I registered for a beginner pickleball class at my local YMCA. After I went to the first class, I quickly discovered why it is the fastest-growing sport in America. Easy to learn and fun to play, pickleball is enjoyable for people of all ages and athletic abilities.

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After playing for several weeks, I started to envision how a pickleball tournament could be a great fundraiser. Realizing this, I developed and presented a fundraising and event plan to my boss, the CEO of United Cerebral Palsy of Northeastern Pennsylvania (UCP of NEPA). She approved it, and Summit Slam was born.
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To reach a broader audience, I also developed two ancillary fundraisers tied to the tournament: the "Clink & Dink" happy hour mixer and a $1,000 prize raffle. At the mixer, which took place at a popular local restaurant, I worked with the owner to develop pickle-themed food and drink menus to offer along with the pub's popular selections. We also provided a free drink coupon to everyone who donated $10 to UCP of NEPA, and we continued selling tickets for the $1,000 prize raffle prize which had been well underway online and continued into the final hour of the tournament.

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To gather $1,000 worth of raffle prizes, I reached out to numerous high-end restaurants and specialty shops in our region to donate gift cards and baskets of various values. To encourage their participation, I offered a complimentary thank you post on our social media channels promoting their businesses.

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This project meant a great deal to me. It was the first original fundraiser I developed for UCP of NEPA, and I was grateful for the opportunity to create every part of it. It allowed me to use

• my creative skills to name it;

• design the event logos, a website, flyers, billboards, and social media images and videos to promote the fundraiser;

• my writing skills to craft the web and social media content, emails, sponsorship and player appeals, and publicity;

• and my organizational skills to select the venues for the tournament and mixer and create marketing plans as well as select the best avenues to reach our target audience.

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Following the event, we not only surpassed the fundraising totals of the organization's prior golf tournament, which this event replaced, but also did it with minimal cost.

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