FUNDRAISING

GUIDE &
ADDITIONAL
FUNDRAISING
STRATEGIES FOR
SPEECH & DEBATE

TEAMS
 Nathan Spevack
Manager, Strategic Partnerships
212.336.3828
nathan@ed.co

Amy Zucchi-Justice
Marketing & Strategy
212.336.3824
amy@ed.co

Rachel Mehta
Partnership Execution/Marketing
917.817.3023
rachel@ed.co

Customer Service
hello@ed.co

National Speech & Debate Association

info@speechanddebate.org
920.748.6206

2 /  www.speechanddebate.org
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

F U N DR A ISI NG GU I DE
FOR SPEEC H & DEB AT E T E A MS
A T YPIC AL SPEECH AND DEBATE TE AM 6

GATHER INFORMATION ON AVAIL ABLE FUNDING 7

BUDGE TING 8

FUNDR AISING 9

WHAT IS EDCO? 10

HOW IT WORKS 11

WHAT NSDA TE AMS SAY ABOUT EDCO 12

E X AMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL NSDA TE AMS 13-14

FEES & PRICING 15

A DDI T IONA L F U N DR A ISI NG

S T R AT EGI ES FOR SPEEC H &
DEB AT E T E A MS
GOAL SE T TING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 18-20

A SKING FOR DONATIONS 21

SAMPLE EMAIL & BUSINESS LE T TER 22-23

SOCIAL MEDIA HOW-TO’S 24-25

SAMPLE FACEBOOK POSTS & SHARING 26-27

RE ACH OUT TO LOC AL BUSINESSES 28-29

PRESS RELE A SE HELPER 3 0 -31

HOW EDCO WORKS: FUNDR AISING 101 32-37

www.ed.co/nsda / 3
F U N D RFUNDRAISING
HOW AISING

GUIDE 1 0 1
FOR
WORKS
SPEECH & DEBATE
T E A M
overview S
I. Why Create an Edco Fundraising Page?

II. Preparation:
Create your customized fundraising page
Add team members
Collect and upload contacts

III. Start fundraising:

Create your fundraiser and launch it by
sending out emails and posting on social media
INTRODUCTION

Financing your season can be daunting.

Membership dues, snacks, scripts, transportation,

snacks, judges, coach stipends, black books,

snacks, curriculum, technology, and did we

mention snacks? It can be overwhelming, but

you’re not in this alone. You lead an entire team

of high achieving students and when you give

your students ownership over the fundraising

process, you are presenting them with a real-

world situation to apply their communicative

talents to. They will learn important budgeting,

marketing, and networking skills all while

showing off their powers of persuasion!

Since 2015, Edco and the National Speech & The NSDA in par tnership with Edco has

Debate Association (NSDA) have partnered created this guide to help your team maximize

to enable speech and debate teams/programs your fundraising experience and have the

throughout the country to raise more funds. most success using Edco. We have assembled

Hundreds of speech and debate teams have a complete Edco/NSDA fundraising guide

raised more than $260,000, and that number appendix that you can access online. The

is always growing. appendix includes tips and information on

setting a goal, the art of the “ask”, reaching

out to local businesses for donations, how to

use social media to increase your reach, email

templates, and how to get noticed by the press.

A TYPICAL SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM

d the NSDA,
Th is year Edco an
Stax (a globa l
in conjunct ion w ith a
fir m), conduc ted
strategy co nsulting
of Speech and
fu nd ra ising su rvey $17,800 per year
ge t a be tter
Debate co ac he s to
w your te am s
average per team

unde rs ta nd ing of ho
ra is e and what
and pr og ra m s fu nd
u.
we ca n do to he lp yo
student travel
expenses

Our findings show that your team will

need, on average, $17,800 per year to pay tournaments registration
fees
for student travel expenses, tournaments,
registration fees, coach travel costs,
membership fees, and training materials,
yet only $5,200 of that will be covered Coach travel membership training

-
expenses fees materials
by your fundraising activities (hosting
tournament s, selling produc t s, and
hosting restaurant nights) - leaving much
to be desired from current efforts. When $5,200
coaches organize fundraisers, they have from fundraising activities

trouble getting their students involved,

running the events, and starting each hosting selling
hosting
restaurant
fundraiser from scratch since they don`t tournaments products
nights
have a dedicated donor database… but it
doesn’t have to be this way.

While half of coaches still rely on products

sales, 27% have begun successfully using

=
online fundraisers, and that number is
growing rapidly. Projections show that
$12,600
Speech and Debate teams’ usage of online
fundraising will double in the near future still needed for
due to the high adoption intent shown by your team
current non-users.

6 /  www.speechanddebate.org
 GATHER INFORMATION ON AVAILABLE FUNDING
There are many different income sources
for your team, but it is essential that you
know all of your options.

sc ho ol bu dg et ,
d th at ea ch pr in ci pa l, sc ho ol ,
Ke ep in m in la tio ns .
d st at e ha s di ff er en t ru le s an d re gu
di st ri ct , an

MEET WITH YOUR PEERS – Meet with the largest athletic and non-
1 athletic programs at your school. Inquire how they organize their finances,
what they receive from the school/district, how their booster organization
helps them, who pays for their transportation, and how they help students
who can’t afford fees. This information is critical as you meet with others.

SCHOOL BUDGET – Meet with your principal to see what can be allocated
2 for Speech and Debate. Most budgets are created the year prior, but it is
never too early to request for the next season.

ACTIVITY/ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS – Investigate what type of stipends

3 your school or district offers to coaches. Also, if you are governed by the
same state organization as your sports teams, you could qualify to have your
transportation paid through that budget!

BOOSTER ORGANIZATIONS – Booster organizations can be a tremendous

4 financial help for your team. Investigate what your school, district, and state
rules are regarding how booster organizations operate. They may even end
up running a fundraiser for you!

CURRICULUM FUNDS – Most departments have a budget for curriculum.

5 You can ask your English, Social Studies, or Theater department to pay for
NSDA School Membership or an NSDA Team Resource Package. The bonus
is that all the teachers in your school would also have access to incorporate
those lessons into their classes!

Based on the information that you YOU CAN –

receive, work with your team to find • Host a showcase for your principal.
the best way to promote your team’s • Have students perform at department
needs and ask for funds. This is where meetings.
you and your students can be creative • Mail any of our advocacy articles to
as well as persuasive. your superintendent.
See Appendix page 7:
Asking For Donations for more tips on how to approach many of these meetings.

www.ed.co/nsda / 7
BUDGETING

Before reaching out to anyone, create an itemized expense

budget. Research the potential costs for your season. Having
specific numbers can help your school leadership and sponsors
know precisely how they are helping you!

A
H E R E IS
SAMPLE
O F Item Cost
NSE
AN E XPE
T H AT
BUDGET High School Membership Dues $149
N
YO U C A
C R E AT E
Resource Package for the team $199

Lifetime Student Membership Fees $20 x 10

(for students) students

Judge for a one-day tournament $85

Tournament entry fees $600

Transportation $1,000

Food (snacks/meals during tournaments) $450

Total Cost $2,683

See Appendix page 4:

Goal Setting What You Need To K now for more tips on budgeting.

8 /  www.speechanddebate.org
 FUNDRAISING
It may be that your team does get some of the
required funds, but you still need to fill some
gaps in the budget, especially as your team and
travel needs continue to grow.

ti m e- sa vi ng
e fo llo w in g ar e so m e pr ac tic al an d :
Th
he lp fi ll th os e ga ps
so lu tio ns th at ca n

TAX CREDIT DONATIONS – Many states, offer a dollar-for-dollar tax

1 credit donation program*. This is a win-win for everyone. Donors get an
automatic tax credit, and your team receives funds! Meet with your principal
and bookkeeper to find out your state and district regulations.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH/SPONSORSHIP – Many businesses in your

2 area are looking for more exposure in the communit y. Consider selling
sponsorship packages in exchange for displaying their logo on your team
t-shirts, website, and social media postings.
See Appendix page 12-14:
Reaching Out To Local Businesses and Share to Social Media for great strategies in
these areas.

BIG QUESTIONS DEBATE – Hosting a Big Questions Debate event is one

3 of the most suitable and most accessible ways to earn money for your team.
You are literally raising money by competing in the activity in which you
participate! For more information about Big Questions Debate visit https://
www.speechanddebate.org/big-questions/.

te
ou s st ra te gie s to cr ea
Th es e ar e all tre me nd ur ac co un ts !
w int o yo
co ns ist en t ca sh flo rtn er wi th
is pr ou d to pa
Ho we ve r, th e NS DA e
pr ov ide th e mo st tim
Ed co be ca us e th ey te am !
wa y to fu nd yo ur
sa vin g an d ef fe ct ive

* EXAMPLE Visit http://bit.ly/taxcreditexample

www.ed.co/nsda / 9
WHAT IS EDCO?

The
The More You K now
r
More Successful You
EDCO is an intuitive online fundraising Fundraisers Can Be.
platform designed specifically for
K-12 te a ms , p rogr a ms , s ch o ols ,
educators, and parents. The concept
behind Edco is that you don’t have to
sell a product to get the support of
your family, friends, and community
EDCO’s analytics track all of your
- who are already willing to donate
marketing activity so you can make
directly to your team. With Edco, you
smarter decisions on your outreach
can set up a landing page enabling you
plan. See how much money you’ve
to accept tax-deductible donations
raised, how many emails your team
and publicize your fundraiser via
has sent, how many times your
email and social media integrations.
campaign has been shared on social
Stand out to potential donors by
media, who has donated and how
taking advantage of all the features
much time is left in your fundraiser.
on your Edco landing page. Add
Edco also sends thank you emails
team pictures, videos, updates and
to all donors for you (along with
news. Edco also stores your donors'
necessary tax information).
contact information so creating future
fundraisers are even easier.
It is fast and easy to set up - five
minutes or less.

NSDA teams/programs have

dedicated customer support.

Save donor information automatically

to ensure sustainable fundraising and
ongoing community building.

No cost to users - service fee

is industry low of 4.25%
(this rate is only available to NSDA teams!)

10 / www.speechanddebate.org

 HOW IT WORKS

CREATE YOUR EDCO PAGE Use Edco’s template to

1 set up a web page, create a goal, upload a team photo
and tell your team’s story.

