Third Space Life Charity had a unique situation where Reid came forward with the idea to run a fundraiser for them.
What did that look like for their charity? Amazing!!
Reid came forward with the plan to walk 100km in 4 days for charity, gathering communities across 7 cities to talk, walk, and end the stigma around mental health.
All funds raised from the Stigma Stroll are going to Third Space Life Charity so counselling can be accessed by anyone who needs it.
The Third Space team met Reid last December. They were immediately taken with his passion for mental health and community, stirring up an opportunity for people to talk about mental health.
Third Space was grateful that someone like Reid came forward because they don’t have a lot of resources or time to take on extra projects.
Reid came to Allie and told her he wanted to plan, lead, run and coordinate an event. That was huge to Third Space as they are a tiny team (Allie as the executive director is the only paid person on staff) heavily relying on collaboration with community-minded companies and people to fundraise, volunteer, and help them in providing support services throughout the Okanagan.
Reid, as the champion using trellis
- Is passionate about mental health
- Has a concept in his head of what the event could look like
- Meets Third Space team
- Has coffee with Allie to solidify plans
- Takes 5 minutes to create an event page on trellis
Allie, as the Executive Director approving Reid as a trellis champion
- Meets Reid
- Sees the amazing opportunity that aligns with Third Space Life Charity’s vision and mandate in the work they’re already doing
- Approves Reid’s event page, uploads Third Space logos & branding to the page, and completes a customized tax receipt in just a few minutes
- Creates a subcommittee for booking parks & venues
- Completes a few simple tasks before the event weekend
Reid took the lead
Allie supported him in the background for whatever things he needed to be booked and helped him with time management as he still had a full-time job and was doing this event on the side.
Over 18 different companies sponsored or supported the stroll in some way, making this a very active and widespread event.
Benefits Third Space experienced through using trellis
- User-friendly
- Easy user experience
- Simple streamlined process:
- page setup → charity branding & customized messaging → receiving donations
- Increasing community awareness about mental health
- Increasing understanding & engagement from people regarding who Third Space Life Charity is and what services they offer the community.
As Allie puts it, “If we had any troubleshooting, I’d just email the trellis team, and it was like a two-second turnaround, so I loved that we could work together to solve problems. One donor, I didn’t get the donor receipt for, and trellis staff were right on it, working with me to solve that issue…When you’re in the moment, or working on a project, being able to stay in that momentum and have the trellis team respond so quickly in the ways that they did was amazing.”
Events that piggybacked on the Stigma Stroll walk
MAVAN Capital hosted an open house, and this patio event raised $2,840 so now 24 people can access a free counselling session via Third Space. The event sold out in two weeks, and MAVAN made it clear they wanted to do more than just sponsor an event, so they hosted one instead!
Mental Health and the tech community – public panel discussion led by thought leaders in the Okanagan’s tech industry. This event sold out within days, sparking more meetups and talks about mental health and wellness in the workplace.
Once Upon a Stigma – hosted by Okanagan Young People’s Collective at Third Space Culture Coffee Shop. This event was all about connecting community and raising awareness – a time where people gathered to hear and share their honest, raw stories about mental health.
4 days | 7 cities | 135 kilometres walked | 500+ participants | 3 other events created to increase awareness and support of Stigma Stroll initiatives
The Stigma Stroll has raised $9,240.21, translating into 77 free counselling sessions that are made available to anyone in the community who needs them. Amazing! Even better, the campaign is still live, so Reid can continue championing this important cause, and Allie and the Third Space team can continue receiving donations throughout the year.
No new pages need to be made, and the current event pages can be duplicated with minor tweaks being made for future events. Simplified events – for good.
Meet Justin and he’ll show you how simple it is to champion a cause you believe in!
