3P25 the raft

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Proposal for a Fundraising Event to Raise Funds for Old Pine Trail’s Summer Youth Program. Wayne Arcega Hilary Pollock Lacie-Dawn Dearsley Katarina Etezadi Taylor Gillard Raising for Raft Department of Recreation and Leisure, Brock University Submitted to— Melissa Debruin, Community Experience Coordinator The RAFT, St. Catharines, ON.

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Contents Executive Summary 3 Statement of Problem 5 Objectives 6 Plan of Action 7 Phase I: Brainstorming and Initial Planning 7 Phase II: Research and Marketing 7 Phase III: Market and Promote 8 Phase IV: Budget and Pre-event Evaluation 9

Phase VI: Execute and Evaluate 9 Project Timeline 11 Project Management 12 Deliverables 12 Budget 12 Communication and Coordination with Agency 13 Ethical Risks and Mitigation Strategies 14 Team Members and Responsibilities 15 References 17

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Executive Summary

This project proposal will describe in detail a fundraising initiative. The primary purpose of this fundraising initiative is to raise money for The Raft’s youth summer program. Specifically, this fundraising initiative is directed to raise funds for the Old Pine Trail neighbourhood which is associated with The RAFT. The current summer youth program has limited financial resources and as a result the program is not a quality program (Debruin, 2014). Currently the summer program is limited due to the current program budget; one dollar a week per child enrolled in the program (Debruin & Lethby, 2014). As a result, this fundraising initiative intends on raising funds for the youth summer program at Old Pine Trail.

This fundraising initiative will be guided by four objective statements (see objectives) which will help team members remember the purpose of this project. The objective statements will act as targets which, as a group, we seek to achieve by February 28th, 2014 (the day of the event). These objectives will be achieved successfully by this fundraising group if we efficiently implement our plan of action (see Plan of Action). Our plan of action entails five phases; each phase is further split into two to three sub-categories. The five phases are: Brainstorming and Initial Planning, Research and Marketing, Market and Promote, Budget and Pre-event Evaluation, and to Execute and Evaluate. These phases will be implemented between the dates of January 21st, 2014 and March 28th, 2014 depending on their location within the planning process. A GANNT chart (see Project Timeline) visually displays the phases and categories of our project’s timeline. The GANNT chart will be an active document that will continually change and be monitored as steps to the plan are implemented and evaluated. The planning process is preliminary and may change as each phase of the project is implemented and evaluated by team members.

This fundraising initiative intends on providing The RAFT with seven deliverables (see deliverables section) upon the completion of this project. These deliverables may be of use to the organization in the future. The main deliverable of this project is to present The RAFT with a cheque for a minimum of $500.00. This money is intended to enhance the quality of the youth summer program which takes place within the community of Old Pine Trail.

The required budget for the planning and implementation of this project is minimal (see Budget). Money raised through ticket sales will help alleviate costs associated with printing and marketing of required materials. This project has received public support and public donations which have further alleviated financial costs. For example, Gord’s Place has donated a venue and food items which has alleviated costs associated with renting a venue and purchasing food. Further marketing to establish more donations from local businesses will continue to alleviate costs of this project.

Team members will be in constant communication with project stakeholders throughout the planning and implementation process (see Communication and Coordination). Katarina will be the main communication liaison between The RAFT and

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our group. Lacie will be the main communication liaison between Gord’s Place and the group. All team members will be responsible for contacting local businesses in regards to prize donations and upon receiving support they will be responsible for communicating with that business. This will assure that local business owners have one contact within the group and a sense of rapport can be developed between the group member and the business owner.

There is minimal risk associated with the planning, implementation, and execution of this event. There are however two potential risks associated with this fundraising initiative (see Ethical Risks and Mitigation Strategies). These risks are: failing to raise the minimum amount of money indicated as our group’s goal and that we may tarnish our stakeholders reputations by acting in an unprofessional manner. Each team member will actively strive to mitigate these risks using the mitigation strategies discussed below (see Ethical Risks and Mitigation Strategies) to assure all risks are optimized and well-managed.

In order for this event to be successful each group member must take ownership of their individual roles and responsibilities. As well group members must remain cooperative and active in group meetings and be available for assistance if required by their team members. Each team member has their own unique skills and characteristics which will greatly impact the success of this projects execution (see Team Members and Responsibilities). These skills will be utilized when completing each phase of this projects plan of action and for the final execution of the event itself on February 28th, 2014.

This fundraising initiative is being planned and implemented in a time-frame of five and a half weeks. To assure that our objectives are met and that we are able to provide The RAFT with all of the listed Deliverables this group has agreed to commit their time and energy to the success of this event. With a detailed plan of action, weekly group meetings, an active group chat (on Facebook), clear objectives, and ongoing communication with event stakeholders this event will be a success.

