22 Fox Focus | Community
What Does Grassroots Fundraising During a Global Pandemic Look Like ?
Concerts , marathons , golf tournaments and galas were canceled , and group training and planning meetings paused . At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic , the camaraderie and coordination so central to our grassroots fundraising community appeared to be at stake . Not to mention , how do you raise funds during a global health and economic crisis ?
In the first six months of the year , our grassroots fundraisers raised almost $ 3.74 million — nearly $ 900,000 of which has come from first-time events .
“ Our committee spoke every week in March , and we put together a plan . Even if we raised a little bit , it ’ s still something ,” says Laura Fiske , co-founder of Pedaling 4 Parkinson ’ s , an annual cycling event based in Denver , Colorado . In June , the organizers pivoted to a virtual ride and altered the format — rather than a one-day event , they created a month-long challenge to reach 25,000 miles collectively , biking or otherwise . “ We were
understanding that people may not have bikes or be able to join on a specific day or contribute financially ,” Laura explains . “ That freedom motivated people .”
Not only did they nearly double their 25,000- mile goal , Pedaling 4 Parkinson ’ s drew more participants than ever before and raised almost $ 90,000 — just shy of their pre-pandemic 2020 goal . But “ the year ’ s not over yet !” Laura reminds us . “ We are so encouraged and touched that people reacted the way they did ,” she says . “ And next year , we ’ re going to encompass everything we learned and try to tune it up !”
In New Orleans , Team Fox NOLA , a group of young professionals raising funds and awareness in their community , didn ’ t waste time setting up virtual meetings to share resources , navigate changes , and stay connected . “ A silver lining is this is a wonderful opportunity to innovate and think creatively about how to engage and solicit