U.S. Soccer Foundation brought in 2x more donors on Giving Tuesday than on any other day of the year
Mission
To provide underserved communities access to innovative play spaces and evidence-based soccer programs that instill hope, foster well-being, and help youth achieve their fullest potential
Challenge
Stand out from the crowd in a noisy end-of-year giving season
Solution
GoFundMe Pro’s fundraising technology and Teal Media’s creative expertise helped U.S. Soccer Foundation surpass its fundraising goal by 40% on Giving Tuesday alone
“GoFundMe Pro is turnkey, but offers a ton of personalization capabilities. I would recommend it to pros and newcomers alike. It’s actually not a very intimidating platform.”
– Kelly Clemens, Director, Marketing & Communications at U.S. Soccer Foundation
Giving Tuesday results:
Raised 40% above
the fundraising goal
2x donors
compared to any other day of the year
78% higher
average gift amount than the overall average for the year
Multi-channel approach to year-end giving
The end-of-year giving season is a noisy time, with nonprofits competing for donor attention. The U.S. Soccer Foundation strategized ways to stand out, connect with supporters, and drive donations.
They started by building a strong foundation. The team created a vibrant and youth-focused donation page on Campaign Studio, GoFundMe Pro’s campaign builder, with bold colors and a clear call to action that captured the energy of the kids they serve. The campaign incorporated a matching gift that encouraged donors to triple their impact, a progress bar to show progress toward the ambitious goal, and an activity feed to show donors the impact of their gifts.
I’ve used other fundraising platforms, but Campaign Studio’s customization was next-level. Adding personal touches, like attaching a photo to the match, showed the real person behind it and made the campaign so much stronger.
U.S. Soccer Foundation partnered with Teal Media, a full-service creative agency, to develop its overall end-of-year giving strategy. The 360-degree campaign approach—including email, social media, and Google search and programmatic ads targeted at high-intent donors—sought to motivate current supporters, re-engage lapsed donors, and inspire new donors to contribute before the year ended. With source codes, the U.S. Soccer Foundation team could track the performance on each channel while linking to a single campaign.
Being able to align the design and strategy across all our channels and creative assets—socials, emails, and ads—and then lead donors to a GoFundMe Pro Studio page built to convert made our job so much easier.
A little donation makes a big difference
The campaign’s core message, “A little donation makes a big difference,” was woven into every aspect of their campaign. Impact tiles on the donation page showed donors exactly what their contribution could accomplish: $5 provided a jersey, $20 provided a whole kit, and $100 provided a kid with a whole season of soccer. This unified messaging made giving feel both accessible and meaningful.
Small donations really do make a big difference. Last year, we focused on increasing the number of donors instead of the size of the gifts, and it worked. We had more individual donors on Giving Tuesday than any other day last year.
Through a combination of efforts, the U.S. Soccer Foundation achieved fantastic results on Giving Tuesday.
- Raised 40% above the fundraising goal
- Brought in 2x the number of donors compared to any other day of the year, 122 of which were new to the U.S. Soccer Foundation
- Achieved a 78% higher average gift amount than the overall average for the year
On the paid ads side, Google search ads drove a 10.5% click-through rate and a strong $3.47 return on ad spend, despite the competitive nature of year-end advertising.
Connecting more youth with the soccer community
Building on last year’s success, the U.S. Soccer Foundation team is already preparing for the upcoming Giving Season. After seeing strong results with Google search and programmatic ads, they’ve kept them running year-round, and they’ve continued to perform well. They will continue leveraging GoFundMe Pro’s fundraising expertise and Teal Media’s partnership to refine their year-end strategy.
The underlying current in last year’s campaign was that youth sports create connections not just for kids, but for the neighborhoods that they live in. Studio’s design flexibility and storytelling capabilities helped us to capture that message and share the impact of the U.S. Soccer Foundation on local communities.
Kelly’s GoFundMe Pro Tips:
- Be authentic. When your brand has a unique look, you will stand out and cut through the clutter of a busy time of year. People will resonate with your authenticity and be inspired to take action, whether they’re already a loyal supporter or a potential new donor.
- GoFundMe Pro allows you to stay consistent across all platforms, from customizing the thumbnail colors, header images, and text colors on a campaign to a seamless design experience that really brings our brand to life. That consistency is a key part of a successful fundraising strategy.
Christian’s GoFundMe Pro Tips:
- Just like the Rule of Threes makes information stick, donors often need to see your message multiple times across different channels before taking action. That’s why aligned visuals are so important—people may not recall the words, but they’ll remember the image of a child playing soccer.
- Donors are drawn to visuals that feel inviting, like they’re part of something bigger when they give. With GoFundMe Pro’s Studio, I can build a branded, customized campaign in under 30 minutes, creating that consistent, memorable experience that inspires action.
