You’ve finally reached the limits of your trophy case, and you’re ready to expand your student recognition with a digital hall of fame! Before you dive in, this digital hall of fame buyer’s guide will help you navigate one of the biggest challenges schools face: the budget.
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Tight budgets are always the biggest hurdle for high school athletic directors looking to get approval for a purchase, especially one like a digital hall of fame. The good news is, there are lots of creative ways to find funds for your school recognition software. And they actually might be more successful than the traditional method.
In this digital hall of fame buyer’s guide, we’ll cover:
- How much a digital hall of fame costs
- The best digital hall of fame options for schools on a budget
- Creative ways to find funding for your recognition project
How much does a digital hall of fame cost?
The first step to smart budget planning for ADs is to talk about what you're actually buying — and how much it costs.
Free Do-It-Yourself
Many athletic directors take advantage of free tools at their disposal — like Google Slides or PowerPoint — to showcase athletes on TVs around campus. ADs can use these tools to create simple slides that feature photos, graphics, and text, and then create slideshow displays on existing screens.
While these tools are great options for schools with extremely limited budgets, they’re not built to manage a robust digital hall of fame with multiple profiles or a lot of media files. Updates can become extremely time consuming, files can be slow to load, and design quality can suffer without templates built for the hall of fame use case.
The free options may be nice for your budget restrictions, but they can ultimately cost a lot of your time and effort.
One-Time Cost
Some digital hall of fame providers, like VitalSigns Wall of Fame, charge a one-time fee that includes software, hardware, and installation. Depending on how much you customize your digital hall of fame experience, this price can range anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000.
While this cost covers a complete touchscreen hall of fame package, many ADs that choose this option struggle with outdated software, lack of visual editor, and low-quality design. Others also note that these providers often fail to update their product over time.
Annual Subscription
Other providers offer more flexible and affordable options. Gipper Touch and Rocket Alumni Solutions offer software-only packages starting as low as a few thousand per year, with options to add on hardware if needed.
There are a number of benefits to the annual subscription structure for high schools:
- Lower upfront costs. $3,000 vs. $10,000 can be the difference between whether your digital hall of fame gets approved or punted.
- Better alignment with school budgets. An annual payment structure can make it easier for ADs to plan and forecast budgets.
- More scalable and flexible. Subscription-based software can grow and evolve with your needs — whether you want to add on additional features or cancel altogether.
- Continuous updates and improvements. One-time costs can mean static software. Yearly subscriptions offer continually new and improving software.
What’s the best way to start a digital hall of fame on a budget?
Here are three key steps every athletic director should take when looking for the best school recognition software on a budget:
1. Evaluate your needs
You might not need brand-new equipment or touchscreen accessories. Some affordable high school hall of fame platforms allow you to use the hardware you already have, helping reduce costs significantly.
Ask yourself if you really need:
- New hardware: Do you already have a touchscreen or display that could be repurposed?
- Extras: Wall wraps and display framing look great, but are they necessary for launch?
Cutting down on hardware and extras simplifies implementation and helps steer you towards more affordable digital hall of fame software.
Pro tip: Gipper Touch is currently offering free touchscreen hardware to schools that sign up before the end of the year. That’s a perfect way to lower upfront costs while still getting premium technology!
2. Evaluate cost structure
When considering your digital hall of fame provider, consider how the cost model fits your budget approval process.
To find the most budget-friendly digital hall of fame solution for your school, ask:
- Which payment structure — one-time or annual — will be easier to get approved by your principal or superintendent?
- What digital hall of fame provider would give you the most value? Maybe the price tag looks good, but it ultimately costs too much of your time and effort.
- Can you raise the funds for a large one-time purchase, or is a recurring subscription more sustainable?
- Could you fundraise the initial cost and then fit it into your typical budget in the future?
3. Evaluate which digital hall of fame provider is most worth it
Looking at hardware and cost structure can help narrow down your digital hall of fame provider options.
VitalSigns Wall of Fame and TouchPros are great for schools that want full-service installation and one-time pricing, but can fall short on customization and design-quality.
Gipper Touch and Rocket Alumni Solutions are ideal for schools seeking flexibility, affordability, and fast setup.
From here, make a list of non-negotiables that your digital hall of fame software must have in order to make it worth your money. Consider:
- Ease of use. Will it be easy to make updates without adding on extra work?
- Branding & design. Will your digital hall of fame look professional and personalized?
- Media capabilities. Will you be able to display slideshows, videos, and other media on your homescreen?
Where can you find the budget for your digital hall of fame?
Your standard springtime budget process might not be the best way to get your digital hall of fame approved. Luckily, there are a number of other fundraising options that are available to you at any time, even with mid-year school budget constraints.
