2018 was a year of transition and growth for us. In January, Drink for Pink co-founder Jeremey Duvall stepped down to focus on his growing family and new business. Jeremey had been a workhorse for us and replacing him was an impossible task. Running a 100% volunteer driven non-profit organization presents new challenges year after year; fortunately we came together as a team and pulled off a wonderful year!

Generally, this report is divided into the following sections:

• What went well
• What could’ve gone better
• What we’re focusing on for 2019
• The numbers

This year, we are going to combine the first two sections into one, titled “How We Grew”, because so much of what we learned has elements that fell into things we did right and areas we could improve on.

How we grew…

We learned a lot about who we were. Losing a key member, especially one who did so much for us, can have ripple effects for an organization. For us there was concern about whether we would be able to compensate for Jeremey’s loss well enough to put together a full slate of fall events. What we found is that our members were fully ready and willing to step up, take on new roles, and keep Drink for Pink running smoothly.

We have some amazing partner breweries. As hard as we worked to keep things going, there was an inevitable learning curve. Many of us found ourselves in roles we had never held before. We spent the first few months in a lull, trying to make sense of what 2018 should look like. We were coming of our best year ever and the pressure to increase our donation was high. As a result, we ended up behind schedule.

Breweries are businesses that need to plan well in advance. Normally we start that process in March and April, but last year we didn’t start until June/July. Not only were our long-standing partners flexible in allowing us to take our time, several of them actively reached out to us to help plan things. A few breweries planned whole events while keeping us in the loop so that we could focus on our internal structure. We cannot overstate how much we appreciated that support, and how well it helped us set up for the future. With their help, and the dedication of our volunteer board, we still raised over $14,000 to fight cancer.

We are ready for 2019 and beyond. While last year was a learning experience, it was a valuable one. Our board is more evenly spread now, with clearly defined roles and expectations. We know more about how we work and how to keep things on track. The lessons we learned will pay off going forward. We have already started reaching out to breweries for 2019 events, and we are excited to expand and include more of Colorado instead of just the Denver metro area.

We grew, but 2018 was still bumpy. We talked about how much we appreciate the support of our amazing partners, but what they did for us should never have been their job. We fell behind, and that can’t happen again. We are immensely grateful for the support our friends gave us, but we don’t expect to need that again.

What we’re focusing on…

Moving forward. In terms of money raised Drink for Pink took a step back last year, but it was still our second-best year ever. We see that as a testament to our staff and the incredible breweries and cideries we work with. What has us so excited for 2019 is that we now have a full year to take what we learned and move ahead at full speed.

Reaching out in new ways. A large part of our monthly meetings last year was focused on how we could use our internal resetting to our advantage and expand our coverage. We have a number of plans coming from those meetings that should open up in 2019. We have already approached several breweries about guest-brewing beers for special events. We took part in a charity brewing tournament in February. We are looking at expanding and do more in beautiful towns like Boulder and Ft Collins. We are also in the early stages of developing a Drink for Pink phone app that would keep you up to date with the latest events, news, and participating beer lists.

The numbers…

In:

Events – $11,897.25

T-shirts/Direct Donations – $2,540.31

TOTAL – $14,437.56

Out:

Marketing – $1,289.63 (shirts, with a new event tent, stickers, and flyers)

Fees – $30

Business expenses – $385.23 (operational costs such as event registration and governmental fees)

TOTAL – $1,704.86*

*For the first time in 2018 we were able to donate 100% of the funds raised, thanks to a generous grant from TEGNA Inc to cover our operating expenses. TEGNA is a media company that operates numerous television news stations across the country, including 9News in Denver. Full disclosure: several members of our board are TEGNA employees, but Drink for Pink still underwent the full application process as any organization that requests charity funding from TEGNA.

PSA: We are looking for corporate donors to help us offset these costs in 2019 and maximize our donation!

Total donation to breast cancer research in 2018: $14,437.56

Total donations since 2015: $44,378.57

While 2018 was the first year we didn’t nearly double our donation, it was still our second largest year ever! We are excited with the plans we have in place for the future, and the growth shown by our entire group of volunteers. We will present the check to Cancer League of Colorado at a spring meeting. The funds will then be awarded through their grant application program.

Wrap-up

Every year at Drink for Pink is a learning experience, and 2018 was no different. We cannot thank all of our donors, partners, and supporters enough for everything they have done in the last four years, and we cannot wait to continue to grow. 2019 will be a year where so many long-term ideas come together, and we can’t wait to share it all with you!

