Deep Blue

Insights, ideas, and deep thoughts for fundraisers.

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We Invite You to Look Closer…

This powerful series highlights the life-changing impact of charities through stories of participants. See how community support fuels hope and transformation.

Blue Sea Foundation • October 31, 2024

Habitat for Humanity Braves the Cold

Through CNOY, this community raises vital funds that stay local, transforming lives one step at a time.

Blue Sea Foundation • October 30, 2024

CNOY x Micah Ministries – Together for Good

By uniting their community, Micah Ministries tripled their fundraising goal, turning their first CNOY event into a heartwarming success.

Blue Sea Foundation • October 28, 2024

BSF Video Feature Blog: Compass Refugee Centre

Through Ride for Refuge, Compass unites their community, raising awareness and vital funds.

Blue Sea Foundation • October 28, 2024

Meet The Ontario Finnish Rest Home – Delivering “Better Than Basic” Since 1970

Through The Grand Parade, this organization funds vital upgrades, creating a brighter future for their 400+ residents.

Blue Sea Foundation • October 26, 2024

BSF Video Feature Blog: Fort York Food Bank

CNOY has been a game changer for Fort York Food Bank, an organization that provides vital support way beyond food.

Blue Sea Foundation • October 25, 2024

CNOY Charity partner team

CNOY Essentials: Gather Your Team

As Event Director, your goal in this first week of your campaign is to strategically assemble the best possible team. Here’s how to do it.

Brian Carney • October 21, 2024

The #1 Metric Every P2P Fundraising Event Should Be Watching

Tracking these participant fundraising metrics will help you ensure your event grows an ever increasing culture of fundraising.

Brian Carney • February 2, 2024

The 30 Day Forecast: How to Calculate Your Expected Earnings

If you’ve done the work to recruit team captains, we’d go so far as to say, the last 30 days of your campaign can be confidently

Brian Carney • January 23, 2024

BC Housing’s Big Impact

BC Housing is all about home: making a positive difference in people’s lives and communities through safe, affordable, and quality housing. This organization goes above and

Kristy Guthrie • February 15, 2023

Skyline employees participate in Coldest Night of the Year

A Perfect Fit: The Story of Skyline & CNOY

For Skyline Group of Companies, “corporate social responsibility” is not simply something to check off a to-do list. It is proactively imagining – and re-imagining

Kristy Guthrie • January 10, 2023

church in town

A Gathering of Hearts – Anglicans in Action

Many Canadian churches are eager to be the presence of Christ in the world – kind, compassionate and generous. But they wonder, “how can we

Jim Heuving • January 4, 2023

Two Birds, One Challenge: Jim’s Top Tips for Efficiently Finding Captains, Challengers & Donors

The Challenge is a great way to hit two birds with one stone: it enables you to engage local businesses, churches, and community organizations while

Jim Heuving • December 29, 2022

Starbucks staff hand out coffee at a Coldest Night of the Year Event

Starbucks Takes To The Streets

Your job can be a lot of things: stressful, engaging, fulfilling, mundane, exhausting, challenging, uplifting to name a few. Mostly, it can be work. Work

Jen Taylor • November 23, 2022

Partners in Action: Starbucks

Starbucks is more than just a coffee shop. As an organization, they exist to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup,

Kristy Guthrie • November 22, 2022

Build it Better – Turkstra Lumber and CNOY

Turkstra Lumber doesn’t simply sell building supplies, they’re actively engaged in building communities across Ontario.

Jen Taylor • November 15, 2022

Who Wants to Go for a Walk?

“I’ll go for a walk.” It’s that simple. That simple, but with serious impact.

Jim Heuving • November 9, 2022

Charity Success Story: Armagh House & CNOY 2022

Under the leadership of Executive Director, Jannies Lee, Armagh House raised over $60,000 in their first year (!) hosting the Coldest Night of the Year

Kristy Guthrie • November 9, 2022

Charity Success Story: Operation Smile & CNOY 2022

Operation Sharing’s dynamic duo – Shawn Shapton, Executive Director, and Scott McKaugue, Volunteer Event Director – knocked it out of the park hosting the Coldest

Kristy Guthrie • November 9, 2022

A multigenerational group of folks participates in the Ride for Refuge

Bridging the Fundraising Gap: Go Further with Community Groups and Corporations

Bridges are incredible structures. Each is a feat of engineering, crossing an expanse that seems too big to broach and connecting people otherwise held apart.