INVITE YOUR TEAM Invite students, parents and

2 supporters to help spread the word.

GET THE WORD OUT Your team uses Edco to share

3 your fundraising page through email and social media.

COLLECT DONATIONS ONLINE All contributions

4 are tax-deductible with automated receipts.

EFFORTLESS THANK-YOU'S Automatic thank you

5 notes and public recognition for supporters.

AUTOMATIC TR ACKING No need to keep track of

6 progress, just post pictures and updates to your page
to engage donors.

REQUEST FUNDS Access funds as needed with no

7 hidden fees.

www.ed.co/nsda / 11
WHAT NSDA TEAMS SAY ABOUT EDCO?

’s
be en a h u g e w in fo r ou r te am
“E d co h as ea rs. Ed co gi ve s u
s
pa st fo u r y
fu nd ra isin g th e at w e ca n re tu rn
to
y p la tf or m th
a tr u st w or th ar e ea sy to u se fo r
to ol s th at
y ea r afte r y ea r, d re spon si ve st aff
wh o
r ou tr ea ch , an
in cr ea si ng ou
g et th in gs d on e. e
d on or s g et no t on ly th e conven ie nc
Wit h Ed co ou r bu t also th e ce rt ai nt y
on lin e,
of gi vi ng m on ey gi ti m at e, ta x-d ed u ct ib
le
at io n is a le
th at th ei r d on
r te am.”
cont ri bu ti on to ou
- Micah Everson of Murrah High School,
Mississippi, Raised $10,697

“Edco offers prompt supp or

t in resp onse to questions
Its use is intuitive and st .
art-up straight forward. On
the initial set-up is acco ce
mplished, the fundraiser
easy to sustain. is

Carving out time to fundra

ise can be a chall enge. Ed
provid es a forum wh ere co
stud ents ca n reach out
prospective donors even to
given a few minutes a da
y.”

- Paul Wexler of Needham High School,

Massachusetts, Raised $3,600

12 / www.speechanddebate.org

 EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL NSDA TEAMS

ST R AT H H AV EN
HIGH SCHOOL

Ra ise d $8 ,6 43 . An
av er ag e do na tio n of
ne ar ly $2 00 .

L.C. ANDERSON
HIGH SCHOOL

Rai sed $25 ,64 5 wit h 89 Ac tiv

e
Tea m Me mb ers .

www.ed.co/nsda / 13
EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL NSDA TEAMS

FA LMOU T H
HIGH SCHOOL

Ra ise d $2 ,423 an d
go t pr es s at te nt io n.

14 / www.speechanddebate.org

 FEES & PRICING

Setting up a fundraising page on Edco is free. Edco

normally charges a modest 4.9% service fee on donations
plus a 2.9%+$0.30 credit card transaction fee. Due to
our partnership, Edco offers a reduced service fee for
NSDA teams/programs!

Setting up a fundraising page on EDCO Free

Service fee on donations 4.25%*

Credit card transaction fee 2.9% + $0.30

*rate only available for NSDA teams

BOTTOM LINE

Your team/
program will keep
over 92 cents
on every dollar
donated.

www.ed.co/nsda / 15
 T I O N A L
ADDI I N G
R A I S
FUND R
E G I E S F O
S TR AT AT E
& DE B
SPEECH

TE A M S
BY
U ID E C O - W R IT T E N
A G E N AT IO N
AL
A N D T H
ED CO D E B AT E
S P EEC H &
IO N
A S S O C IAT
ABOUT EDCO

Since 2014, Edco has been helping school

programs raise funds. Our goal is to make

fundraising less of a hassle for educators by

decreasing the time they invest organizing

a fundraiser and increasing the money they

raise. We know that educators and parents

work hard everyday and shouldn’t have to

invest a lot of time in a fundraiser.

Using an online fundraising platform, on

average, raises four times as much per student

compared to traditional fundraisers (bake

sales, car washes, auctions, craft fairs, etc.)

and is a paperless, hassle-free experience for

all involved.
GOAL SETTING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

DURING T HE COURSE OF T HE SCHOOL YEA R

YOUR TEA M NEEDS TO SET – A ND ACHIEV E –
SEV ER A L GOA LS.

OA L M AT T ER S
1 W H Y SET T ING A G
to kn ow wh at ca us e
ab ou t giv ing . Th ey wa nt
Do no rs wa nt to fe el go od W HY IT M AT TE RS .
wa rd , wh om it im pa ct s an d –
th eir mo ne y is go ing to ur bu s tri p to th e
lps su pp or te rs pic tu re yo
A cle ar fu nd ra isi ng go al he p st an ds ... an d se e
r.. . ne w int er pr et at io n sc rip ts ... lap to
Na tio na l Qu ali fie e th ing s.
w th is go al he lps yo ur te am do aw es om
ho

2 W HER E TO STA RT

De cid e wh at yo u wa
CONSIDE R
nt to ac co mp lis h
wi th th e mo ne y yo ur 1. M y go al is sp ec ifi
te am ra ise s. Is c
it fo r fe es? Ho st ing en ou gh fo r su pp or te
a to ur na me nt ? rs
Tr av el? W ha te ve r th 2. M y go al is lar ge
e ca se ma y be , en ou gh
kn ow ing th is wi ll he to be me an ing fu l
lp.

