MAKEACHAMP.com - Blog

We are proud to release our official film : "What does it take to become a champion?"

You have probably heard about MAKEACHAMP’s rising growth. And you may have read how the crowdfunding platform - now 2 years old - is already used by more than 10,000 athletes in 20 countries. But have you seen its press coverage?

The quotes above are what journalists are writing about MAKEACHAMP and its athletes in just the past 3 weeks. And yet we have not run any big marketing campaign. We don’t have expensive movies or billboard campaigns. We don’t actively network in startup events. If there’s one theme that emerges from CEO David Barkay, it’s that MAKEACHAMP made athletes the epicentre of its efforts.

When athletes tell me their New Year resolutions, I can’t help but be skeptical. They tell me, “I vow to run every morning” or “I vow to not miss a practice.” And I think to myself, by March this person will not be running any longer and they’ll be missing every other practice.

Perhaps I might be pessimistic but what's so different about this year than any other time of year? Improving yourself as an athlete is not something you decide to do because its a new year and you’re buying a new calendars. Setting a big resolution for a New Year can be exciting at first but this dies down very quickly. Thats why only 8% of resolutions are kept.

So whats the MAKEACHAMP New Year Resolution? MAKEACHAMP is challenging you to improve yourself every single day! Every morning and every single day you should ask yourself “how can I improve myself today?” or “what can I do this practice to get me closer to my goals”.

Here we'll walk you through a procedure you can use to set a realistic goal for your campaign.

Step 1: Calculate your budget

This may require some research on your part, but it is critical for you to be precise with how much money you need. You can do this by listing out all your costs or expenses. Examples can be travel tickets, hotel, meals, taxi/bus, medical bills, training and equipment cost.

                           Add cost of fulfilling the rewards

Don’t forget to add into your budget how much it costs to create the rewards. For example, if one of your rewards is a handmade bracelet, then calculate the cost of the material to make the bracelet. We suggest to personally give the reward to the supporter as it helps fortify the connection between you and your supporter. However when that is not possible, find out what the package size you need for that reward. Since different package sizes have different costs, you’ll be able to add shipping costs to your budget.

                         Don’t forget about administrative fee!

Although it is free to create a MAKEACHAMP campaign, set your funding goal higher than the amount you need because of payment charges (Paypal takes about 3.5%) and administrative charges (MAKEACHAMP 9%). For example, if you need $1,000, we suggest you to target about $1,140.00

In order to figure out how we got $1,140.00, plug your numbers in there:

(Budget Amount + Costs of Rewards) / 0.875  = Funding Goal

Using the equation above, if you were to raise $1000 (this includes all of your expenses and the costs of your rewards). Divide $1000 by 0.875 (a magic number that we have come up with to help you set a funding goal), then your funding goal comes out to be about $1,140.00.

Step 2: Calculate your reach

Perhaps you now have a rough idea of how much funding you need but is it realistic for you to achieve it? A way to measure if a fundraising goal is achievable is to calculate your possible reach. Take into consideration that an average contribution is about 75$ and one in ten people who see your campaign will contribute. This information will help you estimate how many people you will need to reach. You will also be able to judge if it is realistic or not to reach that many people. Take into consideration here your presence on social media and even your personal connections.

Good luck:

MAKEACHAMP is here to cheer you on! We are happy to be at your service and we feel truly honored to have you with us. Asking for the support from your community is an important step that you have taken; your efforts and hard work will pay off!

A campaign description should be informative and captivating. But most importantly it should describe in a transparent manner what the funds will be used for.

Start with your athletic career

At the beginning of the campaign description, give us some basic details about your life, your sport and career.

Here is an example:

“Hey everyone, my name is David.

I am 21 years old and I have been doing judo since the age of 5. I started in Toronto and currently train with the National team in Montreal. I am a 2nd degree black belt with 8 national titles.”

Your dreams and aspirations

Your dreams and aspirations are your large missions that you are trying to achieve. Vividly describe these goals and help the reader feel how badly you want to achieve them. Try to sell them your vision and your dedication to it.

Here is an example:

“I’ve been dreaming of going to the Olympics ever since I was a little kid. I’ve watched friends and family members attempt but never achieve this goal. I’ve battled too hard and sacrificed way too much not to achieve my dream”

Current status

Tell your readers where you are currently in regards to achieving the major goals you described above.

