More than 400 of MFA's NGEN community took to the courts in a series of competitive NGEN Charity Cup dodgeball matches against colleagues and rivals – and raised a record-breaking $38,328 for UnLtd charity partner, The Pinnacle Foundation.
The competing teams, exceeding NGEN’s goal of raising $20,000, sold raffle tickets for prizes generously donated by industry supporters, including tickets to Harry Styles by Nova and Guns N’ Roses by SCA, $1,000 in Flight Centre vouchers by Linkedin, $250 Café Sydney vouchers by JCDecaux, front row AFL tickets by Nine, and many more.
Now in its eighth year, the aim of the NGEN Charity Cup is to raise much-needed funds for youth charities as well as provide an opportunity for members of NGEN – a community for those with less than five years’ experience in the media industry – to come together for a round of team work and networking with their peers.
This year’s Cup was sponsored by CHEP Network (Silver) in Melbourne; SBS (Gold) and CHEP Network (Silver) in Sydney; and Val Morgan Outdoor (Gold) in Brisbane.
Teams from media agencies and media owners battled it out for the top spot in three categories – dodgeball champs, best dressed, and most money raised.
Melbourne total raised: $10,802
Dodgeball Champs: Matterkind
Best Dressed: PMG Panthers
Most Money Raised: oOh! Media $1,543
Brisbane Total raised: $5,559
Dodgeball Champs: VMO and the Universal Reprise
Best Dressed: Wavemaker
Most Money Raised: Essence $1,000
Sydney Total raised: $21,967
Dodgeball Champs: OMD
Best Dressed: Val Morgan
Most Money Raised: OMD $3,606
The Pinnacle Foundation is a national charity that provides educational scholarships, mentoring and opportunities for young LGBTIQ+ Australians.
NGEN will be using the funds raised to back a scholarship in the memory of Sam Smith, a popular digital ad sales pioneer who passed away in 2020. The Sam Smith Scholarship will be awarded to young LGBTIQ+ Australians in the fields of marketing, advertising, technology or communication.
Tim Lai, marketing manager at The Pinnacle Foundation, said the organisation was humbled to be the charity of choice for the 2022 NGEN Charity Cup.
“Every dollar contributes to our cause in working to provide scholarships to LGBTIQ+ young Australians,” said Lai.
Saarika Shah, head of industry partnerships at UnLtd, said: “This year’s fundraising effort has been outstanding! It means the Pinnacle Foundations can help more young LGBTIQ+ Australians realise their full potential and overcome challenges arising from their identity through scholarships and mentoring.”
The MFA’s head of NGEN, Melanie Aslanidis, said: “It’s always wonderful to see the energy and enthusiasm NGENers bring to helping raise funds and awareness for important social causes, and make a difference.
“While getting together and dodging balls is a lot of fun, what we’re most proud of is that the NGEN Charity Cup is a meaningful project that makes a real impact on the work of our chosen charities – demonstrating that NGENers are true Changers.”
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