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Statement of Problem

The RAFT organization has amazing existing initiatives taking place within the greater Niagara community. Specifically, The RAFT is addressing the need for homeless prevention in the Niagara Region. The main public problem found within Niagara is that homeless individuals are usually homeless from a very young age (Lethby, 2014) . In an effort to curb this trend The RAFT organization sought to provide assistance to at risk youth within the region (Lethby, 2014). One neighbourhood The RAFT is active in is Old Pine trail which is located in the north end of St. Catharines. Old Pine trail is a government assistance living complex with an overwhelming amount of single parent households (Debruin, 2014). The RAFT implemented a community house that host’s youth programming after school right within the complex to address the lack of community program (Debruin, 2014). However, there is a lack of funding to support activities within the complex (Debruin, 2014). The RAFT would benefit from financial support especially in regards to their youth summer program. Currently the summer program is limited due to the current program budget; one dollar a week per child enrolled in the program (Debruin & Lethby, 2014). This aligns with the trend identified by Hirsch et al. (2010) that asserts that programs are minimally funded due to the evaluation of programs based on attendance and not quality. With the current budget there is a very limited extent of what can be established with quality in mind at Old Pine Trail’s summer program (Debruin, 2014). Riley and Butcher (2012) make the case that quality summer camps are crucial to youth development and improving upon sociability skills. Furthermore quality summer programming for youth is important because it provides a means of safe recreation within a community and positive engagement of non-deviant behaviour (Riley and Butcher, 2012). It is therefore crucial that summer programs be properly funded to ensure meaningful youth developing programming within the Old Pine Trail community.

With funding comes a secondary issue of making this project economically sustainable going forward. This lack of funding is a direct result from the program having a void of funds due initial grants ending (Debruin, 2014). Grants are then seen as perhaps a fluctuating source of funding, as they are contingent on selection and sometimes very specific criteria. With this in mind Barnes and Brayley (2006) assert that given the limited funding from a government level, agencies will now become increasingly competitive for private donations. For Old Pine Trail, the grant supporting the summer program was only to establish the first summer program; not to sustain it (Debruin, 2014). This is similar to Crompton’s (1999) findings that grants, although a prominent way to start a project, often need to be replaced by other sources of funding such as donations or even bequests. In addition Crompton (1999) asserts that private donors are more likely to donate to non-profit foundations now due to an era of conservatism mis-trust of funding government projects. With this in mind the RAFT

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needs to seek out other sources of funding with perhaps a more stable origin of the funds such as long-term community partnerships (Debruin & Lethby, 2014).

Project Objectives

1. Our team will contact local businesses within the Niagara Region to establish a partnership which will provide our event with a venue which is tentative for February 28th, 2014. This initial partnership could increase the likelihood for a long-term partnership between The RAFT and the local business.

2. Our team will design marketing tools (posters and tickets) and have these documents approved for printing by The RAFT, Brock University, and Gord’s Place by February 13th, 2014. This will help to increase awareness of our event optimizing the amount of funds being raised.

3. We will acquire a minimum of three prize donations from local business within the Niagara Region by February 27th, 2014, which will be utilized as door prizes for our event. This is to further entice potential donors to purchase tickets and increase the amount of funds being raised.

4. Our team will strive to raise a minimum of $500 for Old Pine Trail’s Summer Youth Program by March 1st, 2014 through the execution of this event. This amount will increase the budget for the summer programs providing more opportunities for all who are involved.

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Plan of Action

Phases of the Project

Phase 1: Brainstorming and Initial Planning a. January 21, 2014 i. Brainstorm project ideas ii. Gather information about available resources. b. January 28, 2014

i. Create plan (Who, what, when, where) ii. Designate responsibilities to team members

c. January 30, 2014 i. Research potential sponsors and donations ii. Contact potential venues and donations iii. Contact Melissa for document approval This phase include brainstorming and initial planning for the event. Team

members will meet and collectively form ideas, be resourceful and create a plan to execute a successful event. Throughout the meeting team members determine potential supports for the event by researching and contacting through letters, email and by phone calls. A tentative plan will be put in place and responsibilities will distributed amongst the team members. Local businesses within the Niagara Region will be contacted to establish an initial rapport. After Melissa has approved the groups sponsorship letter, team members will continue to contact local businesses requesting their support for this event in the form of donated prizes. These prizes will be used as door prizes on the evening of the event. As well, this letter will be sent to Gord’s Place to request a venue donation. Gord’s Place will hopefully donate their restaurant as a venue to host this fundraising event.

Phase 2: Research and Marketing a. February 3, 2014 i. Confirm proposal with The RAFT

ii. Develop and plan for a possible contingency iii. Research, contact, and confirm potential supporters iv. Request potential prizes from local businesses

b. February 3-5, 2014 I. Design of posters, flyers, media and tickets

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II. Confirm and coordinate with the selected venue 1. Concrete date and time 2. Drink specials 3. Live band

iii. Quotes/estimate for printing the posters, flyers and tickets iv. Commence media advertising c. February 6-7, 2014

i. Design sample posters, flyers and tickets ii. Prepare for marketing and promotion of our event.

Phase two includes marketing and the continuation of research. The RAFT will

be presented with a written proposal and a presentation to confirm whether or not we will move forward with the event. The team will also commence a Facebook event page to further promote the event. Friends of the team members will be added to the page which will ultimately increase the attendance and amount of funds being raised. Confirmation and coordination with the selected venue will ensure the most optimal promotion. Possible drink specials, live band and a concrete date will assist in raising funds further enticing attendance. Quotes for printing will be determined through website that may allow for an online estimate or through a phone call. After confirmation with The RAFT, we will continue to research and request for support through letters, emails and phone calls. Team members will design posters and tickets, determine an amount to be printed and send them off for printing. Phase 3: Market and Promote a. February 10-12, 2014 i. Develop marketing strategies and promotional techniques

ii. Get marketing materials and written documents approved by The RAFT and Gord’s Place iii. Upon getting approval print flyers and tickets.

b. February 12-15, 2014

i. Confirm prizes and update the event page accordingly on Facebook ii. Push tickets sales iii: Create signs for the event v. Keep communication with the venue

1. Monitor Event Success 2. Activate contingency if required

iv. Search for volunteers if required

During phase three, tickets and posters should be approved by RAFT, and Brock University. Once approved, they are to be printed and ready to be sold or posted.