STA ND OU T !
3 M A K E YOUR T E A M
su re
am s on Ed co , ma ke
Th er e ar e a lot of te
USE M E DIA yo u st an d ou t fro m
th em .
.
do no rs wi ll se e fir st
ag e an d a st ro ng he ad lin e.. .it ’s wh at
Us e an im ar e of go od qu ali ty,
e, us e ph ot os th at : inc lud e yo ur te am ,
W he n po ss ibl
yo ur te am is do ing .
an d re pr es en t wh at
.
T, yo u ca n us e bo th
Ha ve a vid eo? GR EA so cia l me dia
inc lud e pr ov idi ng up da te s, sh ar ing on
Ot he r be st pr ac tic es
t pr es s.
an d at te mp tin g to ge

18 / www.speechanddebate.org

 CR E AT E A GOA L DE
SCR IP T ION
4
Th is is wh er e yo u ad
d de ta il ab ou t yo ur
gr ea t pla ce to sa y wh go al. It’s a
o, wh at , wh en an d wh
y yo ur go al is
im po rta nt .

QUESTIONS TO ASK 5

HOW could reach ing your goal impac t your team. .. for its
memb ers... for the local comm unity?

Why is this goal impor tant to your team. .. to your schoo l...to
your town or city?

HOW MUCH
TO A SK FOR
? 6
BU D GE T W I
C a re fu ll y c
o n si d e r h o w
g o a l. T h is m much mone SE LY
ig h t re q u ir e y yo u n e e d
o r it c o u ld m a k in g a li st to ra is e to
b e a si m p le o f e x p e n se m e et yo ur
e n tr a n c e fe a m o u n t b a se s fo r tr a v e l
e . D o b e su d o n th e p ri p la n s,
to a c c o u n t re to in c lu d c e o f a n it e
fo r th in g s li e a sm a ll b u m or an
k e sh ip p in g ff e r w it h in
fe e s, ta x e s, yo ur b u dge
a n d E d c o 's t
se r v ic e fe e 4 .2 5 %*
a ss o c ia te d
O u r re c o m m w it h y o u r a
e n d a ti o n is c c o u n t.
w h a te v e r th to a sk fo r a n a d d it
e a c tu a l g o io n a l 10 % o
a l is to c o v e n to p o f
r w h a t' s m e
n ti o n e d a b o
ve o r a ny
u n fo re se e n
(W it h E d c o e x p e n se s.
, yo u ke e p
a ll o f y o u r
fu n d s re g a rd
if y o u re a c h le ss
yo ur go al o
r n o t) .

*4.25% discounted service fee only available for NSDA teams

www.ed.co/nsda / 19
 DE A DLINES A R E A
MUST! 7
We al l kn ow th
at th er e is no th
C re at in g a se ns in g lik e a de ad lin
e of ur ge nc y is e to ge t pe op le
te ll so m eo ne th an im po rt an t st w or ki ng .
at yo u ha ve on ep fo r yo ur fu nd
ly fi ve da ys le ft ra is er. If yo u
to ra is e m on ey
th e pr es su re an , th ey ’ll fe el
d w ill be m or e
O n Ed co , yo u m lik el y to gi ve .
us t se t an en d
ca n be ba se d on da te fo r yo ur fu nd ra
an ou ts id e da te is in g go al . Th is
or be an ar bi tr ar , lik e a co m pe ti da te
y da te yo ur te am ti on en tr y de ad
yo ur se lf w ig gl e w an ts to sh oo t lin e,
ro om by ad di ng fo r. A lw ay s le av
yo u ar e re qu es a fe w ad di ti on al e
ti ng to ge t yo ur da ys ju st in ca se
no te th at it w ill fu nd s vi a a pr ep . If
ta ke at le as t 10 ai d cr ed it ca rd ,
bu si ne ss da ys to pl ea se
re ce iv e th e ca rd
.
F o r m o re in fo rm
a ti o n o n p a y m e
v is it o u r te rm s p n t, p le a se
a g e w w w.e d .c o/t
e rm s.

1. YO U CA N O NLY
HAVE O NE AC TI VE
GO AL AT A TI M E.
2. YO U CA N SE T NE
W GO AL S AS O FT EN
AS YO U LI KE .
3. AL L GO AL S EN D
IM M ED IATE LY BE FO
EA ST ER N TI M E O N RE M ID NI GH T
TH E EN D DATE YO
U SE LE CT.

• Rev iew pre vio us tea m bud

get s for the “ac tua l”
cos t of rec urr ing exp ens es.
• Mo nit or pro gre ss tow ard you
r fin anc ial goa l onc e TIPS AND
you sta rt fun dra isin g to det erm
to adj ust you r str ate gy or get
ine if you nee d
mo re tea mm ate s
GUIDELINES
inv olv ed in the fun dra isin g eff
ort .

