| The spring Timeraiser season is coming to a close, and with the Calgary Timeraiser under our belt, we are whizzing quickly to the finish line.
The Calgary Timeraiser is a milestone city in the Timeraiser program. It was the second Canadian city to host a Timeraiser and at this point the event is almost entirely volunteer run, and is always expected to sell-out.
This year was an exceptional year for Calgary, as the Timeraiser reigns were handed off from Stewart McDonough to Bib Patel. The transition felt seamless as Bib helped us manage everything from selections to ticket sales all the while celebrating the birth of an adorable baby girl.
This year's event invested $24,000 in the career's of artists - the biggest investment in artists in one city (a HUGE thank you to our sponsors for making this possible).
We also raised 7,560 hours - 3,000 from art winners and 4,560 from participants who had pledged 20 hours. We're so excited for the 2013 Calgary art winners, and look forward to hearing from them as they start volunteering. The complete winner list can be seen below: | Best in Show - Art The Calgary best in show award went to Neil Zeller for his piece, "Cold Downtown Calgary". Congrats Neil! Social Media Winner Congrats to Bethany Wall for being our social media winner. The Calgary Timeraiser in 140 Characters |
By Kate BrowningRegina! With the Timeraiser less than a week away, are you getting excited about finding out about volunteer opportunities available with your local nonprofits? Maybe you're interested in becoming a Venue Coordinator for the Cathedral Arts Festival? A Board Member for AIDS Program South Saskatchewan? Or perhaps a Foster Home Coordinator for People for Animals of Saskatchewan? To give you an idea of the great organizations and opportunities that await you Thursday evening, here's a full list this year's participating agencies, arranged by their areas of focus, and linked with their volunteer opportunities: | |
| | Hamilton Calls to Community are open and we're looking for local artists and non-profits to participate in the 4th Hamilton Timeraiser!
Our goals for this year's event:- Invest over $6,000 in the careers of Hamilton-based emerging artists
- Raise 2,000 volunteer hours
- Engage 20 nonprofit agencies to participate
Highlights from last year's event: - 100 people made a pledge to get involved in the community
- Over $6,000 invested in careers of Hamilton-based emerging artists
- 15 non-profit agencies seeking skilled volunteers were present
We are so excited to kick-off this year! To get involved please visit: www.timeraiser.ca/hamilton |
| | By Kate BrowningWe're about to start counting down the hours to the 4th London Timeraiser. As the excitement builds for what's sure to be another excellent night of bidding and volunteer matching at The ARTS Project, we wanted to share some of the reasons this year's participating nonprofit agencies are also eagerly awaiting tomorrow evening.
"We love the idea of converging Art and Volunteerism. What a fantastic conversation starter and a great way to get to know the spirit of potential volunteers. It is a fun evening and a wonderful way to recruit enthusiastic and experienced people to join our team at LUSO Community Services." --Samantha Arrindell, LUSO Community Services
"This is my first Timeraiser. I am excited to meet and connect with new people and to engage volunteers for our organization. I have heard that Timeraiser brings in fresh, invested, community minded, mobilizers and I am pumped to be part of the evening. See you there!" --Lisa McIntosh, Future Possibilities for Kids
“It’s great to be part of Timeraiser again. We look forward to connecting with such caring skilled professionals. Together we build a stronger community.” --Christine Dirks, Youth Opportunities Unlimited |
 On Thursday April 25th, we hosted the 2nd Montreal Timeraiser in partnership with the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal. The venue was the stunning ballroom at the Marche Bonsecours. When we opened the doors at 6pm there was a palpable sense of excitement as the late evening sun streamed in the windows. Over the next hour, 280 people came through the door to meet with the 35 nonprofits in the room and to try their luck at winning one of the 36 pieces of art. This year we were able to invest more than $17,000 in the careers of Montreal artists - a 50% increase over last year.
At 9:30, after bidding had wrapped up, the totals were in - more than 5,000 hours had been raised for Montreal non-profits! 36 lucky art-winners now begin their 12 month volunteer journey. Some will breeze through those hours in a matter of weeks, while others will log their hours just days before the 3rd Montreal Timeraiser in 2014.
We were so lucky to have such a passionate committed team in Montreal - from event planning, to fundraising to volunteer wrangling, the team from VBM had all angles covered - even ones we didn’t know existed! Their commitment to always making the event even better is testament to how much they care about the principles of the Timeraiser.
Thank you a million times to all our sponsors, volunteers and attendees for making the 2nd Montreal Timeraiser such a resounding success. Until next year!
 By Anil Patel
As part of our 10 year Anniversary Celebrations, we are asking ourselves: "Now that we have a solid track record, how can the Timeraiser reach its full potential?"
While we are actively planning and running our 2013 Timeraiser schedule, we are also taking a step back to ask a big questions around our impact. To start, our team is concluding that keeping the number of Timeraiser events to around 12 (plus support for independently run events) is an important parameter.
We are not really able to go as deep as we’d like in the cities we operate, and if we can’t do that, then growing for growing’s sake it not a good idea. We value quality.
