Start a Fundraising University Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #491 Ranked #489 last year

Initial investment: $102K - $108K

Units as of 2024: 74 60.9% over 3 years

Helping fund the dreams of school sports teams across the United States, Fundraising University employs a playbook of efficient strategies proven to raise the money needed to keep sports programs alive and student-athletes active. Comprised of former athletes and coaches, the team at Fundraising University has been helping equip students, reach out of town tournaments, and more for over ten years.

With more than $150 million raised for school sports teams throughout the U.S., Fundraising University has made it their mission to raise the most money in the least amount of time without adding to the already heavy workload of teachers and student-athletes. Fundraising University believes its proven methods not only bring teams closer together, but enrich communities with positive, lasting change.

Why You May Want To Start a Fundraising University Franchise

Anyone with a drive to help develop America’s next top athletes or who wants to ensure every student gets the opportunity to play may make an ideal Fundraising University franchisee. Although no specific prior experience is required, a business and/or sports background would prove beneficial.

Most of all, Fundraising University franchisees should be people whose leadership abilities will prove crucial in helping coaches and students plan and execute fundraisers year after year. Relatively fast startup and low overhead costs also may help make Fundraising University appeal to budding entrepreneurs.

Fundraising University has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

What Might Make a Fundraising University Franchise a Good Choice?

A Fundraising University franchise employs an expert team of former athletes and coaches including basketball, football, baseball, softball, volleyball, cheer/dance, and more. Fundraising University’s experts work directly alongside coaches and students and remain at their side every step of the way. In fact, not only does Fundraising University aid school sports teams to set and achieve their funding goals, but establishes strategies to bring even greater growth in subsequent seasons.

To be part of the Fundraising University team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

How To Open a Fundraising University Franchise

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Fundraising University franchising team questions.

If a Fundraising University franchise is awarded to you, franchisees enter an intensive multi-week training course before returning to their communities where they’ll be able to remotely access ongoing training materials and the vast resources of Fundraising University’s corporate team.

Company Overview

About Fundraising University

Industry	Children's Businesses
Related Categories	Fundraising, Miscellaneous Services
Founded	2009
Leadership	Mike Bahun, CEO
Corporate Address	2162 E. Williams Field Rd., #111 Gilbert, AZ 85295
Social	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2020 (5 years)
# of employees at HQ	60
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia
# of Units	74 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Fundraising University franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$80,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$102,200 - $108,300
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$150,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$100,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	5% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	$1.58K+/mo.
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	$525+/mo.
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

In-House Financing	Fundraising University offers in-house financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs
Third Party Financing	Fundraising University has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	22 hours
Classroom Training	105 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	0-1
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes