Host a Community Fundraiser

• Where does your money go?

  Our programs and services fall into areas such as personal development, deployment services, counseling, health and mental wellness, and child and youth programs. Here is a glimpse at some of the program areas that we focus on:

  Child and Youth Programs
  The Calgary MFRC plans a variety of activities designed to promote physical, emotional, and social well-being in children and youth, focusing on opportunities that bring military children together in fun and relaxed environments. Our child and youth programming includes excursions and events such as week-long spring and summer camps and workshops as well as child care services for our families in times of emergency, for respite, and on a casual basis.

  Our Strengthening Families program gives us a chance to offer Canadian Armed Forces families with children/ youth the opportunity to spend quality time with each other through affordable social and recreational activities.

  Family Separation, Deployment and Reunion
  The military lifestyle can often be a juggling act and a family may be separated for extended periods of time. The Calgary MFRC is here to help and support whoever is trying to do all that juggling, especially when your loved one has been deployed or is away for an extended absence due to training. Services include deployment information and support, Keep in Touch (KIT) phone calls, care package creations, support gatherings, and free respite child care.

  Prevention, Support and Intervention
  Individual and family well-being has a significant impact on military readiness. The Calgary MFRC helps to strengthen the existing capacity of individuals and families through primary preventative services. Our Family Liaison Officer (FLO), a registered Social Worker, provides support and service referrals as necessary. Services include short-term interventions and crisis support, assessment and referral to community agencies, workshops, counselling, and bereavement support. We also provide self-help and peer support groups, assistance in accessing financial resources, and health and well-being workshops. We have a resource library in the office for our families and members.

  Personal Development and Community Integration
  At the Calgary MFRC, we know military families move frequently and that starting over in a new community is tough. Our services and activities are geared toward helping make that transition easier while enhancing quality of life and promoting and supporting personal, family, and community development. Our services include welcome and relocation assistance, second language training and courses, referrals and career assistance. Additionally, we support families by providing discounted attraction tickets and organizing day trips, monthly social events and annual event celebrations like our Stampede Breakfasts and our annual Christmas parties.

  Veterans Family Program (VFP)
  As a Canadian Armed Forces member preparing for your future, support is available to you and your family as you transition from military life to civilian life. This program focuses on supporting veterans, released and releasing Canadian Armed Forces members and their families as they release from military life and transition to civilian life. 

• How Calgary MFRC can help with your event? 

  We require at least four weeks notice in order to fulfill all requests. But, if you give us enough notice, we will: 

  • Post your Community Fundraiser on our website. 
  • Help set-up online registration and donations (if required) 
  • Provide select Calgary MFRC promotional items and brochures (pending availability)  
  • Approve the use of the Calgary MFRC name / logo. Note: use of Calgary MFRC name or logo must be approved in advance prior to printing or publishing event materials  
  • Provide a letter of endorsement to share with potential sponsors, contributors and partners  
  • Provide samples, templates and ideas to help make your event a success  
  • Provide tax receipts for donations made to your event (please check in advance for any terms and conditions that may apply). 

  The Calgary MFRC will not:  

  • Provide staff or volunteers to participate in the organization and running of your event  
  • Apply for, obtain or provide raffle and lottery licenses, permits or liability insurance 
  • Provide lists of our donors, sponsors, media partners, vendors or volunteers  
  • Manage or assist with your event finances, ticket sales, raffles or auctions  
  • Provide debit / credit card machines on the day of your event  
• Get organized checklist
  • Brainstorm ideas with friends, neighbors and colleagues and develop an idea for a fundraising event that excites you.  
  • Create a plan for your event. Review the event proposal form to help you plan your event. If your event is weather dependent, have a back-up plan. If you require raffle or lottery licenses. If you need an alcohol permit? Do you need liability insurance? Will you be issuing tax receipts? Think of ways to minimize expenses . For example, could you ask local businesses to donate goods to help maximize your contribution. 
  • Complete and submit the Community Fundraiser Proposal Form. 
  • Review and agree to the Terms and Conditions. 
  • Build a team of like-minded volunteers interested in helping with your event and raising money for our military families. Decide who will want to participate in your event and plan your promotions to connect with them. 
  • ​Recruit volunteers who have different skills and make their experience fun! 
  • Collect the funds. Have procedures in place and be accountable for the money.  
• Fundraising ideas

  There are limitless ways to engage people with your event. Here are some ideas to help you get started!  

