How Methanex staff engaged in giving
The idea
Methanex is a long-term supporter of the Taranaki Health Foundation. Most recently, Methanex have made a long-term commitment to support enhancements to Neonatal care and have become the naming rights sponsors of the Methanex Neonatal Unit. To make the most of this support, Methanex wanted to engage their staff and provide a team-building and morale-boosting fundraising event they could all get behind.
As we are focused on healthcare enhancements, we wanted to create an event that encourages physical activity and a healthy dose of competitiveness. It was also important to keep it as simple as possible, so the One Small Step Fundraiser was devised.
Staff were encouraged to create teams of five; over four weeks, they were challenged to take as many steps as possible. Steps would be reported to the event organiser, and at the end of the four weeks, the team with the most steps would be declared the winner.
Creating excitement
Methanex is no stranger to fundraising, with community investment being at the core of Methanex’s vision. However, for any event to be a success, two things are needed: communication and incentive.
Taranaki Health Foundation worked closely with Methanex’s internal communications team to create a campaign that fitted Methanex’s corporate identity while also being fun for participants. It was decided that to make the most of the fundraising opportunity, there would be a registration fee of $30 per participant.
Each participant was given a special event visor, lanyard and wristband to show their support. We also created a series of weekly tasks to create excitement throughout the contest, with spot prizes for the winners in categories such as first team registered, best team bonding activity and best team outfit. We also encouraged staff to submit motivational stories about why they wanted to support the Methanex Neonatal unit.
Team Little Feet enjoying a well earned cuppa after a long day on their feet!
Methanex agreed to match up to $5,000 of donations to show their staff how much their efforts were supported. This generous gift meant that the impact of each participant’s efforts was doubled.
The target was to have ten teams of five register and raise $5,000 to maximise the matching fund from Methanex, to raise a total of $10,000.
The Result
16 teams registered for the event - approximately 1/3 of the workforce at Methanex and 160% of our targeted number of teams. This level of engagement was a fantastic start and showed how engaged the staff were from the outset. Teams were registered through a custom landing page created by the Taranaki Health Foundation, which then created individual team fundraising pages which participants could share with friends and family.
Through these fundraising pages, we received 169 further donations ranging from $10 to $500. The total amount raised was $10,202 + the $5,000 matched by Methanex for a total of $15,202. This was a 52% increase on our original target.
Maintanence Warriors handing over the cheque for $15,202 to Taranaki Health Foundation. The team managed to take 2.5 million steps over a four week period.
This is a fantastic result that has allowed a variety of people to become involved in providing healthcare enhancements. 100% of the money raised will be used for healthcare enhancements in the Methanex Neonatal Unit at Taranaki Base Hospital. Enhancements such as purchasing Neonatal Air Blenders that provide medical teams better control of the oxygen mix delivered to newborns in their vital first few days.
Your support matters
Team fundraisers are a fantastic way to engage your staff as well as being a key way to deliver your CSR objectives. We would love to work with you to create a bespoke fundraising campaign for your staff and help you make a difference where it matters most. To find out more, contact Grant or Heather.