RISE Rooftop Crawl Benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters
Challenge/Opportunity
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) has long been an organization close to the heart of Bishop-McCann’s CEO, Rob Adams. Rob was a Big Brother for years in Chicago, and after coming back to Kansas City to head up Bishop-McCann, he wanted to make sure he stayed involved with the organization. Since Bishop-McCann has “The Just Right Projects” Charitable Division, which focuses on empowering youth, Rob knew that BMC would be dedicated to providing just the right resources at just the right time to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Bishop-McCann’s mission of creating joy, Rob’s mission of helping people and organizations realize their full potential, and the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission of standing together to defend potential, all fit perfectly—like three puzzle pieces.
He gathered a team at Bishop-McCann, and they set out to address the challenge of how to create an event for Big Brothers Big Sisters that would not only help them financially but would further their impact in Kansas City. The idea was to design and conceptualize a cohesive experience for event attendees while also making sure that the organization’s purpose—to “clear the path to a child’s biggest possible future”—was highlighted. All of the amazing statistics that prove kids succeed in school and life with the partnership of a Big Brother or Big Sister made the event objective clear—to create an impactful, high-energy, fun environment that would serve as a platform for organizational growth. Bishop-McCann team members jumped right in and rose to the challenge.
Response/Solution
The event themed “RISE” in the Crossroads area of Kansas City was conceived and developed with the perfect combination of food, drinks, live entertainment, and interactive experiences. Attendees traveled from themed rooftop to themed rooftop, ending the night with an epic block party on the street!
Bishop-McCann provided a dedicated team to partner with the Big Brothers Big Sisters marketing staff to help make the event as impressive and wide-reaching as possible. “Our goal was to work collaboratively to make sure the organization’s goals resonated and inspired attendees,” said Adams. The account team flawlessly executed each component of the corporate event, including creative, entertainment, food and beverages, event logistics, and production.
Outcome/Results
Last year, RISE had over 1,000 attendees and 97 corporate sponsors. It sold out within only a few days of the event announcement. Big Brothers Big Sisters has not only raised over $1 million, but they have also gained new volunteers and corporate partners from the event. The fifth annual RISE Rooftop Crawl was held in 2019, and Bishop-McCann is proud to say it is now a premiere community event!
Big Brothers Big Sisters Chief Marketing Officer, Kristi Hutchinson, said, “Bishop-McCann has been an incredible partner and supporter to Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City (BBBSKC) for the past 5 years. After moving onto the same block as them a few years ago, we were able to reconnect with CEO Rob Adams. Rob was a former Big Brother with a passion for the organization. Rob quickly joined our Board of Directors and committed to helping us throw our 50th anniversary party. The BBBS and Bishop-McCann teams worked together for months developing a concept that we believed at the time would be a one-time party. The team at Bishop-McCann helped us dream bigger, guided us creatively and logistically, and helped us throw the best party in the history of BBBSKC. It not only was an incredible party, but it became a fundraiser for BBBSKC. Quickly after our first RISE event, we had event attendees contacting us to get their company involved in our next RISE event. It was then that we realized that we had something that Kansas City was searching for. With Bishop-McCann’s help, we decided to make this an annual event with a focus on bringing in corporate sponsors. The event has raised over $1.5 million since it began and has become one of the number one ways we’ve met new leads for corporate sponsorship. We couldn’t have made this one of our most successful events without Bishop-McCann.”
Find out more information on how to get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters at www.bbbsrise.org. RISE tickets are only available by purchasing a sponsorship package. Please see information regarding sponsorship opportunities by contacting Tiffany Bruce at tiffany@bbbskc.org or 816-777-2872 for details.
