Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Hope Conrad.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi! My name is Jen Conrad, I’m a Canadian entrepreneur, a visionary, and an enthusiasm expert. I moved to McKinney in 2018 to launch my fundraising company.
My son, Michael, developed a love of hockey before his third birthday… seriously, this kid lived and breathed everything hockey! And my daughter, Sara, explored her passions through figure skating, soccer, and dance. Having spent 20+ years immersed in the world of amateur athletics with my own children, I recognized the immediate benefits to their emotional, social and intellectual development, and as a parent, it quickly became evident that team fundraising was one of the biggest frustrations in organized sports.
The available products were recycled every few campaigns, and parents would spend countless weekend hours doing bottle drives or bake sales or peddling order forms for stuff nobody really wanted or needed – it was painful.
After fundraising the hard way for waaaay too long, I figured there had to be a better way and began looking for more desirable alternatives. I wanted to find a way to fundraise using products that I loved and would use every day. When I couldn’t find any better solutions, I decided to create my own.
That spark of inspiration has turned into what PlayRaise is today. I appreciate you being an advocate for the student-athletes in your life and a champion for whichever cause brought us together.
Thank you for choosing PlayRaise as your #1 Fundraising Platform!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Having been the parent of student-athletes myself, I was in the trenches for almost 20 years and saw the struggle again and again when it came to team fundraising. Majority of the options required an enormous volunteer army to pull off any kind of significant raise.
The most common problems were:
– Low raise % back to the team/cause
– Narrow product selection
– Limited donor reach
– Families responsible for money collection
– Pre-purchasing often required
– Excessive volunteer hours required for sales and deliveries
– Endless logistics for team admin/manager
I began searching for other options and when I couldn’t find any that solved for the traditional pain points, I decided to create my own company. PlayRaise is different than other fundraising platform out there because I was committed to solving ALL the problems, not just one or two. Fundraising can be fun and rewarding without being a total beatdown. I wanted to help parents and volunteers reclaim their weekends and their wallets so they could get back to watching the game and cheering on their champions!
PlayRaise is disrupting the industry by offering 25,000+ (and growing!) everyday products that people are buying anyways, direct shipping at the time of purchase (USA and Canada), and our eCommerce platform is helping teams and good causes everywhere raise $5,000 or more in as little as two weeks.
We’re establishing confidence and trust by providing something that nobody has really seen before…there was no path to follow so we had to create our own roadmap. We’ve had to overcome some barriers as the new kid on the block, the struggles have been both a rewarding and enlightening experience in so many different aspects. What I’ve learned, and who I’ve become along the way have made me a better business owner, mother, and sports fan.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about PlayRaise LLC?
PlayRaise | Fundraising Champions https://www.playraise.com/ SHOP ONLINE
RAISE MORE & STRESS LESS
WITH PLAYRAISE, FUNDRAISING REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE
THE PLAYRAISE DIFFERENCE
At PlayRaise our goal is simple – to facilitate effective fundraising campaigns for sports teams and organizations while returning the highest percentage of proceeds in the industry.
PlayRaise is headquartered in North Dallas, TX, USA and we’ve remade the fundraising game – we’re very excited to be transitioning our unique eCommerce platform from national to international with the launch of our Canadian operations based out of Kelowna, BC, and Calgary, AB launched Q4 2022.
Continuously growing across the globe, we’re passionate about helping good causes everywhere raise their expectations.
Our hybrid business model is disrupting the fundraising industry and ensures that PlayRaise stands out as the only fundraising company to give more while taking less.
Focused on bringing people together – both virtually or in person since 2017 – our proprietary system provides the playbook, tools, system, and support to ensure successful fundraising campaigns.
We’re changing the fundraising game by helping teams, organizations and schools raise funds using everyday products people will use, love, and want to purchase again.
Reach out today to see how we can make your next fundraising campaign simpler, more efficient, and more profitable.
Any Cause | Any Time | Anywhere
Who else deserves credit in your story?
PlayRaise is a family-run business, and I was thrilled when my son, Michael, joined our team in August 2022 as his love of hockey really was the spark of inspiration that launched this whole adventure! Seeing the positive impact organized sports had on his personality, his social skills, emotional development, ability to work as a team and take responsibility were very evident during his 15-year career in AAA hockey. I wanted to impact children all around the globe by removing financial barriers from organized sports so they could experience some of these amazing benefits as well.
OWNER | PRESIDENT
MICHAEL CONRAD https://www.playraise.ca/pages/our-story
Hello! My name is Michael Conrad, I am a Canadian entrepreneur, former junior hockey player, and most importantly, a father.
Having spent most of my life playing hockey, I understand firsthand the importance that sports plays in the lives of millions of children across North America. Some of my favorite memories happened at the hockey rink, and as an athlete, I will forever cherish the experiences that competing in organized sports afforded me. Having become a parent now myself, I fully understand the pressure and stresses that sports can have, especially financially. It’s my sincere hope that by working with us at PlayRaise, we can assist you and your cause to not only meet but exceed your fundraising goals to alleviate the financial pressure of playing in organized sports. It is my sincere wish that hopefully, more children will be able to share in the experiences that I had growing up so they too can cherish both the life lessons as well as the special memories for themselves.
We appreciate you trusting PlayRaise with all of your fundraising needs. Feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns that you may have.
Pricing:
- SHOP ONLINE RAISE MORE & STRESS LESS
- Your cause receives 20% back on thousands of competitively priced everyday products
- 14-day no-hassle return policy
- Free shipping across North America
- And the highest % of proceeds back to your cause in the industry
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.playraise.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playraise
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlayRaiseUSA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/playraise_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@playraise1968
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@playraise