Participating Companies:

• Freshcraft
• Left Hand
• Dry Dock
• Lone Tree
• Maxline
• Epic
• Landlocked Ales
• Wynkoop

Key Partners:

• Cancer League of Colorado
• Anschutz
• Brewery Bootcamp
• Rocky Mountain Brew Runs
• TEGNA

Drink for Pink was founded on a simple idea: that raising money for breast cancer research could be done on a local level with every penny accounted for. As we ended our third year of operation, we have been overwhelmed with how that idea has resonated in Colorado.

2017 was an incredible experience for all of us. We more than reached our goal of doubling our 2016 donations, raising over $17,000. Along the way we worked with some amazing people at some fantastic breweries, and ventured outside the world of beer for the first time by working with Colorado Cider Company. Everything we have done in the last three years is because of you. Without your donations and enthusiasm, Drink for Pink would never have gotten off the ground.

As we move forward to 2018, we are setting lofty goals. We are looking to hit the magic $25,000 total that would allow us to fully fund a seed grant on our own. With your help, we believe we can make it there.

As we have done in 2015 and 2016, this report is divided into the following sections:

• What went well
• What could’ve gone better
• What we’re focusing on for 2018
• The numbers

What went well…

We doubled our donations from last year. Every year we hope to double the year before, and in 2017 we achieved it, climbing from $8,000 to just over $17,000. Seeing this sort of growth is amazing, and really helps us appreciate how generous you all are!

We continued to try new events. While everyone loves visiting a brewery, it’s important to give people options. In 2017 we continued our partnership with Brewery Bootcamp, holding a morning workout at Dry Dock for the second year. We also tried some new themes, including an October costume contest, a weekend event at Avery, and Christmas stocking decorating at Ratio.

We added new breweries to the team, and ventured outside beer. We were thrilled to add some Colorado beer heavyweights to our brewery family in Avery and Wynkoop. Additionally, we partnered with our first cidery in Colorado Cider Company. We can’t thank all of our partners enough for their support!

What could’ve gone better…

We need to be more consistent in our social media presence. We have a wonderful group of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, who form the backbone of what we do. We need to put more emphasis on providing the best content to them, highlighting our programs and events, and showing support for our partner businesses.

Capitalizing on our growth. While we are thrilled with the partners we have gained, we are always looking to provide our donors access to more options. There are no shortage of breweries and cideries in Colorado, and we hope to maintain our momentum by bringing new friends into our group.

What we’re focusing on…

Maximizing our impact. Drink for Pink is a 100% volunteer organization, which is our biggest strength. It is, however, difficult to staff a large number of events without a paid staff. To help us cope with the workload involved in a growing organization, we are looking to form more long-term partnerships that allow for through-the-month fundraising as opposed to one-off events.

Bringing in outside funding. As mentioned above, being a volunteer organization is very important to us. We take pride in knowing that none of the money you donate goes to us. Unfortunately, even without staff salaries, running a non-profit isn’t free. We need supplies for events, there are government fees for us to operate, and the Drink for Pink merchandise we sell costs us to produce. Securing grants is a priority in 2018 so that we can use that money to cover the required overhead, allowing us to pass as much of your donations on to researchers as possible.

The numbers…

In:

Events – $17,029.82
T-shirts – $2,608.60
Refunds – $39.16
TOTAL – $19,677.58

Out:

Marketing – $1,840.04
Fees – $21
Business expenses – $446.67
TOTAL – $2,307.71

The Events income line includes t-shirts purchased with cash, as well as basic donations received and money given by the event hosts. The bulk of the Marketing expense was for the shirts, with event posters and flyers comprising most of the rest. Business expenses is mostly operational costs such as website and meeting expenses.

Total donation to breast cancer research: $17,469.47

In 2016, we donated $8,000, so 2017 was a huge step up for us! We will present the check to Cancer League of Colorado at a spring meeting. The funds will then be awarded through their grant application program.

Wrap-up

Every year at Drink for Pink is a learning experience. While we are thrilled by the growth you have helped us achieve, we are humbled by how far we have to go. We cannot thank all of our donors, partners, and supporters enough for everything they have done in the last three years, and we cannot wait to continue to grow. 2018 will be another amazing year, and we are glad you have joined us on the way!