Arbiter, the Sandy, Utah-based K-12 athletics management platform, acquired Vertical Raise, a school fundraising organization founded in 2018. The deal, announced April 1, 2026, adds a fundraising tool that delivers an average of 37% more per fundraiser compared to standard campaigns to a suite already covering registration, payments, scheduling, facilities, and website management for schools.
Key Takeaways
- Arbiter acquires Vertical Raise to embed fundraising tools into its K-12 athletics platform
- Vertical Raise delivers an average of 37% more per fundraiser compared to standard campaigns
- Arbiter currently serves over 20,000 schools, 4,500 leagues, and 7 million families nationwide
- Accel-KKR, a technology-focused PE firm, holds a majority stake in Arbiter
- Vertical Raise CEO Paul Landers and the existing leadership team will remain in place post-acquisition
Why Fundraising Fits the Arbiter K-12 Athletics Playbook
For a platform that already touches nearly every operational layer of school athletics, fundraising is a logical gap to close. Athletic directors juggling scheduling, payments, and compliance through Arbiter can now access Vertical Raise’s digital fundraising tools without adding another vendor.
Kyle Ford, CEO of Arbiter, framed the rationale plainly: “Fundraising is an essential part of youth sports and a natural extension of how Arbiter can further serve families and schools. By welcoming Vertical Raise into our organization, we can deliver even more tools and more coordinated support to schools, while maintaining continuity in the products and teams they trust today.”
Vertical Raise has supported tens of thousands of teams and schools over roughly five years. Its Funds Manager Pro platform combines automated digital outreach, personalized fundraising pages, and enterprise-grade financial controls.
Vertical Raise’s Track Record in School Programs
The 37% average lift per fundraiser that Vertical Raise claims over standard campaigns is the kind of metric that gets athletic directors’ attention, particularly at under-resourced programs where every dollar counts.
Rodney Evans, Athletic Director at Porter High School in Porter, TX, has used the platform five times: “This is my fifth time using Vertical Raise, and as always, they have proven to be the best fundraising platform I’ve ever worked with. Their team is consistently outstanding: knowledgeable, responsive, and incredibly easy to partner with. The setup process is seamless, and the results are immediate; as soon as the fundraiser launches, supporters begin rolling in. I will absolutely continue using Vertical Raise to help our program grow, succeed, and achieve our goals.”
Paul Landers, CEO of Vertical Raise, emphasized the operational upside of joining Arbiter’s network: “Schools and teams need fundraising that’s simple, secure, and proven. Our combination of automated digital outreach, personalized pages, and enterprise-grade controls through Funds Manager Pro helps programs raise more money in less time. Now as part of Arbiter and their network of schools, leagues and families, we are excited to help even more teams and programs thrive.”
PE-Backed Consolidation Pressures Standalone Tools
With Accel-KKR backing Arbiter, this acquisition fits a familiar pattern in youth sports and edtech: private equity-funded platforms buying point solutions to build comprehensive, sticky ecosystems. Arbiter has operated for more than 40 years and already reaches 7 million families. Adding a proven fundraising layer gives it another revenue stream and another reason schools stay on the platform.
For standalone fundraising vendors, scheduling tools, or payment processors serving K-12 athletics, the competitive math is shifting. All-in-one platforms with embedded financial tools reduce switching incentives and procurement complexity for school administrators. Each acquisition like this one narrows the addressable market for single-purpose competitors.
Arbiter’s Expanding Grip on School Athletics Operations
The retention of Vertical Raise’s leadership and operations signals that Arbiter intends to preserve what works while cross-selling into its existing base of 20,000 schools and 4,500 leagues. The structural advantage of bundling fundraising with scheduling, registration, and payments under one login is difficult for competitors to replicate without similar scale.
Arbiter Adds Fundraising to for Youth Sports Operators
Club directors and school athletic administrators evaluating fundraising vendors should take note: standalone platforms now compete against bundled tools backed by private equity scale and an existing network of 20,000 schools and 7 million families. Arbiter’s acquisition of Vertical Raise accelerates the move toward all-in-one athletics operations platforms that embed revenue-generation directly into the school’s existing workflow. Administrators still using separate vendors for scheduling, registration, and fundraising face increasing pressure to consolidate or justify the fragmentation. Programs currently using Vertical Raise will see continuity under Paul Landers, but the broader market signal is clear: integrated platforms with PE backing are setting the new baseline for K-12 athletics technology.
Arbiter acquires Vertical Raise to add fundraising tools to its K-12 athletics platform serving 20,000 schools and 7 million families, backed by Accel-KKR. directly.
Source: PR Newswire
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