How Mamre Oaks Successfully used Curated Gift Boxes for Fundraising
About Mamre Oaks
Mamre Oaks is a day centre for persons aged 16 and above with mild to moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) based in Singapore. Founded in 2015 by a group of friends, it is a non-profit organization and a member organization of Caritas Singapore. The founders believe that the weakest in any society, are gifts from God with their rights to a fulfilling life like anyone else.
At Mamre Oaks, the staff alongside volunteers engage members with different activities such as cooking, baking, arts & craft, music, and yoga to keep them active on a daily basis. The centre also organizes fun programmes to learn new skills and monthly outings.
Amidst the challenging COVID-19 times, the centre launched a campaign called MOVATHON from July 2021 to Dec 2021 which included a fundraising goal of SGD 150k.
Read on to learn more about the campaign, and how you can contribute to helping the centre reach its fundraising goal.
The Campaign
LET'S M.O.V.E
(MAMRE OAKS VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE)
Mamre Oaks’ Let’s M.O.V.E Campaign Poster
Image Credit: Mamre Oaks Instagram
Let's M.O.V.E is a fundraising campaign run by Mamre Oaks to raise funds for their social mission to care for adults aged 16 and above with intellectual and developmental disabilities who require a higher level of support. The idea behind the name Let's M.O.V.E is to encourage the public to join Mamre Oaks in the movement of moving with members and many others alike.
This campaign will be running from July to December 2021 and has 2 phases:
1. JULY TO SEPTEMBER: MOVATHON
The centre encouraged members of the public to walk, run, or and dance with friends, families, and colleagues.
To be a part of the MOVATHON,
a. Participants could move in any way they wanted-jogging, sit-ups, push-ups, dancing, Zumba, kickboxing with an intention of being a part of an impact for someone living with special needs or creating an inclusive community or a family member who is living with special needs
b. Before, during, or after the MOVE, participants had to take a selfie or a short video clip and share a post tagging Mamre Oaks’ Instagram handle @mamre_oaks_ltd and using the hashtags #movathon #mamreoaks #letsmove!
c. Spread the word to family, friends, colleagues, or neighbours and encourage one another to move!
Mamre Oaks co-founder Gerry with her hiker friends participates in the Let’s M.O.V.E campaign
Image Credit: Mamre Oaks Instagram
The purpose of MOVATHON was to encourage caregivers and individuals living with special needs to move and exercise. A good and simple workout whether at home or at a nearby park not only helps them in their fitness, but also their mental health.
2. NOVEMBER to DECEMBER: A SEASON OF GIFTING
Custom products in the specially curated gift boxes for Mamre Oaks Fundraising Campaign
Image Credit: Mamre Oaks
In the second phase of the LET’S M.O.V.E campaign, the centre along with its members designed and curated 500 special gift boxes for the season. The members created artworks that were transformed into merchandise such as socks, notebooks, and temporary tattoos, as well as handmade Hama bead creations.
These handicrafts and artworks are part of the centre’s day activity programme, to keep members positively engaged. The centre chose as wide a selection of these designs as possible, involving as many members as it could.
Priced at SGD 98 (special early bird promo @SGD 88), each gift box includes:
Custom Notebooks, Custom Socks, Temporary Tattoos, Handmade Hama Beads, and other goodies in the fundraising gift box.
Image Credit: Mamre Oaks
Response to the Gift Boxes:
Mamre Oaks sold all 500 of the gift boxes with the early bird promotion, within 3 weeks in Oct 2021!
Insights into the Campaign and its Impact
Team Gumtoo spoke to Kathy See, Admin Manager at Mamre Oaks to get more insights into the campaign and its impact.
According to Kathy, the campaign had a three-pronged approach:
1. To encourage adult persons with disabilities (PwID) to be more mobile- Apart from their intellectual disability, some PwID are born with physical defects or health problems including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, heart conditions, etc, which would prevent them from leading an active lifestyle. This becomes more apparent as their physical and adaptive functionality decline as they age;
2. To provide this platform for caregivers, siblings, family members, friends, neighbours, professionals in the field, and anyone and everyone (related and unrelated to the PwID) to reach out to the PwID to show their understanding acceptance, support, and affirmation of the PwID; and
3. To help raise funds for Mamre Oaks: The Season of Gifting and the Christmas Gift Box are part of fundraising and also to showcase the many talents and work of our members. Mamre Oaks staff, volunteers, and members have put together many creative items in this gift box. The centre is most pleased to see members' artworks translated into merchandise like notebooks; dress socks and tattoos. Members and staff worked hard in the past months making their very own homemade Hama beads.
This is the centre’s first venture into creating these gift boxes for fundraising for the year-end season of gifting. It took the centre 6 - 7 months from conceptualizing this idea of gift boxing to going live in Oct 2021. A special shout out to the talented entrepreneur Samantha Quek who curated the creative graphics for the campaign and sourced and executed the production of the merchandise for the gift boxes.
Kathy said, ‘'We hope this campaign is a step towards building the bridge between PwID and the individuals, community, and society at large. Serving this community for the last six years in Mamre Oaks, it has become more and more evident that much can be done to create an authentically inclusive society for PWIDs.”