the unique visitors of the platform even if you don’ t have your own site, increasing the level of your viewing
• Contact them directly and thank your supporters
• Carry out financial transactions with security and transparency

All this can be done without any cost on your part. GIVE&FUND holds a supply 4.5% + 0.20 euro per donation, only by the contributions made for the purpose and the work you're currently viewing.