Congratulations to everyone who participated in Ignite Giving! Together, we sparked something big!

Chimp’s first Ignite Giving, a collection of charity fundraising campaigns for a common cause, shone the spotlight on work being done to fight poverty, mental illness, homelessness and related issues in BC communities. And it got a lot of people really fired up about charitable giving to create positive change.

The initiative, which launched officially on September 1, attracted almost 1,500 donors to 48 campaigns run by 45 different charities.

Ignite Giving campaigns, and their 144 associated Giving Groups, raised a total of $515,120 in just under eight weeks!

How Ignite Giving Worked

Ignite Giving united charity campaigns around a common cause by inviting those working to combat poverty, homelessness and mental health issues to run their new and existing fundraising campaigns with Chimp as part of Ignite Giving.

Each participating charity had its own campaign page where it was able to drive donors and encourage donations and fundraising. Every participant also had access to matching money, and every donation made to a participating campaign was matched until the matching money ran out. Donors were invited to contribute to causes and charities they care about, and charities were able to engage existing donors and attract new ones through donation matching.

Matching proved so effective, in fact, that the initial matching funds ran out only a few weeks into the campaign. Our generous matching sponsor, Bienfaisance Foundation of Canada, quickly stepped in to add a second round of funds to extend the campaign and enable additional charities to benefit. Bienfaisance sponsored Ignite Giving with a total of $225,000 in matching funds, which rolled out in two phases:

• Phase 1: The first $100,000 matched every donation up to $1,000 per donor
• Phase 2: The second matching fund of $125,000 matched donations up to $250 per donor.

Ignite Giving Highlights

While Ignite Giving campaigns were united by a common cause, their mandates ranged widely — from community arts education for disadvantaged children, to adventure-based learning programs for at-risk youth, to rehabilitative initiatives for people with mental illness, to homelessness reduction programs.

The work supported by each fundraising campaign was truly as wide-ranging as it was inspiring. Here are some of the highlights:

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Kelowna Gospel Mission

Kelowna Gospel Mission reached out to donors for support in its efforts to provide assistance and services to homeless people in Kelowna. With access to Ignite Giving’s matching funds, it raised $15,972 with donations from 49 supporters.
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CapU Takes a Hike

Capilano University dedicated its We Day campaign to support Take a Hike, an alternative education program for at-risk youth. CapU’s Empower Rangers held school-wide events including a pub night, a hike and a pie-throw, raising $13,530 for Take a Hike.
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Pottery24 – A Just Potters Fundraiser

JustPotters, a social enterprise pottery studio in Vancouver, used the power of social fundraising to raise $24,118 with a 24-hour pottery making marathon. It offered incentives for fundraising teams, resulting in 9 Giving Groups and 58 participants.
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Check out the full list of Ignite Giving participants, and stay tuned for your opportunity to join us in igniting more giving, for more causes, in more regions to come.

Thanks to everyone who participated in making our first Ignite Giving such a huge success!

Want to run your own matching campaign? Learn more about how you can leverage your sponsors or large donors to match contributions on Chimp.

For help getting started with your fundraising campaign, contact us at [email protected] or call 1-877-531-0580.