Winners of the 2013 Piggybackr One Million Leaders Challenge!

In November 2013, we challenged young people and communities nationwide to take the lead and raise money on Piggybackr during the holiday season as a part of the Piggybackr Million Leaders Challenge.

We challenged YOU to raise funds for something that mattered to you and each week leading up to the deadline, we awarded teams with cool prizes.

Our challenge attracted attention from people all over the country. Your stories were featured on the news and on TV. Together we inspired many to take the lead.

But most importantly, you truly inspired us by raising money for causes that mattered to you: Rebuilding New Orleans, self-publishing a book, building robots, rocking out in marching band, and even volunteering to help others in need. Here's a complete list of the winners:

Week 2 (Meet & Greet with Selena Gomez): 

Ana-Rose Hart raising funds for a new power wheelchair 

Week 3 (Professional photo shoot by SmartShoot): 

Milpitas High School Student Council raising funds for their annual canned food drive benefiting the community

Week 4 (Signed Adrian Peterson Football):

Bakersfield College Drumline raising funds to get to World Championships in Dayton, Ohio

Week 5 (Chat with Michele Markey, Kauffman Foundation Fastrac):

Kiran Rao raising funds to go on a summer volunteer service trip to Guatemala as a part of the Young Dreamers Network

Week 6 (Chat with Cordell Carter, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation):

Lower 9th Ward Village, a nonprofit in New Orleans that serves as a hub for the community can access more resources to become self-sufficient and sustain their quality of life post Hurricane Katrina

Week 7 (1-on-1 with Kevin Harrington, original Shark Tank Investor):

Connell Wise raising funds to publish a new book on how to do accounting for BitCoins. 

Grand Prize Winner Voted by our Panel of Judges (Leaders of the Year 2013):

Congratulations to the Buchanan Bird Brains, a FIRST Robotics Team from Clovis, CA raising funds to build robots and inspire young people to get into STEM.

Last but not least, a special thank you to our judges and community partners. Congratulation everyone - until next year.  

Sports Fundraising Tips

Are you a sports team? Here are some tips to help your team fundraise!

Fundraising is NOT the reason you got into team sports. In a perfect world, equipment would never break, jerseys would never get worn out, and airlines would jump at the chance to sponsor out-of-town tournaments. Considering that airlines would also jump at the idea of charging you for putting down your tray table, fundraising is probably here to stay.

The good news is that fundraising can be fun. As a team that regularly works together on the field or court toward a common goal, you already have the skills and traits that are hallmarks of effective fundraising.

Having coached thousands of sports teams of all ages to raise hundreds of dollars through online fundraising on Piggybackr, we are here to share 5 tips to help you win at fundraising like it’s just another game. Whether you hold an online fundraiser, car wash, or candy bar drive and need to raise $5,000 or $100,000, the principles of effective fundraising remain the same.

1. STRONG LEADERSHIP.

Just like having a strong coach is integral to winning a game, having one person dedicated to leading a fundraiser is crucial. From communicating the fundraiser’s progress, recognizing members doing a great job, to encouraging those in need of help, it keeps the fundraiser rolling towards its goal.

There is nobody better at this than the coach. However, if it’s not possible or practical for the coach to act as the fundraising leader, we recommend that the leader be a parent or a particularly responsible team member. But it’s critical that the coach is kept informed and involved. Players take their cues and look up to to their coach. They’l bel more enthusiastic and motivated if he or she is.

2. COMPETITION.

Your team shows up to every game and “gives 110%,” right?  Everyone on your team is naturally competitive and leveraging that competitive drive is a great way to raise more money.

Make sure you give each team member an individual fundraising requirement so that each person is held personally accountable. Foster a sense of competition by recognizing the highest-performing team members every week, which can serve to encourage everyone to pulling their weight.

3. OFFER A PRIZE.

Offer up prizes to whoever raises the most money, brings in the most donors, or sells the most product. No matter how little the prize, people of all ages genuinely get excited about winning something. Prizes can be as simple as a day off practice, first dibs on bus seats to away games, or an after practice snack. We’ve seen grown men get excited about $1 prizes. Everybody likes winning.

4. HIGH STAKES.

Whether you’re raising funds for day-to-day operations or tournament costs, make sure the entire team understands the tangible reasons of why they need to fundraise and what’s at stake if goals aren’t met.

Whether it’s practice facility rental fees, league dues, equipment maintenance, or scholarships, if the team understands what’s at stake, they’ll better understand why doing their part matters to themselves and to the team. While fun competition is healthy, it’s important to remind the team that – as with everything you do – this is a do or die team effort.

