The search for sponsors of the 32nd annual North Carolina Holiday Flotilla has already started, and the flotilla committee hopes the festival’s new charity element will encourage local businesses to lend support.
Last year, the festival secured its $10,000 CastleBranch/PPD/McGladrey title sponsorship after it agreed to donate $6,000 of those funds to D.C. Virgo’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Program. D.C. Virgo is federally designated a Title I school, serving a large low-income student population.
During the flotilla committee’s March 23 meeting, member Linda Brown said most big events these days benefit other causes. Businesses and people are more motivated to donate if at least part of the money goes to charity.
Flotilla committee chair Pres Davenport suggested bringing back last year’s charity title sponsorship, and extending the concept of giving back throughout the festival.
“People who are willing to be a fairly significant sponsor, they get a free boat entry . . . and part of the idea is they would be able to promote their business through that,” Davenport said. “But if they would rather promote a charity that they’re associated with, all the more better.”
While the children of D.C. Virgo’s STEM program will again benefit from the fundraising, committee members discussed ways to involve the kids in the festival itself in 2015.
Brown said they could be a part of the coloring contest at Festival in the Park. Committee member John Andrews suggested a group of kids, chosen by a performance-based academic contest, could ride on the title sponsor’s boat during the boat parade.
“Most of them haven’t been on a boat,” Davenport added.
Davenport said each committee member should reach out to 10 potential sponsors. CastleBranch director of marketing Jane Martin said the charity element should make securing sponsors much easier this year.
“For something like D.C. Virgo, it’s a STEM school, it’s low socio economic. … If you’ve got the money, honestly, how could you not really sponsor it? It’s huge.”
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