The Stokes Me Surfers Helping Humans fundraising campaign runs through Tuesday, Oct. 30th. SIMA Humanitarian Fund President Ross Garrett and SIMA Communications Manager Mandy Lausché update us on the progress made during this innovative online challenge.
How is the campaign going as you enter the final days?
Mandy: The teams are doing great! We had a strong last few days and we’re almost at $60,000. There’s nothing like a deadline to get people motivated!
Editor’s note: Since we spoke to Mandy and Ross late Friday, Stokes Me topped $60,000 over the weekend and the total funds raised continues to grow.
What are the teams doing to raise awareness of the campaign?
Mandy: Our teams and individual fundraisers are using social media innovative ways to motivate their donors!. We’ve seen so many explosions of interest on team and individual pages.
For example, Rip Curl is giving away a Flash Bomb wetsuit to the top fundraiser on their team. Quiksilver just posted that they will be giving their top fundraiser a Clay Marzo surfboard.
Another good example is Ocean Minded – they are offering a free pair of sandals to people who donate $100 for their team. Their New Wave Surf Ambassador Avery Aydelotte started her own personal page and posted her own video about a friend who was in an accident – her fans and friends are lovin’ on that.
Jason Mraz posted on facebook about Stokes Me – he does a ton of work with Life Rolls On – the post grows every day and has over 2300 likes. Volcom also posted a great photo of a child from a Life Rolls On charity event. It’s a great way to promote giving back.
How are the teams doing?
Ross: The final days are really spurring the competitive spirit. Yesterday, Hurley made the leader board and bumped Billabong off the top six teams. I think we’ll see a lot of movement on the board in the next four days.
The teams are putting the pedal to the metal on getting their donations in. The success they are having is really something the surf industry and surfers can be proud of.
