With the help of about 60 volunteers, PAL-Reading Services (“PAL”) records an incredible 2,500 hours of print material a year (roughly 47,500 pages), and upon request, provides free digital recordings to people with vision impairments and other disabilities.
Since 1975, the Toronto-based charity has served over 1,200 print-challenged individuals across Canada, but—like many not-for-profits across Canada—PAL was having trouble fundraising over the summer months.
To help spur donations, PAL’s board and staff decided to participate in the initial Great Canadian Giving Challenge in 2015. Founded by The GIV3 Foundation and CanadaHelps, the challenge aims to inspire Canadians to make donations during the summer months when they’re usually busy camping, boating, swimming and vacationing with their families.
When Canadians make a June donation to any charity through CanadaHelps.org or givingchallenge.ca, that charity is automatically entered to win a $10,000 prize. Charities are automatically given 1 entry for every $1 they receive. With each donation increasing a charity’s chance of winning the grand prize, Canadians have all the more reason to give generously. Now in its third year, the Great Canadian Giving Challenge generated more than 65,000 charitable donations across the country in 2016, and charities who actively participated in the initiative in both 2015 and 2016 raised 164 per cent more last year.
In their second year in the challenge, PAL’s senior program manager Mark Fielding says his organization received double the amount of donations ($29,000 total), and they’re looking forward to topping the amount this year. To help other charities maximize their participation and raise much-needed funds over the dry summer months, he offers the following tips:
The summertime can be a challenging time for charities and if you’re feeling the heat, you’re not alone. The Great Canadian Giving Challenge can help simplify fundraising during this time and give you an opportunity to boost donations.
To learn more about boosting your summer donations, see how your charity can participate in the 5th annual Great Canadian Giving Challenge.
This post was originally published on Hilborn by CanadaHelps
Updated on November 1, 2024
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