At A Glance
- Schools, sporting clubs and community groups that want to reduce reliance on repeated, event-based fundraising and maintain ongoing funding with limited volunteer capacity
- Supporters, families, alumni and community members who want to give back without attending events, making repeated donations or volunteering
- Independent businesses that rely on local customers and want community-driven visibility without advertising spend or sponsorship costs
- Value-conscious individuals looking to save on everyday spending while supporting community causes
Not every fundraising or community support model suits everyone. Some rely on one-off campaigns, others on ongoing donations or loyalty-based incentives, and each approach works best for different types of organisations, businesses and supporters.
Swoodle is built around a specific idea: enabling support for schools, clubs and community groups through individual supporters purchasing an annual membership and renewing it each year, rather than repeated fundraising appeals. That distinction matters because it determines who the model works for.
This blog explains who should join Swoodle by outlining the types of schools, community groups, sporting clubs, businesses and supporters best suited to a participation-based approach to local support.
Schools
In most schools, fundraising relies on a small group of parents, carers or staff who repeatedly organise activities. They plan events, manage product drives, handle orders and payments and follow up on participation. While individual fundraisers may be manageable, the cumulative workload increases as the same process is repeated throughout the year, often relying on familiar initiatives that feel repetitive, are increasingly demanding to organise and are less aligned with the digital convenience many communities now expect.
The issue is not a lack of willingness to help, but the structure of school fundraising itself. Manual, event-based campaigns require volunteers to restart each time funds are needed, placing ongoing pressure on a limited pool of volunteers and leading to fatigue.
Swoodle reduces this pressure by replacing repeated fundraising campaigns with an ongoing, automated model. After signing up as a fundraiser and setting up their fundraising campaign on Swoodle, schools no longer need volunteers to organise events, sell products or manage payments. Supporters become Swoodle members for $49.99 a year, with 40% of that membership fee allocated to the selected school or club, meaning the more supporters who join Swoodle, the greater the revenue generated for the fundraiser.
Schools can also run multiple campaigns throughout the year on Swoodle as their needs change. For example, after running a six-month campaign and successfully raising sufficient funds for a science laboratory, they can launch a three-month campaign to fund sporting equipment. This flexibility allows each fundraising effort to stay aligned with current goals.
Sporting Clubs
Many grassroots sporting clubs face ongoing costs for equipment, uniforms, facilities and participation. To cover these expenses, clubs often rely on players’ families to fundraise, with parents and carers repeatedly asked to donate money or support fundraising drives throughout the season. For households already managing registration fees and other club-related costs, this approach is difficult to sustain.
Constant fundraising also diverts volunteer time away from core club operations such as coaching support, player development activities and match preparation.
Swoodle reduces reliance on family-led fundraising by extending support beyond club households. Clubs can launch a fundraising campaign on Swoodle and share it through social media, email and community channels, reaching local supporters who are not directly connected to the club.
Because these supporters already engage with local businesses as part of their everyday routine, Swoodle channels that existing spending behaviour into a consistent source of funding for clubs. Supporters join as Swoodle members through the club’s campaign, with a portion of their membership fee directed to the club. Meanwhile, members access offers and savings across everyday categories such as food and beverage, retail, health and wellbeing, services, activities and travel from Swoodle merchants.
Community Groups
Many community groups operate with limited staff and a small pool of volunteers. As a result, responsibility for managing donations, tracking amounts received, reconciling payments and reporting fundraising totals often sits with one or two people, placing ongoing strain on limited resources.
At the same time, supporter expectations have increased. Donors now want visibility into how much has been raised, when funds are distributed and how progress is tracking. Manually maintaining spreadsheets, post-event summaries, or ad hoc updates adds further pressure to already limited resources.
Swoodle is built for community groups dealing with these constraints. It replaces manual tracking with a centralised dashboard that provides real-time visibility into funds raised, amounts paid out and pending balances in a clear, transaction-style view. The data can be easily shared with the supporters, if required, through email or other communication channels. Fundraisers can also set campaign targets, including duration and fundraising goals so supporters can clearly see what the campaign is working toward.
Since reporting and payment tracking are automated, volunteers no longer need to maintain separate records or provide frequent updates, reducing administrative workload while meeting donor expectations for transparency. This replaces manual administrative tasks with streamlined digital processes.
