ALS Society going online to jumpstart waning donations

The restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been difficult for many people and groups, but that’s especially true for charities that have had to put fundraising efforts and events on hold.

However, some are finding new ways to get to their supporters.

According to Denis Simard, the executive director of the ALS Society of Saskatchewan, the society’s revenues are down 70 per cent this year.

“Collectively, all our fundraisers every year including our donations throughout the year generate about $160,000 or so,” said Simard.

Normally, the society would hold a 50/50 draw and a walk every year. But because of the pandemic, neither of those can go ahead in their traditional forms.

So, the society had to come up with a solution: Go online. It has launched a virtual 50/50.

Simard said the society had this plan already in the works before COVID-19.

“We thought we would give it a try this year to try to include as many people from across Saskatchewan as possible because we have a limited reach in regards to our volunteers selling 50/50s,” Simard said.

But the pandemic has made it even more important.

The ALS Society supports people who’ve been diagnosed with the degenerative disease, giving them services, equipment and adaptive technologies to make sure they can live as normally as possible.

With the drop in revenue, Simard says services haven’t been impacted yet; the society has been using money from a nest egg that was built up from the Ice Bucket Challenge years ago.

“Unfortunately that nest egg, with everything that has happened this year, is disappearing pretty rapidly. And so we are counting on our emergency contingency funds to keep us going right now,” said Simard.

He explained the society is worried it isn’t going to be able to regenerate revenues and the next few years are going to be tough.

The society is also hosting a virtual walk in June instead of having hundreds of people get together for the Walk to End ALS all in one place.

The 50/50 can be found here.