Jim Heuving • October 30, 2022

From Lackluster to Blockbuster: Sherwood Care Raises Over $70,000 with The Grand Parade

When incredible organizations like Sherwood Care partners with the proven systems and support of The Grand Parade, magic happens!

Jen Taylor • May 1, 2022

Starbucks and CNOY: Warming Hands, Heads & Hearts Together Since 2011

Starbucks has been fueling countless commutes, endless study sessions, hectic post-work-get-the-kids-to-practice-and-make-dinner days, and flirty first dates in Canada since 1987. But the masters of the

Jen Taylor • November 22, 2021

Try These Team Captain Recruitment Supersets to Hit a New Personal Best

Team captain recruitment needs a little time and energy but it pays off big time. Results guaranteed.

Jen Taylor • October 29, 2021

Team Captain Love – A Little Attention Can Deliver Big Results

Team captains really are wonderful. And better yet, they are low maintenance, often living off the scraps of their meaningful experience in your event, or the

Brian Carney • September 8, 2021

7 High Impact Thank You Ideas for P2P Fundraisers

The impact of a sincere, well delivered thank you cannot be overstated. Whether you’re looking for some inspiration and new ideas, or somewhere to start, here

Brian Carney • August 15, 2021

6 Signs Your P2P Event Has a Culture of Fundraising

Building a successful fundraising culture in your p2p event takes planning, intentionality, and nerves of steel.

Brian Carney • August 11, 2021

Do You Have Enough Team Captains to Hit Your Fundraising Goal?

The leading indicator of your future success is tied to your team captain recruitment. 

Brian Carney • July 22, 2021

Sign Up: Summer Series

This Summer Series has been designed for all charities, not just those who are mid-campaign. Sign up for one, or all four of the Summer

Kristy Guthrie • June 17, 2021

What’s the Scoop on Corporate & Community Challenges?

Corporate and community engagement is a critical component of successful p2p fundraising events. By tapping into the business community, you’re able to reach more people,

Jen Taylor • June 8, 2021

Sponsorship & Fundraisers: Meet the Power Couple

Fundraising and sponsorship have gone together for decades. They are the ubiquitous power couple at every fundraising event. Have you ever been to a golf

Brian Carney • June 7, 2021

Our Proven Process For Team Captain Recruiting

Recruiting team captains to join your peer-to-peer (p2p) fundraising event isn’t complicated, but it does take some planning, strategizing, and determined follow-up. The most successful campaigns always

Brian Carney • May 21, 2021

Why Team Captains Are Your P2P Fundraising Campaign Fuel

Team captains are the leading indicator of your success as long as you recruit them properly with clear expectations.

Brian Carney • May 16, 2021

Important Reminders to Keep Yourself Sane & Your Event Successful

Whether you’re gearing up for RIDE, TGP, another event, or simply feeling like you need a pep talk, here are three important reminders that Event

Brian Carney • May 1, 2021

You Know You’re An Event Director If…

While a lot has happened on Earth in the past 12 months, one thing that hasn’t changed is that EVENT DIRECTORS (that’s you!!) are the

Brian Carney • February 2, 2021

Launch Party Planner (With Virtual Adjustments)

Whether online or in-person a campaign launch party is key to the overall success of your campaign.

Brian Carney • December 14, 2020

Why a Difficult Challenge Can Make Fundraising Easier

When people face a difficult challenge – when they put their blood, sweat, and tears into an event – they derive greater value from it.

Brian Carney • September 29, 2020

Why P2P Fundraising Events may be a Blessing for Your Board

What do P2P fundraising events have to do with your board falling in love with fundraising for your charity? Perhaps, more than you think…

Brian Carney • September 29, 2020

Donor Engagement 101 – Is Your Charity Acing Donor Engagement?

Do you have a donor engagement strategy? Your engagement strategy is part of your fundraising strategy, and the two are inextricably linked. You cannot have

Brian Carney • September 29, 2020