Face-Off for Social Good
Game mechanics and marketing are being put to use in a revolutionary format that leverages the excitement of a bracket-style tournament to raise awareness and funds for nonprofits. Each March for the past two years, Brackets For Good has hosted a tournament for nonprofits to participate in, at no cost.
Picture the annual NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but replace the teams with nonprofit organizations. 
Nonprofits advance through the tournament by scoring more points than their opponent — 1 point equals $1 donated on bracketsforgood.org. Participating organizations keep the funds raised in each round, regardless of advancement. Sponsor-provided funds are awarded to round winners and the tournament winner receives a grand prize. Even more exciting, participating nonprofits’ missions become better known and new donors are recruited.
It was the final hours of Round 2 of the annual Brackets For Good, competitive fundraising tournament. Nonprofits, Kiwanis Foundation of Indianapolis, Inc. and Children’s Bureau, Inc. were facing off. Each had rallied enough support from existing and new donors to raise thousands of dollars/points for their causes. With only hours remaining, Kiwanis was behind; 1,765 points to Children Bureau’s 2,703. Kiwanis supporters mounted a Round 2 record setting rally with 22 donations totaling $3,255. However, the Children’s Bureau kept the score close with 17 donations of their own. With a few buzzer beater donations in the final minutes totaling $605, the Children’s Bureau squeaked out the win and advanced to the Supported Sixteen (Round 3). Despite being eliminated early in the tournament, Kiwanis Foundation of Indianapolis raised $6,986 to support their mission and generated untold new awareness of their cause. Beyond the Kiwanis and Children’s Bureau match-up, $45,626 was raised in the final day of Round 2 of the tournament.
The competition and excitement of the ‘game’ is creating incredible value for participating nonprofits and corporate sponsors. This year, 64 nonprofits are competing for a grand prize of $10,000, donated by Title Sponsor, Valeo Financial. It’s expected that in total, the tournament will raise nearly half a million dollars. Nonprofts are engaging existing donors and reaching new ones. Corporate sponsors like MOBI, a software and services company that helps organizations manage mobility, use the tournament as a way to encourage employees to engage in philanthropy and as a way to support 64 local charities.
Get in on the action here: indianapolis.bracketsforgood.org. The tournament runs until April 4th. To learn more, visit bracketsforgood.org. Follow on Twitter at @BracketsForGood and #BFG14.
