This year the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) is celebrating the 20th year of its major annual fundraising initiative, Pin & Win.
And has revealed that more than $3.5 million has been raised for local Australian charities.
Committed to innovative marketing, the VRC’s Pin & Win program began in 1995 and marked the first time any Australian sporting club had connected the sale of a souvenir entirely to a charitable cause.
The first Pin & Win program in 1995 saw the VRC partner with the Australian Red Cross, where souvenir Melbourne Cup pins were sold to raise funds for the development of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, which was formed in 1996.
Last year’s Pin & Win set a new record raising over $543,000 in partnership with food rescue charity SecondBite, enough to provide more than 1.35 million meals for Australians in need.
VRC Vice Chairman, Amanda Elliott said the VRC is immensely proud of the contribution the Pin & Win program has made to the Australian community since its inception.
“This program has provided the VRC a wonderful opportunity to partner with some of Australia’s best-known charities to raise much needed funds that support worthy causes.
“More than $3.5million has been raised through Pin & Win to help 12 charities improve the lives of many Australians. We are so grateful for the support of the wider Australian community, our partners and the volunteers who have made Pin & Win a major success story,” said Mrs Elliott.
The program’s success relies heavily on the dedication and support of volunteers, with over 600 shifts worked during each Melbourne Cup Carnival (MCC).
As the program evolved, so too did the design of the souvenir pin, with a limited edition diamante version introduced in 2005 for Challenge and a larger, more lifelike design for the 150th running of the ‘race that stops a nation’TM in 2010, at which time the Emirates Melbourne Cup itself returned to its original size and design.
Pin & Win has partnered with 12 different charities: Vision Australia, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Challenge Cancer Support Network, Australian Red Cross, Mission Australia, Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre, Alfred Hospital, Camp Quality, Kids Help Line, Kids in Crisis and Riding for the Disabled. SecondBite will return for a second and final year as the official charity partner of Pin & Win after breaking the fundraising record last year.
The VRC is proud to confirm that more than $1 million was contributed to charities through VRC fundraising partnerships and donations during the 2013 / 2014 financial year.
Pins are now available for purchase at Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor outlets in VIC, NSW, QLD, SA & NT, as well as Flemington Racecourse during business hours and on each Melbourne Cup Carnival raceday. For more information please visit: melbournecup.com/pinandwin
