From February 17 to March 8, 2021, AWC Berlin conducted our 90-Envelopes Challenge, the first fundraiser for Papatya, our local Berlin charity for 2021-2022. With this fundraiser, we will be helping PAPATYA update its facilities: replacing flooring for the main living area and renovating bedrooms.
Results:
Total Donation to the Campaign: 5721 Euro
Total # of donors: 102 (99 AWC, 3 non-members)
Adding in Cooking Club 145 euro + extra donation of 20 euro = TOTAL 5886 Euro raised for Papatya so far.
Concept:
This challenge was based on the 144-Envelopes fundraiser concept. Envelopes are numbered from #1-144, people select the envelope number(s) and donate the amount of the envelope number. If all envelopes are “bought”, 10144 Euro would be raised. We modified the concept to 90 envelopes in honor of AWC Berlin’s 90th anniversary this year. And instead of ONE of each envelope (which would have raised ca. 4000 Euro), we had multiples of each of the lower-numbered envelopes (#1-35) to allow for more participation.
We had small prizes (donated by members) for a raffle at the Closing Party to celebrate with donors. Lastly, we will send a printed thank-you postcard to each donor of an envelope that they have selected.
The Designs:
Because this was an online event, we decided that the envelopes needed to be visually beautiful. Digital artworks were solicited from our members. Thank you to our talented members who donated their artwork for the designs of the envelopes: Stephanie Biery, Karen Axelrad, Karen Castellon and her daughter Claire Castellon, Frances Durocher and her son James Schneidratus, Arina Francke, Kristy Kropat, Robina Lillecrapp, Suzy Nguyen, Deborah Roderick, Lissa Rosenbloom, Sieglinde Tuschy and Elizabeth Waller.
The envelopes were designed on Canva.com, downloaded as PNG images and uploaded to Wild Apricot Online Store.
The Online Store:
Wild Apricot’s Online Store was easy to set up and had all the required functions:
- Each envelope was a product, price and stock quantity can be set (& changed anytime).
- Donors “purchased” envelopes, put into shopping cart and checked out, generating an invoice with bank information.
- Orders and invoices were listed by Wild Apricot.
- Once payments were made by bank transfer, corresponding invoices had to be manually set to PAID.
Marketing:
The Campaign was launched on February 17 at the Monthly Membership Meeting after a presentation from Papatya. It was then highlighted in weekly What’s On emails and officially in the March newsletter. It was also on the AWC Berlin homepage.
Social Media:
It was officially promoted on AWC Berlin’s public social media 3 times on February 18 to announce the launch, on February 27 to announce “6 days left” and March 2 to announce “3 days left”. We then extended the campaign from March 5 through the weekend to March 8, tying it to International Women’s Day.
In the private AWC Berlin Members group, it was promoted daily featuring a different envelope each day, highlighting the member who donated the art.
Personal Emails:
As in past fundraising campaigns, we found the most effective communication to be by personal emails to members. After the first few days of donations trickling in (16 unsolicited donations), on February 23, some committee and board members sent out 198 emails. From those, we received 70 (35%) donations. We then sent out 30 2nd emails, from those we received 11 (37%) donations.
Committee Members:
Karen Castellon, Frances Durocher, My-Linh Kunst, Sandy Chen-Kluth, Lissa Rosenbloom, Sieglinde Tuschy, Silvia Malo, Stephanie Biery
Donors:
Addis Anton, Aida Bekele, Alexandria Bourdon, Anette Arnold, Angelika McLarren, Anne Heinrichs, Annette Winistoerfer, Annie Loupy, Arina Francke, Arne-Heike Meissner-Schenk, Ashema Wierowski, Barbara Irigoyen, Beate Schwall, Beate Tenberg-Spang, Bethany Vaughn-Schreiter, Cassandra Heidler, Catherine Bassett, Cheryl McLandrich, Claudia Tessier, Cleia Ramsey, Danielle Sander, Daphne Chiang-Ratke, Dawna Grand, Deborah Roderick, Deborah Siebrecht, Debra Weiner, Diana Espinosa-Perkul, Diana Groehn-Zaniewski, Dominique Daniel, Elaine Kirby, Elizabeth Cox, Elizabeth Kang, Elizabeth Waller, Emily Schneider, Ferah Laue, Flavella Fielding, Frances Durocher, Gillian Hargreaves, Heelah Schoham, Inga Werdnik, Iwona Helms, Jade Keller, Janel Schermerhorn, Janet Chesterman, Jennifer Cripe, Jennifer Post Draeger, Joni Suchordt, Judith Fromm, June Lee, Karen Axelrad, Karen Castellon, Karin Janssen, Kathryn Lyon, Kathryn Neubauer, Katrin Koch, Katrin Völkner, Kristie Pomerance, Kristin Bayer, Kristin Tovson, Kynya Jacobus, Lenora Chu, Linda Juang, Lissa Rosenbloom, Maggie Repp, Mary Ellen Brennan, Melanie Baur, Melissa Cattarius, Michael Guggemos, Monika Sachs-Wilde, Monique Luegger, My-Linh Kunst, Nancy Dörbandt, Natalia Diakov, Oksana Kloster, Patricia Martin, Paula Prescott, Robina Lillecrapp, Sandy Chen-Kluth, Sara Switzman, Shweta Gupta, Sieglinde Tuschy, Silvia Malo Rasinski, Stephanie Biery, Stephanie Petrou-Binder, Susan Wolter, Suzy Nguyen, Svetlana Boukhny, Sylvia Verhallen-Roomberg, Tammi Coles, Tendai Chitewere, Terri Langston, Theresa Helou, Tina Mortimer, Tina Wilson, Twana Rhodes, Ulrike Henn, Ute Maisl-Wust, Valentina Tudisco, Vanessa Hansen, Veronica Isola Jaeger, Yuko Takemichi, Zhentang Zhang-Roeller.
Donors of raffle prizes:
AWC Berlin, Beate Sprang-Tenberg, Indira Faltin, Janet Chesterman, Karen Castellon, Kathryn Neubauer, Kristin Tovson, Kristy Kropat, Luisa Weiss, My-Linh Kunst, Sieglinde Tuschy, Stephanie Biery, Twana Rhodes