Ghostbusters Raise $40k on Behalf of Starlight Children’s Foundation

Mission

Deliver happiness to seriously ill kids and their families

Challenge

Inspire supporters to deepen their involvement in the cause beyond one-time donations

Solution

Fully integrate Classy’s peer-to-peer solution into their fundraising strategy to make it easy and accessible for anyone to fundraise on their behalf

“This campaign proved the power of grassroots fundraising. Don’t hesitate to engage your communities with strategic peer-to-peer initiatives.”

– Madison Shearer, Senior Manager, Fundraising and Events

Peer-to-Peer Campaign Results:

$40k+

raised

20

teams formed

1,000

hospital gowns delivered

Starlight Children’s Foundation provides colorful hospital gowns, toys, video games, and gaming stations to seriously ill children in hospitals across the country.

Who Ya Gonna Call? The LA Ghostbusters!

For many hospitalized children, one of the most stressful experiences is transitioning from their personal clothes into a hospital gown. That’s why Starlight Hospital Gowns, designed with recognizable characters, help ease anxieties, provide comfort, and ultimately bring a sense of happiness!

Studies show that happiness can help hospitalized patients recover faster and with fewer complications. Starlight Children’s Foundation and the Los Angeles Ghostbusters, a cosplay group that provides fans with an authentic Ghostbusters experience, teamed up to deliver happiness to support the recovery of hospitalized children.

The two organizations connected when the LA Ghostbusters decided they wanted to rally behind a good cause to do something more meaningful. Starting out with small acts of fundraising on behalf of the nonprofit, like DipJars at conventions and an event at a Star Wars-themed bar that raised $12,000, the Ghostbusters were eager to do more.

Starlight has established corporate partnerships in the entertainment industry, but they had never worked with Sony Pictures. When they reached out to the entertainment giant with the idea to create Ghostbusters-themed hospital gowns, the film studio was all for it.

We often limit ourselves to thinking that corporate giving is all about large donations. Sometimes, it’s about securing a brand’s support or their stamp of approval. That’s enough to excite and rally communities around a shared purpose.
Madison Shearer
Senior Manager, Fundraising and Events

Marshmallow Man holding a Ghostbusters hospital gown

Don’t Sleep on Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

The LA Ghostbusters worked with Starlight to activate Classy’s peer-to-peer fundraising platform and recruited over 20 Ghostbusters groups around the country (and one in Italy!) to reach a wider network of donors.

Tapping into niche fandom communities through podcasts, online forums, conventions, and more, the Ghostbusters groups started fundraising in the fall of 2022. By March 2023, they had reached their goal of raising $40,000. Enough to fund 1,000 Ghostbusters-themed hospital gowns and one gaming station.

In June 2023, the Ghostbusters-themed hospital gowns were delivered to many hospitals, including some that care for medically underserved and vulnerable patients and in cities where Ghostbusters groups fundraised. This ensured groups saw the local impact of their hard work.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyv4W0TO4JL/

Year-Round Starlight Advocates

Starlight is planning a multi-pronged grassroots fundraising strategy, with the Ghostbusters and other fan groups playing a key role. The plan is to incorporate these groups as permanent players in their peer-to-peer fundraising efforts.

With year-end on the horizon, Starlight is focused on optimizing its donation and fundraising processes. They’re working on refreshing their website and will simplify the giving process for everyone involved with embedded donation forms.

Coming soon, Classy’s new customizable campaign builder, Campaign Studio, will allow Starlight to tell their story and those of their fundraisers with less stress and more impactful results.