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Posters will be given to any confirmed sponsor, donor or supporter. Five event posters will also be posted around high traffic areas on campus at Brock University. Team members will each be given a minimum of 20 tickets to sell in order achieve our goal. Phase 4: Budget and Pre-event Evaluation a. February 17-20, 2014 i. Continue to market and promote

ii.Push tickets salse iii.Keep communication with the venue b. February 20-22, 2014 i. Evaluate events progress ii. Connect with Volunteers (if required) iii. Coordinate with Recreation & Leisure Council c. February 22-28, 2014 i. Determined amount for a cash float ii. Pick up and store prizes

Throughout this phase team members and partners will solve any issues that may occur prior to event night. Also during this phase team members will contact Gord’s Place to plan set up for the event. Team members will also be in contact with Rec and Leisure Council for volunteers to help run the event, cashbox, and for marketing purposes. Team members will pick up any remaining prizes from local sponsors throughout the duration of the week. Phase 5: Execute and Evaluate a. February 24-28, 2014

i. Create Event Checklist: 1. Venue 2. Prizes 3. Tickets 4. Float 5. Signs

ii. Delegate and confirm responsibilities b. February 28- March 5th, 2014

i. Host event ii. Evaluate event’s success in regards to event goals

iii. Deliver thank you letters to event stakeholders c. March 6th- March 28th, 2014 i. Compile all documents and prepare for final presentation

ii. Present The RAFT with Deliverables iii. Give Final Presentation to Class and Hand in Final Report

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Phase five will be an overall checklist of all previous four phases that will help ensure our event runs smoothly. Members will have a group meeting the night of the event to discuss the itinerary and ensure all team members are aware of their roles for the evening. After the event has taken place our group will prepare and deliver thank you letters to each sponsor and venue host that contributed greatly to our event. Team members will prepare a presentation which will be presented to the class, The RAFT, and Dr. Sharpe on the results of our event.

This fundraising initiative’s main goal is to provide The RAFT with with a cheque for a minimum of $500.00. The result of the event held at Gord’s Place may also provide The RAFT with a potential future partnership with the local business. The accumulated funds from this fundraising initiative will be allocated to Old Pine Trail’s Summer Youth Program. There is a minimal amount of finances available to implement an effective summer program within the neighbourhood. As a result, all funds will be allotted to the summer program to assure youth have more opportunities to engage in an interactive and educational summer program. As well, The RAFT will also be provided with templates of all the documents (see Deliverables) the fundraising team used when requesting donations from local businesses or when communicating with businesses about potential partnership opportunities. These documents may benefit The RAFT in future if they ever host a fundraising event of their own.

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Project Timeline

Figure 1: Gantt chart for the project. Each diamond on the timeline indicates a new phase. The phases are colour coded to further identify each phase on the chart. Light blue represents phase one, pink represents phase two, purple represents phase three, green represents phase 4 and royal blue represents the final phase (phase 5). As the tasks are completed, the bars will no longer be filled with colour, however remain as an outline of the respective colour to assure the phases are consistent by our colour code system.

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Project Management

Deliverables

1. One letter template requesting potential partnerships for an event venue.

2. One letter requesting prize donations from local businesses and establishments.

3. One poster format used to market and advertise the event.

4. One ticket format used to market the event.

5. One copy of the final Project Proposal.

6. One cheque for a minimum of $500.00

7. A list of at least 10 local community businesses/contacts that were stakeholders in this events success.

Budget

Table 1: Requested items and funds for project

Item Supplier Catalog No#

Quantity

Unit Price

Total

Float for Event Presales 0 1 $100 $100

Paper for Promotional Flyers Staples 761482 25 $0.39 $9.75

Paper for Events Tickets Staples 733350 25 $0.69 $17.25

Raffle Tickets Dollar Tree

none 2 $2 $4

TOTAL $131

The budget for this project in terms of expenses is fairly limited due to the fact of donated space and prizes. The expenses for the event having said that are mostly surrounding promotional initiatives and printing. As indicated on in Table 1 the first indicates the need for a float for the event. This is due to our event selling tickets at the door in addition to tickets at Brock University. The float will enable the group to change

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out bigger sums of money so that attendees will not be forced to pay exact change. With the ticket sales the addition of printing the actual event tickets was taken into account. The quoted price from Staples includes the printing of 250 tickets on 25 pages of card stock to ensure durability for those purchasing the tickets prior the event. Other printing that is required for the success of our event is promotional materials in the form of flyers. The flyers, as quoted by staples, are on Semi-vibrant 8.5” by 11” that will be printed with colour. These flyers will be posted throughout the school to bring awareness of the event upon approval by Campus Promotions at Brock University. As well, these posters will be provided to stakeholders in our event to post within their establishments/businesses. The final expense for this event will be the purchase of raffle tickets for the event’s donated prizes. These tickets are split seemed in rolls of 500 with price indicated in Table 1 as observed upon visit to the Dollar Tree’s location.

