Byrne Pelofsky + Associates is proud to host interns from the Entrepreneurship KC program for their Summer 2021 program. Entrepreneurship KC is an initiative to create the next generation of entrepreneurs by providing scaffolded immersive entrepreneurial experiences to area students from surrounding high schools.
Their vision is to create and develop the next generation of entrepreneurs by supporting educators and building cultures of innovation. Their summer internship program pairs students with a host business. The students meet with their assigned business and are given a task that applies to their field. Their end goal is to create a “shark tank” style pitch to present to the judges at the end of the summer in hopes of winning the coveted $5,000 prize.
The Byrne Pelofsky interns were tasked with creating a unique fundraising idea that would appeal to a wide variety of individuals. They had to come up with a plan to create and execute this fundraising idea, accounting for all necessary steps to a successful fundraiser. During our weekly meetings with the interns, we discussed costs, budgets, creative techniques, and presentation. The interns spent their hours researching successful fundraisers and trends in the field, pulling out helpful information to use in their own idea. After weeks of research, brainstorming, and design, the interns finished their project. They perfected their final pitch and recorded it for the public to watch and vote on.
Their final product was “Putting the Fun in Fundraising,” an annual gaming event that appeals to all ages and interests. This event would have every type of game: board games, card games, and even video games; this way everyone can find an enjoyable way to participate. Our interns researched everything to determine how much it would cost to host this event, calculating the costs of the venue, game rental, food, and whatever else was needed to make this event successful. After determining how much this event would cost, they came up with a unique way of raising the money to host and profit from this event: a subscription box. They landed on a three tiers system for this subscription, each one getting a certain amount of merchandise and entries to the event depending on the amount of the monthly donation. With the growing amount of popularity surrounding subscription boxes, our interns wanted to take this trend and apply it as a fundraising technique. They also determined the necessary marketing techniques they would incorporate to encourage people to take part in this event. Their ideas include flyers, radio station ads, and social media marketing.
Overall, the Byrne Pelofsky interns brought our task to life, exceeding our expectations. They thought about and researched every part of this fundraising technique to make the best possible event that would raise the most money for non-profit partners.
We are so proud of our Entrepreneurship KC interns and are grateful to have hosted them this past summer.