Pickleball with a Purpose: How We Smashed Our $25k Goal

By Margo Knight Metzger

When my daughter Adelind was diagnosed with Kleefstra Syndrome, I felt a deep need to do more than just navigate our new “normal” — I wanted to help fund the future. This past February, that drive turned into the first-ever Rally for Rare pickleball tournament at PinPoint in Raleigh, NC.

I’m thrilled to share that our community truly showed up. While our initial goal was an ambitious $25,000, we surpassed it, raising over $30,000 for IDefine and KS research!

For any parents or loved ones considering hosting their own fundraiser, I wanted to share a few tips that made our event successful and, most importantly, manageable.

It’s About More Than the Activity

While 72 players took to the courts for a high-energy tournament, the fundraising went far beyond the athletes. I used the tournament and the date — Rare Disease Day — as a “hook” to solicit donations from family, friends, and colleagues nationwide. Even those who wouldn’t know a pickleball paddle from a tennis racket were eager to donate once they saw the mission. By sharing Adelind’s story, we turned a local sports event into a nationwide donation drive.

Leverage Your Local Community

One of the biggest wins was the support from Pinpoint, my local pickleball club. They generously donated the court time, which kept our overhead low and ensured that almost every dollar raised went directly to the cause. If you are part of a club or a local group, don’t be afraid to ask for their support. You might be surprised how willing people are to help when there’s a meaningful mission behind the request.

Maximize the “Fun Stuff”

Beyond registration fees and direct donations, we added a high-impact revenue stream: a Silent Auction. We reached out to local businesses for items, which added a layer of excitement for everyone attending the event and gave non-players a way to participate in the giving. Between the auction and a 50/50 raffle, we kept the energy high and the donations flowing between match rounds.

Use the IDefine Toolkit

The best advice I can give is: don’t reinvent the wheel. I utilized the Network for Good tools provided by IDefine. These tools made it incredibly easy to set up a professional donation page, track our progress in real-time, and send out automated tax receipts to donors. Having that infrastructure already in place allowed me to focus on the event logistics and community outreach rather than the “back-end” tech.

You Can Do This!

If you have a hobby you love — whether it’s pickleball, baking, hiking, or trivia — you can turn it into a lifeline for our kids. Hosting a fundraiser is certainly a labor of love, but seeing “Raleigh Rally for Rare” and knowing that $30,000 is going toward finding a cure makes every bit of effort worth it.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a fundraiser in your own town, reach out to the IDefine team. They have the tools and the heart to help you get started. Let’s keep rallying!

Interested in starting your own fundraiser? Contact the IDefine team today (unlock@idefine.org) to learn how to use our Network for Good tools to support the KS community!