Lessons from the Kiwanis Polar Dip
The Kiwanis Club of Tysons adopted an existing event and turned it into a successful fundraiser.
By Jeffrey Wolff, event chair, Kiwanis Club of Tysons Polar Dip
Want to raise money for your club, but struggling to find a successful project? At the Kiwanis Club of Tysons, Virginia, U.S., we’ve benefited from maintaining partnerships and connections in the community: Our club of about 25 members has transformed a preexisting “polar dip” into a major fundraiser.
With the right preparations and a suitable body of water, it’s the kind of event that other clubs can replicate.
The Kiwanis Polar Dip is an annual event in which teams and individuals jump into Lake Anne in February to raise money for charity. The event was previously held by Camp Sunshine, which provides free getaways to children with illnesses and their families. After participating as a team, our club worked with Camp Sunshine to assume responsibility for the event and turn it into a Kiwanis fundraiser.
While it requires an “all hands on deck” approach on the day of the event, much of the work — such as recruiting jumpers — can be done from home beforehand. The club just needs to find a place to hold the event, coordinate logistics and set up a website for donations. The Kiwanis name itself adds to donor confidence, making it easier to secure sponsorships and donations.
Learning and adapting
Our club had more manpower than the individual who ran the event for Camp Sunshine, but our biggest challenge was to learn everything she’d figured out over the previous 15 years — including vendor relationships and the complicated web of organizations that had to be contacted to make the event happen.
Another key to success was adding a sense of friendly competition. For instance, a leaderboard on the event website tracks how much individuals and teams have raised. We find that you raise more money when you spur competition between jump teams. In addition, the event day has a party-like atmosphere, featuring a DJ and face painting, which make it a fun experience for the participants and the hundreds of spectators.
The goal for our first year managing the Polar Dip was to raise US$25,000. In just its second year, the event has grossed almost US$50,000. Those funds help fulfill our club’s dual mission: to support the 11 Service Leadership Program (SLP) clubs we sponsor — nine Key Clubs, one CKI club and one K-Kids club — and to fight food insecurity in Northern Virginia. In the past, the Kiwanis Polar Dip had solely supported Camp Sunshine. But to support our mission as well, we added Food for Neighbors, which provides meals for middle school and high school students, as a major beneficiary of the event
The event also has received significant community support, with roughly 60-70 jumpers and 150-200 spectators. It also has been featured on the front page of local newspapers. The success of the Kiwanis Polar Dip has had a positive impact on the Kiwanis Club of Tysons, increasing its visibility and fostering a greater sense of success and involvement with local beneficiaries and the community.
