Project overview: Our project was a fundraising event to support Cubs Charities. It was held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at Houndstooth Saloon in Wrigleyville. We hosted a happy hour event which included a wristband deal with drinks and appetizers, as well as a raffle with prizes that included Cubs tickets, an AMC movie package, personal training sessions, World Series replica rings, and more. Our goal was to raise $1000 for Cubs Charities while also spreading awareness about the organization.
Charity: Cubs Charities serves the Chicagoland community and has granted more than $20 million to non-profit organizations since 1991. It provides increased access to health and fitness to at risk populations through partnerships with demonstrated results. Some of the non-profit organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters and Ronald McDonald House.
Factual Analysis: We set monetary and awareness goals. We set a Facebook donation page goal of $1,000. This was a lofty goal in order to encourage more people to donate and make larger donations. We were able to raise $650 in online donations. Although we did not meet our goal, we still considered what we raised a success. In addition, we aimed to raise an additional $500 at the event through raffle ticket sales and wristband packages. We raised $325 in ticket sales and $130 from wrist bands, thus coming very close to our goal. For event attendance, we aimed to have at least 20 people attend our event, and we exceeded this goal with over 30 people in attendance. In total, we raised $1,180. The McCormick Foundation (who works with Cubs Charities) matched half of our proceeds, thus bringing the grand total to $1,770.
Lessons Learned:
Communication is key: Our team communicated frequently via email, Google drive, and text. We constantly kept each other updated on project details to stay on track. Make sure everyone is on the same page so that your project runs smoothly.
Stay organized: We used a work breakdown structure and responsibility matrix to work out the details of the project and keep each other accountable. Everyone had a responsibility and nothing fell threw the cracks that could potentially derail our project. Both of these tools were imperative for our success.
Advice for Future Teams: Secure a venue and charity ASAP! You will be surprised how hard it can be to get in contact with the right person. Try to think of potential risks in mind when considering venue: indoor/outdoor space and weather, “fit” with charity, location, etc.
Reach out to people directly for donations and for their attendance. If you send blast emails and invite your entire Facebook friends list, you’re less likely to get people to donate/attend as opposed to if you reach out to them directly. We wrote a form email that we could all share with our friends, family, and work networks to promote the event and request online donations. Don’t be afraid to reach out for donated items for your raffle: all of our items were donated allowing us to donate all funds we took in.
Have fun! As a group we wanted to plan an event everyone would enjoy and work with a charity and type of event we felt connected to, making planning and the final event a fun night with new friends 🙂
