Quick Facts

• $7,945 raised (and still growing)
• 95 Donations
• $83 average donation

Until last year, 26-year-old Campbell’s sporting career had been almost entirely self-funded. Although sport climbing is his main job and focus, he’s worked as a barista, climbing instructor, and receptionist to get him to this point.

Although travel, food, and accommodation costs of the Olympic Games are covered for athletes, it’s the lead up where costs really accrue. For this reason, Campbell has started a project with the ASF to allow his family, friends, and the wider community to support his journey to the Olympics. 

His project has a goal of $20,000, which is estimated “base costs” of the physio, training, travel, accommodation, and competitions required in the lead up to the Games. So far, he’s amassed almost $8,000 in donations, almost double the average for athletes.

“It’s the quality of the care that you can give yourself. Maybe you can compete in the Olympics without paying for a physio, without paying for a coach, but you know you’re going to be able to go further and put in a better performance if you can have these things.”

CAMPBELL’S THREE KEYS TO FUNDRAISING SUCCESS:

1. Build your story.

2. Leverage support from your community and training facilities.

3. Share your passion to help boost your project.

STORYTELLING

One of the greatest features of the ASF platform, is that it enables you to tell your story in a way that’s true to you. Athletes and clubs can add descriptions and images to explain in great detail what they’re trying to achieve and how donations will be used.

Campbell’s page is a perfect example of “championing your cause” in a transparent way.

“People don’t owe me anything. If they are going to choose to support me, I want them to know exactly what it is that I do, where I’ve been and where I plan on going. And if they resonate with the story and choose to make a donation, that’s fantastic.”

Without being overly pushy, his project details exactly how donations will make a difference in an easy-to-read format:

Competition: Testing myself and gaining experience on the IFSC World Cup circuit prior to the Games is going to be absolutely essential. I'm hoping to attend competitions across Asia, North America, and Europe from April all the way through to Paris in August.

Training: The climbing industry is booming in Australia, with new gyms popping up all the time. However, the feasibility for commercial gyms to build high-performance training facilities is understandably limited, and access to routes and boulders of an Olympic challenge are hard to come by. Funds raised will help me gain access to high-level routes and boulders whilst I'm in Australia, but also to travel overseas to work with the world's best coaches and athletes to ensure I'm learning everything I need to learn before the big day! Training internationally has been key to my success on the World Cup circuit, and as such I hope to visit places like Innsbruck, Salt Lake City, and Bern to make the most of these world-class training destinations! 

Coaching: I'm going to need all the help I can get leading into the Games, and supporting me through this page will allow me to pay my coach whilst working with the best trainers and mentors I can find. 

Medical, Physio, and Mental Wellbeing Support: Becoming an Olympian is going to be no small feat, and I'm most certainly going to take a few knocks along the way! Support through this page will allow me to keep my body and mind in good working order, as well as quickly address any injuries that may arise throughout the process. 

Keeping Food on the Table and a Roof Over My Head: It goes without saying that all this time training and being away from home will severely limit my ability to make a living. Whilst my sponsors ease some of the burden, I'm going to need some help keeping myself afloat through what I'm sure will be an enjoyable but arduous journey! 

LEVERAGING CONNECTIONS

Like many athletes, Campbell wasn’t initially comfortable with asking the community to help him financially prepare for Paris (and it’s something he’s still working to overcome).

Although he’s used social media to ask for donations, one of the biggest reasons for his project’s success so far comes down to the support from his training gym, where they put up posters linking to his ASF page. They also published his story on their website to reach an even wider audience. Through these simple methods, Campbell has received some of his biggest donations, and often from people he doesn’t know or only knows in passing.

These sorts of connections are invaluable when it comes to offering support to your project, and it’s always worth having the conversation to see if they’d be willing to help whether financially, or in Campbell’s case, with promotion. 

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

According to Campbell, one of the biggest reasons for the “unexpected” support on his project comes down to his involvement with his community. Rather than purely focusing on training and competitions, “sheltering” himself away, Campbell actively engages with his community, both online and offline, to share his sport and his journey with people. He’s always happy to have a chat with anyone that’s interested to find out more.

“I think that’s been a really powerful and underrated way to spread my message and garner support. If people interact with you and like you, then they’re more likely to want to push you to go further.”  

Additionally, a local member from parliament shared a link to Campbell’s project on their Facebook page, which prompted an outpour of support and donations from people in his hometown.

“It’s about being involved and engaged with the community, and then the community is willing to support and engage with me.

Often, people are willing and eager to help, so we encourage athletes to reach out and make those connections with members of their community in an effort to boost their projects.

BARRIERS

Campbell’s biggest barrier when it comes to fundraising is recognising his need in comparison to others, which is sadly the case for many athletes. He’s found himself comparing his project to others that are crowdfunding for things outside of their control, such as illness or disaster. Fortunately, the ASF platform helps relieve some of this pressure.

“I really like that the ASF is aligned specifically towards sport and there is no confusion around what I am asking for. Also, the fact the donations are tax deductible is a big drawcard for donors”.  

To support Campbell on his journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, you can donate to his project here: https://asf.org.au/projects/campbell-harrison/campbell-harrison-support-my-journey-to-the-2024-paris-olympics