Questions are being raised by members of the Drumheller Town Council about the effectiveness of the fundraising strategy for the Badlands Community Facility.
At the September 17 meeting of the Committee of the Whole, some felt it was time to reevaluate the success of the fundraising campaign.
“Time continues to pass without significant additional results. The campaign cabinet had a herculean task, in difficult economic times, but they also had professional consultation and a plan we all endorsed,” said Councillor Jay Garbutt.
“The results, thus far, have fallen short of the goals. To me that would indicate the necessity of a joint meeting between our council and the cabinet. In my mind we missed out on the greatest swing in public opinion on the facility in its first few months of opening. We missed out on the chance to do whole fundraising events in those crucial first few months.”
The Director of Community Services, Paul Salvatore, reported there were several events ongoing or in the works, such as the brick campaign, where donors who donate more than $250 can have their names and a message inscribed on a brick in the upcoming Legacy Donor Patio.
Other ideas raised by the cabinet, according to Salvatore, include an elegant dinner, another alumni hockey game, and a festival of trees where Christmas trees would be auctioned off.
Fundraising efforts for the facility began in November 2009 with a Calgary Flames alumni charity game. By March 2010, The Mail reported $1.7 million had been committed to the construction of the facility.
To help with the whole process of fundraising, the Town contracted Nine Lions Development Consulting in November 2010 for $233,000.
In the two years since then, efforts have managed to collect over half of the fundraising goal. Salvatore, estimated at least $3.3 million had been donated so far.
The fundraising goal was set at $6 million for the first phase of the facility, which opened in March of this year.
“We are charged as community leaders with having open, frank conversations about many difficult topics that inherently have the capacity to offend. This one is no different…we’re talking about evaluating the results of volunteers who have given so much of themselves to the project,” said Garbutt. “However, the necessity of success cannot be understated, we simply have to succeed.”
“I’m not talking about evaluating the efforts of volunteers…but, I strongly believe we owe it to them and the rest of the community to have a conversation about the results of the campaign thus far.”
As a result of the discussion, Town Council is arranging a meeting with the campaign cabinet and consultants in early October.
“I want to hear directly from the cabinet that they either do or do not continue to have the resources they need, they do or do not have the manpower they need,” said Garbutt. "...and, most importantly, do they or do they not have the passion and energy the position demands.”