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Charity Foundation “Children of Heroes” is launching Drive for the Future — a new corporate fundraising format that turns charitable contributions into an online race between company teams. Over the course of a month, companies and their employees will compete in a virtual race in which every contribution affects their car’s speed and the team’s final result.
Drive for the Future was created to engage both the company and its team in charitable giving. Employees can take part with their own contributions, jointly influence the race outcome, and, if they wish to continue their support after the finish, become monthly donors. Regular support is particularly important for the Foundation, as helping children and families is not a one-off matter — it requires a sustained, long-term resource.
Today, more than 17,000 children who have lost one or both parents as a result of the war are under the care of the “Children of Heroes” Foundation. The Foundation works with families on a long-term basis, helping to identify their needs and coordinating access to the support required — psychological, educational, medical and humanitarian. A child’s and family’s needs change over time, and the nature of the support they require changes with them.
Participants choose one of three virtual cars. Each contribution becomes a Speed Boost: $1 adds +1 km/h to the car’s speed for 0.1 seconds. The more contributions a team makes, the faster its car moves.
Team donations also unlock upgrades — wheels, a spoiler and an engine — which increase the car’s base speed. On the platform, participants can follow the race in real time, tracking their team’s results and the overall corporate leaderboard.
Participants can make a one-off contribution or join the Pit Crew as monthly donors. This allows them to continue supporting the children even after the online rally has ended.
Speed Boost accelerates the car during the race. Pit Crew sustains the Foundation’s work every month.
For participating companies, Drive for the Future is a ready-made employee engagement activation that combines charitable giving, team interaction and corporate communications. The Foundation provides ready-made materials for the internal launch of the campaign, and employees get a simple way to get involved together with their colleagues and see the shared result in real time.
We created Drive for the Future so that corporate support could bring the whole team together around a shared goal. The company gives the starting signal, and employees can join in with their own contributions, see the shared result, and, if they choose, continue their support after the race has finished. For the Foundation, this is an opportunity to attract both one-off contributions and people willing to support our work on a regular basis,
says Julia Lakomska.
Several packages are available for participation — from basic team sign-up to partnership with branding on the car and additional communications support from the Foundation.
The rally will conclude with the determination of a winning team: victory goes to the crew whose car covers the greatest distance thanks to contributions received. Following the campaign, the Foundation will also produce a final video case study featuring representatives of the winning companies.
Funds raised during the race will go towards supporting the Foundation’s core statutory activities. This is the team that helps families access the support they need every day — from psychological counselling and tutoring to catch up on schooling, to participation in camps and necessary medical treatment.
Companies wishing to bring their team together around a shared goal and join the Drive for the Future online rally can contact Julia Lakomska, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the “Children of Heroes” Foundation, to learn more about the race mechanics, available participation packages and the terms for launching the rally for their team.
Julia Lakomska, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Charity Foundation “Children of Heroes” Julia.Lakomska@childrenheroes.org