Communication and Coordination with Agency

The communication between The RAFT and our group will be done in a manner that involves personal meetings, phone calls and emails. All of these forms of communication will be vital to the success of our Fundraising event and our relationship with Melissa and The RAFT. Katarina Etezadi will be the liaison of the group and communicate with Melissa Debruin once a week to update her on our progress. For times that we will need to use The RAFT logo or use The Raft name there will be consultation with her prior to releasing the images and information. Melissa will be up to date with our development throughout the entire Fundraising event. Our communication with Melissa will become more frequent closer to the date of our event (February 28, 2014) to iron out any issues that we may face during that day. Melissa Debruin has already indicated to our group that we have an open line of communication with her through email, work and personal telephone numbers (personal communication, January 28, 2014). This will be extremely beneficial in creating a fundraising event that will best suit and represent The RAFT organization within the St. Catharines community.

We will make sure to go through Melissa before agreeing to any new developments with Gord’s Place. We have already discussed with Melissa that the price for tickets will be five dollars and we are aiming to sell twenty tickets each group member. She stated that this seemed like a great idea (personal communication, January 28, 2014). This will make the line of communication smoother and more effective. Melissa has already been informed that Katarina will be her contact within our group (personal communication, January 28, 2014).

Meeting within our group and with Melissa will be conducted in the format given by Professor Dr. Sharpe (Appendix A). This will allow us to keep a strict agenda during

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our meetings so that all of our issues are addressed during the meeting. This format will also help us make sure to not miss anyone’s points of discussion. We will meet once a week to keep our group up to date about event development. We have created a facebook group which allows us to create a day and time that best works with our group’s schedules. We meet once a week but when we have tasks that need to be completed we will meet additional times. If we cannot meet about an issue we will discuss our concerns on the facebook group. We also upload documents on the facebook group so that we can view and make comments about new developments.

Ethical Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Our fundraising event will be held off site from Old Pine Trail. There is little risk perceived that will directly impact the citizens living within the community. However, there may be an emotional risk associated with our fundraising event that may impact the citizens residing in the neighbourhood. In hosting a fundraising event for the community we are suggesting that the community is low income and in need of additional assistance. This suggestion may not sit well with some citizens. As a result, there is a risk that our fundraising event may have a negative impact within the neighbourhood. Despite our intentions to provide the neighbourhood with funding to benefit their summer youth program (Lethby, 2014).

One risk that our group sees associated with this project is over estimating our goal to raise $500.00. If we propose to raise $500.00 we must strive to reach or exceed this goal. The youth residing at Old Pine Trail would greatly benefit from this funding for their summer program and the fundraising team must be prepared to meet this goal. In order to alleviate this risk each team member has set personal goals of how many tickets they will sell and how many businesses they will contact to request donations. To assure that as a team we meet our funding goal.

Another risk associated with this fundraising event is that we could potentially tarnish The RAFT’s public image. Specifically, if we do not present ourselves in respectable and professional manners when engaging with community members and potential partners. If we fail to present ourselves in a professional manner while representing both Brock and The RAFT it could reflect negatively back on both the University and the Organizations. To mitigate this risk each team member will continually reflect on their behaviours and presentation to assure they are remaining professional when interacting with the public; both in written documentation and face to face interactions. Specifically, team members will dress appropriately when conversing and meeting with individuals associated with The RAFT, Gord’s Place, and owners of local businesses. Team members will conduct themselves in a respectful and responsible manner due to the fact that they are representing Brock University, Gord’s Place, and The RAFT. As well, all marketing materials will be reviewed by Brock, Gord’s

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Place, The Raft, and Dr. Sharpe prior to being printed to assure that they meet all parties standards. This will further mitigate risk to assure no party is unsatisfied with the poster. In doing so, the event team is remaining professional by assuring their partners are trusting of their decision making and that they are actively involved in the planning process; sharing power among the established partnerships for this event.

Team Members and Responsibilities Wayne Arcega is the president of Rec&Leisure Council and has experience organizing events and facilitating meetings. Wayne is a driven leader and active group participant. Wayne will be responsible for selling tickets and marketing the event. With his charismatic personality and professional presentation skills Wayne will provide our group with the energy to move forward through trying times throughout the planning process. Wayne will also be responsible for monitoring meeting minutes and keeping the meeting discussions active and engaging.

Hilary Pollock brings to our fundraising team knowledge of the local community and personal connections with local businesses and community stakeholders. Hilary’s role will be to contact local businesses in St. Catharine's to establish potential partnerships and inquire about the possibility of businesses donating prizes/goods to our event. In order to rally public support Hilary will be responsible for creating a sponsorship letter and present this letter to local businesses to gain their support. Hilary has practical knowledge and experience communicating with public stakeholders through past work experience with the City of St. Catharines. This will be an asset to our team when requesting donations from local businesses.

Taylor has budgeting knowledge and program planning competencies that he will share with the fundraising team. Taylor’s role will be to budget the fundraising teams expenses and revenues and also contact community partners to ensure a sustainable project going forward. Taylor’s education at Mohawk College and prior work experience, as a camp supervisor, will be an asset to the groups success. He has prior skills in fundraising and event management that will be utilized in the creation of this fundraising initiative. Taylor will act as note taker and minute keeper throughout this planning process.