2 0 / www.speechanddebate.org

 ASKING FOR DONATIONS

G U ID EL IN ES

SHARE YOUR PASSION FOR WHAT YOUR TEAM IS ALL ABOUT,

1 FIRST. Your excitement will show how much you care and help donors
understand why they should too.

ASK FAMILY, FRIENDS AND PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY TO

2 DONATE TO YOUR TEAM. People can’t give if they don’t know you
need help.

EXPLAIN WHAT THEIR DONATION CAN MAKE POSSIBLE. Be specific

3 about the impact a donation will have on your team. Be clear what your team
can do with $5, $100, $500 and more.

STAY CONFIDENT AND BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU’RE DOING. A

4 “no” is not a personal rejection. Most people do not give the first time they
are asked. It’s important to establish a relationship.

LET DONORS KNOW THAT WHEN THEY SUPPORT YOU THROUGH

5 EDCO, THEY DO NOT NEED TO BUY ANY PRODUCT. This allows
your team to keep an average of 90% more of the money raised.

BE PREPARED TO TAKE MONEY ON THE SPOT. Before approaching a

6 potential donor, load your Edco fundraising page on your mobile phone so
donors can give with their credit or debit card on-the-spot.
If they are not prepared to make a donation at that moment, let them know
they can make a donation on their personal computer or mobile device
when they're ready.

TURN ONE-TIME DONORS INTO REPEAT DONORS. Be sure to follow

7 up with each of your donors to thank them. When you do, share pictures
and videos to show how their support helped you out.
Donors who get responses back and see what their contribution helped
make happen are MUCH MORE likely to give again.

www.ed.co/nsda / 21
SAMPLE EMAILS & BUSINESS LETTER

Hi [Friend’s Name],
E-M A IL 1
I’ve got some big news: Our high school
speech and debate team is incredible,
and we just qualified for the big national
competition with teams from all around
the country. Hi [Name],

We’ve had this dream all year, and now
we’re in! But to actually get there, we
need to raise money from our friends
and families, and I thought you might
be excited to help out by making a tax-
deductible donation.
We’re working hard to achieve great
things. Our success depends on the
support of our friends, family and
community.
You can help by:

Will you chip in $50 (or whatever you can
afford) to help?
Here’s the link to our fundraising page:
[Fundraising page]
Thank you SO MUCH -- we are incredibly
grateful, and I’ll send you some pics from
the competition! :)
1. Making a donation:
Your contribution will have a direct
impact on sustaining our school
activities.
2. Sharing our page:
Help us spread the word by
forwarding this email to your network
of contacts.

[Your Name] Learn more about us:

[Fundraising page]

Thank you for the support! :)

[Your Name]

E-M A IL 2
2 2 / www.speechanddebate.org

 LETTER
To W ho m It M ay Co
nc er n:
M y na me is [N am e]
, an d I am a st ud en
A ss oc iat io n te am [te t wi th th e Na tio na l
am na me ]. I’m wr iti Sp ee ch & De ba te
in qu ire if yo ur co mp ng to da y on be ha lf
an y mi gh t be in te re of my te am to
de ba te te am fo r ou st ed in sp on so rin g
r 20 18 -2 01 9 se as on ou r sp ee ch an d
!
Ou r te am is co mp ris
ed of hi gh ly de di ca
wh o tra ve l th e co un te d an d co mp et iti ve
tr y to co mp et e ag ain st ud en t s
un ive rs iti es in clu di st ot he r to p- ra nk ed
ng Ya le , Em or y, Ha st ud en t s at
st ud en t s re ac h eli mi r va rd , an d Be rk el ey
na tio n ro un ds at ma . W e ha ve ha d
in clu di ng Ya le , Un ive ny di f fe re nt in vit at
rs it y of Fl or id a, No io na l to ur na me nt s
an d Em or y. W e als o va So ut he as te rn Un
re ce nt ly sa w fo ur of ive rs it y,
ch am pi on sh ip in th ou r st ud en t s wi n th
ei r di vis io ns , wh ich e di st ric t
& De ba te To ur na me qu ali fie d th em to th
nt in Ju ne ! e Na tio na l Sp ee ch
Th ro ug ho ut th e ye
ar, we tra in as a gr ou
co mp et iti on s to qu p an d pa r tic ip at e in
ali f y fo r ou r di st ric lo ca l
th e Na tio na l Sp ee ch t ev en t s. To fin d ou t mo
& De ba te A ss oc iat io re ab ou t
sp ee ch an dd eb at e.o n pr og ra m, pl ea se vis
rg ! it w w w.
W e wo ul d be ve r y
ha pp y to co me ou t
th e le ar ni ng an d le an d do a pr es en ta tio
ad er sh ip op po r tu ni n on th e NS DA ,
po te nt ial fo r ou r te tie s ou r pr og ra m pr
am to se r ve as co mm ov id es , an d th e
Ou r pr ev io us sp on so un it y ma rk et in g fo r
rs ha ve in clu de d [ X yo ur co mp an y.
Co mp an y] an d [ Y Co
mp an y] .
Fo r mo re de ta ile d in
fo rm at io n ab ou t ou
th e fo llo wi ng lin ks : r te am , yo u ca n vis
it ou r we bs ite s at

