With twenty clubs, fifteen committees, seven competitions, and eight conferences, the MUS is often recognized for its wide variety of events. Under the MUS portfolio, four philanthropic associations exist: CASCO, Cancer Auction, P[h]assion and 5 Days for the Homeless. We decided to sit down with the leadership of these four associations to understand the nature of their fundraisers, how their events affect culture on campus, and whether they achieve their goals as primarily philanthropic student associations.
How much do these clubs give back?
Though P[h]assion and 5 Days for the Homeless have not yet concluded their yearly event portfolio, using the estimates provided, we tallied up the total amount raised by the respective associations. The grand total came to $81,100, raised by four committees with a combined manpower of roughly fifty students.
The work that these student-led initiatives engage in does not go unnoticed by the McGill Faculty. As Heather McCombie, Associate Director of BCom Student Affairs, explains, the philanthropic work achieved under the MUS portfolio is extremely valuable in attracting prospective students. McCombie emphasized the importance of the available extracurriculars at McGill for high school and CEGEP students considering applying to Desautels. Leilani Ku, Associate Director of Communications, highlighted the importance of these clubs in regards to campus culture, student life, and McGill as a whole:
The Faculty has always been extremely proud of our BCom students’ commitment to go beyond the classroom and make a positive impact in the community. The longstanding relationships that they have forged with organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society and The Montreal Children’s Hospital have helped cement our students’ reputation for giving across campus, Montreal, Canada and worldwide.
The Bigger Picture
Despite the yearly flow of donations from McGill committees towards charities, there remains an unanswered question of whether the philanthropic goal of these organizations gets lost in the midst of their fundraising events. Several of the fundraising initiatives revolve around drinking (apartment crawls, Winter Carnival), which the Milton-Parc community cites as highly disruptive to the community. During the 2015-2016 school year, between the four organizations, three apartment crawls were held and partnerships with Carnival were predominant.
We spoke to the Dean of Students, Andre Costopoulos, regarding the potential fallout that has risen from alcohol-related fundraisers. The McGill administration, as Costopoulos explains, has worked closely with student associations over the past four years to bring about a change in the nature of these events, moving towards a model in which alcohol acts as an additional component rather than the focal point. So far the majority of these efforts have been centered around making Frosh more inclusive, but Costopoulos explains that McGill has started to work closely with other student organizations, particularly Winter Carnival, to produce a healthier and safer environment for all participants. He acknowledged that student associations are in themselves independent organizations, limiting the power that the administration has to impose rules regarding their activities. This however has not deterred these various charitable associations, and their directors, from revising their fundraising platforms.
For the Kids, From CASCO
Casey Bryant is the Executive Director of the Commerce and Administration Student Charity Organization (CASCO) that raises money for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. Casey and her team hold the annual Dance & Fashion show events that rake in about 10,000 dollars each year. As an inter-university organization founded at UOttawa, CASCO tends to extend its reach beyond McGill’s campus, however Casey hopes to expand CASCO’s audience within the McGill community by partnering with clubs outside of the management faculty.
Does your annual Dance & Fashion show effectively highlight your mission and desire to help the Montreal Children’s Hospital? How do you ensure that philanthropy remains the focal point?
Casey: “I really do. CASCO’s slogan is “Do It for the Kids” and we always work to embody that in every event we organize. Any profits we make goes straight to the [Montreal Children’s Hospital] Foundation and we’re always minimizing personal costs as much as possible. We also try to pick committee members who are exceptionally fond of and passionate about the cause. We want students who believe in what we are doing and want CASCO to grow every year.”
What is your approach in regards to fundraising events?
Casey: “Our demographic is university students so we try to cater to them. Luckily we have never had a problem with the Foundation in regards to the events that we organize. At the end of the day, we are trying to raise as much money as possible, so we want to organize events that students will pay for. In terms of marketing, we do have to be careful that we do not overlap with other committees or clubs (especially philanthropic ones) as well as busy exam times.”
The More the Merrier: Cancer Auction
Leah Mendelsohn is one of two Executive Directors of Cancer Auction, a live auction held every January in conjunction with Winter Carnival. The money raised is donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. Cancer Auction raised $32,000 this year on its own, which, if added to the total amount raised by both the auction and Carnival, comes to roughly $52,100. As the two go hand in hand, Leah explains that this year, Cancer Auction became more involved with Carnival. Despite this close relationship, the committee has future plans to broaden their audience to more than just Carnival participants.
In our previous interview you mentioned the rowdy nature of the auction itself. Going forward, how will Cancer Auction ensure that its mission is upheld?
