Coinslot: How did you come across CHIPS and what was it about the organisation that connected with you?
Julie Redfern: We wanted to work with a progressive charity, that everyone in the Game Nation extended family could get behind and support.
CEO Mark Jepp suggested CHIPs to me, as it was well known within the industry. I then connected with Linda Lindsay to find out more and learn about the work CHIPs had done and was still doing.
It’s fair to say I was blown away with what the charity had achieved over the years and the dedication of not only Linda but all of the CHIPS trustees. I found it very emotional listening to the stories of families who just couldn’t get the support they needed directly from the NHS due to pressures on funding, it really did shock me. Listening to Linda you could clearly see how much the charity meant to her, and it was inspirational hearing about the difference a CHIPS funded chair makes not only to the child but also to the entire family.
Coinslot: Do you feel it was the right decision to work with a small organisation as opposed to a bigger household name?
Julie Redfern: All charities are so important but bigger names with bigger budgets inevitably dominate the headlines and as a consequence get so much more support from the public.
We loved the fact that with CHIPs 100 percent of the money raised goes straight to the charity. All of the amazing trustees give their time for free and literally no expenses are deducted, meaning every single penny raised goes towards providing the quality of life that is the right of every child.
Also, working hand in hand with CHIPS we loved the fact that we could help a child that actually lives near one of our venues, which means we can really see the positive impact it has on a local family. I do believe this encouraged our employees and customers to really get behind the charity.
Coinslot: How did you go about launching the partnership and introducing CHIPS to the team?
Julie Redfern: Mark and I talked about the partnership at length on one of our company-wide Townhall comms initiatives. The CHIPs story is so powerful and so emotional that it has become part of the Game Nation narrative.
We regularly talk about CHIPS and we dedicate a section in Cherry News our monthly newsletter, to share fundraising events and update on the progress that we’ve made. There’s a sense of ownership throughout the team with colleagues working at every level seeing CHIPS as their charity – which is fantatstic.
Coinslot: Did you leave it up to the venues to do their own fundraising or did you provide prompts or templates?
Julie Redfern: To get people on their fundraising journey we provided several ideas the venues could adopt and naturally on National Charity Day we did a big CHIPS focus.
Coinslot: How many different fundraising initiatives took place and can you list some of the more unusual/unorthodox and successful?
Julie Redfern: Game Nation is blessed with a wonderfully talented and creative team so we’ve had literally hundreds of fund-raising ideas from bake days to themed celebrations all of which our customers have loved. Modest events such as guess the number of sweets in the jar (cherry sweets of course!) can raise a lot of money.
We’ve held numerous venue-based raffles with one of our talented CSA’s who is an amazing artist, donating a piece of work. Colleagues have stepped out of their comfort zone to complete a 10k, a half marathon and even a full marathon all in aid of CHIPS. It’s not just the Game Nation family and our customers that have gone the extra mile – our suppliers have also done an amazing job donating prizes and supporting our fundraising endeavours.
Coinslot: Has the partnership provided another talking point for team members to engage with customers?
Julie Redfern: 100 percent. We are so proud that our customers have really embraced the charity and without them we simply wouldn’t have been in a position to present our first chair so far ahead of target.
Talking about CHIPS is another positive interaction that venue teams have with our customers, which just serves to strengthen relationships.
Coinslot: How proud are you of the team in raising the money so quickly?
Julie Redfern: When I first said we will get our first chair by the end of December I was secretly thinking goodness have I over promised, but I am super proud how quickly everyone got behind what I refer to as our charity.
I believe we have the best team in the industry and this just proved how right I was! One of our company values is ‘One Team’ a value that is truly living and breathing within the organisation.
Coinslot: Is there any one venue or person who stood out as champion fundraisers?
Julie Redfern: There is a Fundraising Team of the Year award up for grabs in December which will be presented to the team that raises the most cash.
Not only will they will receive shiny awards to put on display but Mark and I will have the great pleasure in taking the winning team out for dinner.
This has created some fun healthy competition between venues and regions. Watch this space for our winning venue.
Coinslot: What’s next for Game Nation?
Julie Redfern: Dare I say it but we are poised to present our second CHIPS wheelchair by the end of December!
We are working hard on all aspects of our People Strategy within the business and I can confirm that our association with CHIPs will continue and be part of the journey to make Game Nation an even greater place to work!
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