w w w. hi gh sc ho ol .co
m/ Sp ee ch An dD eb at
eTea m ( Te am we bs
ite )
w w w. fa ce bo ok .co m/
Sp ee ch An dD eb at eT
ea m (F ac eb oo k pa ge
)
Yo u ca n als o su pp or
t ou r te am on lin e by
le ar ni ng ab ou t ou r vis iti ng ou r fu nd ra isi
lat es t pr oj ec t: ng pa ge an d
ht tp ://sc ho ol .ed .co
/S pe ec hA nd De ba te
Te am (F un dr ais in g
pa ge )
Th an k yo u ve r y mu
ch fo r yo ur co ns id er
fro m yo u so on ! at io n. I lo ok fo r wa rd
to he ar in g ba ck
[N am e]
St ud en t,
Sp ee ch an d De ba te
Te am

www.ed.co/nsda / 23
SOCIAL MEDIA HOW-TO’S
SH A R ING YOUR TEA M’S FUNDR A ISING C A MPA IGN
ON SOCI A L MEDI A HEL PS YOUR MESSAGE T R AV EL FA R

even LinkedIn
Try facebook, instagram, twitter and

DON’T FORGET

to inc lud e yo ur
ca mp aig n lin k.

2
A DD PHOTOS, V IDEO
S & T E A M UPDAT ES

“We ju st q u a li fi e d fo
r th e
N a ti o n a l To u rn a m e n
t! ”
...t o ke ep yo ur ca mp
aig n fre sh an d ne w.

2 4 / www.speechanddebate.org

 3

POST FR EQUEN T LY
mu ch tim e
De pe nd ing on ho w
fu nd ra ise r,
yo u’v e se t fo r yo ur
es a we ek .
yo u ca n po st 2- 3 tim

#Hashtags
4
TAG T HE ORGA NIZ A
T ION/S
Ta g th e or ga niz at io n/
s yo u’r e af fil iat ed wi
hig h sc ho ol or sc ho th –
ol dis tri ct ; NS DA or
th e to wn or cit y wh ev en
er e yo u’r e ba se d.

@@ @@

5 TAG EDCO

@ WeA re Ed co on
OK
TW IT TE R, FA CB EO
or IN STAG R AM .

We may just retweet or

share your message!

www.ed.co/nsda / 25
 Guide to successful Facebook posts

E A L LY WOR K
PHOTOS & V IDEOS R
or ds ”,
sio n “a pi ct ur e is w or th a th ou sa nd w
pr es e w ill re ac h
Yo u’ ve he ar d th e ex ’s tr ue . A po st w ith a pi ct ur
ce bo ok it
rig ht ? W el l, on Fa pi ct ur e.
m ily an d fr ie nd s th an on e w ith ou t a
m or e fa
a vi de o.
lo ad in g (y es , up lo ad in g no t lin ki ng !)
r? Up pt ur e
Kn ow w ha t ’s be t te os . A sh or t an d en ga gi ng vi de o ca n ca
g vi de
Pe op le lo ve w at ch in m ily to gi ve .
nt io n an d in sp ire yo ur fr ie nd s an d fa
at te
T EL L P EO P L
E
W H AT Y O U
N EED, W H Y
IT 'S
IM P O R TA N
T
T O YO U A N
D
ID E O S W H ER E TO
SHORT V
OS
& P H OT G IV E
AND
O F YO U
AM
YO U R T E
N
IN A C T IO
OUR
MAKE Y
EEL
C AU S E F
AL
PER SON

REMEMBER
Be sincere but
don’t be afraid to
add humor and
personalit y to
your post s

26 / 
 SAMPLE FACEBOOK POSTS & SHARING

Guide to sharing on Facebook

P OSTS FR ESH
T IPS TO K EEP YOUR

CREATE A LIBR ARY OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

1 THE WHOLE TE AM CAN USE . Great pics can
happen whenever your team is together!

POST OFTEN. Frequency is the key to making an

2 impact on your audience.

ALWAYS INCLUDE THE LINK TO YOUR TEAM’S

3 EDCO DONATION PAGE. Make it easy for someone
to support you.

DON’T HOLD BACK YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR

4 THE TEAM. Your passion is what makes friends and
family members want to support you.

BE “NE WSY ”... THINK OF YOURSELF A S A

5 REPORTER FOR THE TEAM. Talk about upcoming
events or achievements.

TAG PEOPLE AND PLACES. This helps spread your

6 message.

SMILE, HAVE FUN, BE FUNNY! B ut also, ask for

7 the help your team needs.

www.ed.co/nsda / 27
REACH OUT TO LOCAL BUSINESSES

g for
s ar e a gr ea t w ay to get ad ditional fundin
Local businesse lik e to supp or t their comm
unity–
ns be ca us e th ey
your campaig em for
fo r bu sin es s! Bu t, a lot of pe ople ask th
an d it’s good
st an d out.
money so you ne ed to

SOME T IPS W E R EC
OMMEND A R E:

Have a solid pitch —be able to articulate your cause and state clearly why
1 you need the funds you are looking for.

2 Use pictures and graphics that help tell the story.

Talk about what you have already achieved as a group so they know
3 your team is responsible.

If possible, tie in why the company would be a good fit as a speech and
4 debate team, your request may be welcomed by corporations that present
in public a lot, or with politicians who have the gift to gab as well.

