Prior to the launch of Outlook Donors Choice 2020 Campaign on October 1, an article titled 鈥淐OVID Will Not Stop Donors Choice 2020 Campaign鈥� appeared in this publication. The main message was that door-to-door canvassing would be replaced by emails and phone calls. Now that the campaign is completed, the six-member executive will admit that they were not optimistic about running a successful fund-raising drive in the midst of a pandemic.
Well, it turns out that the executive worried needlessly.聽 The generous citizens of Outlook stepped up, as they always have since 1971, and donated over $30,000. In fact, $30,109 will be disbursed to 37 local and provincial/national charities in 2020. Of that money, 47.7% will remain in the Outlook Community, with the remainder being distributed, according to the individual donor鈥檚 instructions, to 26 charitable organizations outside the community.
The Prairie Centre Credit Union played a key role in the campaign鈥檚 success. Most donations were received via the night deposit where the capable staff collected and identified them in order for Donors Choice executive members to deposit.聽
A worrying trend for the past few years, the actual number of donors was down 46% from 2019 when $37,425 was disbursed.聽 Replacing door-to-door canvassing with email and phone calls partially explains the drop in the overall number of donors. At an online executive meeting on November 23, questions were asked about strategies for increasing the number of donors, especially among the younger demographic. The 2021 Campaign will focus on this issue.
Donors can expect their CRA tax receipts before the end of 2020. To minimize face-to-face contact, the receipts will be email, mailed or hand-delivered to house mailboxes.
Despite having to rely more on technology鈥攁nd less on person-to-person contact鈥攖he result was nonetheless a surprisingly successful Donors Choice campaign. However, technology alone was clearly not enough. Ultimately, success comes down to the good people of Outlook and their ability to cope, adapt and respond, not only regarding Donors Choice, but also the difficult times all citizens are experiencing. A welcome constant in changing times is the kindness and generosity of Outlook citizens.
As always, Donors Choice is looking for new volunteers. There will be an opportunity to learn more about the organization at the Annual General Meeting on Monday, January 27 at 7:00 pm, via Zoom. Information will be available in early January explaining how to receive an invitation to the meeting.