Here is an example:

“I’ve battled injuries but rejuvenated with a new mission to make my international breakthrough. And I’ve made the necessary adjustments to my training and diet. Now I am stronger, and feel better than ever.

Reason you are running a campaign

Here is where you tell your contributors how they can help you achieve your goal. Explain to them how their support can help you go from your current situation to achieving your dreams.

Here is an example:

“This is where you come in. Making my international breakthrough will not be easy and it is definitely not cheap. I need to travel to Spain to compete at the 2013 World Cup. This trip will cost me 1500$ and currently, I am not able to afford it. With your support I will be able to travel to spain, compete and earn the points I need to make my international breakthrough”

List out your budget

Present a list of your expenses. Please be as transparent and descriptive as possible.

Here is an example:

The funds will be used for the following:

Transportation

Flights

Taxi

Bus

Accommodation (hotel room for 5 nights)

Entry fee (150$)

Food

Explain how much their support means to you

It is very important to tell your supporters what their support means to you. 

Here is an example:

“Without your help I will not be able to afford to compete at this competition. Unable to compete will set me further back from achieving my goal. Supporting me on this campaign will enable me to focus on my training rather than the finances. With your help, I will be able to represent you at the 2013 Spain World Cup, stronger and better than ever.

Tell people about your rewards

Your supporters want to join you on your journey to success. Giving them a gift will help establish that bond between you and your supporters.

Here is an example:

“Don’t forget to check out the rewards I am giving. I will gladly bring back a small gift from spain for any contributions larger than 50$. If you contribute more than 100$ I will build you a personalized workout and diet plan. Lastly, with a contribution of 500$ I will come and give a motivational speech at your company”

Say thank you and tell them to share your campaign on social media

Make sure that you are concluding in a positive and powerful manner. Don’t forget the call to action and a bit of gratitude.

Here is an example:

“Thank you for taking the time to visit my campaign.

Any contribution, big or small, is greatly appreciated.

Although online sharing is important, bringing your campaign to a physical level can have a great impact. This does not mean you should have a bake sale or a car wash fundraiser. Here are some things you can do to add a personal level to your campaign:

1. Set up your team

Take couple minutes at practice or while you are traveling and tell your teammates, coaches and everybody else that you plan on running a campaign. Once your campaign is launched, make sure you have 5-10 people that are prepared to share and contribute to it. Remember, you are more likely to succeed when you reach 30% of your funding goal in the first week!

2. Give your reward personally

Instead of paying money to send a reward, try giving the reward personally to the contributor. Doing so will facilitate a bond between you and the supporter. This connection will help you throughout your career. You can also ask yours supporters to distribute your campaign to their friends and family. Be sure to take a picture with your contributor and the reward, and post the picture up on your social media accounts.

3. Posters

Directly on your profile, you can print out posters. The best locations to hang these posters are your gym and training centre. Additionally, you can also approach various local businesses such as restaurants, medical offices and sports equipment stores to hang your posters.

4. Tell your coach/club

Your club and your coach want you to succeed. Although they can’t fund you themselves they can definitely help you spread the word. Ask the coach to announce to the club members that you are running a campaign and send out an email to the club members.

5. Tell Your Parents

Your parents can be one of your biggest resources in this campaign. Most parents would love to help you with your campaign, so give them a chance. You can print out the posters and give it to them so they can distribute the posters to their friends and co-workers. Furthermore, you can send them an email, which they can forward to their co-workers. They can also connect you with many more family members. In fact, there is nothing better than having the whole family united over your campaign.

Congrats, you’ve successfully built and launched your campaign. We’ve done our research and collected 10 of the most effective ways to make sure you have a successful campaign. And here they are:

1.     Update your campaign and communicate with your supporters

Directly from your profile you can update your campaign and all other Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Email. You can update your campaign in the box where you can add some text, pictures and videos. When your campaign is updated, an email will be sent to all your supporters. You can also publish your updates on the selected social media sources.