Lacie Dearsley has excellent time management skills and a local community connection through her employment with Seven2 Hospitality. Lacie will act as a community liaison between Gord’s Place and the event planning team. Lacie has experience planning and implementing events from her education at Mohawk College. Lacie also has experience with poster design and experience with creating and delivering sponsorship letters to local businesses in hopes of receiving support and/or donations. These qualifications will benefit the group when planning the event, contacting Gord’s Place, accessing the venue, and designing the events marketing materials and documents.

Katarina Etezadi has had experience working with non-profit organizations

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similar to The RAFT. Katarina is currently in a placement at Project SHARE in Niagara Falls. Katarina has been helping with the development of two events hosted by the organization; Coldest Night of the Year and Marathon Soccer. During the development of these events Katarina has been involved with recruiting potential sponsors and donors for financial assistance and goods and services. The experience Katarina has with fundraising and donations will be an asset to the group’s achievement of their deliverables. She has also been assisting the Fundraising Director with organizing the duties of the volunteers for these events. Katarina will be the liaison between The RAFT and our group. Katarina will be responsible for communicating updates to Melissa throughout the groups fundraising process. Katarina has also been involved with finding potential community partnerships and contacting businesses to donate prizes for the fundraising event.

All group members will be responsible for remaining dedicated to this fundraising initiative. All group members have agreed to sell a minimum of twenty tickets to assure we reach our $500 minimum funding goal. Group members will be responsible for attending the event and executing the event in a professional and responsible manner (as we are representing Brock and The RAFT). All group members will be responsible for recruiting one prize donation or aiding in the recruitment process. All group members will also be responsible for taking part in note taking during meetings, leading meetings, and participating regularly in meetings. All members will respect and encourage each others input and build off of one another to assure our event is creative and effective. We will continually reflect on our goals and objectives to assure our fundraising event is not misled from it’s purpose. All group members will be responsible and have agreed to the above terms and conditions.

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References

Barnes, M., & Brayley, R. (2006). Institutional readiness and grant success among public recreation agencies. Managing Leisure, 11(3), 139-150.

Crompton, J. L. (1999). Beyond grants: other roles of foundations in facilitating delivery of park and recreation services in the US. Managing Leisure, 4(1),

Debruin, M (January 15th, 2014). Site Visit: Old Pine Trail. Information Retrieved by Wayne Arcega, Lacie Dearsley, Taylor Gillard, and Hilary Pollock.

Hirsch, B. J., Mekinda, M. A., & Stawicki, J. (2010). More than attendance: The importance of after-school program quality. American Journal Of Community Psychology, 45(3/4), 447-452.

Debruin, M., and Lethby, M. The RAFT: Presentation in 3P25 on January 14th, 2014.

Riley, A., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2012). Participation in a summer sport-based youth development program for disadvantaged youth: Getting the parent perspective. Children & Youth Services Review, 34(7), 1367-1377. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.03.008

The Niagara Resource Service for youth (n.d.). The RAFT. Retrieved on January 22, 2014 from www.theraft.ca

The RAFT (January 14th, 2014). PowerPoint presentation . Retrieved on January 20th, 2014 from lms.brocku.ca.

http://www.theraft.ca/

January 14th, 2014 Seven2 Hospitality St. Catharines, ON Dear Seven2 Hospitality,

I am current enrolled in Brock University’s Recreation and Leisure Services program. Specifically, I am enrolled in Community Recreation. This semester I am taking a Community Development course and I, along with 4 group members, are designing a fundraiser for the organization The RAFT.

“The RAFT is operated by the Niagara Resource Service for Youth. The RAFT helps kids living on the street and those at risk of being on the street. Through its Neighbourhood Awakening and After School Programs, the RAFT helps young people and local groups make positive changes in their neighbourhoods (NRSY, 2014)”. The Raft is a non-profit organization that provides educational and recreational opportunities and resources to youth whom would not have access to it without The Raft’s programming. My classmates and I would like to run a fundraising event for this organization. All proceeds raised at this event will be donated to The Raft. The funds will be allocated towards program equipment, supplies, and other necessary resources. As recreation students, my group members and I know that recreation and leisure activities are very beneficial for individual’s emotional well-being, skill development, and overall health. As a result, we want to raise money for The Raft’s summer camp so that the youth supported by The Raft have opportunities to engage in recreation and leisure activities. The fundraising event itself is still in the planning process as we were just assigned this project last week. However, my group members and I are wondering if you would be at all interested in partnering with us for this fundraising event. If you are at all interested my group and I would love to meet with you to discuss the event in more detail. As I mentioned, we are still in the planning process so any advice, suggestions, or ideas would be more than welcomed.

Your help and guidance would greatly benefit this event and the youth that access The RAFT’s summer camp. I hope we can count on you to help support my teams fundraising event and I will follow up with you in a few days.

My contact information can be found below for any questions or concerns.

