CharityVillage® Research: Event-in-a-box a hit with community fundraisers

Resources & Library

Path: Main Street : Resources & Library : Research Articles : Feature Article

Event-in-a-box a hit with community fundraisers
November 19, 1997; Canadian FundRaiser
With everyone pressed for time and the need for new fundraising ideas and concepts crucial for not-for-profits, the Event-in-a-Box has been a surprising success for the Ontario branch of the Lifesaving Society. The Society, committed to public education for water safety and drowning prevention throughout the country, has relied heavily on volunteers in the field to deliver both its message and its services. "We have always encouraged communities to help us fundraise for public education," says Carol Cruikshank, Business Development Manager at Ontario's Lifesaving Society branch of fundraising efforts for Water Smart, the organization's key water safety campaign. "But over the past few years, we have seen a fatigue in the community. They were worn out and didn't have time to even participate, let alone organize and run a fundraising event for us."
In response, the Lifesaving Society surveyed key volunteers in the field and learned that the main reason people were not able to run fundraising events was that it was not only time-consuming but also took a great deal of effort. "Our fundraising events committee tried to find ways to reduce the time commitment and organizational details that volunteers found too much for them to handle," says Cruikshank.
The committee developed an event template that outlined the steps to run the event and materials that were needed, and put everything into a box. The box eventually contained everything from a "How To" manual, banners, balloons, and disposable cameras, to press releases, recognition materials for participants and even markers and paint. They even included a laminated deck of cards so participants who wanted to play a game of cards while they were treading water for a good cause could do so without getting the cards sopping wet.
The committee developed the theme for the box: a Tread-a-thon which would provide community organizations, pool staff or swim teams to help raise funds for the Lifesaving Society's public education campaign. To make it even more convenient, the committee couriered the box out to the people who wanted to run the Tread-a-thon. When they were finished, the box was sent back to the Lifesaving Society office.
A smash hit - Let's do it again!
The Event-in-a-Box concept was a smash hit for those who borrowed the kits from the Lifesaving Society office in Toronto and ran fundraising events throughout the province. "The feedback was overwhelming," says Cruikshank. "Everyone who ran an event and used the box loved it and wanted to do it again - but bigger and better." The goal of the committee was exceeded when $12,000 was raised in only three Ontario communities.
The concept of Event-in-a-Box turned out to be very attractive to the individuals and organizations who wanted to help fundraise for Water Smart. "We wanted to support the Lifesaving Society, and our staff was receptive, so the Event-in-a-Box Tread-a-thon was exactly what we were looking for," says Steve Faudemer, Aquatic Supervisor in Georgina, just outside of Toronto. Faudemer and his staff of lifeguards and instructors were happy with the fundraising concept, and the pool's reception staff handled all the administrative details, including collecting the forms and the money.
"The participants liked not having to solicit or worry about handling the money, so they were really open to getting involved," explains Faudemer. This one particular event raised over $1,500 for the Lifesaving Society and the bonus for its organizer was that the event only took about one week to put together from start to finish. "It didn't take much time or effort to run, and the box gave us enough ready-to-use materials so we didn't have to waste time drawing posters or running out to buy supplies. We're definitely going to do this again next year," he says.