Lift-A-Thon events are a great way to fundraise for weight rooms, they can be setup with donors in many ways making pledges for each rep, 1000 LBS lifted and so on. There are many organizations like 99 pledges that help schools setup these events and collect money, making it easier to manage for the coaches, athletes and parents. One of the very few things that can effect every person on a schools campus is a weight room as it is used by students, athletes, teaches, coaches and even alumni from time to time.
Interview with Coach Childress at Warsaw HS
What was the goal of the Lift-A-Thon? Was there a dollar figure you were after?
The goal of our Lift-A-Thon was to raise money for our weight room. If we got $3-$5k it would be awesome! We knew we were getting an upgrade to our equipment but we wanted a new sound system and sprint timing system.
How many kids participated in it?
We had around 350 students participate out of just over 2000 students in the whole school.
How did you collect the money?
The kids collected the money via cash, checks and or online payment platforms. They then turned it in before the end date of the event we set at the beginning.
Did you reach your goal?/ $ figure?
We were hoping for $3-$5k, but ended up raising more than we expected. Close to $11,000.
What advice would you have for another coach starting one?
Organization is key. Also giving/showing examples of what you are wanting to bring to the weight room helps the students understand what they are working towards. Having incentives or prizes was a great idea. Stray Dog supplied us with shirts for our top lifters and custom keychains for our top sellers.
Would you do this again? Will this become an annual thing?
Yes absolutely. We are already planning and thinking about how to make this better for this year.
Did the kids have fun?
The kids had a blast competing with themselves. Seeing who could get the most reps had them checking all day to see if anyone beat them.
Anything else you would like to mention about it, I will make this into an article and a newsletter, thank you very much Andrew!
It was a great experience for us and really helped add additional equipment to our arsenal. By giving the kids who raised over $500 a brand new of lifting shoes it got the kids motivated and competing against each other, we had 8 students raise $500 or more and get olympic shoes! A bit chaotic but in the end turned out to be an awesome experience.
Pictured below is the sports performance facility for Warsaw HS that coach Childress helped us design
Organizations That Can Help
Organizing a successful lift-a-thon is a great way to build team camaraderie while raising much-needed funds for your school’s athletic programs or community initiatives. Whether you’re upgrading equipment, paying for new uniforms, or covering travel expenses, securing enough financial support can be challenging. That’s where 99Pledges comes in—a simple, effective online platform that makes fundraising easy, streamlined, and stress-free.
99Pledges is a fundraising platform designed specifically for schools, sports teams, and other organizations looking to raise money through pledge-based events. It provides an intuitive system for tracking and collecting donations, allowing participants to get sponsors based on their performance in events like lift-a-thons. With no need to sell products or collect cash manually, 99Pledges ensures the fundraising process is smooth from start to finish.