Sincerely, Lacie-Dawn Dearsley 289-439-0655 [email protected]

Name Description Date Subtotal Sale Taxes Total3P25: Dr.Sharpe In-Kind Donation N/A N/A N/A $40.00

Total Revenue: $40.00

Staples Canada Printing 02/11/2014 20.57$ 2.67$ 23.24$ 99 Cent Depot Raffle Tickets 02/11/2104 3.75$ 0.49$ 4.24$ Dollarama Boxes 02/11/2014 3.50$ 0.46$ 3.96$ Dollarama Miscellaneous 02/20/2014 4.00$ 0.52$ 4.52$ Dollarama Miscellaneous 02/25/2104 3.75$ 0.49$ 4.25$ Total Expenses: 35.57$ 4.63$ 40.21$ Cash On Hand -$0.21

Raising for The RAFT2014 Budget

Original Deliverables stated in Proposal

1. One letter template requesting potential partnerships for an event venue. 2. One letter requesting prize donations from local businesses and establishments. 3. One poster format used to market and advertise the event. 4. One ticket format used to market the event. 5. One cheque for a minimum of $500.00. 6. A list of at least 10 contacts that were stakeholders in this event.

Actual Deliverables: 1. One letter template requesting potential partnerships for an event venue. 2. One letter template requesting prize donations from local businesses and establishments. 3. One poster format used to market and advertise the event. 4. One ticket format used to market the event. 5. One cheque for $1506.05

⁻ Three times our original goal of $500.00! 6. A list of 12 local community businesses/contacts that were stakeholder in the events’ success.

⁻ 2 more than originally stated. Additional Deliverables: 7. Photos from the evening of the event. 8. One thank you letter template; thanking stakeholders for their support for the event. 9. One thank you certificate template; thanking the event venue for its donation.

⁻ The one presented to Gord’s Place the night of the event 10. Screenshots of the Facebook event page for this fundraising initiative.

⁻ A total of 12 screen shot images

Deliverable 1

January 14th, 2014 Dear Seven2 Hospitality,

I am current enrolled in Brock University’s Recreation and Leisure Services program. Specifically, I am enrolled in Community Recreation. This semester I am taking a Community Development course and I, along with 4 group members, are designing a fundraiser for the organization The RAFT.

“The RAFT is operated by the Niagara Resource Service for Youth. The RAFT

helps kids living on the street and those at risk of being on the street. Through its Neighbourhood Awakening and After School Programs, the RAFT helps young people and local groups make positive changes in their neighbourhoods (NRSY, 2014)”. The Raft is a non-profit organization that provides educational and recreational opportunities and resources to youth whom would not have access to it without The Raft’s programming.

My classmates and I would like to run a fundraising event for this organization. All proceeds raised at this event will be donated to The Raft. The funds will be allocated towards program equipment, supplies, and other necessary resources. As recreation students, my group members and I know that recreation and leisure activities are very beneficial for individual’s emotional well-being, skill development, and overall health. As a result, we want to raise money for The Raft’s summer camp so that the youth supported by The Raft have opportunities to engage in recreation and leisure activities.

The fundraising event itself is still in the planning process as we were just assigned this project last week. However, my group members and I are wondering if you would be at all interested in partnering with us for this fundraising event. If you are at all interested my group and I would love to meet with you to discuss the event in more detail. As I mentioned, we are still in the planning process so any advice, suggestions, or ideas would be more than welcomed.

Your help and guidance would greatly benefit this event and the youth that access The RAFT’s summer camp. I hope we can count on you to help support my teams fundraising event and I will follow up with you in a few days. My contact information can be found below for any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Lacie-Dawn Dearsley 289-439-0655 [email protected]

Deliverable 1

January 14th

, 2014

Dear Seven2 Hospitality,

I am current enrolled in Brock University’s Recreation and Leisure Services

program. Specifically, I am enrolled in Community Recreation. This semester I am taking

a Community Development course and I, along with 4 group members, are designing a

fundraiser for the organization The RAFT.

“The RAFT is operated by the Niagara Resource Service for Youth. The RAFT

helps kids living on the street and those at risk of being on the street. Through its

Neighbourhood Awakening and After School Programs, the RAFT helps young people

and local groups make positive changes in their neighbourhoods (NRSY, 2014)”. The

Raft is a non-profit organization that provides educational and recreational opportunities

and resources to youth whom would not have access to it without The Raft’s

programming.

My classmates and I would like to run a fundraising event for this organization.

All proceeds raised at this event will be donated to The Raft. The funds will be allocated

towards program equipment, supplies, and other necessary resources. As recreation

students, my group members and I know that recreation and leisure activities are very

beneficial for individual’s emotional well-being, skill development, and overall health. As

a result, we want to raise money for The Raft’s summer camp so that the youth supported

by The Raft have opportunities to engage in recreation and leisure activities.

The fundraising event itself is still in the planning process as we were just

assigned this project last week. However, my group members and I are wondering if you

would be at all interested in partnering with us for this fundraising event. If you are at all

interested my group and I would love to meet with you to discuss the event in more detail.

As I mentioned, we are still in the planning process so any advice, suggestions, or ideas

would be more than welcomed.

Your help and guidance would greatly benefit this event and the youth that access

The RAFT’s summer camp. I hope we can count on you to help support my teams

fundraising event and I will follow up with you in a few days. My contact information

can be found below for any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Lacie-Dawn Dearsley

289-439-0655

[email protected]

Deliverable 2

DATE:________

Dear ___________, I am currently enrolled in Brock University’s Recreation and Leisure Studies

program with a concentration in Community Recreation. This semester I am enrolled in a Community Development course and I, along with 4 group members, are designing a fundraiser for the organization The RAFT. This fundraising initiative is titled Raising for The RAFT.

