Over £16k pledged to Boost the Budget in the first day!

Our 2019-20 campaign for Boost the Budget has got off to a great start, with over £16,000 pledged on the first day, which means that we are already over 20 per cent on the way to the target. Once again it's been a great response from Darlington fans! (at 8.45am Thursday, the figure is over £21,000!)

Can we beat the £80,000 target and 400 investors? Check the details below.

Boost The Budget 19/20 – We Go Again

Darlington FC Supporters Group, owners of your club, are hoping to raise £80,000 by inviting fans to pledge what they can, with proceeds raised going towards building our club on and off the field through season 19/20.

Your window to Boost The Budget runs throughout this month and will close on May 31^st. This is a crucial time in which we will recruit a new manager for our great club and the Football Club Board will finalise budget planning across all areas of the business for next season as we look to improve on and off the field.

By pledging to Boost The Budget you will help to show any prospective manager what an attractive opportunity it is being Darlington FC manager and how the fans as owners are backing the club to progress in season 19/20.

Last year a remarkable £86,000 was pledged to Boost The Budget by 405 fans. The final total received by your club since April 2018 will top £80,000 by the end of this month. This regular, reliable income has not only allowed the Football Club to invest in its playing squad, but the certainty of income allowed the directors to build the club off the field as well. For example, a commercial manager was appointed in October 2018 with a remit to increase our matchday and sponsorship opportunities. Additionally, in September 2018, Quaker Retail expanded its match presence with its own retail unit adjacent to the home turnstiles.

As we move forward into season 19/20 we will be looking to step up the pace of change off the field as we look to support our primary ambition of a successful first team, winning games and challenging in the National League North.

Crowdfunding is reliant on a large number of people contributing a fairly small amount and if we could all forego a pint of beer or a single coffee a week and contributed the cash saved to the scheme, not only would we be healthier but we'd also all be building towards a better future for our club. As an example, just £3 a week for half of the fans that turn up to watch us each week would see us smash the target - it really is that easy if we all club together.

Pledges can either be made as a one-off amount or as a regular weekly or monthly Direct Debit. If choosing to pay weekly or monthly, please pledge the amount you want to commit on a regular basis, not the total amount. This will then be multiplied and added to the totaliser to show the amount over the course of the scheme.

You can choose which day of the month the payments will be taken from your account with a minimum of 5 days from the current date for the first payment to be taken, and you will be billed on a recurring basis each week or month depending on which option you choose. The last payments will be taken in June 2020, so when you pledge in May 2019 you will have 13 recurring monthly payments and 56 payments if you choose to pay weekly. You can also make a single one-off pledge via the platform if you prefer.

We will attempt to contact all 2018/19 Boost The Budget participants individually by email. Please note that all BTB 2018/19 GoCardless pledges will finish sometime between April 2019 and June 2019 depending on when the pledge was created. Those who still have an outstanding BTB 2018/19 payment by monthly Direct Debit will be contacted directly to discuss options on whether you would like you defer the last payment of the 2018/19 Boost The Budget scheme after you have pledged for Boost The Budget 19/20.

Here's the link to our platform where you can make your pledge:

https://fundraising.darlingtonfcsupportersgroup.org/

Rewards – Returning for Season 19/20

Last season we delivered a series of popular “money can’t buy” rewards alongside pledges. We are bringing them back for Season 19/20. Have your photo taken with the first team squad and manager in pre-season, receive a unique pin badge or even the opportunity to be kit man for the day!