WMFHA Gives Back Cost Effectiveness
In 2018 we had multiple volunteer committees helping us plan, procure for, and execute these initiatives. In all, we estimate over 270 volunteer hours helped make our community service successful. Their support helped us to keep our costs down and our fundraising and impact up.
Our Chili Cook-Off is strictly a fundraising event and the metrics behind it are impressive. The event costs about $9,000 to host 500 people. Whereas it only costs us about $18 per person to put it on, we raise about $94 per person that attends. This is in part thanks to all the in-kind donations that contribute to our bottom line. The food and food service are donated or reduced in price, the face painting and henna activities, the DJ, the emcee, and all the raffle and auction items are donated.
The amount of support our members and the community showed for our Holiday Giving Gala was staggering in 2018. Since the event also serves as our board induction and holiday affair, it isn’t as cost-effective as others, but we keep our costs down with the silent auction. Last year we received 69 auction items which alone brought in over $20,000 for Childhaven. Our golden tickets which offer one attendee the chance to take one item off the auction raised almost $3,500 additionally. The big push for donations at the event was our giving tree which also brought in over $20,000. It only cost us a few hours of staff time to run the giving tree program, so ultimately it was extremely cost-effective.
Move For Hunger is a program that is 100 percent cost effective. In doing their job of serving residents, property managers can give back at the same time. Promoting the program at their properties is something as simple as sending an email, talking up the program during resident interactions, and following up even if they say they aren’t interested. “I really don’t like seeing residents move away, but the Move For Hunger program sweetened it for me. I can stay positive by telling them they can contribute to this wonderful cause,” says Dylan Hooper.
Our Days of Impact with Rebuilding Together always take place on Saturdays. It’s easy for our members to participate because they don’t have to take time off work, and all their time is strictly volunteer hours. WMFHA staff members also contribute their time on these projects as volunteers, so the only staff time that goes towards the project is in the planning stages. Moreover, our Supplier Partners donate their goods and services. In 2018 their donations totaled almost $16,000! That doesn’t even include labor or the value of our volunteers’ time.
