The Cruyff Foundation is fully dependent on gifts from the market. Without the money that companies, organisations and donors provide every year, the work of the Foundation would not be possible.
Although the economic climate is improving, in 2015 it was once again no easy task to achieve the objectives, in part due to the changes within the team.
One of our most important partners is the Dutch national postcode lottery, the Nationale Postcode Loterij, which has supported the Foundation from the very beginning.
In mid-2015, the decision was made to separate our marketing from fundraising. The marketing activities were placed under the Communications department. This has given Fundraising more room to focus on attracting new sponsors and partners alongside maintaining the existing accounts.
Highlights
- Cooking for Charity targets met and exceeded by 60%
- Activation of partnership with Unilever and COOP Supermarkets through Doekoe campaign
- Attraction of eight new accounts
The primary objective for 2015 was to retain the present income level and achieve phased growth in total revenues. All fundraising activities are based on the foundation of the three pillars (Cruyff Courts, Sport for the Disabled, and Schoolyard14).
The three biggest points of attention for 2015 were:
1. Retention of existing partners and sponsors
2. Attraction of new sponsors and partners
3. The target for the fundraising events the Cruyff Foundation Cup and Cooking for Charity is set at meeting, rather than beating, the funds raised
Cruyff Foundation Cup 2015
Income target: €90,000
Achieved: €103,500
The Cruyff Foundation Cup is a private event in which companies can compete against the Cruyff Foundation team made up of ambassadors of the Cruyff Foundation. The number of teams participating (32) was higher than in previous years.
The money raised exceeded €100,000 for the second year in a row.
Cooking for Charity 2015
Target: €240,000
Achieved: €408,900
Once again this year, the event revolved around Schoolyard14. The amount raised will be able to fund 56 Schoolyard14s. New for this year’s event was the sale of FC Barcelona shirts signed by Johan Cruyff, which raised €33,600.
Sponsor house
To add more diversity to the sponsor house and expand entry-level options, the ‘Supporter’ category was brought back in 2015. With this, the Foundation now offers the following options for partners to commit:
In 2015, we began developing individual action plans for partners/sponsors. Alongside the financial component, we also look at the ways in which both parties can jointly increase the impact and communication value of the partnership. The goal is to achieve more intensive cooperation and a stronger connection between the organisation and the Foundation. We intend to develop this further in 2016.
Cruyff Foundation Sponsor House at the end of 2015
In cooperation with Unilever, COOP Supermarkets and Arla, we followed up the Doekoe campaign in 2015. This campaign gave COOP customers the opportunity to collect ‘Doekoe coins’ with the purchase of Unilever and Arla products. These coins could be redeemed for sport packages for schools that had registered for the campaign. Consumers were allowed to choose the school to which their coins would be donated. Once again, the results of the campaign did not disappoint:
Private fundraising
Income target: €50,000
Achieved: €45,180
Evaluation: Not achieved
The number of private donors remained virtually constant: 464 in 2015, as compared to 474 in 2014 (this includes paying members of the Kids Club). Income from private donors was lower than budgeted.
Actions of private donors:
- Jaap van Meel, from Tilburg to Paris on a longboard for Schoolyard14: €2,008
- Amstelveen College: €3,955
- New School through sale of USB-stick: €3,634
- Utrecht Rag Week: €4,423.20
Third-party company actions:
- Christmas card sales: €4,800
- Cargill: spinning marathon: €10,799.96
- InPerson, for the opening of their new office, requested a donation to the Cruyff Foundation instead of gifts: €5,000
- AH Vos Supermarkets, deposit bottle campaign: €800
Market developments
More and more companies are introducing a CSR policy that includes the support of charitable causes. Companies and organisations set requirements on this support.
For the Cruyff Foundation, it is important for companies to draft innovative propositions that are a good match for the sponsor and create a win-win for both parties.
One development that we have already encountered is that companies ‘earmark’ or ‘label’ their support for a particular project or pillar; for example, for Schoolyard14 or Cruyff Courts programs. This can be a positive thing as long as the Cruyff Foundation ensures that alongside the earmarked income, sufficient freely spendable income continues to be received in order to guarantee the continuity of the Foundation’s work.
Ambitions:
- Attraction of new sponsors
- Recruiting more international sponsors; international sponsors can contribute to the expansion of the Foundation’s international activities
- A new fundraising event that enables us to look towards opportunities in the private donor market