Natick Little League has taken steps in recent years to ensure continued growth, such as by introducing a pre-kindergarten whiffle ball program to get more kids interested early in eventually playing baseball or softball. But to truly sustain and grow the 70-year-old-plus organization, Natick Little League needs a capital infusion to invest in better facilities, equipment, and more for its thousand or so participants.
A big part of the league’s solution to that is a new RallyforNatick website designed to make it much easier to donate—and to keep giving year after year.
Matt Douglas, director of fundraising for Natick Little League, knows a thing or two about running a subscription business at scale as founder and CEO of Sincere Corp., a Framingham technology company whose Punchbowl and other consumer brands you may know. He’s not a developer, but as Sincere and other organizations have embraced artificial intelligence technology, Douglas became curious about how using AI could help Natick Little League in its fundraising efforts.
Douglas set about creating a fundraising and subscription management website in his spare time using AI-powered tools like Lovable and Outseta, and was blown away by how easy it was (“I literally described to AI what I wanted to build…”). The site, RallyforNatick, is designed both to drum up donations and play on the name of the league’s Rally bird mascot introduced last season.
The heart of the site is the contributions page, which encourages recurring tax-deductible donations at different levels, with higher tiers offering more perks and visibility. Natick Little League is swinging for the fences with the introduction of a roughly $1,500-a-year “Diamond Supporter” level.
Douglas joined the league’s board a few years ago, and noticed lots of conversations taking place about money. The league has a healthy bank account, but in thinking about what the organization will need in years to come, it could use an even more robust one.
Natick Little League is working in partnership with the town as it looks at park improvements in South Natick where Little League games are played and creating a broader field and park master plan. But town finances are tight, as last year’s $7m operating budget override starkly illustrated, and indications are they’re set to get even tighter.
The league will surely need funds of its own to get some of what it really wants. For example, dugouts and scoreboards need updates, and some supporters might envision lighted fields that could one day increase field usage. Having more money helps to change the conversation about much of this, Douglas says.
In researching Natick Little League’s fundraising history, Douglas found that more more than 50 businesses had donated at least once in the past seven years, but only a handful of them gave every year in the past few.
Having the ability to make recurring donations simple was key, Douglas says (and yes, donors can opt out if they don’t want to continue, or upgrade or downgrade their donation level).
As a volunteer organization, Natick Little League doesn’t have the resources to chase down donors. “The old way of glad-handing and going door to door is time consuming,” Douglas says. By simplifying things online, the league hopes to build a snowball that will keep getting bigger as it rolls down the hill, he says.
RallyforNatick.com compliments other fundraising efforts, including an annual golf tournament.
Natick Little League has already raised more money this year than last even as the new site is just rolling out.
Douglas contends that supporting Natick Little League is a way for local businesses to reach many consumers, from parents to visiting family members who attend games.
“Natick Little League touches a lot of people,” he says.
More: Natick’s Challenger baseball wraps up another successful season
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