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One Night for ONE DROP
Challenge
Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, broadened his international influence in 2007 with the creation of the nonprofit organization ONE DROP. The global youth program Cirque du Monde inspired him to combine his passion for the arts with economic development and sustainability. ONE DROP strives to ensure that water is accessible to all, today and forever. Currently, over 800 million people lack access to water and 2.5 billion lack access to sanitation. ONE DROP addresses this issue through its projects, each of which may cost up to $7 million. Benefits such as the annual One Night for ONE DROP event in Las Vegas are critical fundraising pieces that allow ONE DROP to transform communities worldwide.
Strategy
ONE DROP turned to Moonridge Group to lead community, stakeholder, and donor engagement for the launch of the first ever One Night for ONE DROP (ONOD) event in March of 2013. The success of the event’s debut led ONE DROP to quickly renew Moonridge Group’s contract for the second event in 2014. Under the leadership of Moonridge Group’s Director of Operations Tiffany Twohig, Moonridge Group connected with philanthropists from around the Las Vegas community as well as from across the globe. Beyond ties to Cirque du Soleil, local partnerships with the Springs Preserve and MGM Resorts International helped secure the event’s role as a fundraiser for years to come. To demonstrate ONE DROP’s stake in the community they hosted an inaugural Walk for Water in 2013. The 20-mile journey paid tribute to the women and children that spend hours walking to collect water every day. Moonridge Group helped to raise awareness for the event and invited Mayor Carolyn Goodman to greet participants as they completed the course, which began in Lake Las Vegas and ended at the Bellagio Hotel. In preparation for the main ONOD cirque event, Moonridge Group led the coordination and communication related to donations, sponsorships, auction items, and ticket package sales.
Results
One Night for ONE DROP exceeded it fundraising goals in 2013 and 2014. The target fundraising goal for the debut event was $3 million in 2013 dollars and the net amount raised by donations, auction items, and ticket sales totaled $5.3 million. In 2014, a total of $6.0M was raised across all categories of donations. Moonridge Group’s success in sales and donor relations for the 2014 event is evident not only in the amount of new funders, but more importantly, returning donors and package holders. The funding brought in by this “once in a lifetime” event continues to grow and allow for change in the lives of thousands worldwide.