Hong Kong WHO
The Trillium Health Partners Foundation works alongside three health centres to offer one of the largest community academic hospitals in Canada. Their three sites, Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga Hospital and Queensway Health Centre, all rely on continuous fundraising to keep their services running and to provide training for healthcare professionals.
Their mission is to, ‘inspire our community to invest in a new kind of health care for a healthier community’. The cause is one close to many people’s hearts and as such, the charity benefits from a mix of both new and existing donors helping them to consistently raise funds. The organisation also aims to provide healthcare services to individuals within the local area so that they do not have to be referred to facilities elsewhere.
WHAT
Trillium have been hosting their annual Diwali Gala for 21 years now with the event getting bigger each year! It is also known as the largest Diwali gala in all of Canada so there is always the expectation to get things spot on. The event allows the South Asian community in Mississauga and surrounding areas to actively support the hospital while coming together to celebrate Diwali.
Full of bright lights and elegant ambiance, this event is the perfect example of how calendar events can be used to highlight fundraising causes.
RESULT
Trillium were very happy with the result and were thrilled that that evening proved to be another success in the long-running history of Diwali celebrations. The gala dinner had over 900 attendees and consisted of a silent auction and pledge drive to raise the impressive total.
These fundraising options suited the vibrant gala dinner perfectly as both the evening’s festivities and fundraising efforts can be seamlessly combined. A pledge totaliser was also used to give a real time view of how much had been raised which is always a great way to remind guests of the importance of attending the special occasion.
The total raised through Givergy’s donations and auction was $176,162.
TOP TIP
We asked Lida Klemmensen, Development Officer and Community Engagement, what Trillium’s top tips are for throwing a successful fundraising event year after year. Her advice was the following:
- Plan to your demographic so that you are creating an event which people will want to attend.
- Ensure that you are providing guests with an experience that best suits what they will enjoy.
- Always have somebody speaking on the night from the charity as it is important to remind people of why they are at the event and what money needs to be raised.
- We always ask a couple of patients or medical professionals who have benefited from our fundraising to speak at the event. This allows an emotional connection to be made and always gives a great image of what we are looking to achieve in the future months and what the donations will be used for.
“Givergy has a great platform: easy to use and looks great. The support is phenomenal from the beginning to the end”.
