Two Players and New Rockford Community Foundation Win Big at “Deal or No Deal”
March 18th, 2014 – The New Rockford Community Foundation (NRCF) exceeded all fundraising expectations with this year’s “Deal or No Deal” dinner and game show raffle, held St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The third annual fundraiser brought nearly 160 players to the New Rockford Golf Course & Event Center for dinner, games, prizes, and a big cash giveaway.
Guests first enjoyed a social hour and gourmet dinner of roast beef and chicken Mornay. Throughout the Deal or No Deal reverse raffle game, mini-games kept the crowd entertained, with Lucky Duck Pluck 50-50 cash raffles and audience challenges for free drink tickets. In addition to the grand prize, more than $1000 in smaller prizes and cash raffle pots were given out.
The pool of players was whittled down to 25 finalists, who were asked either to agree to the cash offered or to play on for more money, at the risk of being eliminated. The crowd’s fevered shouts of “Deal” and “No Deal” rattled the rafters throughout the final rounds. In the end, as in the previous two years, two winners agreed to split the grand cash prize of $2000, and Chelsey Weber of New Rockford and Judy Keller of Carrington accepted $1000 each.
The event alone netted approximately $3700 in revenue, with an additional $3500 collected in sponsorships from local businesses, families, and organizations. The total $7200 earned for the Foundation’s endowment fund is roughly double the amount garnered by the event in 2013. These event sponsorships are treated exactly like traditional business donations, eligible for tax deductions and a 40% tax credit back for business donors.
Deal or No Deal is the signature and sole annual fundraising event for the New Rockford Community Foundation. It is coordinated through a partnership with the Foundation advisory board and the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (NRABC). Donations can be made directly to the Foundation at any time throughout the year by businesses, individuals, organizations, or estates.
The New Rockford Community Foundation was created in 2008 as a perpetual source of funding for local non-profit organizations and projects. The local advisory board raises money to grow the endowment capital each year and gives away the interest earned on the total fund as grants to non-profit organizations in the community. Since its first grant round in 2010, the NRCF has provided $5700 in funding to local organizations.
For the 2014 cycle, approximately $2750 will be available for local community projects. The Foundation will accept applications from April 1 to April 30 for this year’s grant funds. Application information can be found online at www.ndcf.net/newrockford or at the NRABC office at City Hall. Contact Jessica Dillon, NRCF coordinator, at (701) 947-2205 with any questions.