Fundraising University was founded in 2009 by Mike Bahun, a former athlete and coach with a passion for empowering sports teams and organizations to achieve their goals. Drawing from his own experiences in athletics and coaching, Mike recognized the challenges teams and extracurriculars face when it comes to raising funds effectively. With a mission to streamline the process and maximize results, he established Fundraising University to provide teams with proven tools, personalized support, and a commitment to success.

Since its inception, the organization has grown into a national leader, helping thousands of teams raise millions of dollars while fostering teamwork and community spirit.

Franchise Chatter (FC): As a former professional athlete, what inspired you to transition from sports into the fundraising world? 

Mike Bahun (MB): What inspired me was the opportunity to stay connected to the supportive role of coaches. To give back to the coaches who gave me the opportunities that I was afforded, and being in the student-athlete environment daily, which is something that is important to me on every level.

FC: How did your athletic background shape your approach to running a franchise, especially in terms of leadership and team-building? 

MB: My time as an athlete has helped me understand that life is performance based, and when you learn to accept that and the ownership spirit of ‘hey, my results are up to me,’ success will follow. This acceptance and ownership correlates directly with being a franchise owner. In the same way an athlete makes a commitment to themselves, to their coach and to the team, the commitment I made to myself to be the best, needs someone who can coach me to be the best. And so, the interconnectivity between the athlete and the coach experience is very similar to the franchisor, franchisee experience, as we provide the coaching to assist new franchisees to be their best.

FC: What makes your fundraising model unique, and how does it specifically benefit high school sports teams and extracurricular activities? 

MB: What makes Fundraising University unique is that we are a service. The other modalities approach fundraising as a commodity or product. When fundraising is service based, what happens is that the interrelational part is activated. And that is our goal, as it opens up the ability for that relationship to start by providing knowledge, experience, time, tools and technology. This, blended together with proper leadership and a proven process, leads to proper execution.

So Fundraising University has the proper system and we look for the proper leadership which comes from the coaches. That leadership, system and execution, is the essence of a dynamic work-model where 1 + 1 = 4, which is what we do.

FC: How have you seen the impact of your fundraising efforts on the students, sports teams, and extracurricular programs you work with? 

MB: At the school level we see tangible items like scoreboards, uniforms and extra coaches. At the coach level we see an increase in their ability to coach through the tools, technology and education provided to them and to their staff. From the athletes level, they too receive more tools, more training. They have more equipment which provides more safety. It is one continuous line where all three entities benefit simultaneously.

That’s what is special about these relationships. We get to go and interact with these parts, which is rejuvenating, and very affirming. We all get excited about supporting the coaches and raising funds for the kids, while having a positive impact. We at Fundraising University get to be a part of that every day.

FC: What type of training and support does your franchise offer to new franchisees?

MB: Our training starts with a 90-day fast-track program. Combined, our trainers have over 100 years of experience, and provide on-going training and coaching throughout the process.

Once the foundation has been set during our 90-day program, we then move into management. The management piece of the process entails one of our top 10% performers who will mentor and support the business on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis.

The third part that is truly unique to us, is our developmental piece. Most people see training as bringing someone in for two weeks, sending them off into the field and providing a contact for questions. Unlike this scenario, our developmental process is very specific with a plan with spaced repetition.

This process is active. We see training, management and development as active. It is something that is constantly occurring and growing.

We want people who have an entrepreneurial mindset. Just training and answering someone’s question is not enough. It’s about having a plan that melds training, management and development, as those three things must exist together, and at Fundraising University, we provide all three.

FC: What qualities do you look for in potential franchisees, and why do you think those qualities are important for success? 

MB: We look for competitiveness, just like in sports. We also look for coachability. The reason someone invests in a franchise system is to expedite their success and limit their challenges. When purchasing a Fundraising University franchise you get a proven system, with top-level training and coaching.

A successful franchisee is also a self-starter. Our systems, our training, our management development is only as good as the person’s ability to engage it. We can’t swing the bat for people, but we can teach them to have a nice swing that’s balanced, that has a plan, and that they can locate the ball. Even then, they still need to walk up to the plate.

A successful franchisee also needs empathy, as we are working with students, teachers, coaches and kids. Lastly, you need to be organized. Those are the 5 characteristics of a successful rep.

FC: How has your business grown, and where do you see the franchise in the next 3-5 years?

MB: We have had incredible growth that comes from our organization as we mature and fine tune our process. We have grown on every level. We have simplified things and improved results.  Management has experienced business ownership skills, leadership makes decisions on growing a brand versus growing sales. We have really grown and improved everywhere simultaneously.

FC: Where do you see Fundraising University going?

MB: We are going to continue to master the basics, while continuing to build our category. We will continue to fight to make our category clear, and, with time and traction from our efforts we will succeed.

FC: Can you share any tips or strategies for successfully running a franchise and ensuring it continues to grow while making a positive impact?

MB: Daily engagement. Typical questions from prospects usually center around the time commitment and the money to be made. Being engaged and knowledgeable is powerful. When you are knowledgeable you become more skilled. The more skill you have, the more control over your time, and inherently, the more money you make. The person that starts everyday focusing on the process of growing will have success – as success is measuring the process not just the outcome.