UK WHO
Second Harvest is Canada’s largest food rescue organization. They work with thousands of food businesses from across the supply chain to redirect unsold surplus food to non-profit organizations that feed communities in every province and territory. Their mission is to keep food where it belongs: on plates and out of landfills. In response to the significant increase in the number of people experiencing food insecurity and relying on non-profits for food, Second Harvest needs to expand its operations. The Holiday Auction 2023 is one of the important fundraising events that supported this expansion.
Fundraising Challenges
No matter how clear a fundraising mission may be, there are always roadblocks. For Second Harvest, redirecting surplus food can be costly, given that 58% of food produced in Canada is wasted every year. Lots of funds are also needed to make sure healthy perishable food is timely redistributed to their non-profit partners all across Canada.
Event Highlights
The Holiday Auction 2023 has been held a few times before, meaning it already has a consistent donor base that looks forward to the proceedings. While this means a dedicated audience is already in place, it does mean that expectations are high. Thanks to the support from Givergy, the Second Harvest team felt this year’s event ran smoothly, just like the others.
As an online event, the non-profit relies on a brilliant platform to entice donors to bid on items and share money via pledges. Chloe, one of our CSMs, spent time uploading the auction items, which helped ensure no stones were left unturned. This meant a sleek online presence was available for sending as soon as the auction officially opened. Second Harvest felt that the event was a success as the Givergy fundraising platform allowed their website to look professional and work across desktop and mobile without any changes in user experience. They also felt that the back end was simple to use and felt supported by the Givergy team when any questions arose.
How Much Was Raised?
The online silent auction raised $28,540 which the non profit were thrilled with! There were also 84 guests who donated which is a healthy number of people.
TOP TIP
We asked Genevieve MacKenzie what her top tips were for using Givergy at an event of this size to which she commented:
“Getting the imagery right is essential when running an online auction. The main image needs to grab attention and make people want to bid. Furthermore, the description must be detailed. Plus, it’s important to integrate the company logo on all pages of a fundraising site to ensure a connection can be made with the cause being raised.”
“We really like using Givergy which is represented in the fact that we have done so for the past few years. We are already looking forward to using the technology for future events!”
