Campaign Overview
In 2020, Raheny GAA Club and Clontarf GAA Club ran an extremely successful fundraiser called Go The Distance where both clubs competed with each other to raise over €100,000 for St Francis Hospice.
To do this they implemented many of the initiatives we outlined in this handbook and is the perfect case study to show what can happen when you follow the plan.
Campaign Launch
To, build initial awareness for Go The Distance, Raheny GAA and Clontarf GAA staged a fake argument on Twitter about which club has the fastest and fittest players which saw many club members get involved and ultimately culminated in Raheny GAA challenging Clontarf GAA to a competition to see which club could cover the most distance in one day.
Content Created
You might have the fastest footballer in Ireland @ClontarfGAAClub, but I reckon we have the fittest!????????♂️????#GoTheDistance https://t.co/yv7eWWIOUn pic.twitter.com/iljVNjZqjs
— Raheny GAA (@RahenyGAA) May 14, 2020
Also, as part of the launch phase, the clubs created some marketing material such as a variety of posters, social media creative, and promo videos. The clubs also made use of high profile players here to drive awareness.
A great initiative by our local GAA clubs!
— Member First CU (@mfirstcu) May 18, 2020
We're supporting our partners in the #MFCUCommunityFund @ClontarfGAAClub and @RahenyGAA as they #GoTheDistance this Saturday, May 23rd in aid of @SFHDublin
Donate here ????https://t.co/od3f1J3wlk pic.twitter.com/Ixk86cJZkY
Social Media Campaign
To build a real community spirit around the fundraiser, the club utilised some of their most well-known members to issue call-outs where they made videos showcasing all of the training they were doing in advance of the big day and how much they wanted to beat their rivals. This lead to a huge stream of young members and families following suit and posting their videos meaning the members did the marketing for them.
We're loving all the training videos being sent in by our members ahead of #GoTheDistance this Saturday, but we are especially loving the rhymes and songs about how we are going to wipe the floor with @ClontarfGAAClub ????????
— Raheny GAA (@RahenyGAA) May 19, 2020
Donate here???? https://t.co/aejJ309kqZ pic.twitter.com/AcYhfTXcKf
If this doesn't motivate you to get out on May 23rd and #GoTheDistance to beat @ClontarfGAAClub then nothing will!!????????????♂️
— Raheny GAA (@RahenyGAA) May 18, 2020
Our very own braveheart leading us into battle!!????????
Donate to @SFHDublin here ???? https://t.co/aejJ309kqZ pic.twitter.com/UUAX0sJ2KS
The Sales Process
To be fully sure that all members knew exactly how to enter the competition and also make their donations, both clubs created step-process infographics and posted them across each of the channels. This meant that the process was spelt out and all the initial awareness would be put to good use.
Live Social
The whole event was then covered live on social media throughout the day including live scoreboards and call outs showcasing club members who took part, how much was raised and most importantly which club was ahead in the competition.
Good luck to @ClontarfGAAClub & @RahenyGAA as they #GoTheDistance today in aid of St Francis Hospice ???? https://t.co/QVcZss1h8Q
— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) May 23, 2020
Results
The results were better than either club expected from the start. Not only was their huge interest and awareness on social media but the clubs raised over €100,000 for St Francis Hospice. This far outdid their initial goal of €10,000.