5. DEADLINES.

Many athletes thrive under pressure. It’s the same with fundraising. Make sure you set clear expectations and concrete time deadlines for your fundraising efforts. Whether it’s a day long event or 3 week long online fundraiser, deadlines provide constraints and prevent burnout. You could be fundraising all year round or have 2 well executed fundraisers – we believe the later is more effective.

Remember that you’re a team that relies on each other to get things done all the time and this is no different. The very same skills that drive your team through every tough conditioning session or playoff game are what will drive you toward success in raising the funds you need to continue doing what you love.

And while you didn’t get into this for the fundraising, know that seeing your team shatter its fundraising record can be just as satisfying as a Gatorade after a well-fought victory, because now you can have your Gatorade and buy more of it too!

Piggybackr is a team fundraising platform designed to help members of all ages and experience levels raise funds in an easy, fun, and effective way online. Get your team up and running in less than 5 mins and start raising an average of $76 per donor rather than selling 76 candy bars per donor. Since launching nationwide in 2013, Piggybackr has helped thousands of teams in 47 states reach their funding goals. If you’re interested in fundraising online with your team, visit www.piggybackr.com.

This article appeared originally on the TeamSnap Blog on Oct 14. 

by Andrea Lo and Reed Kavner

Announcing... the Piggybackr 1 Million Leaders Challenge

We're so excited to announce the launch of our campaign: The Piggybackr 1 Million Leaders Challenge.  We have some great prizes, judges, and partners!  To learn more or check out our challenge page at: www.piggybackr.com/challenge.

What is the Piggybackr 1 Million Leaders Challenge?

It's a call to action for young people to take the lead and raise money online for their teams, projects, and ideas this holiday season. We are also challenging communities to rally behind their youth. Will you accept our challenge?

When is the Challenge?
The Challenge will run from November 1, 2013 to January 3, 2014. Fundraisers that launch on Piggybackr during this time are eligible. 

What are the prizes?
Each week during the Challenge, participants crowdfunding on Piggybackr.com are eligible for awesome prizes and mentorship opportunities such as a 1- on-1 with a “Shark Tank” investor Kevin Harrington, meet and greet with Selena Gomez on her Stars Dance Tour, or even a signed Adrian Peterson NFL football.

At the conclusion of the Challenge, our panel judges will select a grand prizewinner based on subjective criteria, including effort and impact. The grand prizewinner will be named “Piggybackr Leader of the Year,” serve as a role model to other young people and receive mentorship and cash to further amplify their project and ideas. 

How do I enter?

Three simple steps.  See the image below!

To learn more visit: www.piggybackr.com/challenge.

Camp BizSmart Crowdfunding Contest Winners

This fall, Piggybackr teamed up with Camp BizSmart to run a contest for their entrepreneurial student alumni. Here's a guest blog from co-founder Peggy Gibbs.

The first Piggybackr and Camp BizSmart crowdfunding contest for aspiring entrepreneurs concluded this month. Camp BizSmart, a summer business academy for 11-15 year old students, challenged teams to raise money, awarding the team that raised the most a meeting with a Silicon Valley VC and a $250.00 matching grant for their cause.

The winning team was "Treasures 4 Teens" – led by Michael Daboll a 16-year old Camp BizSmart alum from Los Gatos, CA who at the end of the contest, had raised $3,484.00 and earned 180 effort points through Piggybackr.

Treasures 4 Teens is a nonprofit Mike started in 2010, after realizing that teens were not getting age appropriate gifts during the holiday season toy drives. He was pleased to crowdfund to get the word out about his nonprofit, especially before the busy Christmas season hit. Money raised will be used to purchase iPod shuffles for hundreds of teens. They are still raising funds here.

We were so impressed by the competition participants that we granted “JewelRead” the 2nd place team a special $200 award in recognition for their tremendous team collaboration and persistence, skills we value here at Camp BizSmart! They ended up raising $2,875.00 dollars while earning 734 effort points on Piggybackr.

JewelRead is a new organization on a mission to share the joy of reading with underpriviledged kids all around the world. They raise funds to distribute books to less fortunate kids and even started their own jewelry shop to help raise funds.

The team, led by Jennifer Veis met this past summer at Camp BizSmart and went on to win an international competition at Stanford.

Jennifer shared that she was thankful “for all the helpful tips that were given us throughout the competition" and how the experience helped the team learn "countless things ranging from how to better collaborate to the art of crowd funding."

In third place was “Blue Amber Films", created by Camp BizSmart Alum, Christian Gutierrez. Christian demonstrated keen marketing skills and creativity. While just beginning the launch of his film company, we expect to hear great things from him in the future.