Update your campaign and social media frequently with various posts.  An update can be sharing your athletic progress, showing gratitude, or even showing off a result. Regardless of the type of update, you’ll tighten the bond between you and supporters. Adding a public element to this by sharing it on social media will make people want to join in and contribute. Make updating your campaign a habit and you’ll receive unprecedented results.

Furthermore you should also post this on other platforms that you belong on such as Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+, LinkdIn, which can all be used to increase the ripples of your campaign launch.

2. Email Marketing

We hope you’ve started sending out emails when you launched your campaign. The general rule is to try to get in touch with a contributor three times in order to get a contribution. Our system will help you keep track of the emails that you send. Those that did not contribute or did not reply might not have gotten your email. Do not hesitate to reach out to them for a second and a third time. You should give an equal chance to all your supporters to join your story. Also don’t forget to add the campaign link to your email signature. We have provided some suggested templates but please don’t hesitate to change them. Regardless of the responses you get, please always be polite and respectful with your communication with potential supporters.

3. Thank your contributors immediately on Facebook

When you get a contribution, you will get an email notification with the name of the person that contributed. The first thing you need to do is to connect with them on social media, if you don’t know who they are then find them on social media and add them as a friend or follow them. Next, say a public thank you to them by tagging them in your Facebook status.

Doing so will increase awareness about your campaign without looking needy. It will show your campaign as a successful one and lastly, it will give the contributor the public recognition they want. Here is more information regarding this :

http://blog.makeachamp.com/post/62429137624/key-to-success-on-makeachamp

5. Social Media Supporters

Not everyone can support you financially. However, we all have friends that spend a lot of time on social media, who have gathered thousands of followers or friends. Reach out to these friends and ask for them to help you boost your campaign into the “socialsphere”. You can also create an online contest to see who shares your picture (with your campaign link) the most - the winner of this contest can even get one of your rewards.

6. Twitter

Twitter is a powerful tool to create an online presence. Your MAKEACHAMP campaign will help you create an online presence but first you must demand it. Make sure that your friends with lots of followers are helping you by sharing your campaign on twitter. If you haven’t created your own hashtag when you launched your campaign, this is a good time. A hashtag has to be simple, meaningful and catchy such as #GoForGold or #GoDavidGo. Don’t forget to add your campaign link to your profile description. Lastly, thanking your contributors on twitter is also a great way to maintain a buzz around your campaign.

7. Widget

A widget is a small picture of your campaign that can be placed onto another website. You can access a piece of code, which will create this widget from your Campaign Home. If you have a blog or a website you can add this code to it and it will show a widget which people can press on to contribute. Next you can ask teammate, your club or organization to add this widget to their website. If you have any questions or need help with the widget let us know at [email protected]

8. Getting press

Directly from your Campaign Home you can keep track of the press that you are contacting. Research some local news stations, newspapers, magazines and even online magazines and add them to your list. We have added a simple template to the dashboard so you can modify it and send it out. With this email, in comparison to an email to a contributor, make sure to tell them more about you and your story. You can take segments from your description and paste them into this email. Nonetheless remember your writers and publishers want a story.

9. Getting a sponsor

Here is something very unique to MAKEACHAMP. We believe that your campaign can help you get sponsors. In fact, many companies are willing to get their logo on your MAKEACHAMP campaign and benefit from all the exposure they will get. In return, you can ask them to match contributions or even provide a perk. Get in touch with MAKEACHAMP at info@makeachamp and we will help you set it up.

  10. Facebook event

A special trick that MAKEACHAMP have found to be very successful is to create a Facebook event for your campaign. Because not everyone sees your status updates, making a Facebook event allows you to send an invitation to all your Facebook friends. Furthermore, a Facebook event tightens the communication between you and your supporters by notifying all your supporters when you post on this event. You can also update this event page at the same time as you update your campaign. Don’t forget to add to this Facebook event page the link of your campaign, the campaign description and the rewards. If you need any help with this we will be more than glad to walk you through it, send us an email at [email protected].

Before you launch

Before your campaign has gone online, you can take some steps to make sure everything goes according to plan.

1.Get feedback on your campaign

Getting feedback on your campaign is essential. You’ve done a great job building your campaign but getting some suggestions and advice from others can only improve your campaign. Take the preview link and send it to few chosen friends and family members. Ask them for their feedback and make sure you take note of it. Once you have their input make sure to act on it. Getting feedback improves your chances for success, because not only is your campaign better but you have people that are ready and prepared to help you spread the campaign once it’s launched.