28 / 
 Thank the company with a handwritten note (they will get a formal
5 notification from Edco they can use for tax purposes).

Recognize the company on social media (tag it if you can in the post) so
6 others in your community can see a particular company supported you or
your team.

Email or mail the company a photo of your team using the item or
7 experiencing something that the company’s support made possible (i.e.,
your team at a tournament or your team in its new uniforms).

Re gar dle ss, loc al com pan ies

like to sup po rt loc al
tea ms . Th e pre ss, exp osu re
and fee l-g oo d asp ect
go es a lon g way for loc al bu sin
ess es. Co nta ct us at
he llo @e d.c o wit h any qu est ion
s!

www.ed.co/nsda / 29
PRESS RELEASE HELPER

YOUR TEAM IS NEWSWORTHY! HER E’S

TV) is
Getting press co verage (newspapers, radio, and even
w you ask.
HOW
most things, it’s all in ho
not that hard. As with

Research the various local media outlets and find out who reports on
1 schools or education. (HINT: Calling the paper or the station is the best
way to do this)

Once you know who to talk to, email them a press release. Always include
2 your phone number and email so they can contact you! Take a look at our
example press releases on the next page.

Then, one day after sending the release, try to call the media outlet and
3 “pitch” the reporter. (If you’re lucky they’ll call you first)

“Hi, this Suzy at George Washington High, did you receive

a press release from our speech and debate team?”
If yes, engage the reporter in a conversation. Invite him or her to the
school to meet the team, or to an upcoming tournament. If no, try to send
the press release again and still try to chit-chat.

STORIES TO PITCH
4 • Your team’s achievements, for instance, success at competitions
• Students from your team go on to great colleges and careers
• Community service work your team does
• Using crowdfunding to connect with your local community
(crowdfunding through Edco can be a cool tech story)

30 / 
 PRESS RELEASE

NE W S
Co nt ac t: [N am e]
[Tea m Na me ]
[P ho ne Nu mb er ]
[te am em ail ]@ [sc ho ol]
.or g
Fo r Im me di at e Re lea
se
Ci ty, st at e – Ja nu ar
y 1, 20 19 – Th e Hi gh
[S ch oo l Na me ] ha s ha Sc ho ol Sp ee ch & De
d an ot he r ex ce pt io na ba te Te am at
at st at e an d re gio na l ye ar re pr es en tin g
l to ur na me nt s, wi nn th e Sc ho ol
st ud en ts is led by [te ing X an d Y an d Z. Th
am ad vis or na me (s) ]. is te am of #
st ud en ts ha ve qu ali Re ce nt ly, it lea rn ed
fie d fo r “N at io na ls”, se ve n of its
th e Na tio na l Sp ee ch an an nu al to ur na me
& De ba te As so cia tio nt or ga niz ed by
if sp ac e all ow s] n. [m en tio n na me s an
d ca te go rie s
As “N at io na ls” th is ye
ar is in Da lla s fro m
Te am mu st ra ise an Ju ne 16 -2 1, Th e Sp ee
es tim at ed $# fo r tra ch & De ba te
re gis tra tio n fe es . [T ve l, lo dg ing , fo od , an d
ea m Ad vis or na me ] to ur na me nt
cr ow df un din g to ra ise ex pla ins , “We’v e em
mo ne y to he lp th e st plo ye d
ha ve wo rk ed so ha rd ud en ts of fse t th e co
all ye ar an d ha ve do st . Th ey
ge t th em to co mp et ne ex ce lle nt wo rk , so
e wi th th e be st of th we ’d lov e to
e be st fro m ar ou nd
th e co un try.”
To lea rn mo re ab ou
t th is te am an d th e
to “N at io na ls”, ple as op po rtu nit y to su pp
e vis it [te am ca mp aig or t th eir jo ur ne y
let te r fo r ta x pu rp os n lin k]. Do no rs wi ll
es an d wi ll fe el co nf re ce ive a
he lpi ng th es e yo un g ide nt th eir do na tio n
pe op le. is dir ec tly

Ab ou t Hi gh Sc ho ol
Sp ee ch & De ba te Te
Es ta bli sh ed in 19 92 am
, th e Hi gh Sc ho ol Sp
50 0+ st ud en ts fo r co ee ch & De ba te Te am ha
mp et iti on s, inc lud ing s pr ep ar ed
Na tio na l To ur na me nt ma ny wh o qu ali fie d
in ca te go rie s lik e Or fo r th e
Sp ea kin g, Po lic y De igi na l Or at or y, Ex te
ba te , Lin co ln- Do ug las mp or an eo us
me et s ov er th e co ur De ba te an d ot he rs .
se of th e ac ad em ic Th is te am
lo ca l sc ho ol dis tri ct ye ar an d is su pp or te
, th e hig h sc ho ol ’s Bo d in pa rt by its
bu sin es s do no rs . os te r Te am , an d ind
ivi du al an d

www.ed.co/nsda / 31
 HOW FUNDRAISING

HOW
W ORKS 101
FUNDRAISING

WORKS 101
overview
overview
I. Why Create an Edco Fundraising Page?

