Celebrity Baseball Kicks off Campaign
A Xentel entertainer leads local kids in a dance during the seventh inning of
the Vanderhoof Celebrity Baseball game
Vanderhoof, British Columbia (pop. 5,000) -- The Vanderhoof Volunteer Fire Department of Vanderhoof, British Columbia, kicked off its thermal imager campaign in June 2003 with a celebrity baseball game, managed by event planning company Xentel, Inc. (www.xentel.com), based in Toronto. The event brought in 400 people, who each paid $12 for a ticket for a net of $2,300 for the TI campaign. Chief Jim Hurtado made a brief presentation from the field before the game, introducing the community to the thermal imager campaign. The campaign brought in donations from funding sources including $15,000 from the BC Lottery, $5,000 from a local bank, and $4,500 from a local credit union.
Chief Jim Hurtado: “The celebrity baseball game gave us the boost we needed to get our campaign off to a good start. Six well-know retired major league baseball players came to Vanderhoof for the event. We got to rub shoulders and play baseball with real major league baseball players. The media covered the game, so that helped us raise awareness as well.”
Fundraising Tip: While this event wasn’t the major breadwinner for Vanderhoof Volunteer Fire Department, it did get the effort off to a great start by introducing the campaign to the public. Be sure to involve the media in any events related to your TI campaign. Momentum will build as more people become familiar with what you’re doing.