Unprecedented times for Michael Garron Hospital Foundation call for swift thinking

Hospital Foundation

Solutions provided:

Life as we know it changed in March of 2020. Facing venue closures, restrictions on in-person gatherings, and an increasing, incredible need for the crucial programs and services provided by not-for-profits, organizations had to react quickly and decisively.

How do you pivot pre-existing fundraising plans, and plan successful new events, when gatherings are prohibited, and social distancing is the new norm? How do you continue to engage your constituents from a distance, raise funds but keep them safe?

Michael Garron Hospital Foundation's quick response

Faced with an unprecedented crisis at hospitals across the world, and a halt to traditional in-person fundraising, Crush Covid was Michael Garron Hospital Foundation’s response to the early days of the pandemic. The campaign brainchild of Toronto Councillor (and avid cyclist) Brad Bradford, and his cycling group, Toronto Hustle.

The primary goal of the event was to fundraise, but the challenges faced by the Foundation and TH team were two-fold and unique:

With virtual events only just becoming a means of responding to the restrictions imposed on fundraising events by COVID, how could Michael Garron Hospital Foundation go about translating a traditional peer-to-peer event to a fully virtual environment?
And just how well would a typically in-person activity, like spinning, work in a virtual environment as well?

Compounding this was a tight timeline of just over four weeks, to take the event and its website from conception, through building, to testing and launch.

With the raisin platform and training MGHF’s dedicated Client Experience Manager, MGHF and the Toronto Hustle team combined was the key to making it all work, building and launching the event at lightning-fast speed... and an incredible 1.5 weeks ahead of schedule!

Steaming for 24 hours

On February 24th, 2020, the 24-hour cycle was broadcast worldwide through Brad’s Facebook page, with interactions from local celebrities. Through word-of-mouth, and extensive marketing, Crush Covid would host 40 teams, with over 400 solo riders. No longer constricted by the limitations of a physical venue, riders could sign up internationally, and the event was attended by cyclists all over the world.

One cyclist even broke a Guinness world record, for most kilometres biked in a certain number of hours!

Flexibility to pivot

Crush COVID launched at a time when virtual events were only just beginning to become popular, both as a means to stay connected and to fundraise, it's a powerful example of how to pivot your approach to fundraising and react in real time to the need created by the pandemic.

Indeed, the campaign was launched at a time when virtual events were only just beginning to become popular, both as a means to stay connected with constituents, the community, and fundraise while maintaining strict social distancing rules. Using their knowledge of how the platform has worked for events that take place physically, MGHF and Toronto Hustle teamed up and adapted: creating a sleek, fully branded, and user-friendly website, that beat their fundraising goal and their deadline for launch.