Community Presentations Make Quick Work of Campaign
Left to right, Firefighter Steve Hale, Engineer Carlos Corletto, and Paramedic/Firefighter Lance Snider.
Crestline, California (pop. 18,000) -- Firefighters in Crestline, California, used the fundraising approach prescribed by inSIGHT, as well as tools available through the program, to make presentations around the mid-sized community of Crestline in the summer of 2004. Four months after the launch of the campaign, the committee had raised $24,000, and a P.O. was placed for two T3MAX thermal imagers. Major sources of funding were the office of San Bernardino County Second District Supervisor Paul Biane (who purchased one unit) and Lake Gregory Community Church, which made a donation of about $6,000. Remaining donations came from individuals in the community. The campaign was managed by Crest Forest Professional Firefighters Local #4105, in conjunction with the Crest Forest Fire Association and with the support of the Crest Forest Fire District.
Engineer Carlos Corletto: “Originally my goal was to raise the money within a year, and we greatly exceeded our goal with the help of everyone in the department. Once the ball was rolling, every one of our 22 members jumped on board to help, which was key to getting the job done quickly. Our primary communication tactic was doing community presentations, made with the help of the PowerPoint and the video provided by Bullard. Our distributor, LN Curtis, lent a thermal imager for a live demo, which was instrumental in convincing our biggest donor to give.”
Funding Tip:
Campaign promotions are important to the success of any fundraising effort. Crest Forest Fire District promoted their fundraiser through a fill-the-boot campaign at local retailers and a website (www.cffd.org/cfpf/4105.htm) that kept the community informed during the duration of the campaign. The committee also kept the local newspaper involved, to further spread the message.