Prestigious fundraising award for Ronald McDonald House

Prestigious fundraising award for Ronald McDonald House South Island’s Supper Club @ Home event

Ronald McDonald House South Island has received the highest accolade at the recent Fundraising Institute of New Zealand awards evening.

The charity’s Supper Club @ Home event was jointly awarded the Premier Fundraising Award for Excellence 2012, along with Rural Women NZ’s ‘aftersocks’ campaign.

It is an award coveted by fundraisers, and one that is made only if the judges think it is truly merited.

Both organisations were recognised for their inventiveness and “ability to think laterally,” says Fundraising Institute of New Zealand chief executive James Austin.

“It was the fact that both winners had to act differently for the norm, and make reasonably quick but significant decisions and ensure they were practically worked through, and all this in an environment of physical uncertainty and intense competition for the donor dollar.”

Supper Club @ Home was held in Christchurch soon after the devastating February earthquake. The mystery dining event traditionally involves an evening of simultaneous dinner parties in some of the city’s finest restaurants, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Ronald McDonald House South Island.

However with many Christchurch restaurants affected by the earthquake, it was decided to still go ahead but reinvent the wheel by holding the dinner parties in beautiful homes and unique venues. Each location was paired with a notable Canterbury chef, who was tasked with cooking a three course meal for a table of eight.

Supper Club @ Home was sold out in less than 48 hours, generating in excess of $26,000 for Ronald McDonald House South Island.

In what was an extremely successful night for Ronald McDonald House South Island, Supper Club @ Home was also named as the winner of the Special Events Charity Fundraising category.

General Manager Emma Jones says both awards are testament to the tenacity and hard work of the fundraising team, who despite being faced with significant challenges post-earthquake, still managed to pull off an overwhelmingly successful event.

“It is an honour for Supper Club @ Home to receive such a prestigious award, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all the chefs, homeowners and sponsors - whom without this special event could not have happened.”

Supper Club @ Home 2012 will be held in Christchurch on June 22.

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