Gear for Good: A Corporate Fundraiser for NDTR with Cooler Bags in Canada

As the calendar turns to September, Canadian companies face a crucial and sensitive question: how do we meaningfully observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation? There is a deep desire to show support, yet a valid fear of any gesture being perceived as performative. 

Instead of another corporate gift, what if we empowered the whole team to support a cause together? This is the thinking behind a new approach: a corporate-facilitated fundraiser. Centered around a desirable, high-quality product like one of our cooler bags in Canada, this model offers a respectful and effective way to transform good intentions into collective action.

The Power of Purpose-Driven Action: Why a Fundraiser with Cooler Bags in Canada Works

This fundraising model does more than just sell a product; it transforms that product into a vehicle for positive change. By adopting this approach, a company can achieve several powerful outcomes that a traditional gift simply cannot match. 

This creates a campaign with clear, measurable benefits for the chosen cause, for the employees who participate, and for the company culture as a whole. Here’s a closer look at why this model is so effective:

  • It Provides Tangible, Direct Support: A successful fundraiser results in a direct financial contribution to an organization doing vital work in the field of reconciliation. This is a concrete, measurable outcome that goes beyond symbolic gestures.

  • It Empowers and Engages Employees: This model allows your team to become active participants. By choosing to purchase a product, they are making a personal contribution to the cause. This creates a sense of agency and shared ownership in the initiative, fostering a deeper connection to the day's meaning.

  • It Builds Community Around a Shared Goal: Working together to raise funds for a worthy cause is a powerful team-building exercise in itself. It unites a workforce around a positive, selfless objective. A desirable and practical item, like the versatile 20L Sauble Soft Cooler Backpack, serves as the perfect vehicle for this campaign. It’s a high-quality product that people genuinely want, making participation enthusiastic and widespread.

Facilitate a campaign with purpose. Discover our product collection at Chilly Moose.

Choosing the Right Partner: A Critical Step for Authenticity

The success and integrity of your fundraiser will depend entirely on the organization you choose to support. This step requires careful and respectful research. The goal is to ensure the funds raised from the sale of your cooler bags in Canada are directed to an Indigenous-led organization whose work is impactful and aligned with the spirit of reconciliation.

  • Research Indigenous-Led Organizations: It is important that the chosen charity is governed and run by Indigenous people, ensuring the funds support self-determined initiatives. Excellent, nationally recognized organizations include the Orange Shirt Society, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, and the Native Women's Association of Canada.

  • Consider Local Impact: In addition to national organizations, consider partnering with a local Friendship Centre or an Indigenous community organization in your specific region. Supporting a local group can make the fundraiser feel more immediate and connected to the community where your employees live and work.

  • Be Transparent with Your Team: Clearly communicate to your employees which organization you are partnering with and why. Share information about their mission, their work, and how the funds will be used. This transparency is crucial for building trust and enthusiasm for the fundraising campaign.

Partner with purpose. Let us help you find the right products for your initiative at Chilly Moose.

The Challenge of Corporate Action on NDTR

For any company, navigating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation presents a unique set of challenges. The fundraiser model, however, is elegantly designed to address and overcome many of these common hurdles.

  • The Challenge of Authenticity: The primary concern for any corporation is avoiding the "performative trap." A fundraiser inherently addresses this by shifting the focus from the company's brand to the partner organization. The company is the facilitator, but the cause is the hero. The funds raised are a clear, authentic gesture of support.


  • The Challenge of Employee Engagement: How do you get your team to actively care about a corporate initiative? A fundraiser for a high-quality, desirable product creates a powerful "win-win." Employees get a fantastic piece of gear they want, like the spacious 40L Sauble Soft Cooler Backpack, while knowing their purchase makes a difference. This creates enthusiastic participation.

  • The Challenge of Measuring Impact: Unlike soft gestures, a fundraiser has a clear and powerful metric for success: the total amount of money raised. This provides a tangible outcome that can be celebrated by the team and proudly shared as a measure of the company's collective impact.

Turn challenges into impactful action. Start planning your campaign with Chilly Moose.

A Practical Playbook for Your Fundraiser

Organizing a successful internal fundraiser is straightforward with a clear plan. The key is to make participation as easy and engaging as possible for your employees.

  • Set a Clear and Inspiring Goal: Start with a specific objective. For example, "Our goal is to sell 200 items and raise over $5,000 for our partner organization." A clear target gives everyone something to work towards.

  • Offer a Good Selection of Products: While a specific cooler bag might be the hero item, offering a few high-quality products at different price points can increase participation. Consider including smaller, accessible options like the 9L Cabot Cooler Cube or the 16L Bowen Cooler to ensure there's something for every budget.

  • Communicate the "Why" Powerfully: The success of the campaign hinges on storytelling. Launch the fundraiser with a compelling internal announcement that focuses on the incredible work of your chosen charity partner. Share their story, their mission, and the direct impact the funds will have.

  • Make Participation Effortless: Set up a simple online portal or order form where employees can easily view the products and make their purchase. Provide clear deadlines and regular updates on progress towards the fundraising goal to maintain momentum and excitement throughout the campaign.

  • Consider a Corporate Match: To supercharge engagement and double your impact, consider implementing a corporate matching program. Announce that the company will match every dollar raised by employees through their purchases of the fundraising items. This powerful commitment shows a deep level of corporate investment in the cause, encourages higher participation, and creates a tremendous sense of shared achievement when the final, doubled donation amount is announced to the team.


An Action-Based Path to Partnership

The journey of reconciliation requires sincere, sustained, and meaningful action. For corporate Canada, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a call to move beyond passive acknowledgment toward active partnership. 

A corporate-sponsored fundraiser is a powerful, modern, and respectful way to answer that call. It transforms a product like one of our high-quality cooler bags in Canada into a tool for tangible change, empowering your entire team to be part of a collective gesture of support. It is a humble and impactful step on the long path toward a more just and equitable future for all.

Ready to take a meaningful step? Contact Chilly Moose to learn how a fundraiser with a Canadian cooler company can make a difference.

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