 2. Get your close friends to join your fundraising efforts

The success of a launch can determine the outcome of your campaign. Therefore prior to launch make sure to have at least 10 of your friends/family members ready to contribute and share your campaign on day one!

 3. Plan out your marketing

Before you launch your campaign make sure that you know what you will be doing when your campaign is on air. Here are some things that you can put into your plan.

facebook, twitter, blogs

local news papers

bulletin boards

sending a private message to your family and friends

school, work, and clubs

emailing all of your contacts

4. Double check for mistakes

Make sure to thoroughly go over your campaign to check for any mistakes. It’s important to check for mistakes because it shows that your campaign has been thoroughly thought-out and checked. If people see that you don’t care enough to proofread your campaign description, then why should they care enough to contribute?

Campaign Launch:

A good campaign launch makes as many ripples as possible in the online social wave pool. Here is how to do it.

1.Start with emails

Sending emails to potential supporters is the fastest and easiest way to reach raise 30% of your campaign in the first week. By logging into your MAKEACHAMP profile and clicking ‘promote’ you’ll be able to see your email marketing tools. We’ve added templates to your profile for your convenience but make sure to modify them depending on if you are reaching out to friends, family members, coaches, news outlets, and companies or sponsors.

2. Approach your club

Sometimes the best campaign marketing is personal. Talk to your coach and club organizer to help you with your campaign. Your coach will be able to give an announcement to the entire club and the club organizer will be able to send an email to all the club members with the link to your campaign. Another good idea is to ask your club to put up posters of your campaign up at your training facility.

3. Social Media sharing

            Login to your profile and update your campaign with an announcement of your campaign launch. Our tools will allow you to spread this message to networks such as Facebook/Twitter. Next, make sure that your helpers sharing all your posts. Incentives your helpers with a competition where the person who share its the most will get a reward. All of this is pretty easy to do and keep track of on facebook. Also, make sure you reach out to people who have a lot of followers on twitter. These individuals will be more than glad to help you spread the word about your campaign. You can also get your own hashtag theme going. For example you can tell all your friends on twitter and facebook to add a hashtag such as this #GoDavidGo when they share your campaign link.

  Put a post one social media that builds anticipation to your campaign. Let people know that you are planning on launching a campaign and that you will need their support. The goal is to generate the biggest buzz you can around your campaign. Even before it is on air.

MAKEACHAMP offers 1 on 1 coaching, if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact our campaign managers at [email protected]

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, we will be sharing your campaign!

Creating a video is essential to tell your story. Here are couple of aspects of a video that are effective:

Tell your story

The best thing you could do in your video is to tell your story. Try to focus on a couple of things that define you. These are the things that distinguish you from other athletes. People will contribute to be a part of your story.

Your bio

Make sure to add some biographical facts about you and your athletic career. Including these facts in your campaign is quite simple but it is often forgotten. It can make a big difference because you will be getting a lot of views from people that may not necessarily know you. The background information you provide can help you connect with people from your hometown, for example.

Your mission

Your mission is the large goal that you are aiming for in your athletic career. People contribute because they want to be a part of your mission. Express to them how much their support means to this ambitious mission.

Be brief

An effective video is one that gets to the point. You have the description and the CV to tell your supporters more about your career so use the video to tell your supporters briefly why you are running a campaign.

  The video is part of the effort; it is not all of it.

The video will definitely help with your campaign but don’t put too much pressure on yourself to create a video that will fundraise for you. Yes, it is great to aim to create a ‘viral’ video but the chances are too small. Focus on a truthful and powerful video rather than fancy and viral.

How to MAKE a VIDEO?

We know you are busy traveling, training and competing so here is a manual on how to quickly and efficiently put together a video for your campaign.

  Step 1: The Script

Sit in a quiet area and record yourself with a camera, laptop, tablet or even a phone camera. Here is an example of a script you can read out loud while looking into a camera.

“Hey, my name is _____, I am a ______ and this is my MAKEACHAMP campaign video.

_______ (your sport) has been part of my life for ________ (years). My dream is to ______ but in order to get there I need your support!

