GIVING BACK: Cureapalooza
Go to https://stobuildinggroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DSC_9293-sm.jpg
Golf tournaments. Dinners. Donation drives. These are some of the tried-and-true methods of corporate fundraising, and they have certainly helped make a difference to thousands of deserving charities over the years.
But Govan Brown didn’t want to go the usual route. They wanted something unique. Something inspiring. They landed on the idea of hosting a charity rock concert—one they called “Cureapalooza”— to support the Canadian Cancer Society.
“Cureapalooza was borne from the idea to raise money for charity but with a completely different attitude,” says Mackenzie Herd, Govan Brown marketing coordinator and organizer of the event
“We wanted it to be fun. The goal was to make it seem less corporate and more focused on younger generations. We like to call it the ‘anti-corporate’ corporate event.” says Joe Kirk, senior vice president of Govan Brown.
Hosted at the famed Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on August 24, 2017, the concert was headlined by the Juno Award-winning rock band, Arkells, and featured performances from the up-and-coming folk band, Birds of Bellwood. Tickets cost $100 and were available to anyone that wanted to attend. With admission, attendees received a Cureapalooza t-shirt that displayed the names and logos of the event’s 20 corporate sponsors. In addition to ticket sales and sponsorships, Govan Brown sold corporate boxes as an¬other fundraising tactic.
And it worked! “Over 650 concert goers were treated to a live and intimate performance, and all of the feedback we received from fans, the venue and our clients and trades were all positive, some even noting that this was the best Arkells concert they had been to,” Herd says. “Birds of Bellwood have already asked if they could par¬ticipate in next year’s event!” Most importantly, the concert raised over $50,000 for breast cancer research.
Go to https://stobuildinggroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/DSC_9017-sm.jpg
Cureapalooza’s overwhelming success has inspired Govan Brown to continue the tradition every year. The concert name has already been trademarked and Govan Brown plans to help more nonprofits as their event evolves. “We tinkered with a few concept names, but eventually, we agreed upon Cureapalooza, mainly because we an¬ticipate this event being a yearly initiative and are able to alternate the different charity organizations we want to be in receipt of our efforts,” Herd explains.
STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS ON NEXT YEAR’S CUREAPALOOZA CONCERT.
In the meantime, to catch a glimpse of last year’s event, check out this videoGo to https://stobuildinggroup.com/cureapalooza-2017/.
Photographs courtesy of Spencer Bowers, Govan Brown.