For the past 10 years, Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH) Foundation has run a charity golf tournament at Predator Ridge (Vernon BC) where they raise funds for new medical equipment to support health care excellence in the North Okanagan.
A creative twist on a golf classic
Due in part to the pandemic, VJH Foundation chose not to host their annual event but still wanted to provide a unique golf themed experience. Out of that, emerged “The 19th Hole” concept and campaign.
The campaign consisted of nine emails painted with golf imagery that raised awareness, explained a need, and invited participation through donations, ticket sales, and an online auction. Two to three times a week, VJH Foundation updated their Trellis event page with new content and a video that featured doctors and guests who spoke about the reason why this funding was so important. Each video ended with drone footage of a hole at Predator Ridge and playing tips. The video and content updates aligned with an email campaign that encouraged their followers to donate.
This virtual event was the final “hole” at the end of their month-long campaign. A virtual fundraising event hosted by local radio personalities and inspirational messages, musical entertainment, and an invitation to support health care in the North Okanagan.
The marketing campaign and live event generated great interest in the community. The 19th Hole raised more money than their traditional golf tournament. It was a historic campaign for the VJH Foundation.
Revenue drivers
The emails sent by VJH Foundation had calls to action that took the reader to the Trellis website, where they could buy tickets, make donations, or participate in the online auction. Each revenue driving activity rolled out separately, as the Foundation aimed to increase anticipation and excitement.
Starting with an invitation to donate a typical registration fee that would reserve your spot in the golf tournament. The next call to action was to buy tickets to view the live virtual event online.
In addition to ticket sales, VJH Foundation added a silent auction with high-ticket items and donation options that included a ticket and meal option. A few of the most loved silent auction items included a Predator Ridge experience at the Hockey Canada Cabin, gourmet dining and wine evening, and a curated whiskey collection.
Quick and cost-effective implementation
Typically, building a custom event website can be costly or difficult to implement quickly, but the Trellis platform allowed VJH Foundation to create their fundraiser page at a much lower cost.
“Thank you for building a product that we could utilize to execute our messaging and vision for our virtual event. This would have been an estimated $15,000 project if we had a website built. And on top of that, the customer service was top notch!” – Shannon McVagh-Janz, Events Coordinator at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation
Historic fundraising results
Not only did their guests and donors have fun participating in the virtual event, VJH Foundation surpassed their fundraising goal.
“This year we raised over $300,000 and donations continue to trickle in. This is a historic amount for our foundation.” – Joshua Marshall, Development Manager at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation
