Ever since the organization was started in 1991, Vibha has challenged itself on several occasions “to do more” for the benefit of the underprivileged children. “Target One Million” is one such challenge that the entire organization rallied behind and achieved the goal with enthusiasm, excitement and a sense of purpose. This will enable to increase the support to more grassroots organizations and scale up successful models, so that a difference can be made in the lives of 60,000 children.
Vibha has been raising $700,000 to $800,000 in the past few years annually for the past several years, through all the fundraisers organized by dedicated volunteers and the generous support of its patrons across all the action-centers. So, the idea started among some of the volunteers to raise the bar and set a higher and more exciting target and motivate the entire organization towards that goal. The idea quickly turned into an action plan that a core team of volunteers executed and prepared the base for launching the campaign. The year-end campaign was kicked-off in late October, on the eve of Diwali, the festival of lights, to bring Vibha (“Brightness”) into the lives of thousands of children.
Highlighting the “Success Stories” of the children from each of the projects that Vibha is currently supporting was the main theme of the campaign . The volunteers and the donors were appraised of the difference that their contributions are making in India at individual level and as a community. Four new projects added in 2014, in the fields of public education and education of the children of construction workers, were also presented as a proof of how additional resources will be put to use to bring about bigger change.
The volunteers spread this message among their networks through facebook and other channels. Some high-end donors came forward with matching donation challenges that spurred more excitement. While the momentum kept building all of November, “Giving Tuesday” (Dec 2) turned the campaign into a celebration of “giving”. In the final days of the campaign, a huge number of volunteers and their networks of family and friends were focused on the goal to be reached by Dec 31. In the end, all the three goals of the campaign – to reach a million dollars (exceeded at $1,008,250) to be able to support 60,000 children, to rally the entire organization for a common goal, and fundraising-with-pride (of making a difference) – were achieved.