  • Birthday and or anniversary celebrations: Rather than bringing a birthday gift, your guests can celebrate the event by making a donation to the Calgary MFRC. 
  • Sporting challenge: Pick an activity from your bucket list that you have always wanted to do, whether it’s climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or hosting a 30-hour hockey tournament and then ask your friends to sponsor you towards accomplishing your goal.  
  • Red Shirt Day: Unite employees in a visual support of our troops. Wear Red Shirts on Friday and collect a twoonie each week for the year. 
  • Cook-off: Have contestants pay a fee for entering their prized dishes. Have a panel of judges choose the best dish and the winner gets a prize.  
  • Hot lunch: Bring chili or a dish of your choice to work and charge colleagues $5 for a plate of homemade food.  
  • Executive auction: Ask your company’s executive staff to donate one hour for a fundraising auction. Have employees bid on each executive, with proceeds to benefit your efforts. The executive then takes over the highest-bidding employee’s job for the appointed hour. 
  • Throw a potluck dinner party & sell 50/50 tickets: with 50% of the proceeds donated towards your fundraising goal.  
  • Neighbourhood garage and/or bake sale: Ask all of your friends and neighbours to participate by donating items for sale. Make signs that indicate all proceeds are going towards your fundraiser. Add a bake sale, and have a donation jar visibly displayed.  
  • Karaoke night/competition: Find a karaoke machine and invite a bunch of friends over. Have funny prizes such as worst singer, best dressed, worst song choice, etc. Charge them to enter the competition. 
  • Wine and cheese night: Invite friends to come over with a bottle of their choice (helps to place a minimum value), provide the food and start the tasting. Ask for an entry donation fee and to add to the fun do a draw for one of the bottles. 
  • Benefit night: Throw a fundraising party at a local establishment and accept donations as an entrance fee. Also make sure to ask the local restaurant, ice cream parlour, etc. to support you with a donation of 10% (or more!) of the night’s sales.  
  • Other ideas: Auction, Battle of the Bands, Benefit Dinner, BBQ, Book Sale, Car Wash, Carnival/Festival, Concert/Play, Concession Stand, Craft Sale, Dart Tournament, Dinner Party, Donations in Lieu of Gifts, Face Painting, Garage Sale, Golf Tournament, Grand Opening, Proceeds from Sales, Raffle, Scavenger Hunt, Yard Sale - the list is endless! 
• Get noticed - Promoting your event 

  Once you have filled out the Community Fundraiser Proposal Form, received approval and started planning your event, it is time to generate awareness. The best way to let people know about the event is to use your personal networks, social media, and other avenues to create interest. Here are some ideas to get you started: 

  • Traditional word-of-mouth. One of the best ways to spread awareness is through word of mouth. Make sure you share details about your event with everyone you know and meet in the lead-up to your event. Ask them to share the information with their friends as well.  
  • Posters and flyers. You can make very simple but effective posters and flyers using programs like Microsoft Word, or if you have a design inclined friend you can solicit their services. If you’re designing your own poster, please send it to us for approval so we can make sure all the information is correct and it complies with our required branding guidelines.  
  • Media. If you’re planning a large event, you might consider sending a press release to local newspapers, radio and TV stations to try to get editors interested in doing an advance story or covering your event. If a reporter does contact you, tell them about your event, what you have planned, and why you’re doing it. If they have any questions related to the Calgary MFRC you can direct the reporter to contact us directly at 403.410.2320 ext. 3590. If the media does not cover your story, try their daily event calendars by submitting a media advisory a minimum of one week in advance. 
  • Online promotion. There are lots of great free tools and programs available for your use. Also check out online event calendars serving your community such as municipal or community centre websites to see if they will accept a posting for your event. We may be able to post your event on our social media pages as well 
  • Social media promotion. Social media is one of the quickest ways to let people know about your fundraising event. We have created a list of social media posts ready for you to use to promote your event and celebrate giving back to your community. We recommend you use images where possible and attach your poster with all the event details, short videos through Instagram or Snapchat are fun too! Please note that in the samples we have left place markers for information related to your company/group. Also make sure to post during your event, everyone loves to see live action!  
    • Want to make your own posts? Here are some common Hashtags that we use: #CalgaryMFRC #MilitaryCommunity. Don’t forget to tag us in your posts:  
      • Twitter: @Calgary MFRC   
      • Facebook: facebook.com/Calgary MFRC  
      • Social media content ideas: 
      • We are hosting a fundraiser for @CalgaryMFRC! Pop by and support our local military families.
      • YOUR COMPANY/GROUP NAME< Cares about Calgary’s military community. Help us raise money for @CalgaryMFRC. 
      • We are collecting donations for the @Calgary MFRC. Come by and see us >INSERT LOCATION OR POSTER< 
      • We collected >INSERT DOLLAR AMOUNT< for the @CalgaryMFRC today! Thanks to everyone that helped us out.
      • We are hosting an, (EVENT TYPE) for the CALGARY MFRC this weekend. Make sure to pop by and drop off a donation to help us support our Military Community. 
• Wrap-up your event

  Things aren’t quite done yet. After the day of your event, don’t forget to close out the business end of your event. It's important to do this quickly as your support team will likely disperse, moving on to other challenges. Here are some key things to remember to do:

  • Pay providers that have supplied goods and services,  
  • Issue tax receipts [LINK TO How to receive tax receipts] 
  • Plan a debrief meeting the following week with your committee.  
  • Transfer funds to the Calgary MFRC within 14 days of your event. Cheques and or cash can be sent or delivered to our Calgary office: 

  Calgary Military Family Resource CentreAttn: Fund Development 
  General Waters Building 
  4225 Crowchild Trail SW 
  Calgary, AB T3E 1T8  

• Terms and conditions

  Before you begin to plan and promote your event, we ask that you review and agree to our Terms and Conditions. You may be asked to sign a printed copy of these prior to working with the Calgary MFRC. 

