Last month Calgary was wowed by the announcement of Twisted Element’s generous pledge of $50,000 toward AIDS Calgary’s “Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday” campaign. In the midst of an economic recession, the gesture was astounding for how suddenly and effortlessly it appeared to come about. However to say it was effortless might be unkind, considering the large amount of work that went into this project, both on the part of AIDS Calgary and the Twisted Element. As much as the wow factor is great for publicity, a donation of this size doesn’t happen overnight.
In fact, the relationship was a year in the making, and will take another year before the contract is fulfilled. In a press release, AIDS Calgary stated, “In May of 2008, RJ and Cliff attended an AIDS Calgary Open House that provided the spark of what has flamed into a strong relationship and a major giving opportunity.”
The cheque presentation ceremony at the Twisted Element in February featured a placard cheque for $50,000, symbolizing their two-year pledge. According to AIDS Calgary, $25,000 was given to them that night, with the guarantee of another $25,000 to be given in the next fiscal year. AIDS Calgary Communications Analyst, Amanda Chapman, explained that this sort of arrangement isn’t uncommon in the world of fundraising to secure larger donations; larger contributions are often spread out, sometimes over the course of up to 5 years. In fact, staggering payments over time can be more beneficial than a single, large lump sum, because it adds an element of stability to the group’s income
However, this sort of arrangement is certainly a new one for Calgary’s gay community, at least in recent history. Fundraising organizations like the ISCCA and ISCWR set a fundraising goal for the year and do their best to reach it (and of course, are not opposed to going beyond). Many of the gay bars offer their venues to non-profit groups for fundraising events, and in some cases organize their own events – but once again, no guarantee is made on the final amounts. In both cases, fundraising endeavours are divvied up amongst a number of different charities, so no single organization receives quite as impressive an amount.
“In the early eighties it was the gay community that rallied to take action to the epidemic,” says club owner RJ Fafard. AIDS Calgary and sub-programs like HEAT are already grateful to receive donations from the hard work of businesses and non-profit groups within the GLBT community to fund their continued operation. But, what makes the Twisted Element’s strategy different is that a final amount has been guaranteed in advance, all toward a single cause. The certainty of future funding from donors like the Twisted Element enables AIDS Calgary to plan further ahead.
In fact, the goal of AIDS Calgary’s “Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday” campaign is to raise a total of $1,000,000 over the next two years – to raise funds for prevention and education activities, enhancing the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS, and addressing stigma and discrimination in the community. Twisted Element’s donation helped kick off the campaign last month, and already AIDS Calgary reports that the agency has received over $100,000 cash, with more cash pledged across the timeframe of the initiative.
“Recent donations to AIDS Calgary, such as the one from Twisted Element club owners RJ and Cliff, enable us to do our important work in the community. AIDS Calgary is grateful for the support of all our sponsors, donors, and community partners,” says Susan Cress, Executive Director of AIDS Calgary.
In the past, several non-profit groups have held fundraisers at the Twisted Element with limited success. In some cases, the owners have felt compelled to double, or at least boost the totals by contributing money from drink sales, door cover, or coat check – money that would otherwise go toward their profits (“out of their own pockets”). Though the owners have tried to push these groups to invent new ways of fundraising to captivate their younger clientele, many have not been successful in breaking out of their fundraising moulds. Community politics has also played a role in the willingness of organizations to work with the bar.
However, this string of zeroes has dangled a juicy carrot in the faces of many non-profit groups, and we are told that the owners are definitely not shy to bring it up in conversation. The question is whether their commitment to AIDS Calgary will exhaust their fundraising potential for the next year, or whether they have plans to expand their efforts to benefit other groups too. Realistically, however, no organization can expect Twisted Element to dish out 50 grand at the drop of a hat. While the bar can be “part of a [fundraiser’s] complete breakfast” so to speak, it would be folly for non-profit groups to get dazzled into abandoning their involvement with other viable venues.
How will Twisted Element comprise the remaining $25,000 over the course of the next year? AIDS Calgary says that the logistics are entirely out of their hands – it is the club’s duty to arrange this. There are many ways that the bar owners may go about it, but we can only speculate at this point. They may hold special events to generate the needed funds through their business, but Cress believes that a substantial amount is also coming from the bar owners personally.
To put things into context, all of this praise is not to diminish the fundraising efforts of the other gay bars; for their relative size, they can pack quite a punch. Just recently, the friends and family of Sandra Casey were able to raise just under $27,000 at Money Pennies over the course of a mere two weeks! Fundraising at bars like Money Pennies, the Calgary Eagle, the Texas Lounge, and the Backlot are practically a monthly routine. With the help of these bars alone, this year the ISCCA estimates it will not be too far off from Dyna and Wolfgang’s record breaking $40,000 reign. In addition, groups like the SHARP Foundation, HIV Peer Support Group, and the Children’s Wish Foundation continue to receive donations through these venues. These smaller donations add up to impressive amounts, but bar owners see the act of giving reward enough.
In the end, it’s not a competition to see who can outdo everyone else. It’s about everyone in a position to help, doing their part to assist those in need. This arrangement between AIDS Calgary and the Twisted Element/RJ and Cliff accomplishes exactly that, and kudos to both for thinking outside of the box!
Says Fafard, “It is our moral responsibility and duty to support AIDS Calgary.”
Editor’s Note: Contrary to reported rumours emerging even before this piece was published, this article was written with the full cooperation of AIDS Calgary.
