Kate Cherven

Designing a Scalable Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Model for Laser Group NZ

PROPOSAL

SUMMARY

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (MHF) partnered with Laser Group Ltd to design a new fundraising initiative that could engage every staff member across New Zealand and Australia, regardless of location or franchise size.

I developed a proposal for a scalable, peer-to-peer fundraising model that shifted traditional event-based fundraising into a flexible, individual 30-day challenge format. The aim was to remove participation barriers while strengthening community engagement and mental health awareness.

This became the Laser Challenge, enabling staff, families, and communities to participate in personal challenges that collectively contributed to national impact.

WHAT WAS THE CHALLENGE

Traditional Laser Group fundraising was limited by geography, time, and franchise size, excluding some staff from participation.

The challenge was to design a model that:

• Enabled equal participation across all staff
• Required no travel or major financial input
• Allowed flexible, individual participation
• Could scale across NZ and Australia
• Maintained engagement through friendly competition

The solution was a digitally enabled, peer-to-peer fundraising challenge built around personal goals.

KEY OBJECTIVES

• Engage all Laser Group staff across NZ and Australia
• Raise at least $50,000 for mental health programmes
• Increase awareness of mental health in workplaces and communities
• Remove geographic and structural barriers to participation
• Build a repeatable engagement model through 30-day challenges

PLAN OF ACTION

MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provided digital fundraising platform (everydayhero)
• Supplied implementation guides and fundraising resources
• Supported communications across website, newsletter, and social channels
• Amplified participant stories and campaign updates

LASER GROUP HEAD OFFICE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Distributed campaign materials to franchises
• Led internal communications and engagement rollout
• Produced branded campaign content and messaging assets
• Supported media engagement and final reporting

LASER GROUP FRANCHISE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Created local fundraising pages and activated staff participation
• Encouraged engagement through personal networks
• Shared local stories and promoted participation
• Supported internal motivation and tracking
• Coordinated local fundraising activities

TIMING

The programme was designed as a flexible activation.

• Soft launch aligned with internal communications
• 30-day challenges could start anytime
• Participants could repeat challenges throughout the year
• Final reporting aligned with conference presentation

PROJECT BENEFITS

INDIVIDUAL BENEFITS

• Flexible participation aligned to personal goals
• No travel or major time commitment required
• Ability to involve family and friends
• Low financial barrier to entry
• Built-in wellbeing focus through personal challenges

LASER GROUP COMPANY BENEFITS

• Scalable across NZ and Australia
• Low-cost, high-engagement model
• Strong internal culture-building tool
• Increased local brand visibility
• Repeatable framework for future campaigns

MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS

• Increased accessibility to mental health awareness
• Reduced stigma through workplace participation
• Connection between wellbeing and everyday activity
• Direct funding for mental health services and programmes

OUTCOME & IMPACT

The proposal led to the successful rollout of the Laser Challenge, including local activations such as the 24-Hour Fun Relay around Mount Maunganui.

Key results included:

• 434 laps completed around Mount Maunganui
• Over $12,000 raised in one local event
• Strong participation from staff, families, and community members

Across New Zealand, Laser Group raised a total of $51,779 for the Mental Health Foundation, demonstrating the scalability and effectiveness of the model.

CONCLUSION

This project showed how a simple, flexible fundraising framework can significantly increase participation and impact.

By moving from centralised events to individual 30-day challenges, the model removed barriers to engagement and created a sustainable, inclusive approach to fundraising that embedded mental health awareness into everyday participation across the Laser Group network.