Team 5 WINGS Fundraiser

Project Details

The charity we choose was WINGS Program Incorporated. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals and families affected by domestic violence in the Chicagoland Metropolitan area. They currently have 47 houses and apartments throughout the Chicago Metropolitan area. WINGS provide resources such as emergency safe housing, transitional housing, food, and clothing as well as counseling and planning services to families. For a client to stay one night at one of the safe houses, it costs $75 per day, per client. WINGS operate two emergency shelters, one which recently opened in the Southwest Chicago area called “WINGS Metro” which is one of the first safe houses to open in Chicago within a decade; we decided to focus on raising funds for this location. To raise money and awareness for WINGS Metro, we decided to hold an event at Hawkeyes Bar & Grill. At the event, we held a raffle where people could win Apple Products and Sox VIP tickets. Representatives from the organization attended the event to advise everyone about the organization. Two weeks prior to the event, we started a GoFundMe page where we accumulated over $1,900. In total, we raised $2,690, which includes 10% of sales made at Hawkeyes Bar & Grill during the event. Our overall goal was to raise $1,200, which we doubled.

Lessons Learned:

Pick a Charity you Buy into: This is a project you will be working on for the next 8-10 weeks and there is nothing better than to contribute to a charity that you’re emotionally invested in! If you pick a charity and quickly find out you and your team are not necessarily invested in it, it is worth it to take extra time to truly figure out what charity will work better.
Communication: It is very important that early on your team figures out the best way of communication and frequency for everyone. Clearly communicate tasks and initiatives so each member is on the same page.

Positivity: This is probably the first time that you and many of your teammates are doing an event of such nature. In all honesty, how you approach this project will either make the group or break it. Yes, you will have disagreements and yes you will all hit walls, but how you approach this situation is what matters. I can’t highlight how important it is to have a positive attitude throughout this project.

Be Open: You enter this project with preset ideas in terms of how you communicate, execute and plan. Be open to new ideas. You will be surprised how much resources your team has, and this could be a learning opportunity for everyone involved.

Advice:
● Have fun!
● You can never have too many contingencies
● Communicate with your team regularly
● If raising money, really communicate with your charity and be very clear on why people should contribute to your charity- talking points help

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