YSB Foundation is honoured for fundraising innovation
OTTAWA, November 11, 2021 —Last night at the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Ottawa Philanthropy Awards ceremony, the YSB Foundation received the Award for Innovation in Fundraising.
This one-time award recognizes an individual philanthropist or volunteer, business, group, foundation, charity, or other organization who transformed the way they work or give, in response to the covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re deeply honoured to receive this recognition from AFP Ottawa, and are grateful to KPMG and Bell for the nomination,” says Patti Murphy, Executive Director of the YSB Foundation. “We accept this award with pride, and with a deep appreciation for the work of all non-profits and businesses during these uncertain times, and with gratitude to our donor community.”
Foundation Board Chair Isabelle Perreault adds, “This recognition acknowledges the innovation and resilience of the Foundation team as they successfully increased the visibility of YSB’s essential services for youth and their families throughout the pandemic.”
The whole world had to adapt to the pandemic, and the needs of vulnerable youth became that much more urgent during this time. The YSB Foundation moved quickly to reimagine their annual fundraising event and youth mental health event series to operate safely within virtual environments.
Innovations included an expanded digital fundraising approach, a complete overhaul of their large, in-person annual YSB SleepOUT for Youth event, which was rebranded as Stay Up Ottawa and transitioned to being fully bilingual. The YSB Foundation also embraced online interactive events to reach audiences for their Mind Matters youth mental health series. The Award for Innovation in Fundraising is sponsored by the RBC Foundation.
About the Youth Services Bureau Charitable Foundation
The Youth Services Bureau (YSB) Charitable Foundation’s role is to inspire, motivate, and link donor and community support to invest in the programs and services of YSB, one of the largest and most comprehensive non-profit agencies serving youth in Ottawa. YSB offers more than 30 programs and serves 3,000 youth and families every month in the areas of youth engagement, housing and homelessness, mental health, youth justice and employment.
-30-
Contact:
Suzanne Fraser, Youth Services Bureau
sfraser@ysb.ca, 613-277-7103