  1. Community Fundraising Events must align with the Calgary MFRC’s mission, vision and values. 
  2. All events in support of Calgary MFRC or any of its affiliated sites, projects and/or programs must be approved in advance, and event organizers must agree to the terms and conditions as laid out in this document. 
  3. The Event will be conducted in a safe manner and adhere to all federal, provincial, and municipal laws and standards and fulfilling all legal authorizations(s), permit(s), license(s), precaution(s) and/or general liability insurance required to organize the event. 
  4. Calgary MFRC accepts no legal responsibility and cannot be held liable for any risk or injury or other damages in conjunction with the Event and related fundraising activities. 
  5. The event organizers will handle all monetary transactions and other record keeping for the event and provide net proceeds to Calgary MFRC within 14 days of the Event. NOTE: It is best practice to achieve net proceeds of at least 50% of the gross proceeds. The Calgary MFRC strongly advises event organizers to work toward this goal as a minimum. 
  6. Calgary MFRC is not responsible for any financial losses incurred as a result of the event 
  7. Calgary MFRC may provide tax receipts for some event proceeds, strictly adhering to Canada Revenue Agency guidelines in all cases. Receipting for Event donations MUST be confirmed with Calgary MFRC in advance. 
  8. Personal donations are eligible for a tax receipt when the following criteria are met. For more information about the criteria, visit our website at www.cafconnection.ca/calgar 
  9. Event Organizers must provide the name, address and phone number for each individual or corporation to be tax receipted as well as funds totaling exact amount to be receipted. 
  10. Calgary MFRC must pre-approve all promotional materials featuring our name and logo 
  11. The Calgary MFRC name and logo are the sole property of the MFRC and can be used only with the Foundation’s express written permission. All materials featuring the name and/or logo must be approved before publication. 
  12. Event organizers must adhere to Calgary MFRC’s Confidentiality Agreement as it pertains to sensitive information that may be obtained in the use of donor and event participant information. Calgary MFRC respects the privacy of our members, donors and supporters. We do not rent, sell or trade our mailing lists. The information provided will be used to acknowledge and process donations, ticket purchase and sponsorship. 
  13. Illegal activities and those which do not align to serving the military community and charitable aspects of the brand will be grounds for termination by Calgary MFRC of the agreement. 
  14. Calgary MFRC allocates 5% to a maximum of 10% of Event net revenue to Calgary MFRC’s operational fund to support coverage of costs associated with processing, receipting, investment management, stewardship and granting of event donations and proceeds. 

  CALGARY MFRC RETAINS THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW ITS APPROVAL AND PARTICIPATION IN A COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING EVENT IF IT DEEMS THAT THE ABOVE GUIDELINES HAVE NOT BEEN ADHERED TO.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Will the Calgary MFRC help organize events?
  Our staff is there to help by answering your questions. We have put together some items to help guide you through the planning process, and may be able to help out in other ways.
• Is the Calgary MFRC able to support any third-party event expenses?
  It is the responsibility of the event organizers to create a budget and manage it accordingly for all expenses. Make sure you keep it simple. 
• Can the Calgary MFRC provide volunteers for a community fundraiser event?
  It is the responsibility of the event organizers to recruit, train and manage all volunteers.
• Do you have flyers and brochures we can hand out?
  We do! Print materials are available if we have enough on hand in our office. You can make this request on the Community Fundraiser Application Form.
• Do you have a banner we can use for our event?
  The Calgary MFRC can supply your event with Coroplast signage that promotes your event in support of our organization. The signage must be returned after your event. There are pop-up banners available to borrow for events as well. The banners must be signed out prior to the event and a fee will be charged if the banner is damaged upon its return.
• Who is responsible for all liability and legal risks associated with my event?
  It is the responsibility of the event organizers to ensure adequate insurance is in place for the event. The Calgary MFRC will not be responsible for any damage or accidents to any persons or property; we will not assume any legal or financial liability caused before, during or after the event. In acquiring insurance for an event, it is the responsibility of the organizer to apply and obtain such documents in the name of the individual, organization or business coordinating the event. It is advisable that you seek guidance and direction from your own insurance broker on this matter. 
• Will the Calgary MFRC help promote third party events?
  Definitely! We will post your event on the events section of our website as well as Facebook and Twitter. Any additional promotion is up to the event organizers.