The Grocery Run

Donate $5,000 to a cause…or spend $5,000 to get so much more?

In early 2021, CU received an email from the Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op (MCHB) with information about their fundraising campaign for the Grocery Run - a program that provides weekly essential grocery hampers to refugees and immigrants who are experiencing chronic poverty. The message invited people to donate, share the opportunity with their networks, and take part in upcoming fundraising events. CU did all of those things but also knew that, for an ambitious fundraising goal, more would be needed. Instead of supporting the campaign financially for $5,000 (which would have had an impact - of course), what if that $5,000 went towards hiring professional public relations and digital media companies to get the message out to new audiences? What might the impact be then? CU took this approach, hiring a digital media company to create a program video and hiring a professional public relations team to get the message out broadly and to also help organize and promote a corporate challenge - inviting local businesses to support an amazing local cause. The impact far exceeded $5,000, as two businesses alone contributed $22,000 via the corporate challenge, and Grocery Run stories in local radio and television shared their message to many new generous supporters. The ability to use financial resources creatively and unrestrictedly, along with incredible collaboration, made this approach possible. “Communities United, true to their promise of building capacity, they helped us to connect with a team of very extraordinary…fund developers and communications colleagues. And we’re going to really heighten awareness among Edmontonians.”

- Yvonne Chiu - Executive Director, Multicultural Health Brokers Co-Op