There are two ways to support an athlete on ralli. You can back them once as a casual backer, or you can join as a member. Both are real support and both put money directly behind an athlete. They simply work a little differently, and it is worth knowing which one fits you before you decide.
This is the honest side-by-side: where the money goes, what you earn, and what changes the day you join.
The short version
A casual backer gives a one-off amount to a specific athlete. 80% goes straight to that athlete. You still earn ralli rewards points, but they sit locked in your account until you become a member.
A member backs athletes every month with credits, earns points at double the casual rate, can spend those points in the Vault straight away, and gets the full supporter dashboard, portfolio and community.
Casual backer vs member, side by side
| What you get | Casual backer | ralli member |
|---|---|---|
| Money to the athlete | 80% | 70% |
| Rewards ecosystem | 5% | 15% |
| Platform operations Payment processing, product development, marketing & advertising, ambassadors and everyday running costs |
15% | 15% |
| Rewards points earned | 1 point per $20 backed | 2x the casual rate, 1 point per $10 |
| Can you spend your points? | Locked until you join | Yes, straight away |
| Vault access (merch, memorabilia, events) | No | Yes |
| Supporter dashboard | Yes, a simple one | Yes, full portfolio and feed |
| Athlete updates, milestones and events | For the athletes you back | For your whole portfolio |
| Milestone reward points | Yes, your share, locked | Yes, your share, unlocked |
| Launch window boost | No | 2x points in an athlete launch window |
| Do points expire? | Never | Never |
What ralli rewards points actually are
Every point is worth $1 of recommended retail price in the Vault, where points are redeemed for athlete merch, signed memorabilia and event experiences. The rate never changes. 10 points is $10 of Vault value, always.
Casual backers still earn them. The points simply stay locked until there is an active membership on the account. Nothing is lost while they wait, because points never expire.
Where the money goes
For a casual backing, the split is 80% athlete funding, 5% rewards ecosystem, 15% platform operations. For a member, it is 70% athlete funding, 15% rewards ecosystem, 15% platform operations.
Members send a little less of each dollar to the athlete directly, and more into the rewards ecosystem, which is what funds the athlete reward pools that pay supporters back when athletes hit milestones. It is the same money, pointed at two different jobs.
Milestones: the part people miss
When an athlete hits a verified milestone, a share of their rewards pool is released to the people who backed them, split by how much each person put in. Casual backers get their share too. Members get theirs unlocked and spendable.
That is the real difference: it is not that casual backers earn nothing, it is that a membership turns everything already sitting in the account into something you can use.
When it makes sense to stay casual
If you are backing one athlete you know personally, once, for a specific season, casual backing is a perfectly good choice. 80% of it lands with them, the athlete sees your name, and you still collect points quietly in the background in case you join later.
When it makes sense to join
For most people it starts with one athlete. Someone you know, or someone whose story caught you at the right moment. You back them, the update lands when they hit a personal best, and something quietly shifts: you are not watching from the outside any more. You are part of the reason they got there.
Joining usually happens at the second moment. When another athlete catches your eye and you want to follow both. When the season turns and you want the training block, the setback and the comeback, not just the result. When you realise the points sitting in your account are real support you could turn into something, and you would rather use them than leave them waiting.
Membership is what turns a one-off into a journey you are actually on. A portfolio of the athletes you back, a feed that brings their progress to you instead of you chasing it, and the Vault to spend what you have earned on merch, memorabilia and experiences. Every point you earn from then on comes at double the casual rate.
And the moment you join, every locked point you have ever earned unlocks at once. Nothing you gave along the way is lost. It has been waiting for you the whole time.
A note on points you have already earned
Points keep the rate they were earned at. If you backed an athlete before the current rates existed, those points stay exactly as they were. We do not re-price history.
Either way, you are funding an athlete
This is not a donation and it is not crowdfunding. Athletes build their own profile, bring their own community and earn ongoing support, and both casual backers and members are part of that. Read more about how ralli works, or see what $25 a month actually gets you as a member.