Wal-Mart opens their doors to Red Cross fundraiser
Sometimes actions in one region can have a ripple effect across the country. Because of a successful relationship developed by Red Cross staff in Quebec Zone, a blossoming partnership between Wal-Mart and the Canadian Red Cross means that Western Zone regions stand to gain from a profitable new fundraising initiative.
Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer, with annual sales in excess of $100 billion. Wal-Mart has donated to various initiatives in the past, supporting the "USA Appeal" fund and various local disaster relief responses. Now, Wal-Mart and the Canadian Red Cross have struck an agreement whereby Wal-Mart will host local weekend fundraising events at each of their stores across Canada - and match the dollar amount of the funds raised.
"This is a great example of building on a grassroots relationship in one zone and turning it into a cross-Canada project," says Jeff Liba, Manager of Corporate Relations for Western Zone. Wal-Mart has sent letters to all their store managers across Canada endorsing the initiative and ensuring local support for the fundraising events. Liba believes these types of events offer tremendous fundraising potential for Red Cross in the future.
The first region to host their "Wal-Mart Weekend" was North/Central Saskatchewan, which conducted a hot dog sale, raffle and car wash at a store in Saskatoon. Wal-Mart provided supplies for the hot dog sale (buns, wieners, and beverages in partnership with Coke), as well as a barbeque worth $300 as a raffle prize. Red Cross was responsible for staffing the event with volunteers.
According to Michelle Gallucci, Coordinator of Fund Development for North/Central Saskatchewan, the event was a success. "All the Wal-Mart employees were friendly and extremely helpful," she said. "They are now more aware of Red Cross. As a result of this event, I will be speaking to them at an early morning staff meeting soon." The event raised $1,000, which will be matched by Wal-Mart.
Other regions are planning to host their events before the end of the calendar year. An event tip sheet has been developed and will be shared amongst regions, with the expectation that a set of "best practices" will emerge to assist with planning the event. Liba believes that, with the participation of the regions and the support of Wal-Mart, this could turn into an annual fundraising event. With 68 Wal-Mart stores in Western Canada alone, this partnership has the potential to be an excellent source of funds to support Red Cross programs right across Canada.
