Crowdfunder Spotlight: Sadie Goodman

Sadie Goodman knew she wanted to do a soccer-related service project for her bat mitzvah, and when she found out about Soccer Without Borders (SWB) through online research, she knew it was a perfect fit. Now, she’s raised over $7,000 — more than 140 percent of her initial goal.

“When I read about SWB's Girls in the Game program, I knew that was the program that I wanted to fundraise for,” said Sadie. “Soccer has meant so much to me. And it means a lot to know that I can help girls who have come from different places all over the world to enjoy the game of soccer and to have a better life.”

Sadie had already seen the impact her efforts could make, when she had led an equipment drive in support of GOALS Haiti. In this case, Sadie set up a crowdfunding page to raise funds for girls programs across SWB, and wrote letters to family and friends explaining these programs and why they mean so much to her.

“Because I was also doing a bat mitzvah, I included a link for the fundraising page on the invitation and requested that if people wanted to give a gift to me that they could donate money to SWB,” said Sadie.

Sadie’s fundraiser was a huge success, but she doesn’t plan to stop there. She’s been inspired by the experience, and hopes to continue to raise money for SWB.

“My favorite part was getting a letter of thanks from someone who was an alum of the SWB program. It was nice to know that the money was going to help kids, said Sadie. “I got to 140% [of my goal] and I still want to raise more.”