Updated: August 2025

Summary:

High school Lift-A-Thons are proving to be one of the most effective fundraising strategies for sports teams, with minimal setup and virtually no overhead. In July 2025, Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA ran their second Lift-A-Thon through FutureFund. This year's event involved 126 participants and raised an incredible $35,850, more than doubling the total from their first Lift-A-Thon two years earlier. By using FutureFund's free fundraising platform to connect with participants via new built-in messaging features, the school demonstrated how powerful digital-first fundraising can be.

The scene was familiar: teenagers pushing their limits on the bench press while teammates gathered around to cheer them on. But this year, the impact was greater than ever.

Back in 2023, Amador Valley High School's inaugural Lift-A-Thon saw 104 participants raise over $17,000 to save their school football team. In July of 2025, 126 student-athletes participated in the event, raising more than $35,850.

Keep reading to learn how using FutureFund's free fundraising platform for K-12 schools made it all possible... and helped them keep every penny for improving student experience.

Funding Challenges for School Extracurriculars

In Pleasanton and many other districts throughout the United States, high school athletics receive zero public funding. Jerseys, buses, equipment, and other must-haves for school sports are all parent-funded. For relatively expensive sports like football, this presents serious financial challenges.

The team in our story is a perfect example-when they ran their first Lift-A-Thon in 2023, they were in debt to the school district by $11,000. Booster clubs had been helping by floating the team for the past several years, but they simply couldn't fundraise enough money.

The money raised by their first Lift-A-Thon was enough to get the team out of debt and provide support for several other school initiatives as well. The phenomenal success of this year's event demonstrates beyond a doubt that this fundraising format is an excellent fit for high schools.

Why Lift-A-Thons Work

Here's why Lift-A-Thons can be so lucrative for the schools that run them:

• Safe: Lift-A-Thons can be hosted in the school gym under supervision
• Low-Cost: No special equipment needed
• Flexible: These events fit easily into normal practice schedules
• Community-Building: Students love cheering for each other while chasing personal bests

Sometimes, it can be challenging for high schools to find activity-based fundraisers that older students still get excited about participating in, but Lift-A-Thons often prove to be a safe bet. These kinds of events often appeal to students who are on the cusp of young adulthood and curious to test their physical abilities.

Learn how to run your own successful Lift-A-Thon here: How to Run a Lift-A-Thon Fundraiser for Your School

What Changed This Year

Going from $17,000 to over $35,000 raised in a single event is a big fundraising boost. Here's how Amador Valley High's student athletes hit that new PR:

Leveraging FutureFund's New Messaging Features

FutureFund's messaging system makes it easier than ever for schools to reach potential donors and participants with engaging messaging that inspires participation.

For this year's Lift-A-Thon, organizers were able to:

• Write out reminders and messages of encouragement
• Filter their audience to include everyone registered for the Lift-A-Thon campaign
• Send specific updates to drive participation and pledges

This small but powerful shift in communication kept energy high throughout the two-week pledge drive and directly contributed to the fundraising boost.

As one organizer explained, "Being able to send out quick reminders and words of encouragement kept students motivated and parents engaged. It made a huge difference."

FutureFund vs. Other Options

There are lots of different ways for schools to fundraise, but not all of them are equally effective. Even popular options like working with a fun-run company can deliver underwhelming results once their costs are accounted for.

I recently spoke with a Title I school in Texas that raised over $40,000 from a fun run-but only received $15,000 after paying fees to the company that they hired to help organize the event.

This doesn't just make the fundraiser itself less effective-it can also hamstring future efforts. If parents knew half the money they gave was going to vendors, would schools ever be able to raise money from them again? Probably not.

When I asked how this made them feel, one PTA member was blunt. "How could this company have taken $25,000 from a Title I school?" they wanted to know. "What's wrong with them?"

They voted unanimously to use FutureFund for their next fundraiser this fall.

What Makes FutureFund Different

100% Free for Schools

FutureFund's platform is free for K-12 school groups to use. Instead of making schools pay to use our features and services, the platform's operating costs are covered by charging donors a small percentage on top of each donation.

To put it another way: a school that raises $10,000 gets $10,000 to spend on improvements for their students and community.

Powerful & Versatile

FutureFund is designed to support a variety of different fundraising activities. School groups can not only run multiple campaigns from the same account, but can also use it for student registration, financial reporting, and more.

High-Touch

School groups that sign up with FutureFund get a dedicated account manager to help plan the most effective fundraisers for their unique circumstances. Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all approach, we help schools determine the best ways to make our platform achieve their specific goals.

When the high school football team in Pleasanton reached out to us and explained their situation, we knew they needed a fast, low-cost fundraiser that had the potential to raise thousands of dollars. A Lift-A-Thon was the ideal choice.

Results from Our Second Lift-A-Thon

The school's 2025 Lift-A-Thon had an incredible impact, financial and otherwise. Here's what we accomplished this time around:

• $35,850 raised in just two weeks
• 126 participants (up from 104 last time)
• No fees paid to third parties (all proceeds went to the school's current expenses and future opportunities)
• Improved donor trust since every dollar raised stayed with the school

And just like before, the real win was the energy in the room. As one coach noted: "The kids weren't just lifting weights-they were lifting each other up. That's something money can't buy."

Going Beyond the Numbers

It's tempting to judge the success of a fundraiser by the money raised, but events like this are also about community. What starts as a simple fundraiser can end up as a lasting example of leadership and team bonding.

Just like last year, the students in that weight room spent the entire event cheering each other on, fighting for each other, and wishing each other success no matter how much they were lifting. The energy was palpable.

We literally saw people growing up in the room that day as they learned the value of supporting and encouraging each other. As the school's Athletic Director (who participated as well and benched a cool 275 lbs) put it last year:

"What a fantastic fundraiser. Those kids were so fired up. Amazing team bonding. The football energy is through the roof. I saw kids become leaders in there. Great stuff!"

The Future of School Fundraising

So many opportunities have come from this event and others like it-and the best part is, all the money they raise is available in the community already.

The moral of the story is this: the money your school needs exists, and it's closer to hand than you probably think. All you need to do is make sure you have a plan and the right support to help you raise it.

Cutting out the overhead associated with other fundraising methods is a huge part of our mission at FutureFund. When we help schools keep more of what they raise, that directly translates into better outcomes for students.

The other main part of our mandate is to make fundraising a community event again. At the end of the day, it's not the money the kids are excited about-it's the activity at the center of it.There's no reason not to have these types of fundraisers-they cost next to nothing, don't use extra time, and can be incredibly successful. And when you use FutureFund, they're easy! Get started today for free, and learn more about how we can help plan your next fundraising event to be a success.