BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK, WORDS ALIVE VOLUNTEER
Words Alive was chosen to participate in the 2023-24 Champions For Youth Campaign, hosted by The Century Club and Farmers Insurance.
Source: The Century Club of San Diego
“We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of the Champions for Youth campaign,” said Tracy Dahlkamp, MPA, Donor Engagement Manager for Words Alive, who oversaw this year’s campaign. “This is our sixth year participating but our strongest year yet!”
Champions for Youth is an exciting peer-to-peer fundraising campaign that ran from November 28 – January 28. Peer-to-peer fundraising allows Words Alive’s supporters to tap their immediate social circles, such as friends, co-workers, and family members. This year Words Alive had 38 people volunteer to create fundraising pages compared to 32 people in 2022-23.
“The opportunity to participate in the campaign was a fun and exciting way to share with friends the extraordinary mission of Words Alive!,” said Brian Fidler, a Words Alive board member. “So many of the people who made contributions wrote heartfelt and supportive notes of admiration for the work of Words Alive. My wife even organized a pickle ball fundraiser, which drew support far beyond the minimum requested donations.”
The work of the Fidlers along with other supporters generated 627 unique donations, which was first place in number of unique donations. These donations raised $59,281 for Words Alive. This impressive amount made Words Alive eligible for the Farmers Cares Bonus Pool. The 2024 Farmers Cares Bonus Pool is $235,000 and Words Alive received $52,834 in bonus funds, for a grand total of $112,115. This means for every $1 raised Words Alive actually received $1.89.
“What we find truly remarkable, and humbling, is the exceptional dedication of our volunteers who willingly take on the responsibility of fundraising on our behalf,” said Dahlkamp with a grateful smile. “Beyond generously giving their time to our program throughout the year, many amazing volunteers created their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages and enthusiastically raised thousands of dollars on our behalf. It’s so special for us to engage with our volunteers in this way and we are so grateful to be part of it!”