Past and Present Students and Their Families
Current and former students, along with their families, often want to support the schools and sporting clubs they are connected to, but are unable to participate in traditional fundraising. Many no longer live near the schools and clubs they are associated with, have work or family commitments or cannot attend events and volunteer activities during set times.
As a result, fundraising models that rely on physical presence, scheduled events or ongoing participation tend to exclude this group, despite their willingness to give back.
For students, alumni and families who want to contribute, Swoodle removes the barrier to participation. Instead of attending events or volunteering, they can support the schools or sporting clubs they care about by purchasing a Swoodle membership. Swoodle allows ongoing support without direct involvement, as a portion of the membership fee goes to the school or club members choose during sign-up.
Community Members and Supporters
Many community members want to support local schools, clubs and causes, but frequent fundraising appeals can lead to fatigue. Repeated requests to donate money, buy fundraising products or contribute to campaigns place ongoing pressure on individuals.
Over time, support can begin to feel transactional rather than meaningful. Instead of feeling connected to outcomes, supporters are required to repeatedly decide whether to contribute, how much to give and which cause to prioritise, often alongside their normal household expenses.
Swoodle simplifies support by removing the need to respond to repeated fundraising requests. Rather than deciding each time whether to contribute and how much to give, supporters join once a year, choose a cause, and support continues without further decisions or ongoing pressure if they renew their membership.
Value-Conscious Consumers
Many people actively look for ways to stretch their everyday spending, particularly as household costs increase. This often means choosing businesses that offer better value, member benefits or discounts across diverse categories such as food & beverage, retail, services, activities, health & well-being and travel.
Traditional discount platforms focus solely on individual savings, with little connection to community causes. While this approach delivers quick savings, it’s limited to short-term value and provides no broader benefit beyond the transaction itself.
Swoodle provides these value-conscious consumers with a means to achieve more than just personal savings from their spending. Members gain access to offers in everyday purchases while their membership also supports the schools, clubs or community groups they choose. This allows them to make spending decisions that deliver both personal benefits and community impact.
Community-focused Independent Businesses
Small independent businesses face growing competition from bigger chains and online retailers, alongside rising marketing costs and declining customer loyalty. While paid advertising and sponsorships are common responses, they often require ongoing investment with limited visibility into results.
Swoodle is designed for independent businesses that rely on local customers and community connections rather than mass advertising. It acts as a free marketing tool for businesses, allowing them to join and use the platform at no cost and maintain full control over the offers they choose to make available.
Visibility on Swoodle is driven by community participation rather than advertising spend. Businesses are discovered by community-minded members who are actively seeking deals and discounts, while their membership supports schools, clubs and community groups. This allows merchants to attract customers through shared community alignment and build customer loyalty.
Swoodle is not a one-size-fits-all fundraising solution. It works best for schools, clubs and community groups looking to reduce reliance on repeated campaigns, and for businesses and community members who want to support local causes, while gaining personal benefits.
Where community connections already exist, this model provides a more sustainable way to maintain support without increasing workload or pressure.
Join Swoodle to support your community, fundraise with less effort or increase business visibility through everyday participation.
FAQs
Do I need to be part of a school or sporting club to join?
No. While many people join to support a school or club they are connected to, community members can also join and support local causes without a formal connection.
Can I support more than one cause?
When you join Swoodle, you select one school, club or community group to support. A portion of your annual membership fee is allocated to that chosen fundraiser for the duration of your membership, and renewals remain linked to the original fundraiser selected.
Does joining Swoodle cost money?
Swoodle operates on a paid membership model. Individuals who want to support a fundraiser and access exclusive offers must pay $49.99 yearly. Meanwhile, schools, sporting clubs and community groups that are fundraising, and merchants that wish to increase visibility by offering promotions and discounts, do not need to pay to join Swoodle or to use the app.
Do supporters have to donate money each time they want to help?
No. Supporters are not asked to make repeated donations. When signing up as a member on Swoodle, individuals select the organisation they want to support. Swoodles allocates 40% of the yearly membership fee to the chosen organisation, providing ongoing support for a year without the need to respond to ongoing fundraising appeals.
