There’s a tradition in baseball where players are introduced with a special song each time they step up to bat. This is what is known as their “walk-up song.”

Several years ago, while managing a fundraising team, I worked to bring a little fun to our work and create community. One of the things we did was build a playlist of walk-up songs, or virtual mixtape, compiled from members of our team.

We used this playlist as we traveled to our team retreat. We sometimes used the playlist to intro team members to present in our monthly strategy meetings or when they had good news to share with the team. This helped strengthen the bond across our team.

A few weeks ago I asked some nonprofit colleagues and clients to share their walk-up song for a hype fundraiser playlist mix. Here is the first batch of songs. They're shared to help you find inspiration, get that adrenaline pumping, bring you some encouragement, or renew your energy going into the new year.

I hope this mix helps us build community. Enjoy!

Spotify

Apple Music

Whether you’re a current connection or a future friend, I’d love to add your walk-up song to the list. Send me a message and share your walk-up song. I’d also love to hear your story behind the music.