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These student projects all represent different ways which Camp BizSmart alumni are following their passions and making a difference. We congratulate them all as well good luck as they follow their dreams. 

We are always pleased when Camp BizSmart alums receive attention for their hard work, persistence and passion. Recently, reporter Khalida Sarwari, a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, interviewed the Camp BizSmart alumni of JewelRead. Check out their article here JewelRead’s goal: For all kids to enjoy books.http://www.mercurynews.com/saratoga/ci_24358412/saratoga-jewelreads-goal-all-kids-enjoy-books

We look forward to the next wave of projects and ideas that our Camp BizSmart alumni will post on Piggybackr and are pleased to have formed this partnership with Piggybackr.com which has made it possible for our alumni to post their projects to gain support.


About the Author

Peggy Gibbs (Co-founder of Camp BizSmart) has served as a senior executive at innovative non-profits for over 25 years. Her work includes start-up design, strategic partnerships, and management for cutting-edge social enterprises focused on education, arts, health, and technology solutions. Peggy’s work with school districts has brought engaging education programs to many students, parents, and teachers throughout the Bay Area. Most recently, she was VP of business development for the award-winning social enterprise company Benetech. She serves on the board of University of the Pacific & School of International Studies, and is a board member for the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce.

Camp BizSmart is a product design, business plan and entrepreneur academy that inspires young entrepreneurs 11 - 15, & provides hands-on training to develop essential skills and create innovative new products for cool companies. Camp BizSmart encourages our Alumni to continue their journey as aspiring entrepreneurs. To read more about Camp BizSmart summer programs at Stanford University or see past student innovations, please visit: www.campbizsmart.org

Partner Spotlight: Camp BizSmart & Getting Started as a Youth Entrepreneur

Our CEO, Andrea shares about her experience teaching at Camp BizSmart.

I was invited to be a guest faculty member at Camp BizSmart this summer, which takes place on the Stanford campus.  What is Camp BizSmart?  It's a summer entrepreneur academy for young people ages 11 - 15 that takes place in the Silicon Valley, CA.  CNN Money named them as one of the most unique camps in the United States!  

Students come from all around the world as far as India and China, but mainly the United States and get their hands and feet wet in product design and marketing.  While a few students come to camp with their own company ideas, most students are just eager to learn more about the world of business.  

To sum it up - teenagers get to go to camp for 2 weeks, learn directly from company executives, and solve REAL business problems for companies.  How cool is that?  You might ask - what does a 13 year old know about solving a company's problems?  

Well more and more companies (Piggybackr included) are realizing that Millennials (anyone born in the 1980's or later) use technology and buy products differently than previous generations - so they have incredibly important insights.  We here at Piggybackr took it so seriously, that Reed Kavner, our VP of Product came along to take notes.

Our Head of Product, Reed with Dr. Mike Gibbs, Founder of CampBizSmart
Photo Courtesy of CampBizSmart

I taught the students how to crowdfund, shared a tips on how to start a company, and presented a mini business case to them.  Student teams were asked to help redesign Piggybackr's landing page.  For anyone who runs a web-based company, your landing page is very important - it's like your storefront.  

Teams were given about 25 minutes to redesign our landing page so that it would appeal to other young people like themselves.  I was blown away by the students' work.  From some unexpected ideas like "you should add a game to the landing page so kids come to play" to incredibly insightful ones like "your color scheme is too similar to Facebook - it needs to be brighter," we were blown away!

At the end of each class, each team presented their feedback and we got to choose our favorite teams.   We've already started incorporating some of the student's feedback.  Anyone notice the brighter blue color in our navigation bar?  At the end of the camp, teams work on their own projects and even get to pitch ideas to a real panel of investors.  

Winning CampBizSmart team during Class #3, Stanford CA
Photo Courtesy of CampBizSmart

Young people often ask me "Andrea, how do you become an entrepreneur and start your own company?"  I'll admit that being in the Silicon Valley makes it easier because people are always open to new ideas - everyone either works for a start-up or knows someone who does. The short answer is learn as much as you can wherever you are.  Ask people who you think are interesting if they are will give you advice.  It's never too early to start.  There are a ton of opportunities out there to learn, things like a Camp BizSmart, that are designed to help you take your first steps.

Though camp is over, and school's about to start, many Camp BizSmart students are thinking about their ideas and how to take them to the next level.  In the next few weeks, we'll see Camp BizSmart students launch team fundraising projects on Piggybackr to get funding to take their projects to the next level.  Stay tuned!  Thank you Dr. Mike and Peggy Gibbs and Camp BizSmart for a wonderful summer!