I am running this campaign to help me raise ______ (funding goal) in order to cover ______ (expenses such as training cost, flights, etc.).

Achieving this goal means _____ (describe how much it means to you). I will always be grateful for your help.

Every little bit helps! If you can’t contribute, please share my campaign with your friends and family.

Thank you!

*Make sure to edit this and add aspects of your story. Also try practicing couple of times.

Step 2: The media folder 

Put together your media folder which includes

The recorded script above

3-5 High quality action pictures!

2-3 Action videos

2 songs or instrumental music

  Step 3: The editing

Ideally, try to find a friend or someone who has experience editing and is willing to help you out. You can put your media folder on a USB and hand it over to your friend to edit. If you cannot find someone, no need to worry, it is not difficult to edit the video yourself. Plus editing videos is always a good skill to have. Here is a brief guide on how to edit your video:

Open up an editing program such as adobe premiere, iMovie, or others

Upload your media folder into the program

Fade in with an action video or picture

Add a text with your name and sport

Interlace the script videos with pictures or action video

Finish with saying ‘thank you’

  Step 4: The Upload

Currently preparing for the nationals, the UPEI Synchronized Swimming team - the UPEI Panthers, are working very hard to put a small Canadian province, PEI, on the map.

Without a doubt, the University of Prince Edward Island is the one of the smallest universities in the Canadian University Synchro League. Yet the UPEI Panthers have achieved astounding results. Last year, they took the league by surprise, having every routine placed in the top 3 at nationals, and winning the trophy for the highest overall points. When they were approached and asked where they are from, they proudly answered, “PEI”!

Synchronized swimming is a combination of a few gymnastics, dancing and swimming. “Its such a complex sport. You not only need to be good in the water, but you need speed, agility, strength and endurance to keep up with the 4 minute routines” Commented Ally Merrill, the Coach. “And you need to be flexible”.

In addition to practicing more than twelve hours per week, the Panthers are full time students who work part time jobs to pay for tuition, living expenses, and swimming. While practicing, working and studying, these girls are also responsible for all of the expenses incurred by synchronized swimming. Because synchronized swimming at UPEI is a club team, it does not receive funding from the university. The teammates are often left with the responsibilities to cover the expenses necessary to operate their club and to travel to different competitions.

This year, they were confronted with the devastating reality of losing three of their strongest team members. Without these three members, they contemplated on whether they should continue with the season. However, in absence of those three members, the team has forged a stronger bond among the remaining members. Now, as a smaller team, they are working twice as hard. Knowing that the judges will not look at them as equal to the other eight-person teams, they are now more motivated than ever to blow the judges out of the water

After her 24 year retirement, Kathy Hubble has rekindled her passion for Judo. “Judo creates camaraderie, spirit, discipline, and health. For me, I enjoy the camaraderie and the "giving of oneself" spirit that it has the most”, Kathy said.

Kathy had a very impressive record during the 1980s. She received gold at a number of Canadian Championships, silver at Pan-Am Championships in Cuba, bronze at Pan-Am Games in Indiana, and received the title, “Judo Canada Athlete of the Year”.

Being retired for almost a quarter of a century did not impede on her success. Upon her return to judo, Kathy has already accomplished a number of things. In addition to winning the Canadian Championships, training for Masters Worlds, and working as a Judo Sensei at the Kelowna Judo Club in BC, Kathy finds joy in helping her students grow and getting them graded to third degree black belt.

Similar to every athlete, behind her victorious moments with judo, Kathy had to overcome some challenges. One of the biggest difficulties she had experienced was feeling homesick when she was apart of the the Canadian National Judo team as a teenager. When she was travelling on the road for tournaments and training camps, not only was it strenuous, it was hard not to miss her family - a reason for why she did not expect herself to return to Judo after retiring at the age of 19. Another challenge is weight cutting for competition. Sometimes, in preparation for a competition, she has to cut more than 10 lbs. This implied sitting in a sauna for hours with a garbage bag on -yawza!

Upon rediscovering her passion for Judo, she decided to once again do Judo competitively. Although it was physically challenging for Kathy to return to the world of competitive Judo, she was emotionally prepared to step on the tatamis. Recently, she joined the newly started team, the Judo Canada Masters, with determinations to lead the masters.

