How do you turn $10,000 for charity into $110,000? Moosejaw, the quirky outdoor retailer, teamed up with Patagonia to offer $10,000 to the three environmental charities that raised the most money in the Moosejaw X Patagonia Charity Challenge Thing. In just two weeks the crowd-sourced funding raised over $110,000 for the 16 charitable groups.
Moosejaw used Facebook and Twitter to ask their customers to nominate their favorite environmental charities. From those nominations, The Patagonia Environmental Grants Council handpicked 16 charities to be a part of the project. With furious fundraising up until the last second of the contest, the final results were very close.
The League to Save Lake Tahoe, placed first by raising over $27,000, winning the $5,000 prize. Coming in at a close second and winning the $3,000 prize was The Leelanau Conservancy with over $26,000. The Michigan Land Use Institute, with $17,728, placed third in total funds raised and won $2,000 from Moosejaw and Patagonia.
Soon after the ranks were established, Bob Sutherland — owner the Michigan Cherry empire, Cherry Republic, pledged to match Moosejaw and Patagonia’s contributions to both Northern Michigan charities. After a late donation of $2,000, the extra $3,000 from Moosejaw and Patagonia, and a $3,000 match from Cherry Republic, the Leelanau Conservancy raised $34,567. The Michigan Land Use Institute came out with $21,728, with the extra $2,000 from Moosejaw and Patagonia, and a $2,000 match from Cherry Republic.
“Our mission for The Moosejaw X Patagonia Charity Challenge Thing wasn’t just to raise money for a cause, but also to drive engagement and gain exposure for the environmental issues that matter most to our communities,” explains Eoin Comerford, Moosejaw CEO.
Although the contest may be closed and the bonus donations have been awarded, you can still donate to the various charities through the project’s Crowdrise Page. Crowdrise is a crowd-sourced fundraising platform and if you’re considering a donation to any cause, just recall Crowdrise’s candid mantra, “If you don’t give back, no one will like you.”