Booster clubs
Booster clubs are super passionate about celebrating your athletes and strengthening community pride — which is exactly what a digital hall of fame does.
A school recognition project will be right up a booster club’s alley, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get them on board. When requesting funds, make sure to:
- Show how your digital hall of fame recognizes athletes across generations and creates a lasting legacy for the school.
- Emphasize how a digital hall of fame can increase boosters’ visibility at events.
- Propose fundraising ideas like an alumni night, vintage gear sale, or other themed event to bring in funds.
Since mid-year is often slower for booster activity, your project is more likely to get prioritized now than during the spring rush.
“Use-it-or-lose-it” year-end balances
Many schools have leftover funds that must be spent before the fiscal year resets. These balances are a smart way to fund the initial costs of a school recognition project without needing new allocations.
To access these funds:
- Check with your school’s finance office or principal about current-year remaining balances.
- Emphasize that investing in a digital hall of fame supports long-term student engagement and community pride that benefits the entire school — not just athletics.
- Propose using end-of-year funds for your first payment and note that you can always adjust funding in the future.
If you can prove how a digital hall of fame can produce positive outcomes for your entire school, principals and superintendents will be more receptive to allocating end-of-year surplus to your project.
Alumni gifts & community grants
If there’s one group of people who would love to support a digital hall of fame, it’s the people that will be in it! Alumni networks are often eager to contribute to projects that showcase school history and celebrate successes, and a digital hall of fame does both.
Here’s how to approach alumni gifts and other community fundraising:
- Reach out to your hall of fame inductees, featured athletes, and other prominent alumni with a proposal for your digital hall of fame.
- Research community grants that support historical and cultural projects in education. Make sure you frame your digital hall of fame as a historical enrichment initiative when you apply.
- Give your community a sneak peek of the project and tell them how they can help bring it to life. Share on social media, in your alumni newsletter, and other outreach.
Getting buy-in from your alumni and community members can be a guaranteed way to get your digital hall of fame off the ground.
Sponsorships with local businesses
Sponsorships are probably the best way that athletic departments can bring in their own revenue to fund projects like a digital hall of fame. You may already have sponsorships in place with local businesses: maybe they pay to have their ads shown on your digital scoreboard or you add their logo to your “Athlete of the Week” social media graphics.
Your digital hall of fame can be another way for local businesses to increase their visibility in the community. Here’s how you sell your digital hall of fame to potential sponsors:
- Offer logo placement on your hall of fame homepage or inductee screens.
- Share engagement metrics (how many viewers interact with the display).
- Create sponsorship tiers that include perks like hall of fame ceremony shoutouts or digital mentions.
The bottom line: sponsorships work. Here’s a real AD example: “We bring in more in corporate sponsorship than our Gipper subscription costs. Gipper Touch is essentially being paid for by our community partners.” - Colin Fegeley, Athletic Director, Green Level High School (NC)
How to navigate your digital hall of fame around tight budgets
With a little bit of creativity, your digital hall of fame can overcome the tight budget hurdle. You don’t need to wait until spring to advocate for your student recognition project. Other funding options like booster clubs, local sponsorships, and community grants are available to you at any time during the school year — and they’ll likely give you the push you need to get your digital hall of fame going.
No matter which funding options you choose to explore, make sure you advocate for your digital hall of fame as a long-term engagement and historical preservation initiative. The more you can speak to the community-wide benefits of a student recognition project, the more likely you’ll get support for it.
And don’t forget to take advantage of opportunities to cut down on your upfront costs — like Gipper Touch’s limited-time free hardware bundle!
Digital hall of fame frequently asked questions
What is a digital hall of fame?
A digital hall of fame is an online platform where schools can highlight athletic accomplishments, celebrate individual honors, preserve their sports history, and more. Digital halls of fame help schools boost community engagement and expand athletic department recognition.
Why are high schools switching from a traditional hall of fame to a digital hall of fame?
Many athletic departments are moving to digital halls of fame because traditional ones suffer from limited space, slow updates, and recognition that stays trapped on campus. Digital solutions solve these issues while preserving history and engaging a wider audience online.
How much does a digital hall of fame cost for schools?
Digital hall of fame software prices depend on the specific tool. Some providers charge one-time costs up to $20,000, while other providers like Gipper Touch typically charge a few thousand per year for an annual subscription.
What's the best digital hall of fame provider for schools on a tight budget?
The best digital hall of fame software depends on your school’s goals and budget. Gipper Touch offers a user-friendly software with high-quality professional design. For robust customization and analytics, Rocket Alumni Solutions is a great fit. Schools seeking a free or temporary solution may be opt for a tool like Google Slides, though this requires more upkeep and lacks interactivity.
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