Run an NFL survivor pool as a fundraiser

Pick one team a week. Lose and you’re out. Last entry standing wins. It’s the office pool everyone already plays — turned into a season-long fundraiser that runs itself.

Start free →About Survivor pools

Free on Kickoff · you keep 100% · Booster clubs, schools & office organizers · 6 min read

Of all the ways to run a sports fundraiser, the survivor pool (also called an eliminator or last-man-standing pool) might be the easiest sell. Almost everyone has played one, the rules fit on a napkin, and a single entry keeps a supporter invested for the whole season. Charge an entry fee, keep a cut for your program, and the rest becomes the pot for whoever outlasts the field.

Why it works

The fundraiser that runs itself

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Everyone already gets it

Survivor is the office pool America already plays — one team a week, lose and you’re out. There’s nothing to teach, which makes the entry an easy sell.

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Engagement all season

A single entry keeps a supporter checking in every week for months. That sustained attention is exactly what a fundraiser wants.

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Simple money

One flat entry fee, one pot, last entry standing wins. Set a “house cut” and the rest pays out — clean to explain to any board or parent group.

Set it up

Four steps to kickoff

Create the pool

Choose your sport/league, entry fee, and rules (strikes, ties, deadline). The season’s weeks are generated for you.

Build the schedule

Each week, import the games straight from the games library by date — or add them by hand. Works for the NFL or any league.

Sell entries

Open the pool and share one link. Supporters sign in, pay you directly, and pick their first team.

Score & survive

Enter results each week (or auto-score on Champion); the platform eliminates the losers and updates standings. Last one standing wins the pot.

FAQ

Survivor pools, answered

How does an NFL survivor pool work?

Each week, every entry picks one team to win straight-up (no point spread). Pick a winner and you advance; pick a loser and you’re eliminated. You can’t reuse a team all season, and the last entry still alive splits the pot.

How do you make it a fundraiser?

Charge an entry fee and set a “house cut” — the percentage your program keeps. The rest is the prize pot for the survivors. Supporters pay your program directly; ChooseASquare never holds the money or takes a cut, so the full cut is yours.

How much can it raise?

It’s simply your number of entries × the entry fee × your cut. A 100-entry pool at $20 with a 50% cut raises $1,000 for the program and pays $1,000 to the last standing — and many run multiple entries per person to grow it.

What rules can I set?

Strikes (2–3 misses before out), ties win or lose, weekly vs per-game pick deadlines, mulligans, multiple entries per person, buyback/re-entry, double-pick weeks, and prize/tiebreaker structures. Basics are free; advanced options are on Varsity and Champion.

Does it work for other sports?

Yes — it’s sport-agnostic. Build the weekly schedule from any league in your games library (college football, NBA, MLB, and more), not just the NFL.

Do players pay a platform fee?

No. Players only pay the entry price you set, directly to your organization. You can run the whole pool on the free Kickoff plan and keep 100%.

Launch your survivor pool free

Set your entry fee and rules, share one link, and let the eliminations run themselves all season.

Start free →