Communique

Successful first year for "Build a Better World" Campaign

Ottawa, December 20, 2012

 

Results for the first year of the Co-operative Development Foundation's Build a Better World Campaign have exceeded expectations.

 

"We are delighted with the way that co-operatives, credit unions, and individual donors have responded to the campaign," said Board Chair Michael Barrett. "We can credit part of this to the International Year of Co-operatives, but I think we also tapped into a powerful desire among people in the co-operative movement to share our good fortune with people who are struggling in poverty around the world. We are deeply grateful to everyone who had contributed or made a pledge. We tend to focus on the large organizations that have provided the largest sums - and we truly appreciate those contributions - but it is important to recognize that smaller organizations or individuals have been equally generous, digging deep to contribute as much as they can. In fact, only with the broad participation of the small and medium sized organizations and the thousands of individual co-op members will we be able to meet our goal." 

 

The goal for the campaign is $12 million over 4 years. 

 

Here are some results from the first year.

 

  • To date, nearly $4 million has been contributed or pledged.
  • 400 individuals have contributed for the first time, bringing the total to 1,300.  Together, they have contributed approximately $200,000.
  • There are 60 new organizational donors - co-operatives, credit unions and associations.
  • 8 organizations have pledged between $100,000 and $500,000.
  • 13 organizations have pledged between $10,000 and $100,000.
  • People have also found creative ways to raise money. More than $17,000 was raised by three CCA staff who climbed Kilimanjaro. Doug Wright of the Co-operators raised $12,385 from a public hair cut. Federated Co-operatives Limited raised more than $10,000 at their fall conferences, and another $10,000 through a director giving program. And there are many other examples.

 

Money raised through the Build a Better World Campaign is used to support the international development work of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) - CDF's international development partner. For more than 50 years, CCA has been helping to establish and support co-operatives and credit unions in some of the poorest areas of the world. On average, the lives of some 2 million people are touched each year by CCA's work.

 

"The campaign is off to an excellent start," Mr. Barrett said, "but there is a lot of hard work ahead if we are to meet our goal. Thank you to all those who have already signed on, and we hope they can help us reach out to those who have not yet pledged their support. We have amazing momentum from year one and we are looking forward to another exciting year next year."

 

The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF) is a registered charitable organization. It raises money, mostly from Canadian co-operatives and co-op members, to help alleviate poverty by building and strengthening financial and non-financial co-ops in developing countries. Working with the Canadian Co-operative Association and other partners, it helps poor communities fight poverty and create more secure lives through community-owned co-ops.

 

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Julie Breuer

Director, Fundraising & Operations

Co-operative Development Foundation

(613) 238-6711 ext. 215

[email protected]