Project Description
Our group hosted a Virtual 5K in which physically able participants could run, walk, or ride a bike on any day or indoor/outdoor location of their choosing. All donations were due by the end of the day on February 21st, 2025, which was also the last day that the 5K could be completed. The 5K could be completed individually, with a friend, or as a group – almost like a participation choose-your-own adventure. To enter, participants had to pay a small fee of $10 and could also solicit donations from their personal network(s) via social media or in-person employment. Those who did not want to physically participate had the option to support the charity through a monetary donation.
Description of Charity
Our charity of choice was a local organization called Megan Butz Legacy of Hope. It is a 501(c)(3) charity that was created by Meg’s family in 2023 after they lost her to suicide on January 20th, 2020. Meg and one of our groupmates worked at Illinois Tool Works together in an early-in-career rotational program after graduating from their undergraduate universities. Meg was vibrant, kind, hard-working, and a true joy to be around. She was pursuing her MBA before she passed, and her family created this foundation to help young adults receive the mental health programming and support that they need when dealing with issues like depression, anxiety, and suicide. It is an all-volunteer organization that is committed to improving lives and assisting young people needing support. All donations support community-based programs that prioritize building self-esteem, developing resilience and life skills, strengthening mental health, and expanding suicide awareness.
Factual Analysis of Success
The main objective of “Together We Tread” was to generate funds for Meg’s Legacy of Hope and to spread awareness of this charity, which is relatively new. Through our social media posts and in-person interactions, our charity reached 254 people. We raised money via the charity website and funneled the rest of the donations to one group member so that she could leverage her company’s triple match donation program. Our total donation amount was $4,045.
Lessons Learned
We learned that sometimes our Plan B needs a Plan B, but it does not matter what the path is as long as the right destination is reached. Our group originally planned to collect funds and encourage participation via social media and within our workplaces. We created a flyer with a Zelle QR code to help us fundraise. In order to ensure that our group adhered to our companies’ corporate policies, we each spoke to the appropriate people within our organizations to see if we could fundraise in the workplace. One of our members received verbal and written permission from HR to post one flyer in the office and to send an email to coworkers; however, someone higher up in the company later conveyed that it was against company policy to “solicit” in the workplace and required all funds to be returned to their donors. Another group member was told that $5 was the maximum that anyone was allowed to contribute within the workplace. We also learned that sharing calendars to manage deadlines and individual tasks was super helpful to know who was doing what and when.
Advice for Future Teams
Our biggest piece of advice is to question everything when it comes to workplace policies. Before committing to a project as a team, each team member should check with their workplace what the policy is for fundraising in the workplace. We would even recommend taking it a step further and asking the person a level above who you asked about the policy to see if both statements match. We would also recommend obtaining a copy of your employee handbook as well.
Event Photos