With that in mind, we are actively considering changing how we plan and run Timeraiser events. Here are some of the scenarios we are considering:
Scenario A Status Quo. Continue to run events on different weekends
| Scenario B Split half the events on one weekend in the Fall AND Spring
| Scenario C Organize all the events on one weekend in the Fall OR Spring
| Scenario D Do fewer Timeraiser events; focus on technology for social change
| We have a number of the details about the plan organized online including the pros and cons of the scenarios, budget implications, and idea-mapping. We will also be scheduling 100+ one-on-one meetings plus a handful of in-person activities in Toronto (Thursday May 16th) and Calgary (Tuesday June 11th). While we know this won’t capture all the ideas and opinions, we are confident it will be ‘good enough’ for our decision-making. If you are interested in participating in our scenario planning exercises, please contact Stephanie McAllister. | |
| A little update from the Timeraiser team..
| Toronto: Now that the Toronto Timeraiser is over we are basking in the glow of all the positive media we received. Check it out below: - Toronto Timeraiser Turns Ten, Metro Morning
- Time is Money, The Grid
- REDEFININGTO: GIVING TIME AND TALENT, Redefing TO
- Editorial: Consider Volunteering your Time, Inside Toronto Editorial
- Timeraiser Hits a Milestone Worth a Shout Out, MaRS Blog
- Art Listings, Now Magazine
- Timeraiser event March 22 hopes to ‘raise’ 10,000 volunteer hours, insideToronto.com
- Notable Now Toronto: March 8, 2013, Noteable Now
- 10th Toronto Timeraiser Comes to Artscape Wychwood Barns, The News (Artscape)
| Montreal: Montreal is well on its way. We have sold 226 tickets so far and with just two weeks remaining we're hoping to have at least 400 people in the room. We just launched this awesome contest - anyone that purchases a ticket by April 22nd has a win a VIA Rail gift certificate valued at $500. One lucky ticket-holder will be selected through a random draw. The contest is open to anyone who has purchased or redeemed a ticket on Eventbrite. London: The London Timeraiser is just three weeks away and well on its way to selling out. We are recruiting volunteers to help on the night of so if you are interested in helping out fill out our online form. Regina: Regina is gearing up to launch on April 16th. Many fabulous works of art were selected as well as a great selection of local non-profits. Don't miss out on our ticket launch by signing up for our mail list to be notified.
 Our 2013 Toronto Timeraiser Welcome Card | By Kate BrowningAs we count down the hours to the Toronto Timeraiser, we touch base with a few more of the stellar nonprofit agencies who will be a part of tomorrow night's event. From Timeraiser veterans to first-timers, we have a superb group of agencies to chat and perhaps get on board with! Check out our Toronto site for the complete list and links to each agency's volunteer opportunities. Claudia Rodriguez-Larrain, Founder/Executive Director, Regenesis "This is our fourth year participating and we are once again very excited to meet the wonderful roster of volunteers and participating organizations that make social engagment look so very attractive. It doesn't hurt that the food and venue are delectable!" Mel LeBlanc, Housing Outreach Coordinator, Native Women’s Resource Centre“I am thrilled to be participating in the 10th Toronto Timeraiser. I am looking most forward to the energy in the room – to sharing an evening with so many individuals motivated by volunteerism, social justice, the arts and the betterment of our city.” Penny Deeth, Events and Volunteer Coordinator, Native Women’s Resource Centre"This is the first time I will be going to Timeraiser. I have heard great things about this event! I'm looking forward to meeting people from all different fields in Toronto who are interested in giving back to the community." |
Photo by Alex Cairncross www.facebook.com/alexcairncrossphotographer
|  "Sad Piggy" by artist Shannon Mulholland Rachel attended the 2012 Toronto Timeraiser and completed over 100 volunteer hours!
After moving to Toronto in 2011, Rachel was looking for a way to get involved and give back ... enter the 2012 Timeriaser event and a 100 hour volunteer challenge! Rachel wanted to ensure that she experienced as many organizations as possible over the year. She spent her volunteer time rehabilitating special species at the Toronto Humane Society, handing out tickets at the TSO, sorting soccer uniforms with Second Kicks, working on CIBC Run for the Cure and wrapping Christmas presents at Ronald McDonald House to name a few. Variety is the spice of life and volunteering!
Now that Rachel has completed her 100 hours she is looking forward to taking 'Sad Piggy' home to proudly display! She knows that the most important part of this commitment has been promoting volunteering and Timeraiser, as she brags about all the awesome volunteer experience she has to pretty much anyone who well listen!
|
Photo by Alex Cairncross www.facebook.com/alexcairncrossphotographer
Artist Sandy Plotnikoff's piece "Silver Foil 10"
| Kamar was a successful winner at the 2012 Toronto Timeraiser. He has completed over 100 volunteer hours. Of his experience he writes:
"There is a French Proverb that I've always liked, but now that I have become a part of this wonderful program called Timeraiser, I have come to fully realize the depth of this proverb:
"What I kept, I lost and what I gave, I have"
I'm honoured to have been able to give, and in return feel that I received so much. This opportunity has enabled me to work shoulder to shoulder with some amazing people who so selflessly give of not only their time, but also of their heart!
We are all so caught up in our own everyday lives, our jobs, our desires to climb that corporate Ladder and get that big promotion with a corner office, that we forget the simple fact that we all live in a society together and are part of something far greater than we realize! We are part of a community and to be fully part of something we must not just take, we must also give! My new found ability, or should I say opportunity to give, has enriched my life in ways I had not anticipated. It has shown me that I can help with a smile, a hand shake and by simply being present. It's has shown me that volunteering can be free of cost, but rich in reward!
I have looked forward to each day I've spent at Habitat For Humanity and have been fortunate to take home the knowledge that I was part of a truly great organization. An organization that is working tirelessly at building a great community! I look forward to receiving my beautiful piece of artwork and I will make sure I hang it in a very special place in my home because to me it's a symbol of what it means to give!
I would like to thank everyone for this beautiful eye opening and rewarding time, I'm a better person now than before. I wish you all the very best and look forward to the opportunity to further work with your fine organization and continue to build a better community - our community!"
|
|
RSS Feed
