Ellie Burns Foundation

Team 2 Ellie Burns Foundation

Our team coordinated a funding raising event at Healy’s Westside Pub to help raise funds for the Ellie Burns Foundation. We obtained a donated package with bar management to donate food for 3 hours as well as provide a keg of beer. We will charge a cover charge at the door of $20 for the meal and drink package. During the event we will socialize and help spread the word about the Burns Foundation while also participating in silent auction and a raffle for an iWatch.

The charity is the Ellie Burns Foundation, a local organization with fundraisers mainly occurring in the North Shore and greater Chicago Land Area. The organization also has ties to Miami University in Ohio where one of our team members obtained his undergraduate degree. The purpose of the charity is to fund scholarships for High School students to promote leadership and education through outdoor activities. The proceeds from our event were to help fund a trip to Tanzania for two students.

We defined success in this event through the following achievements:

  • Plan well and execute well. Set reasonable expectations, communicate frequently and work effectively as a team
  • Meet or exceed projected revenue/profit expectations of $500 from the fundraising events
    • <$500 – “Successful”
    • $501-$1000 – “Very Successful”
    • $1000+ – “Extremely Successful”
  • Raise awareness among co-workers, students, working professionals and friends/families
  • Reach out to individuals/organizations via direct phone calls, emails, social media, etc
  • Establish ongoing commitments to the cause/ongoing online donations
  • Have lots of fun!

We are happy to report that all these objectives were fulfilled by the end of the event and we were able to raise over $1500.

Two lessons we learned from this are in the invitation process and plan implementation. In term of inviting guests, some arrivals we thought for sure would show up did not and people that we mentioned this to in passing not only showed up but contributed greatly. The lesson learned was to let the entire masses know of your event regardless of their relationship to you. The second lesson was to have back up plans to any downturns. The party went off without a hitch but we were prepared for low attendance and weather impacts.

Our advice to future team members would be to choose a charity that you are already involved with our have a passion for. The whole process will hardly feel like work at all.

  

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