“The RAFT is operated by the Niagara Resource Service for Youth. The RAFT helps kids living on the street and those at risk of being on the street. Through its Neighbourhood Awakening and After School Programs, the RAFT helps young people and local groups make positive changes in their neighbourhoods (NRSY, 2014)”. The Raft is a non-profit organization that provides educational, recreational opportunities, and resources to youth whom would not have access to it without The Raft’s programming. My classmates and I would like to run a fundraising event for this organization. All proceeds raised at this event will be donated to The Raft. The funds will be allocated directly towards program equipment, supplies, and other necessary resources. As recreation students, my group members and I know that recreation and leisure activities are very beneficial for individual’s emotional well-being, skill development, and overall health. As a result, we want to raise money for The Raft’s summer camp so that the youth supported by The Raft have opportunities to engage in recreation and leisure activities. We are currently seeking prize donations from local businesses to enhance citizen interest in attending our event. We are hoping that you and your business are interested in being stakeholders in this event’s success. This event is will take place on February 28, 2014. Any donations or contributions you make to this event will be greatly appreciated and will benefit this event’s success as well as The RAFT’s summer youth program. I hope we can count on you to help support this fundraising initiative. Sincerely, NAME: _______ E-MAIL: ________________ PHONE NUMBER: _____________

Deliverable 3

Friday February 28th, 2014 GORDS PLACE 905-685-4673 84 James Street

St. Catharines, ON

Start Time: 9:30 pm Tickets: $5.00

***With Ticket Purchase you are included in ALL door prize draws. Find Us On Facebook for More Details about our Awesome Prizes!

Tickets will be sold in advance and at the door. This is a 19+ Event.

Together We Can Provide New Opportunities for At-Risk Youth Living in the Niagara Region.

All Proceeds will be donated to The RAFT’s Summer Youth Program to Ensure they Have an

Awesome 2014 Summer!

Great Prizes. Great Venue. Great Food. All for a Great Cause

Find Us on Facebook at: Raising for RAFT *For more information about RAFT see our Facebook Page.

Help Us Raise Funds for The RAFT

RReeccRReeaattiioonn aanndd LLeeiissuuRRee ssttuuddiieess

Deliverable 4

Front of the Ticket

Back of the Ticket

NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________

***You do not need to be in attendance to claim your door prize.

NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


NAME: ________________________

PHONE #: _____________________

E-MAIL: _____________________


Deliverable 5

Deliverable 6

A List of Businesses that Supported this Event through Generous Donations

Company Name

Contact Info Prize Description

1. Rockway Glenn Winery

[email protected] rebbeca hiebert

10 person wine tour and tasting (valued @ $100.00)

2. Great Wolf Lodge

[email protected] 1 night stay in resort 2 full day waterpark passes

3. Shoppers Drug Mart (Hartzel Road)

Leah Raffay Cosmetic basket

4. Norjohn Contracting and Paving Limited

Julie 2 cooler bags 2 ball caps 1 golf shirt

5. Tim Hortons (Oakville)

Craig Cummings 2 Coffee gift basket

6. Swiss Chalet (Glendale avenue)

Mark & Caroline Leaper 344 Glendale Avenue St.Catharines

-meal vouchers

7. Jayne & Norm Shearer

[email protected]

candy jars subway gift card bullbark gift card

8. Gord’s Place

Hector Dedivitis (Co-owner) Gord’s Place/Seven2 Hospitality

-venue donation -Food Donation

9. Niagara Ice Dogs

Denise Burke 35 Queen St. St. Catharines

-apparel -autographed stick - autographed photo

mailto:[email protected]


Deliverable 6

10. The Works

Rosemary and Mario Ciccarelli - gift card and a set of salt and pepper shakers

11. The Embassy Suites

Carmen Menechella - Gift certificate to The Keg

12. Reif Estate Winery

Klaus Reif - Winery tour passes, two bottles of Wine, and a decorative Basket.

Deliverable 7

Deliverable 8

March 4, 2014 Dear _______________,

On behalf of Brock University, The RAFT, and our fundraising team we would

personally like to thank you for supporting our fundraising event ‘Raising for The RAFT’ which took place Friday February 28th, 2014. The event was a huge success.

The financial goal for this fundraising initiative was to raise funds to support The

RAFT’s Summer Youth Program. Our financial goal was to raise a minimum of 500 dollars. With your assistance we successfully raised three times this original goal. In total this fundraising initiative raised $1506.05. All proceeds will be donated directly to The RAFT. This money will ensure that at-risk youth living within the Niagara Region are provided with a quality summer program. Ensuring that they have opportunities to develop new skills and participate in enjoyable and engaging programming during the summer.

Without your generous donation to this fundraising initiative this event would not

have been a success. Your donation will directly impact the lives of youth living within the Niagara Region. We hope that this events success will carry forward into future events so that more opportunities can be provided to youth living within the Niagara Region.

Again we would like to thank you for your contribution of _____________to our

event. Your in-kind donation enhanced the quality of the fundraising initiative ‘Raising for The RAFT’ and is directly linked to the events success.

Please if you have any questions comments or concerns do not hesitate to contact our

group with the information below. Sincerely,

Wayne Arcega, Lacie Dearsley Katarina Etezadi, Taylor Gillard, & Hilary Pollock

Students of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Brock University Email: ________________ Phone_____________________

RReeccRReeaattiioonn aanndd LLeeiissuuRRee ssttuuddiieess


Deliverable 10

Wayne Arcega, Lacie-Dawn Dearsley, Katarina Etezadi, Taylor Gillard, & Hilary Pollock

Problem Statement

• Lack of funding to successfully support activities running within the Old Pine Trail Neighborhood.

