Phare Ponleu Selpak - Best Fundraising Event

Company: Phare Ponleu Selpak, Battambang, Cambodia
Company Description: Phare Ponleu Selpak was founded by Cambodian refugees to restore their country’s culture and education after its artists and teachers were murdered during the Khmer Rouge genocide. Phare educates more than 800 disadvantaged children annually and trains hundreds more in the arts, lifting whole families out of poverty. It is a key driver of Cambodia's social and cultural development.
Nomination Category: Event Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Cause & Green - Fundraising Event

Nomination Title: Phare into the future: a world record breaking fundraising event

The date on which this nominated event took place: 7th and 8th March 2021.

GENESIS/GOALS

Phare Ponleu Selpak was founded by refugees to restore Cambodia’s culture and education after its artists and teachers died in the 1970s genocide. It educates 800+ disadvantaged children and trains hundreds more in the arts, lifting families from poverty. Its animal-free circus previously fundedits life-saving programmes but COVID-19 closed performances, slashing Phare’s income by 60%.

Despite sweeping cuts, including voluntary salary reductions, Phare needed new funding to survive 2021. A virtual fundraising gala was proposed, but Phare hadn’t run one before and didn’t have wide, wealthy supporter networks. Creativity was needed to meet 3 goals:

GOAL#1: Grab international attention and raise $50,000 minimum
GOAL#2: Expand support within Cambodia, to fundraiseandincrease local circus attendance
GOAL#3: Showcase Phare’s creativity and resilience, increasing existing supporter commitment.

A bold, innovative idea was born: Phare would set aGuinness World Record for “World’s Longest Circus Show”. Phare would use this marathon of athleticism and artistry to generate enough traditional and social media buzz to grab global attention and draw people tovirtual viewing galaswhere they could watch, learn about Phare, and donate.

DEVELOPMENT

Guinness approved the record proposal and Phare and Enjoy Productions then assemblede online fundraising galas full of compelling virtual content, including videos, prize draws, and interviews with students, founders, celebrities.

The event was unprecedented in innovation and complexity for a local Cambodian NGO with limited resources so rigorous planning was essential. The team choreographed a schedule which met Guinness’ stringent criteria of professional 24-hour performing with no repetitions in front of an audience of 50 (even at 3am!). Necessary COVID-19 precautions added to the challenges.

With a $200 promotional budget, innovation was essential. Rather than create a new promo, an existing music video was adapted with added graphic text. This was accompanied by emotionally engaging content about Phare’s history, impact and students, promoted through social media and mailouts.

Innovative social media features such as Facebook Events and Facebook Live were employed alongside sophisticated targeting tools to reach new audiences and former Phare visitors. Cambodian mobile provider Cellcard became Event Sponsor, using in-country marketing clout to increase physical/virtual audiences. Finally, event-focused features splashed across Cambodian print/online media, vital free publicity.

RESULTS

GOAL#1: GLOBAL ATTENTION & FUNDRAISING.

Over 2,000 supporters from five continents joined the galas, donating $97,000+. Additionally, 4,000+ Cambodian donors contributed $30,000+, meaning we havea fundraising total of $127,000 - over double our target.This will keep Phare's programmes alive for six months, until performances can resume. It's the biggest single-event fundraising result in Phare’s 27-year history.

GOAL#2: EXPAND IN-COUNTRY SUPPORT.

The 24-hour record attempt was livestreamed on Cellcard's Facebook, generating 438,000 organic views. Including related videos, there were1,457,00 views.Content on Cambodian social media alone had areach of 11,600,000.

GOAL#3: DEMONSTRATE CREATIVITY & RESILIENCE.

Phare achieved its World Record, with a staggering 24-hour-10-minute show featuring 90 artists performing from 30+ circus productions. We increased our supporter base by thousands, driven by positive media and the thrill of watching history made.

Guinness is now reviewing extensive evidence - when they endorse, that will unleash new coverage and fundraising.

List the appropriate creative and production credits for this entry: Advertising Agency/City: Client: Art Director: Cinematographer: Creative Director: Designer: Director: Illustrator/City: Music Producer/City: Photographer/City: Printer/City: Producer: Production Company/City: Programmer: Writer: Web Development Firm/City:

Phare Ponleu Selpak - event lead and manager.
Jaime Gill of Box Clever Creative - concept and creative lead.
Lindsay Brown - project manager.
Enjoy Productions - gala hosts and managers.
Cellcard - partners and sponsors.
The artists of Phare Ponleu Selpak and Phare Social Enterprise - record-breaking performances.