Raise money for your team and athletes
From kit and tournament travel to backing a single runner, SenteMe gives your club one link the whole community can chip in to. Start free, withdraw to mobile money.
Browse sports campaigns
About Sports fundraising in Africa
Sport pulls a community together faster than almost anything else. A village football side reaching the regional final, a school netball team that finally has a fixture worth travelling for, a boxer training for a national bout, all of it costs money before the first whistle. Jerseys, boots, transport, registration fees, a coach, a place to sleep at the tournament. SenteMe is built so the people who already cheer from the touchline can also help cover those costs, without anyone having to chase cash by hand.
You create a campaign in a few minutes and get one link to share. Post it in the team WhatsApp group, read it out at training, pin it in the estate chat. Supporters send mobile money straight from their phones, MTN, Airtel, M-Pesa and the other networks people already use. Every contribution lands on a public running ledger that anyone with the link can see, so the parents, old boys and local sponsors backing your club know exactly what came in and what went out. When you withdraw to pay the tailor or book the matatu, that shows on the ledger too.
Creating a campaign is free and contributors pay nothing extra. SenteMe keeps a flat 7.5% fee on each contribution, taken only when you withdraw, so there is no upfront cost and nothing to lose if the target takes a while. This is community fundraising and pooling, not investment. People back your team because they want to see it play, not because they expect a financial return.
Clubs use SenteMe for the things that come up every season: team kit and jerseys, travel and accommodation for an away tournament, training camp costs, equipment for a junior academy, medical bills after an injury, and individual athlete sponsorship for runners, boxers and footballers chasing a trial. Because the ledger is open, a local business or alumnus deciding whether to sponsor your side can look before they give. That transparency is often what turns a maybe into a real contribution.
Whether you run an estate team, a school side, a youth academy or you are an athlete raising your own travel money, you can have a shareable page up today and start collecting toward your season.
How to raise money for sports
01
Set your goal and tell the story
Pick a clear target, the new jersey set, transport to the away tournament, three months of an athlete's training. Write a short honest description of the team or athlete, when the match or camp is, and exactly what the money covers. A real photo of the squad helps people recognise who they are backing.
02
Create the campaign for free
Setting up costs nothing and takes a few minutes. Add your mobile money details so withdrawals reach you, set the amount you are aiming for, and publish. You get one link that works for everyone, no app download needed for contributors.
03
Share the link where supporters already are
Drop it in the team and parents WhatsApp groups, the estate chat and your club's social pages. Read it out at training and pin it in fixture announcements. The clubs that hit target are usually the ones that share the link more than once and remind people as the match date nears.
04
Let the ledger build trust
Every contribution appears on the public ledger automatically, so supporters and potential sponsors can see momentum building. Thank people by name where you can, and share milestones like halfway to the kit money. Open numbers make a local business far more comfortable putting in a bigger amount.
05
Withdraw and show what it bought
When you have enough, withdraw to mobile money to pay the tailor, book transport or settle registration. The flat 7.5% fee comes off at withdrawal and nothing else. Post photos of the team in the new kit or at the tournament so everyone who gave sees their money turn into a match.
How to support sports causes
Open the campaign and read the ledger
Follow the link and look at the running ledger before you give. You can see how much the team has raised, what the goal is and how funds have been spent so far. It is a quick way to confirm the campaign is real and active.
Contribute with mobile money
Send any amount straight from your phone using the mobile money network you already have. You pay nothing on top of your contribution, the small fee only affects the team at withdrawal. Even a small amount toward jerseys adds up fast across a whole supporter base.
Share it with other supporters
Forward the link to old boys, parents, neighbours and anyone who follows the club. Most sports campaigns reach their target through sharing, not through a single big gift. Posting it in one more group can be worth more than your own contribution.
Frequently asked questions
How do I raise money for my football team's jerseys and kit?
Create a free SenteMe campaign, set your target at the cost of the kit, and explain which team it is for and when you need it. Share the single link in your team and supporters WhatsApp groups and on the club's pages. Contributions come in by mobile money and show on a public ledger, and you withdraw to pay the tailor or sports shop once you have enough.
Can I raise funds for travel to a tournament?
Yes. Tournament travel is one of the most common sports campaigns on SenteMe, covering transport, accommodation and meals for an away fixture. Set your goal to the full trip cost, break down what it covers in the description, and share the link early so the money is ready before the team has to travel.
