Airway Science for Kids Week of Giving 2020

November 2020

Airway Science for Kids, Inc. (ASK) is a nonprofit with a mission to remove barriers for children and youth who have been systematically excluded from STEM education and careers. We assisted ASK to go airborne with their Wings to Soar event this year. They were planning on holding their in-person event in April, though they soon realized more time was needed to “take to the sky” with a virtual fundraiser. GFS Events was brought on board to help them navigate the challenges that come with planning a successful online event and within a matter of months, we helped them reach new heights! Our team coordinated with their graphic designer to create a new logo for the organization along with event branding. We also created their email content, communicated with their ambassadors, provided input on their sponsorship levels and benefits, assisted with developing mission-based auction experiences (including getting your private pilot’s license!), entered in auction items to our fundraising platform, assembled an email and social media marketing calendar, and ran the online auction. We raised over $80,000 to allow to ASK to continue forward with their mission!
Fun Fact
American aircraft designer, Richard VanGrunsven, was featured in one of our daily videos!
"GFS Events stepped in to save our fundraiser after we were forced to cancel our April in- person event. Like most nonprofits, our annual fundraiser is critical to our previous success, but planning can be both expensive and time consuming. While I liked the idea of doing a virtual fundraiser, my organization faced the usual nonprofit challenges (time, cost, and the fact that our donors tend to be in the "less technology proficient" age group. Oh, and then there was COVID). From the moment we began working with GFS, it was clear I no longer had anything to be worried about. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and amazing customer service provided my organization with all the support we needed to meet our goals. Fundraising is about engaging donors, finding new supporters, getting the organization’s in front of new audiences, and raising funds. GFS provided everything we needed to accomplish all of these goals, including helping us shape them effectively. We needed videos, and GFS provided everything we needed from scripts to editing guidance. One video had 2400 views the first day it was posted, an amazing result for an organization that started planning this event with less than 150 followers on any of our social media platforms. The communication guidance we received was equally amazing, from writing donor letters (and then editing them before I sent them out) to providing a "kit" for our virtual ambassadors, and a comprehensive social media program. In partnership with our new social media coordinator, our November social media posts reached 14,300 visitors during the month. Because of this, we now have new supporters from organizations that didn't know we existed, and considering our organization is almost thirty years old, that is saying something! Three of these organizations have already committed to supporting ASK at a level that will help stabilize our organization during this challenging time. All if this would not have happened without the consummate professionals at GFS Events. They provided a fund/friendraising event that exceeded all expectations, at a quarter of the cost for a traditional event. It goes without saying – but I will anyway – that I will be looking to them to guide our future events."
Julia Cannell
Executive Director, Airway Science for Kids