The Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article describing how a committed donor raised $21,000 over three nights for her organization and brought in new donors by hosting an interactive mystery party. Is this model of fundraising an option for Free and Charitable Clinics and Pharmacies?
According to the article, the organization was the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health. The donor, Katie Weitz, was motivated to support the College because it addressed "equity issues and health disparities, preventing diseases, screenings, cancer, vaping, sexually transmitted diseases," among other social issues. With a committee, she chose to host an interactive mystery that followed public health lines. Rather than the typical murder mystery game, Weitz's game featured the detective work involved in tracking and preventing the spread of disease in a community. She hoped that this theme would get new community members excited about and engaged in public health.
The production invited attendees to attend a performance, called The Puzzling Plague, and then use clues to solve puzzles, identify the geographic areas of the city affected by the disease, and consider the types of public health measures that could reduce the spread of the disease in the community.
In order to execute this event, Weitz and her planning committee used their networks to bring in attendees. Each night of the event targeted a slightly different audience, such as young professionals. The Dean of the College of Public Health brought it all together in the end with only five minutes of a summary of the school's work. "At the end of the evening, we couldn't get people to leave the room; people were so engaged." In addition to the cash raised, 231 donors contributed to the event. The school developed a plan to reach out to new donors to identify their interests and continue to provide communications to them.
This effort represents a possible option as an alternative or addition to conventional fundraising dinners and golf tournaments. But do Free and Charitable Clinics and Pharmacies have the bandwidth to take on a project like this?
On the one hand, Weitz hired a playwright to come up with a public health mystery, engaged actors, and found a venue that could host the event. The article does not mention the cash outlay or the timeline that was required to prepare this event. Moreover, Weitz was a volunteer with a committee, not a staff person. The time and upfront costs of such a project would be a consideration for safety net organizations.
On the other hand, many Free and Charitable Clinics and Pharmacies already use similar models to host their fundraising events, leaving the possibility that project leadership, cash, and facilities may already be available through existing budgets or relationships.
It would be interesting to explore if the project could involve collaboration with other community organizations, such as theater or arts councils, which could open Free and Charitable Clinics and Pharmacies to new volunteers and donors active in the arts scene and similarly promote their services among organizations with whom they may not have regular relationships. Similarly, the Free and Charitable Clinic or Pharmacy could promote the events and efforts of the arts' organizations to its audience and identify other ways to support their partners.
Instead of a theme of "prevent the disease from spreading," a Free or Charitable Clinic or Pharmacy could offer the theme of "navigating the health system without insurance," another compelling mystery that would allow more privileged audiences to walk in the shoes of their patients and understand the importance of charitable healthcare in the community.
The interactive mystery at the University of Nebraska certainly invites us to open our minds about how we raise awareness of our missions and how we can bring more minds to the table, not just to contribute financially but to participate actively in solving the community problem of access to healthcare.
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