Overview
Wellandopoly was a community fundraising campaign that transformed familiar Welland businesses and landmarks into properties on a locally inspired board game.
Working alongside the BIA’s Executive Director, I managed business outreach, supported sponsorship development and promoted the campaign through social media and email marketing. The campaign secured participation from 36 Welland business owners and generated more than $30,000 to support the promotion and continued development of Downtown Welland.
The final board gave residents a familiar and interactive way to support the downtown while helping participating businesses gain visibility within the community.
ROLES
Marketing Coordinator
Community Development Coordinator
My Process
The Downtown Welland BIA needed a creative way to generate funding while also promoting local businesses and building greater community interest in the downtown.
1. Building the business partnership strategy
I worked with the Executive Director to identify potential business partners and determine how they could be represented within the game. We developed an outreach approach that explained the campaign, the sponsorship opportunity and how participation would contribute to the promotion of Downtown Welland.
2. Connecting directly with business owners
The executive director and I contacted business owners directly to introduce Wellandopoly, explain the sponsorship opportunity and invite them to secure a property on the board.
These conversations required me to clearly communicate the campaign’s purpose, respond to questions and build confidence in an initiative that was still being developed.
Through this outreach, the campaign secured participation from 36 Welland business owners, giving the board a strong mix of recognizable local businesses and community representation.
3. Coordinating sponrships
Once businesses committed to the campaign, I supported the collection and organization of the information needed to include them on the board.
This involved maintaining communication with participating owners, confirming business details and helping ensure that each sponsor was accurately represented in the final product.
4. marketing to the community
I promoted Wellandopoly through the BIA’s email and social media channels to build awareness, introduce participating businesses and encourage residents to support the campaign.
The marketing focused on the local nature of the game and the opportunity for residents to interact with familiar businesses in a fun and recognizable format.
THE RESULT
Wellandopoly brought 36 local businesses together and generated more than $30,000 in monetary contributions for the Downtown Welland BIA.
The campaign created promotional visibility for participating businesses, strengthened relationships between the BIA and local business owners and gave residents a new way to support and engage with the downtown.
The funds contributed to the BIA’s broader marketing and economic-development efforts, helping the organization continue promoting Downtown Welland as a place to visit, shop and invest in.
SKILLS AQUIRED
Partnership Development
Built relationships with local business owners and communicated how Wellandopoly could create value for both their businesses and the wider downtown.
Campaign Marketing
Promoted the campaign through social media and email communications to increase community awareness, interest and support.
Sponsorship Outreach
Contacted prospective sponsors directly, presented the opportunity and secured participation from 36 Welland businesses.
Stakeholder Communication
Maintained communication with participating business owners, confirmed campaign details and helped ensure each sponsor was represented accurately.
Fundraising Strategy
Supported a creative fundraising model that generated more than $30,000 for downtown promotion and economic-development initiatives.
Economic Development
Used partnerships, promotion and community participation to increase local business visibility and support the continued growth of Downtown Welland.