Fundraisers forced to get creative
Many local non-profits and charities putting events online during pandemic
Many non-profits and charities across Saskatchewan host walking events each year to raise money for their programs and services, but this year COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into their plans.
While the majority of these organizations are seeing demand for their services rise during the pandemic, the donation dollars coming in are dropping, making fundraising even more critical.
To keep people involved, and the fundraising going, many are turning their usual outdoor walks into virtual events.
MS WALK
Date: May 24
Where to register: mssociety.ca/ get-involved/special-events Annual walks are an important fundraiser for the MS Society of Canada, but they also serve as an opportunity for people living with MS (multiple sclerosis) to connect with one another.
“A lot of people tell us that the MS Walk is the first time that they’ve really understood that they weren’t alone in facing a diagnosis of MS,” said Averill Stephenson, director of marketing and development for the society’s Manitoba/saskatchewan division.
Even without bringing people together physically, Stephenson said the goal is to provide an online event where participants can still feel connected.
Participants can walk on any day and post about what they’re doing on their social media accounts using #Wechallengems. May 24 will be the “celebration day” for the event, and specific details for that day are still being worked out.
WALK FOR ALZHEIMER’S
Date: May 31
Where to register: alzheimer.ca/ en/sk/get-involved/help-usraise-funds/walk
The Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan hosts its annual Walk For Alzheimer’s to raise awareness of the disease and fundraise for its programming.
Typically, around 700 people gather in communities across the province, but with the COVID -19 pandemic making this impossible, the organization has switched to an online walk this year.
People can choose how they would like to participate, whether that’s walking around their neighbourhood on May 31 or walking ahead of time and then watching the live event broadcast on the actual day. Either way, the organization hopes to continue seeing the support Saskatchewan has shown them in the past.
“Dementia doesn’t stop being a life-changing disease because of a worldwide health pandemic, and so we’re really noticing an increase of support calls being received to our First Link co-ordinators,” said Kaleta Strain, fund development manager for the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.
She said the organization is anticipating a 30 per cent drop in revenue during the pandemic, but hopes Saskatchewan’s support will prove that expectation wrong.
TAKE A MILLION STEPS FOR THE ARTS
Date: as long as the pandemic lasts How to join: email noela@healtharts.org or on Facebook at Support Your Local Arts Community New to the walk scene this year is Take a Million Steps for the Arts, an initiative started by the Health Arts Society of Regina. The organization is asking people to keep track of their steps to raise awareness for how the local arts community is struggling during the pandemic and to raise money for local arts organizations.
Noela Bamford, president of the Health Arts Society of Regina, said people can pick any local arts organization they personally would like to fundraise for, and then post about their progress on the initiative’s Facebook page.
Bamford hopes doing this will show how much people care about the arts community, which is struggling in this time.
“We can accumulate all those steps and show that we are walking in solidarity for the arts, the survival of the arts after this is all over,” she said.
WALK TO END ALS
Date: June 21
Where to register: walktoendals.ca Denis Simard, executive director of ALS Society of Saskatchewan, said the organization is “hugely dependent” on the donations that come in from the walks, so alongside all of the society’s other branches across Canada, they are putting on a virtual walk.
In previous years, the walk has brought in around $100,000 across Saskatchewan. Simard said he isn’t quite sure what to expect this year, but hopes people will continue to support the society. “We haven’t stopped doing what we do,” he said.
There will be a Facebook live event on that day with people sharing about their journeys with ALS and raising awareness about the disease while taking donations. If people want to still have a physical walk, they are encouraged to walk wherever they can while connecting with others participating online.