Leah: “We are actually a separate entity from Carnival. Cancer Auction is its own club, but as I said, over the years they have become somewhat connected. Our relations with the Canadian Cancer Society as well as our contact with our donors remains separate from Carnival and very professional. But in terms of the actual event, we like to look at it as students getting rowdy for a cause.”
Does Cancer Auction have any pre-auction events that are not related to Carnival?
Leah: “A lot of our pre-auction events, such as the OAP ice cream sale and distribution of merchandise, like fanny packs, are not exclusive to Carnival participants. We sell raffle tickets at 4-7 for a 50/50 auction, so even though there is alcohol for sale at the event, Cancer Auction is still a separate entity, which happens to operate within the context of Carnival.We are looking to add more pre-auction events that would be inclusive to those who don’t participate in Carnival, such as an items-only online auction that could also reach out to Alumni. At the end of the day, it’s a hard balance to maintain – a lot of our success can be attributed to the social Carnival culture.”
Camp Out With 5 Days for the Homeless
Alexandra Grassby is Co-Executive Director of 5 Days for the Homeless, whose main goal is to raise awareness about homelessness in Montreal. Its featured event is a national inter-university campaign that raises money and awareness by sleeping outside for five days. 5 Days for the Homeless works with two shelters in Montreal: Dans la Rue, a youth center, and Chez Doris, a women’s shelter. This year, 5 Days raised over $17,000, a figure which does not yet include the revenue from their final apartment crawl of the year. The five day campaign at McGill has seen a rise in participants, beginning with only a half-dozen students sleeping outside in its first year to a record-breaking sixty participants last year. Over the semester, 5 Days for the Homeless also hosts other fundraisers, including bake sales and apartment crawls.
What makes the 5 Days campaign so effective?
Alexandra: “I was recently talking to other execs and we noticed how much 5 Days for the Homeless has grown. This year we happened to have several large donations which put us ahead of last year’s total. [During the 5 Days campaign] we really try to locate ourselves at Roddick gates to get as many donations as possible from the general Montreal community – we want to be as central as possible. It’s really about spreading awareness, raising money and recruiting more volunteers.”
How do you approach drinking-oriented events while representing a group of people who historically have a high rate of alcohol abuse?
Alexandra: “In regards to the nature of the event, it’s a very grey area. We have had a lot of people ask why we’re doing an apartment crawl for homeless individuals, which was mis-marketing on our part. They certainly are not intended for the homeless, and we completely acknowledge that alcohol abuse is much too common in the homeless community.
If apartment crawls were more rare, I think we would receive more backlash, but as many people have run them or at least participated, they know that they are pretty lucrative events, and act as good fundraisers. We understand the concerns regarding clashing values, but we want to ensure that our focus is to raise awareness, funds and support for the homeless community in Montreal, and that this venture should be seen solely as a way of raising money.”
Fundraise in Style: P[h]assion
Brenin Watts and Clara Berruyer are Co-Executive Directors of P[h]assion, a committee that raises awareness for HIV/AIDS and fundraises for Montreal HIV/AIDS charity Maison Plein Coeur. Throughout the school year, P[h]assion hosts several hype events, all leading up to their end of the year fashion show that showcases local stores as well as student designs. Since its inception 25 years ago, P[h]assion has raised a total of $150,000. Their annual target for this year’s fashion show, held on April 2nd, 2016, is $2,000. With the goal of expanding their donation base to beyond the McGill bubble, P[h]assion now works with Montreal bloggers and event coordinators as well.
What types of fundraisers do you host, aside from your annual fashion show, in order to raise money?
Clara & Brenin: “Within McGill, the only way to grow is by promoting your society. Every year we hold fundraising events, including hype parties, bake sales, and a sample sale; that way people get to know more about us and learn about what we really do. Each year we reach out and get support from several donors and designers based in Montreal, and we get all of our designs for the fashion show from local stores and students as well. We also get a lot of donations from Montreal based businesses and shops.”
Does P[h]assion host events such as apartment crawls?
Clara: “We actually planned on doing one after the show, but [logistically] it became impossible to do so. However, we have held events in bars and night-clubs that proved to be extremely lucrative. Also, our bake sales were surprisingly very successful.”
Drawing the Line
Going directly to the source can always prove helpful in breaking down the stigma around these types of fundraising events. Though an outsider may decide that apartment crawls and carnival events are more disruptive than helpful, open discussions with the directors of these various associations can help us understand how dedicated they really are to their causes, intent on raising as much money as possible for those in need. Hopefully the leadership of CASCO, Cancer Auction, P[h] assion and 5 Days for the Homeless can also gain insight from the community as well, possibly extending these events in the coming years to the greater student body in order to make giving back an entire McGill initiative.
