When it comes to donations and fundraising, organizations are getting creative and offering options that bring in a new kind of appeal.
“We just thought 50/50 would be a little bit more enticing and a chance for not only us to give back to the community, but a chance for people to win a little bit of money here and there while they’re supporting us,” said Bradley DiPaolo, the president of the Greater Moncton Progress Club.
Over the last few years, 50/50 fundraising models have been gaining popularity in the Maritimes.
DiPaolo says the Greater Moncton Progress Club started theirs within the last six months.
“We see that the community is definitely helping out with the 50/50,” he said. “You look at some of the really successful ones like Food Depot, everyone talks about Food Depot, we’re not at that level yet but we think that the 50/50 is going to be a way that we can really get the community involved and give people a way to give back.
“It’s just about getting the word out that there’s a new kid in town, a new 50/50 in town.”
Others, like Christmas Daddies Telethon, have been using 50/50s as a fundraising model since 2020 when the pandemic forced them to re-evaluate how they were going to do things.
“I think we had to adapt to the times and allow people to donate in different ways and it certainly has been successful for us,” said executive director Roxanne Robinson. “We just reached the $1 million for ticket sales in Nova Scotia with Rafflebox and we are so excited for that.”
The first year Christmas Daddies utilized a 50/50 draw it pulled in just under $227,000 across the Maritimes and saw its best year to date in 2021 with a total of $509,645 raised between Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and New Brunswick.
With high inflation rates and economic hardships, this new way of giving back provides some extra incentive and also helps reach a new audience.
Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation resident and CEO Greg King says since starting the 50/50 draw they haven’t seen a lot of crossover between donors and those who are interested in the gaming type of fundraiser.
“It really comes down to the need. So the need in health care is so great and I think in any sector that the charities are trying to serve and you just look for any opportunity to add to your bottom line at the end of the day so you have a bit more resources to drive impact,” he said.
He said after using the 50/50 for a year, they converted to a gold rush model to help draw in even more people.
“That gets people more interested in buying tickets because if we have what’s called a rollover, so if the pot wasn’t won, the next week that gets carried forward so the pot starts out much bigger and we instantly see a lift in sales because the pot is bigger.”
On average, he says the pot currently grows to about $1,000 a week.
However, the foundation also does other gaming related fundraisers including an employee lottery and is part of the hospital home lottery that Saint John runs.
“At the end of the day, we generate probably a quarter of a million to $300,000 on gaming related activity and it all helps us have that impact on healthcare,” he said.
Despite creative ways to bring in more money, there could be a damper on donations starting in 2024.
The federal government recently announced it will be increasing the alternative minimum tax rate on charitable donations to 20.5 per cent, which is an increase of 5.5 per cent.
“As a charitable sector, we’ve been really pushing and lobbying through Imagine Canada and Association for Health Care and Philanthropy and similar organizations to push the government to not pursue this rule or at least change it because we do expect a detrimental impact to the charitable sector especially those foundations that rely on big gifts,” said King.
“Most people if they’re charitable, they’re still going to give, but it may effect the amount they give and if it reduces the amount they give, then at the end of the day, that means less money for health care and hospitals.”
DiPaolo also agrees the new rate will have an impact once it comes into effect.
“It’s not good news, for sure. I think people will still donate. It becomes just one of those things, you deal with the cards that you’re dealt and you try to make the most of every situation and it’s all about putting as much food and money back into the community as we can,” he said.
The Greater Moncton Progress Club is one of the largest supporters of children at risk or charities that support children at risk in the area according to DiPaolo.
He says it really counts on donations in order to continue giving back to organizations like Moncton Headstart, Atlantic Wellness and the two local hospitals.
In the meantime, organizations around the Martimes hope to continue to grow their 50/50 draw options.
