Gateway for Cancer Research and Ahead Join Forces in Third Annual Chicago Charity Challenge
Gateway for Cancer Research, a Schaumburg-based nonprofit, is teaming up with the employees of Ahead, a Chicago-based IT services company, through the Chicago Charity Challenge (www.chicagochacha.org) to advance the nonprofit's mission of beating cancer.
Employees of Ahead will compete on behalf of the nonprofit to raise the most money and donate the most volunteer hours to support Gateway for Cancer Research's mission of funding innovative research worldwide that helps people living with cancer to feel better, live longer and conquer cancer TODAY.
Ahead and Gateway for Cancer Research are among the 16 teams participating in the Charity Challenge as it launches the 2016 competition-- a one-of-a-kind annual competition that rewards businesses and their employees for giving back.
The new and returning companies represent 11,349 employees throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. The company teams and their charity partners will be sparring to raise the most funds and volunteers the most service to their select nonprofits. Teams compete for cash prizes, which are donated to their select charity. View all Chicago Charity Challenge competitors at www.chicagochacha.org/challengers.
As a result of the Chicago Charity Challenge's friendly competition, corporations and their charity partners are accelerating workplace giving to nonprofits battling local issues of hunger, homelessness, poverty, disability, and disease. Employee teams are also building strategic partnerships that exponentially multiply giving efforts through meaningful, long-term relationships with their charities.
"The team roster for the 2016 Chicago Charity Challenge is made up of employee philanthropists with big hearts who promise to make a deep impact on Chicago communities," said Stacey Rago, Executive Director of the Chicago Charity Challenge. "These teams have what it takes to equal or exceed the millions raised by last year's Challenge winners."
In 2015, Chicago Charity Challenge participants collectively raised $14 million and volunteered 46,000 hours to aid critical issues affecting Chicago. In total, 581 qualifying nonprofits benefitted from the Chicago Charity Challenge, affectionately dubbed the Cha Cha.
Already during the first 2 months of the 2016 Chicago Charity Challenge, business/nonprofit teams have raised more than $5.5 million and over 9,500 hours of service as they try to beat last year's results. View their real-time giving results on the Chicago Charity Challenge team dashboard. The 2016 teams are:
• Ahead / Gateway for Cancer Research
• Associated Agencies / Jarrett Payton Foundation
• Astellas / Have Dreams
• Chicago Fire Soccer Club / Chicago Fire Foundation
• CNA / Chicago Lights
• GGP / Open Books
• Harley-Davidson Financial Services / Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
• Kolcraft / March of Dimes
• Latham & Watkins / Do the Write Thing
• Mesirow Financial / Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
• Motorola Mobility / Citizen Schools
• NCSA / The Sports Shed
• Paramount Staffing / Advocates for Adolescent Mothers
• PwC / Youth Outreach Services
• The Scion Group / Horizons for Youth
In addition to advising and supporting companies on how to multiply their giving efforts, the Chicago Charity Challenge provides teams with access to GiveTrak™ , a volunteer and fundraising management tool which enables companies to measure, track and report their employees' volunteer hours and donations in real time. With GiveTrak™, managers get insights into how employees prefer to invest in corporate giving initiatives, which strengthens the Charity Challenge's mission to simplify and accelerate employee philanthropy.
GiveTrak also lets anyone view competitors' progress online at anytime, which motivates teams to push for more contest participation. Prizes awarded for most hours logged, most money donated, and greatest impact incentivize contenders as they strive to benefit charity partners whose causes and values align with their own.
New Farm League Lets Rookies Have Fun While Doing Good
Companies that want to try out the Charity Challenge without making a full-fledged commitment now can participate through the new 2016 Charity Challenge Farm League. Understanding that it takes time for some companies to build a dream team of employee philanthropists, the Farm League (akin to baseball's Minor League) provides prospective Challengers the chance to give the Challenge a trial run, including an opportunity to try out the GiveTrak system.
Farm League teams can log quality practice time in GiveTrak in 2016, to come out swinging in 2017. They are also listed on www.chicagochacha.org and can track employees' contributions in GiveTrak through December 31. Farm League teams can potentially win special recognition for their team (or possibly a small grant for their charity partner). Organizations interested in starting a Farm Team should contact info@chicagochacha.org.
About Chicago Charity Challenge
The Chicago Charity Challenge is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that
accelerates giving to charity through a nonprofit volunteer and fundraising competition that teams businesses with nonprofits to motivate, support, and reward employee giving. Employees work together throughout the year to support causes and win monetary awards for their charity partner. Sponsors include Call One, MB Financial Charitable Foundation, BKD CPA's & Advisors, Mandell Menkes LLC, and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. For more information, go to http://www.ChicagoChaCha.org or follow Chicago Charity Challenge on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoCharityChallenge and on Twitter @ChicagoChaCha.