II. Preparation:
Create your customized fundraising page
I. Why
Add Create
team an Edco Fundraising Page?
members
Collect and upload contacts
II. Preparation:
Create
III. Start your customized fundraising page
fundraising:
Create yourmembers
Add team fundraiser and launch it
byCollect
sending
andout emails
upload and posting on
contacts
social media
III. Start fundraising:
Create your fundraiser and launch it by
sending out emails and posting on social media
01 WHY CREATE AN EDCO
FUNDRAISING PAGE?

It’s FAST
you can set up your fundraising page in under five minutes.

Make fundraising a team sport

include your entire school/team in the fundraising process.
It isn’t your responsibility alone to fundraise.

Sustainable fundraising
Edco stores your contact and donor lists so you’ll have a great
jumping off point for your next fundraiser and beyond.

Integrated tools
promote your fundraiser via email and social media from
a single place.

All donations on Edco are tax-deductible

Edco even sends your supporters automated thank you
notes including relevant tax information.

Instant access to funds

Edco processes the payments and sends the funds you’ve
raised to your school/501(c)3 account or prepaid card for
fast use.

www.ed.co/nsda / 33
 02 PREPARATION

Creating your fundraising page takes

less than five minutes:
1 2 3 4 5

CREATE AN FIND YOUR UPLOAD NAME YOUR WRITE A BRIEF

ACCOUNT SCHOOL ONE FUNDRAISING DESCRIPTION
ON EDCO USING PICTURE PAGE OF YOUR
NAME AND SCHOOL/TEAM
(name & email)
ZIP CODE

Fundraising Page Example School

or Team
Name

School Description
or Team of School
Picture or Team

34 / 
 Adding Team Members To Your Fundraiser
TEAM MEMBERS ARE From your dashboard click “Add Team Members”
ANYONE THAT HAS A
VESTED INTEREST IN INVITE Enter the email addresses of everyone you'd like
HELPING YOU THEM ALL to invite to join your fundraising team
FUNDRAISE. TO JOIN (separate email addresses with a comma)
YOUR
FUNDRAISING
Potential team members
TEAM. Finish by clicking “Add Team Members”
include: Students, parents,
faculty, school Edco will send out an email explaining how to
administrators, alumni, etc. join your fundraising team

https://valley-high-ia-50266.ed.co/friends-of
The email your -valley-debate

team members
will get

www.ed.co/nsda / 35
 Why adding team members to your
fundraiser is a crucial step...

FACT MORE TEAM

MORE TEAM MEMBERS =
MORE FUNDS
Teams with 6-9 members see
better results than teams
with fewer members. Teams
with 10 or more members
typically raise 53% more
funds on average.
MEMBERS
GIVES DONORS THE ABILITY TO ATTRIBUTE
THEIR DONATION TO AN INDIVIDUAL ON THE
MEANS TEAM (AND THEY LOVE THAT!)
YOU’LL HAVE
MORE PEOPLE
TO:
Solicit for HELPS BUILD YOUR CONTACT, DONOR, AND
donations & share ALUMNI BASE FOR FUTURE FUNDRAISERS -
LEADS TO SUSTAINABLE FUNDRAISING
your fundraiser
on social media YEAR AFTER YEAR.

Collect and upload contacts

ASK EACH OF YOUR TEAM MORE CONTACTS

MEMBERS TO SUBMIT = MORE FUNDS
CONTACT INFORMATION
name and email
CONTACT INFORMATION OF POTENTIAL
FOR AT LEAST 10 DONORS CAN BE ADDED ONE AT A TIME
OR BY UPLOADING A CSV FILE.
POTENTIAL DONORS.

Why collect and upload contact information?

THE MORE Donating

THAT MEANS
CONTACTS YOU YOU’LL BE Submitting the contact information
ASKING A
HAVE, THE LARGER GROUP
of potential donors

OF PEOPLE TO
BIGGER YOUR HELP YOUR Sharing your fundraiser on social media
FUNDRAISER
REACH BY:

BECOMES. Checking with their employer about

matching their donation

36 / 
 03 START
FUNDRAISING!

Time to Create Your Fundraiser

WRITE A BRIEF
CREATE A DESCRIPTION CREATE CUSTOM
UPLOAD A OF YOUR GIVING LEVELS
FUNDRAISER FUNDRAISER (explaining what each
PHOTO giving level means to
NAME (what you’re raising
money for)
the team)

Once you have this, your fundraiser will be live and ready for launch!

Time to launch your fundraiser!

 Kick off your fundraiser by sending out emails to all of your
contacts and posting it on social media (with one click!).

SEND OUT 1-2

EMAILS PER WEEK
TO ALL OF YOUR
SUPPORTERS THAT:

Notify everyone the

fundraiser is live

What they can do to

help (see page 22)

Update them on
fundraising progress

Say thank you for

their support

www.ed.co/nsda / 37
Let's Talk!
EdCo would love to help your team/
program. For questions or support about
Edco call Nathan Spevack at 212.336.3828
or email nathan@ed.co.

Sign up now at
https://www.ed.co/nsda/

questions?
Nathan Spevack
Manager, Strategic Partnerships
nathan@ed.co
212.336.3828

National Speech & Debate Association

info@speechanddebate.org
920.748.6206

Find us online @WeAreEdco

filled with useful

How-to videos