Keep a Child Alive

Keep a Child Alive Generates $116 a Second with IML’s Real Time “Pledge-inator”

 

 

 

 

 

Picture courtesy of Mike Corrado 

Rewarding good deeds with instant gratification while simultaneously generating friendly financial competition is the secret behind $70,000 in additional funding raised in only ten minutes by Keep a Child Alive (KCA) at its Annual Black Ball hosted by Co-Founder Alicia Keys, this year honoring President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson, Youssou N’Dour.  Emcee Queen Latifah shared the impact the donation will have on the lives of the children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India that Keep a Child Alive serves.  The attendees using IML’s wireless keypad system were able to instantly make pledges while an impressive, real-time animated scoreboard provided a tangible display of the overwhelming generosity of those present.  No paper pledges, no running to the post office, no phone calls . . . just immediate assistance and recognition.
 
While table donations and the live auction generate the bulk of the annual event’s income, the benefits of IML’s wireless pledging system were evident to all . . . $70,000 in ten minutes would be a welcome addition at any fundraising function.  Not only that, 65% of the pledges were $100 or less, meaning that more people had the opportunity to participate and donate on the spot . . . and any level of participation leads to commitment and ownership.
 
Asked what the main challenges were facing Keep a Child Alive (KCA), Cheryl Keller, Director of Donor Relations, replied, “Our system of using envelopes for pledges.  Will they take it home?  If they do, will they remember it, will they give?  The IML keypads are an immediate call to action for our guests.”
 
Discussing the benefits of IML’s pledge system, KCA answered, “We raised additional funds that we may not have been able to secure without the immediate response keypads.  We also used the guests’ Smartcard, which had the table number on the back, as a ticket for access into the main floor.  Following the event, each guest returned the Smartcard in exchange for a gift bag”, Danielle Spitzer, Special Events Coordinator,  Keep a Child Alive.
 

Commenting on IML’s service standards Danielle remarked, “The IML team was great to work and strategize with on how to make the event a larger success.  We appreciated the staff being flown in to meet with us prior to the event so we were familiar with the points of contact for the evening.”