• Summer program is limited to $1 of funding for each child a week

(Debruin, 2014)

Objectives 1. Our team will contact local businesses within the Niagara Region to establish a

partnership which will provide our event with a venue which is tentative for February 28th, 2014. This initial partnership could increase the likelihood for a long-term partnership between The RAFT and the local business.

2. Our team will design marketing tools (posters and tickets) and have these documents approved for printing by The RAFT, Brock University, and Gord’s Place by February 13th, 2014. This will help to increase awareness of our event optimizing the amount of funds being raised.

3. We will acquire a minimum of three prize donations from local business within the

Niagara Region by February 27th, 2014, which will be utilized as door prizes for our event. This is to further entice potential donors to purchase tickets and increase the amount of funds being raised.

4. Our team will strive to raise a minimum of $500 for Old Pine Trail’s Summer Youth Program by March 1st, 2014 through the execution of this event. This amount will increase the budget for the summer programs providing more opportunities for all who are involved.

Plan of Action

• Phase 1: Brainstorming and Initial Planning • Phase 2: Research and Marketing • Phase 3: Market and Promote • Phase 4: Budget and Pre-event Evaluation • Phase 5: Execute and Evaluate

Sub-Phases

Risk, Communication, and the Team

• Citizens perception of our fundraising initiative

• Not meeting our goal of $500.00. • Tarnishing The RAFT’s/ Brock’s public image • Venue location does not follow through To mitigate these risks...

Budget

• Estimated Budget Prior to Event: $131.00 • Actual Budget Expenses Total: $40.21 • Expenses:

– Printing For Promotional Flyers (Staples) – Printing For Event Tickets (Staples) – Raffle Tickets (Dollar Tree) – Miscellaneous Materials (Dollerama)

Deliverables Pre-Event

1. One letter template requesting potential partnerships for an event venue.

2. One letter requesting prize donations from local businesses and establishments.



5. One cheque for a minimum of $500.00.

6. A list of 10 (minimum) community businesses and/or contacts that were stakeholder in this event.

Deliverables Post-Event 1. One letter template requesting potential partnerships for an

event venue.

2. One letter template requesting prize donations from local businesses and establishments.

Deliverables



Deliverables Post-Event 5. One cheque for $1506.05 6. A list of 12 community businesses and/or contacts that were

stakeholder in this event.

7. Four photos from the evening of the event. 8. One thank you letter template; thanking stakeholders for their

support for the event.

Deliverables Post-Event

9. One thank you certificate template; thanking the event venue for its generation donation.

10. Twelve screenshots of the Facebook event page for this

fundraising initiative.

Deliverables Post-Event

Event Stakeholders

Deliverable 9

Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies

For

Partnering with the DePartment oF recreation anD Leisure services at Brock university anD For hosting the FunDraising

event: “raising For the raFt”

this certiFication oF aPPreciation is PresenteD to:

February 28th, 2014

Students raise $1500 for local children’s summer camp programs

As students in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, these students know about the importance of summer camp. For kids, summer camp programs can be important contributors to healthy child development – if the camp program is of good quality. So, when the students learned about a local organization’s summer camp program that runs on a shoestring budget, they decided to do something about it.

“Currently the summer camp program is limited due to the current program budget; one dollar a week per child enrolled in the program. This minuscule budget is not providing youth with quality programs that will engage and educate them. Camp is a learning opportunity for youth as well as an opportunity to develop skills that can be directly transferred to other areas of their lives. An increase in budget is necessary to assure that quality programs are provided to youth (Lacie)”.

The students held a fundraising event at Gord’s Place, a downtown restaurant and bar. Gord’s Place was an enthusiastic partner, who came through with free food and a live band. Through ticket sales for the event and raffles of donated prizes, the group raised over $1500, to go directly to augment the budget of summer camp programs offered by Niagara Resource Service for Youth (The RAFT). The money will be used to pay for XXX.

“We all sold tickets for the event, but were unsure how many ticket buyers were actually going to attend the event. We were all absolutely thrilled with the amount of public support and attendance on the 28th! The event was a huge success and all expectations we had for the event were exceeded. We are just overwhelmed with what this event has achieved for The RAFT (Hilary)”.

From Left to Right: Wayne Arcega, Hilary Pollock, Lacie Dearsley, Dr. Erin Sharpe, Katarina Etezadi, and Taylor Gillard

The impetus behind the event is a Community Development course offered by the RECL Department this term. In the course, students are required to bring the concepts of the course to life by completing a ‘real world’ community-based project. Through the course this semester, ten different project ideas –

ranging from delivering a yoga program to developing social media sites – will be implemented, with RAFT playing a key role.

“As a Community Developer in Niagara, it’s great to be able to utilize the student’s learnings and energy. They always bring fresh and creative ideals to the table which have real impacts in the community,” said Melissa Debruin, Program Coordinator at RAFT. Melissa also plays a key role in the course, offering students ongoing feedback on their project ideas.

The students learn, and the community benefits. It’s a win-win.

3P25 the raft

Documents

Transcript of 3P25 the raft