Is SenteMe free for sports clubs to use?
Creating a campaign is completely free and your contributors never pay anything extra. SenteMe keeps a flat 7.5% fee on each contribution, and it is only taken when you withdraw. There is no signup cost, no monthly charge and nothing to pay if your campaign is still collecting.
How can a community sponsor an individual athlete?
An athlete or their coach can start a campaign for a specific goal like training fees, equipment or travel to a trial or competition. The public ledger lets supporters and a potential sponsor see exactly what has been raised and spent, which builds the trust a serious sponsor wants. Remember this is community backing, not investment, so contributors support the athlete without expecting any financial return.
Which mobile money networks can contributors use?
SenteMe is mobile-money-native and works across the major networks people already use in the countries it operates in, including MTN, Airtel and M-Pesa. Contributors send straight from their phones with no app to install. You withdraw to your own mobile money account once the funds are in.
Can a school sports team raise money on SenteMe?
Yes. A teacher, coach or parent can run a campaign for a school football, netball, athletics or rugby team to cover kit, transport or competition fees. The open ledger is helpful here because parents and the school can see every contribution and every withdrawal, which keeps everyone comfortable that the money is handled properly.
How long does it take to get the money out?
You can withdraw to your mobile money whenever you are ready, you do not have to wait until the full target is reached. This is useful when you need to pay a deposit for transport or order kit before the rest comes in. The flat 7.5% fee is taken at the point of withdrawal and the rest reaches your account.
What stops the money from being misused?
Every contribution and every withdrawal appears on a public running ledger that anyone with the link can see. That visibility is the main safeguard, because supporters, parents and sponsors can check the numbers themselves at any time. Coordinators who post updates and photos of what the money bought tend to keep their community's trust and raise more next season.
Can a junior academy or youth team use it for development costs?
Yes. Junior academies use SenteMe for coaching fees, balls and training gear, pitch hire and travel to youth competitions. Because creating a campaign is free, an academy can run one for each season or each specific need without any upfront cost. Sharing the link with parents and local businesses is usually how these campaigns reach target.
Do contributors get anything back financially?
No. SenteMe is a community contribution and pooling platform, not an investment. People contribute to back a team, athlete or shared cause they care about, and there are no shares, returns or repayments involved. The reward is seeing the team play, the trip happen or the athlete compete.
Example scenarios
What sports fundraising looks like
Hypothetical, composite examples. No real person is named.
An estate football team chasing the regional final
A youth side in an estate outside Nairobi qualifies for a regional tournament but cannot afford matching jerseys and the bus fare for two away games. The team captain starts a campaign, shares the link in the estate and old boys WhatsApp groups, and supporters chip in by M-Pesa. The ledger shows the kit money landing first, then the transport, and the team travels in full kit. This is a composite example.
Backing a young runner's training and travel
A promising 800m runner in Eldoret is invited to a national meet but needs three months of training fees and bus fare to get there. Her coach sets up a campaign explaining the meet date and the exact costs, and neighbours, a local shop and former teammates contribute small amounts. Because the ledger is open, the local shop owner sees the campaign is genuine before adding a larger sum. This is a composite example, not a real named athlete.
A school netball team raising for a tournament
A secondary school in Kampala sends its netball team to an inter-school tournament in another town and needs to cover transport, accommodation and meals. A teacher runs the campaign, parents and alumni share the link, and the running ledger lets the whole school community follow the total as it climbs. The teacher withdraws to book the bus once enough comes in and posts photos from the trip afterwards. This is a composite example.
Resources for sports
- Football Kenya Federation (FKF)
Kenya's national football governing body, with information on leagues, registration and competitions for clubs.
- Kenya State Department for Sports
Government department overseeing sports, including the Registrar of Sports where clubs and federations register under the Sports Act.
- Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA)
Uganda's football governing body, covering leagues, youth development and club affiliation.
- Confederation of African Football (CAF)
Continental governing body for African football, with competition calendars and development programmes.
- Right To Play
International children's organisation using play and sport for learning and development, active across Africa.
- sportanddev
International platform on sport and development with funding leads, jobs and good-practice resources for grassroots sport.
- Common Goal
Global football-for-good collective supporting community football organisations in over 100 countries.
- Mandela Washington Fellowship (YALI)
US-government leadership programme for young African leaders, useful for coaches and youth-sport organisers building skills.