It’s the time of year for sharing, and DDB Canada staffers recently shared their talents – whether musical, artistic or culinary, etc. – for a good cause.
Originally launched in its Vancouver office six years ago, the agency’s annual “Share DDB” fundraiser expanded this year to include its offices in Toronto and Edmonton. The event features a silent auction in which both donated items and original creations by DDB staffers are sold to the highest bidder.
This year’s event raised more than $37,000 for four charities: the James Lee Foundation, Camp Oochigeas in Toronto, Vancouver’s Covenant House and The Hope Mission in Edmonton.
“It was just the notion that we should create our own event – not just write cheques or do our thing for United Way or NABS, which we will continue to do,” said DDB Canada president and chief operating officer David Leonard.
Originally conceived as an “art crawl” to showcase the artistic talents of DDB employees, Share DDB has evolved – with the help of DDB’s client and supplier partners – to include auction items ranging from home-baked treats for a week to a personalized shopping lesson from a young fashionista and a professional snowboarding lesson complete with lift tickets and lunch.
Leonard himself got into the act, auctioning off a race in his boat followed by dinner at the prestigious Oakville Club.
“It’s pretty remarkable when you see what people are capable of outside of the craft of advertising,” said Leonard. “It comes out of the accounting department, it comes out of production – it’s not just the creative staff, who are naturally into all these endeavours. It’s the widest variety of people who are creating such great items.”
Various DDB clients and suppliers also contributed to the initiative, which has raised close to $100,000 for charity since its inception.
Having a holiday party? Get a strange gift from a client? E-mail us photos, videos or send an old-fashioned written missive to tell us what you’ve got on the go during the festive season. We’ll feature selected parties and projects online at MarketingMag.ca and in our Daily e-newsletters throughout the month of December.
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