The Challenge: Be the OtterBox division to raise the most money in one month in support of a non-profit organization and the OtterCares Foundation would match the funds with a 100% match. The first step was to decide which non-profit to support. Emily Panetsos and Drew Hovanec, two young professionals, from the Canton office took the lead and started researching nonprofits online to find an organization that met the criteria they had set up. The non-profit had to support innovation and education with an entrepreneurial spirit. They narrowed their choices to 4 worthy agencies and the employees voted. The tipping point for choosing School on Wheels of Massachusetts was this organization supports children in their community impacted by homelessness. Knowing that the students they would be helping could live right in their own backyard swayed the OtterBox Boston team to choose SOWMA for their Company Challenge. In less than a month 15 employees raised a total of $5,200 to help our kids!
The employees’ efforts were creative and successful. In addition to asking friends and family to make made a donation, the employees of OtterBox Boston held a variety of fun company events. There was a weekly bake sale. The free coffee dispenser sported a new “donation” jar with a card explaining how each dollar spent would help a child experiencing homelessness find success in school.
One of the most popular events was the Ping-Pong Challenge. Employees tried to beat Drew in a match; if Drew won, the challenger owed 50 cents to the cause. However, if Drew lost the match, he owed $10 to the cause. Drew didn’t lose often, but his co-workers had a great time trying to beat him.
OtterBox also donated a TV with a Blu-Ray player for a raffle which raised a good amount of money. There were so many fundraising activities taking place over the month that there was actually a calendar posted that showed what the activities for each week would be so that no one missed out on any of the fun.
When all was said and done, after one month of well-planned and well received fundraising efforts by the employees of OtterBox Boston – $2,600 had been raised to support SOWMA kids. They won the company challenge and the OtterCares Foundation then matched that amount to bring the new total $5,200. How amazing is that for a first time company fundraiser with 15 employees!
That’s not all! We also received a huge donation of backpacks and school supplies in addition to the money they raised. Emily told us that OtterBox provides 24 paid hours a year for each of their employees to volunteer at a non-profit organization. She and Drew, and some of the other OtterBox employees are looking forward to visiting our SOWMA headquarters in Brockton to help pack our Holiday Learning Boxes.
Cheryl Opper, Executive Director of SOWMA, said, “The Otterbox Boston employees and the OtterCares Foundation ROCKS! Their support makes a true difference in the lives of our students. Our community connections help us to build a solid foundation for our kids. We are excited to partner with Otterbox to help students move beyond homelessness through academic support and mentoring.”
