Fundraising events are a tough gig for both the organization and the event planner who has to make it all happen. Most great events take a lot of time to plan, cost a lot of money, take a huge amount of man power, and when it’s all said and done the fundraising value can easily fall short. We’re surrounded by countless causes and endless heart-breaking stories – it can be a lot to take in much less respond with our time and hard-earned dollars. Designing a great fundraising event is a difficult task for sure – but it’s a lot easier if you know what you’re trying to accomplish. The almighty dollar isn’t as mighty as it used to be and non-profits need to think more strategically when it comes to their event campaigns, and dare I say take a chill-pill on the hardcore fundraising tactics.

Okay – so, we likely agree that fundraising is hard… but instead of being cynical I want to highlight an event that I believe is doing everything right. The BC Lung Association’s newest event The Rush: Race & Urban Scavenger Hunt (Vancouver, June 5, 2010) is a great example of a new, innovative, exciting fundraising event that is sure to to rally to the cause. They’ve recently launched the RUSH campaign and they’re knocking this one out of the park. So in the spirit of support I’m doing a shout out in the shape of an event review. This event deals with some of my most entrenched concerns when it comes to the strategic design of a fundraising event and I figured I’d share my take on why RUSH is being planned perfectly right out of the gate.

Event Overview: RUSH is a brand new event that’s run by the oldest charity in Canada. It’s pretty simple, teams of two scour the city on foot and by public transit to complete a required number of Checkpoint Challenges within a 6 hour time limit; the team who finishes first wins an amazing trip for two around the world! “Think of it like an intense, one day version of TV’s Amazing Race,” said Events Coordinator Marissa McFadyen. “Participants will be asked to do and try things they’ve likely never done before.”

1) The event fits with the current brand and message of the organization. The activity directly correlates with the cause. Participants will be enjoying the fresh, West Coast air while they’re running around their beautiful city, they’ll be experiencing and promoting lung health simultaneously. It is not a disconnected or disjointed event, which to many fundraising events are, and it fits with their other events: The Stairclimb for Clean Air and their Bicycle Trek for Life and Breath. What’s great about RUSH is that it’s not as athletic-oriented as some of their others and pretty much anyone can do it.

2) RUSH isn’t saturating the pre-existing donor base with yet another event (or another gala for goodness sake), it’s reaching out in an attempt to bring awareness to a younger demographic. For such a large organization I can only image how hard this would normally be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m often a proponent for bringing current donors into the mix, mostly because events need that core group to be successful, but in this case, because of the history of the BC Lung Association, reaching out to a new, younger generation is the right way to go.

3) Even though it’s a fundraising event the primary message is fun. FUN! We’re not stupid, we all get it: the event proceeds go towards lung health and air quality research, education, and lung patient support programs, but they don’t beat you over the head with it. Thank you.

4) The only element that I feel could go either way is the $200 minimum each pair has to fund raise. I’m still undecided when it comes to the long-term success of minimums; however, they’ve said that’s a team-minimum (only $100 per person) and they didn’t bury this info deep in the registration detail (upfront is good). If I have to pick a side I’d agree with the BC Lung Assoc. on their minimums because the event will have some significant costs due to all the logistics and activities and without a high level of commitment it could be to difficult to make it a success. It’s a good fit; let’s go with it.

5) Just by its nature a scavenger hunt is exciting and adventurous which means that participants will have a very unique experience. Thank goodness! There are to many same-old-same-old events out there. Creating a memory that will last a life-time is a lot harder than planners think. This highly participatory, activity oriented event will make for some great laughs and a wonderful sense of accomplishment for everyone involved. And with teams only needing two people it can be super easy to get a buddy, partner, or co-worker involved.

In the end, from the way I see it, raising money needs to take a backseat to building awareness through a connected and participatory experience and RUSH looks to do just that. The funds will come if the fundraisers have the time of their life and I’m very confident that RUSHers will love their experience and be fans and followers of the BC Lung Association for a long time to come.

For more information or to register visit www.rushvancouver.ca. Got a question? Contact Destin Haynes, Communications (haynes@bc.lung.ca) or Marissa McFadyen, Special Events (mcfadyen@bc.lung.ca).