SPORTS · ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
SF Elite Academy
$0 to $850K. A blueprint for every pay-to-play organization ready to make philanthropy permanent.
$850K
RAISED IN 3 YEARS
12x
ROC®
120
FAMILIES SUPPORTED
500
PLAYERS SERVED
01
The opportunity
A club that knew philanthropy was possible — and needed a partner to prove it.
San Francisco Elite Academy is a competitive youth soccer club operating in one of the most philanthropically mature markets in the country. Like most pay-to-play organizations, SFEA's financial model relied heavily on registration fees — a structure that priced out talented players from lower-income families and left significant mission impact unrealized.
SFEA knew the San Francisco Bay Area had the donor appetite to support their mission. What they needed was the infrastructure, the strategy, and the expertise to access it. They engaged COGEO in early 2016 as their first-ever development partner — with no prior philanthropic history and a clear mandate to build something that would last.
What followed became one of COGEO's most comprehensive annual campaign buildouts — and a model for every pay-to-play organization ready to make philanthropy a permanent part of how they operate.
02
What COGEO did
Built every revenue stream simultaneously — and turned external requirements into opportunities.
COGEO entered SF Elite with a clean slate and a clear mandate: build a professional annual fundraising program from zero. Over a three-year engagement, every element of SFEA's development infrastructure was built, tested, and refined — and every challenge that arose was reframed as an opportunity.
Built the case statement and launched individual giving
COGEO developed SFEA's annual case statement — clearly articulating the club's multilateral impact across athletic development, emotional development, and socioeconomic inclusion in a way that resonated with individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners simultaneously. With the case for support established, COGEO built SFEA's first major gifts program around the club's closest relationships — families, community supporters, and local advocates who believed in the mission.
Built foundation and corporate outreach
SFEA's positioning as a club serving players from every San Francisco neighborhood made it a compelling foundation prospect. COGEO identified aligned foundations and corporate partners and built targeted outreach programs for both — diversifying SFEA's revenue beyond registration fees for the first time and creating funding relationships that would compound year over year.
Designed and executed cultivation events
SFEA had never run a donor cultivation event before working with COGEO. Over the engagement COGEO designed and executed a series of informational gatherings, community events, and private cultivation dinners — creating the annual moments that deepen donor relationships over time and give supporters a reason to stay engaged beyond a single gift.
Turned governance requirements into development opportunities
When a local governing body required SFEA to address the makeup of their board of directors and field access issues, COGEO reframed both requirements as fundamental development opportunities. The board restructuring added philanthropic capacity and credibility. The field access challenge became a compelling donor story about community impact. What could have been administrative burdens became proof points for the mission.
03
The outcome
Over three years SF Elite raised $850K — and built a fundraising program that runs on its own.
$850K
RAISED IN 3 YEARS
12x
RETURN ON CONTRIBUTION®
120
FAMILIES SUPPORTED
500
PLAYERS SERVED
Over three years SFEA raised pledges and donations totaling over $850,000 — money that directly funded the mission in measurable, human terms. In 2018 alone the program supported 65 families with financial aid, enabled 220 players aged 6 to 11 to access free SFEA clinics from every city neighborhood, and maintained a coaching staff of seven USSF A-licensed and four USSF B-licensed coaches — ensuring the highest quality of instruction for nearly 500 players.
The infrastructure COGEO built — the case statement, the CRM, the event calendar, the donor relationships — continues to serve SFEA's development program today. What started as a club with no philanthropic history is now a club with a permanent culture of giving. The players who benefited from financial aid in year one are still benefiting. The donors who gave in year one are still giving. That's what a program built to last looks like.
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS
Campaign Case Statement
Download the SF Elite Academy case statement — the document that launched an $850K annual giving program from a standing start.
MORE WORK
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