Barry Coulter
A new social media campaign is providing an opportunity to benefit a local foundation that works to support local non-profits and charitable organizations.
Telus is donating $5 to the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation (CDCF), up to $5,000, for every Facebook “Like” on its July 20 Facebook post.
The post can be found on the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation’s Facebook page here.
The CDCF provides funding for community non-profits through an annual granting program. The Foundation also holds funds for charitable organizations — like the Symphony of the Kootenays or Friends of Fort Steele, for example.
Riley Wilcox, Executive Director of the CDCF, said the campaign was part of Telus’s Community Giving program.
“They contacted us, because they are in the area improving fibreoptic services for people, and because people are supporting them in that way they want to give back to the community,” Wilcox said.
“I think, really, it’s because we do have a large diversity in our area of granting — arts, culture, sports and rec, health, social services, seniors and the environment — that are broadbased with a community approach, that is appealing for Telus to support.”
“So a contact from Kelowna got ahold of us and wanted to know if we wanted to be part of that. We thought it would really give us a big boost in the community, for raising funds but also our profile.”
Wilcox said anytime someone is on Facebook, just go to the CDCF page, and like the Telus post that’s been shared there.
“They have to like the Telus post,” she added. “People want to participate, they’re going on and they see our post and like it, but we really need them to click directly on that Telus post, and like that Telus post, for us to receive the five dollars.
“Every like generates five dollars, to a maximum of $5,000. So our goal is 1,000 likes for that post. We’ve got until Friday (July 31) to get that done.
“If people could like and share, that’s even better, and get that out to their contacts.”
Wilcox stressed that this doesn’t mean that later on the Community Foundation will go back and solicit more donations. “We won’t be doing that. It’s not a means for us to go back to the community and solicit more funds later on. Really, it’s Telus that’s making the contribution.
The Cranbrook and District Community Foundation — a member of the national organization Community Foundations of Canada — was founded in 2004, and has given more than $368,000 to the community since then. In 2015 over $35,000 will be received by non-profit organizations serving the community. And Wilcox says there are ongoing developments in the works.
“We’re working to develop a community fund for Fernie,” she said. “Nationally, the movement wants to see every that community in the country either has access to a community foundation or has a community foundation by 2017.
“Our work over the spring and summer is to develop a fund for Fernie, so Fernie can have access to some of the great benefits that Cranbrook gets.
“We just had our AGM, and we have new board members coming on in the fall. And we’ve been doing a lot of outreach with the financial community so we can be one of the options they can propose to their clients, maybe around wills and estates planning. We have a comprehensive piece of information on how people can do that.”
For more information on the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation, go to www.cranbrookcf.ca.