How Black Dog Institute raised nearly $200,000 in 48 hours - Spud’s Game 2025
Honouring a legacy, fuelling a movement
For many Australians, especially AFL fans, Spud’s Game is more than a football match. It’s a powerful tribute to the late Danny 'Spud' Frawley, whose tragic death in 2019 sparked a movement to change how we talk about mental health.
Determined to turn heartbreak into hope, the St Kilda Football Club with the support of the Frawley family launched the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing and Spud’s Game, an annual event using the national spotlight of AFL to drive vital conversations about mental wellbeing and connection.
In a major step forward for this mission, Black Dog Institute (BDI), a global leader in mental health research, recently took the reins, acquiring the Danny Frawley Centre Community and partnering with St Kilda Football Club on Spud’s Game.
With just weeks until Spud’s Game 2025, the BDI team was determined to honour Danny’s legacy by making this year’s event the most impactful yet. But with tight timelines and a packed campaign calendar, they knew they needed support so they reached out to Grassrootz.
The partnership
Knowing that they didn’t have time to build a campaign website in-house, the BDI team reached out to Grassrootz to see how our web design service could help bring their vision to life — fast.
Our services team moved quickly, delivering a polished, on-brand campaign website in just a few days.
The site included:
Hero messaging and campaign visuals
A real-time donation ticker and progress bar
Dedicated page for Spud’s Ride - a 24 hour cycle endurance event that took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the lead up to Spud’s Game
Peer-to-peer fundraising functionality
Mobile-optimised donation form - customised with pre-set amounts and dollar handles tied to Black Dog Institute’s programs
A reliable and secure donation processing system optimised for high-volume transactions
Not only did this setup streamline the donation experience, it also made it easier for supporters to understand the tangible impact of their gift, ultimately increasing average donation values.
The result: nearly $200,000 raised in just 48 hours!
Thanks to the speed and collaboration of the BDI, Danny Frawley Centre, and Grassrootz teams, the campaign was ready to go live ahead of the big game which took place on 9 May.
With an initial goal of $100,000, the campaign smashed expectations, raising nearly $200,000 AUD in just 48 hours. AFL fans and the broader community rallied in support, with donations pouring in before, during and after the game was broadcast on live TV.
Grassrootz took care of the digital foundation, allowing BDI and their partners to focus on promotion, logistics, and engagement.
Key campaign drivers included:
Social media posts on the St Kilda Football Club socials
Involvement of high-profile Australians in Spud’s Ride who each shared their personal fundraising pages with their large social followings
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, including posters with QR codes linking directly to the donation page
Media interviews and live coverage on the day of the game
In-game TV QR codes prompting real-time donations from viewers watching at home
“The Grassrootz team are all superstars for helping us pull-off such a great result with our tight deadlines. They were incredibly helpful and friendly to work with, and understood the complexities and timeline we were up against. Our custom website looks very professional and our Spud’s Ride participants appreciated having their own fundraising pages to share on their socials. Raising nearly $200,000 in 48 hours in Spud’s honour was a truly amazing achievement.”
Chelsea Frawley - The Danny Frawley Centre at Black Dog Institute
A lasting impact for mental health
A big congratulations to the teams at Black Dog Institute and the Danny Frawley Centre for bringing this powerful campaign to life. Together, you’ve honoured Danny’s legacy in the best way possible: by driving real change for mental health in Australia.
For more information about this customer story or our web design and development service, get in touch with our team today.
