The United Way of Southern Cameron County’s second annual United We Give online fundraiser was a success.
That’s according to Michael Limas, campaign chair for two years running. This year’s campaign was made up of two parts: a cocktail competition at Las Ramblas at Market Square, the cocktail lounge Limas co-owns with his brother Fabian, and the 4 1/2-hour Facebook Live telethon held on Dec. 22. Together the events raised between $15,000 and $16,000, with the telethon sponsors responsible for more than 75 percent of donations, Limas said.
The cocktail competition, with all the entry fees going directly to UWSCC, raised a little over $3,000 during the drive, which also featured a silent auction of items donated from local businesses, he said.
“In my opinion it was a success,” Limas said. “Of course we would have always liked more. But considering the circumstances, the landscape, it’s a huge win for United Way. Overall I think it went really well.”
Limas and UWSCC’s Wendy De Leon organized the event , which he said was a success in part because it allowed the community groups United Way supports to introduce themselves to the public during the live even t.
“I think the biggest thing on top of the monetary donations is the exposure for a lot of the nonprofits that I was interviewing,” Limas said. “A lot of folks don’t realize that United Way funds over 15 other nonprofits in the area. … It’s a double win, because those folks need help, just like United Way does.”
The telethon featured city leaders discussing economic development, plus interactive Christmas coffee- and cocktail-making segments with 7th & Park coffee shop and Las Ramblas, respectively, he said.
“We brought in some animals that are up for adoption through Brownsville Animal Defense and got folks to understand the commitment level it takes when adopting or fostering,” Limas said. “A lot of folks aren’t familiar with Brownsville Animal Defense. It’s a great organization, always in need of volunteers.”
He strives to inject an education al aspect to the telethons to show viewers “what’s happening in our own backyard,” he said. Limas said last year’s online fundraiser drew between 3,000 and 4,000 viewers, and that he expects about the same number this time, though the exact numbers won’t be checked for a few weeks. A substantial portion of total viewers watch it after the livestream has run, Limas said.
He said the platform is popular with the sponsors, who take turns sponsoring 30-minute segments during the telethon. Each business gets a commercial and can choose to feature a company representative to talk about the business, Limas said. While UWSCC’s online telethon was borne out of necessity last year as the pandemic raged, it’s probably here to stay, since it’s a low-cost, high-tech way to reach a large audience of potential donors, he said.
“I feel optimistic that they’ll continue it next year as well,” Limas said. “We just have a lot of fun with it.”