“I'm so glad I have come back to the sport of Judo - it has been emotionally rescuing for me to have a real goal to strive for again and I am learning all new aspects of the sport I never knew existed before! I hope I can bring back the Gold from Abu Dhabi!”

Currently running a campaign on MAKEACHAMP.COM (http://makeachamp.com/kathyhubble), she has worked harder than ever and is both physically and emotionally ready to  make her way to bring home the Gold from the Fifth World Judo Masters Championship in Dubai.

Similar to gymnastics, many girls who practice synchronized swimming often start at a young age. This means a lot of sacrifices. For many of the McGill synchronized swimmers, they have given up their chance of being on the national team to get a college degree. As full-time students at McGill University, one of the best universities in Canada, the members of the McGill Varsity Synchronized Swimming team have worked very hard to become National Champions 9 years running.

Preparing for the University National Synchronized Swimming Competition has always been difficult, but the McGill Synchronized Swimming team has managed to make everything work. While juggling work and part time jobs, these girls are very dedicated to practicing – on average 17 hours per week! Although they can be overwhelmed by the stress of synchronized swimming, school, and work, their passion for synchro has taught them to prioritize and to be efficient with their time.

Yet the most difficult part about their sport is the lack of respect they receive. People tend to relate synchronized swimming to Austin Powers side diving into a pool with a flower cap while walking along the bottom.  Synchronized swimming is not as easy as Austin Powers may portray it- just grazing the bottom of the pool is against the rules of the sport. In addition to holding their breath for an extended amount of time, they are constantly fighting against gravity to keep their body above the water. Perhaps it’s because of the lack of respect that, even after winning university nationals nine years in a row, the McGill administration fails to provide the needed funding for this sport.

Last year, when the McGill’s team won first place at the University Nationals, they continued training and went to the Canadian Open. Compared to their competitors, whose main focus is on synchronized swimming, the McGill Synchro team trained persistently while paying expenses out of their own pockets and maintaining the high GPA required by McGill. Although they didn’t win first place, they placed fourth against all odds while proving to the rest of Canada the potential that McGill synchronized swimmers had.

A big thank you to the thousands of supporters that have contributed more than 200,000$ through MAKEACHAMP to help athletes achieve their dreams. This note is for you.

You've given a hand to the athletes that are not making millions of dollars, but are working just as hard as those that do. Don’t be humble, you have done a great deed and you deserve the recognition. In all the merits, you've helped make a champ.

Your support is so much more than just financial. Your contribution supports the athlete emotionally and morally more than you could imagine. By contributing to an aspiring athlete, you've essentially told them that you believe in their dream - you've joined their team, their story. Knowing that you will be there cheering them on, they are uplifted with new found motivation. For there is nothing better than knowing there are people who want them to win.

By taking an active role in equipping an athlete with motivation and funding you've stood up for excellence, for dreaming and for achieving goals. You are no longer sitting on the sideline complaining why you’re country is not succeeding in the Olympics  The next generations will need these athletes to look up to and without your support, there would have been one less champion to make the world that much better.

Originally from Quebec, Brittany has been apart of the Canadian Alpine Ski team since 2008.

She experienced her first breakthrough on World Cup last year, and cut her world ranking in half in Slalom. Currently ranked 29th in the world in Slalom, she’s still trying to improve her races. Brittany is also the only person who has done a 360 off a jump in a Slalom city event in Moscow World Cup last season, while racing World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin.

Brittany has had many dreams of competing at races such as the World Cup and the Olympics. In 2008, Brittany accomplished one of her biggest dreams when she became qualified to race at the World Cup in Aspen, USA. Upon attaining her dream of competing at the world cup, she knew she wanted more of her dreams to come true.

Of course, no one’s ride to success is smooth sailing. At the Whistler Cup in her first year K2, a day before the Slalom race, Brittany broke her thumb. Despite what the doctor had said, Brittany, with determination and eagerness, went up to Slalom the next day to race. While trying to ski the warm-up, Brittany experienced excruciating pain. Though it was hard for her to overcome the idea of the thought that she could have won, she had to abandon the race for the sake of her thumb.