We spoke with Calvin to learn more about the campaign.
Why did you decide to do this fundraiser? What was your motivation?
Partnering with the Royal Canadian Legion aligns perfectly with what the Canadian Premier League represents, a League by Canadians for Canadians. We’re proud to honor and acknowledge the veterans who served our nation both during times of conflict and on peacekeeping missions. As a coast-to-coast League, we felt it was the perfect alignment to show our support for the Legion and salute the millions of Canadians from coast to coast who proudly wear their poppies each November.
Is this the first time you’ve collaborated with the Legion?
This is the first year that we’ve partnered up with the Legion. We produced limited edition jerseys that featured the Poppy on them. Our players wore these jerseys in designated Remembrance Day matches, and those jerseys were auctioned off in support of the local Poppy Trust Fund. Each player signed their jerseys, making them collectible items for the fans.
Have you always had a give-back initiative?
Community engagement has been a core value of the Canadian Premier League since the very beginning. From the local culture and history that infused each club’s unique identity to the many supporters’ groups who mobilized and unified long before a football was even kicked on their home field. Focusing on making a powerful impact on the community, helping to bring positive change and building a healthy relationship between our eight clubs and their communities is of the utmost importance. Whether it be in-season or in the new pandemic world we live in, community engagement is a priority for all the Canadian Premier League Clubs. Our #WeAreOneCommunity is a league-wide platform that highlights all of the efforts that players, coaches, the clubs and the league are making.
What brought you to Kambeo? How did you find us?
This was the first time we have done an online auction, so we searched for auction sites, and Kambeo was one of the ones that checked a lot of the boxes. I followed up by doing some research, and then I discovered that Kambeo had the option of getting a live demo. You had a live person rather than a chatbot to explain the platform, which could answer my questions in real time. I had never run an online auction before, and Kambeo was able to answer my questions which for me was a huge factor in why we chose to use Kambeo. Having Christian was great. We had questions that came up, and he was responsive and always had the answers. He made sure that he was there when we were launching. If anything went wrong, he was active and ready to help. That was a big part of it, too —knowing that it was the first time for us to use the platform, knowing that there was always someone there who had our back, really made a difference.
What was your final tally in what you were able to raise?
We raised over $22,000 for the local Poppy Trust Fund, which was great. We had 100% sell-through. We had eight teams and around 16-17 jerseys per team (approximately 130 jerseys), and every single jersey had a bidder. We also received some positive feedback from fans anecdotally on social media. The fan engagement was extremely positive and supportive and an initiative that resonated with our supporters from coast-to-coast.
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