Workers Bowl

Fighting for Decent Work!

FAQ

To make a general donation to Workers’ Bowl 2023 click > HERE
You will receive an official tax receipt for your donation.

So, what are we raising all this money for anyway?

Your fundraising allows us to put more feet on the ground and support worker leaders in their communities to reach people who need support about their rights or violations on the job.  That’s how we build a multiracial, multilingual movement to improve the lives and working conditions of people in low-wage and precarious employment in Ontario.

The OEERC — in partnership with WAC — reaches  workers through workshops at ESL classes, libraries, employment programs, immigrant settlement agencies, health centres  and many other grassroots community spaces. 

Every year we help thousands of contract workers, casual relief workers, temp agency workers, migrant workers, non-unionized workers, the involuntarily unemployed, and those struggling in low-wage and part-time work. When workers  come through our doors, we not only offer support and advice on the issues being faced at work but encourage involvement in  our community of members. Workers begin to learn about and get involved in the labour movement that we are helping to build so that when we organize together for decent work, we win.

And if this isn’t enough of an incentive for you, we have lots of great PRIZES and trophies!

I’m a Team Captain. What the h+#% do I do?

Each Team Captain builds a team of up to 6 people. Each team member has to raise a minimum of $200. Put another way, the team as a whole needs to raise at least $1,200 to participate. 

Of course, the sky is the limit on how much you can raise. 

The winning team takes home the “Stanley Cup” of fundraising: the Workers’ Bowl “Top Fundraising Team” cup. Will it be your team who takes it home this year?

There are also trophies and accolades for the top individual fundraisers so don’t hold back!

As a Team Captain you can rally your members and…

  • Encourage your team to raise as much money as possible, in any way that works (short of losing friends or getting fired 😉 This can include:
    • Drafting a template fundraising letter and sharing it with your team to send to potential supporters
    • Coming up with a team a goal and reminding your folks to fundraise
    • Organizing bake sales, giveaways, or other team fundraising initiatives to keep people motivated!
  • Ensure everyone on your team gets registered and make sure they are receiving information about the Workers’ Bowl.
  • Customize the team’s webpage so that it reflects your team’s personality. Remind and encourage your team members to login, personalize and use their personal webpages as well!
  • Coordinate with your team about what you’ll be wearing for the event. Costumes with sequins and flair are encouraged!
  • Have fun!

I’m a participant. What do I do?

  • Register yourself on our website and personalize your web page with photos and text. Let your personality shine and make sure sponsors know why this fundraiser is important to you! Go to Register Now and follow the prompts.
  • Raise as much money as you can! Share your donation page with friends, family, neighbors and encourage them to sponsor you! 
  • Help your team captain and your teammates come up with cool ideas for the event – dress to impress and come with a drive to win! If you are a ‘new-age’ type of person, think positively about raising money and imagine yourself winning the “Top Kick Ass Fundraiser” trophy (Let us know if this strategy worked.)

But how do I fundraise?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Make sure to a set a personal goal
When people visit your webpage and see that you’ve set a goal, they’ll want to help you achieve it. The minimum goal per person is $200 but the sky’s the limit for fundraising.

Make sure you share your goal and your progress along the way – email and social media are great tools for encouraging sponsors and sending updates.

Share your reasons for participating in the Workers’ Bowl:
Do your friends and family know why workers’ rights and education is so important to you? The more you tell them, the more the chances are that they will respond to your request.

Ask! Ask! ASK!
Asking for donations can be intimidating, but it’s easier than you’d think to raise money. Even a few small gifts can add up really quickly…five friends giving up their (organic fair trade) morning coffee for a week could add up to $100 in no time!

Host an event
This can be whatever you want it to be (friends’ night in, movie night, cocktails and crudites, garage sale, empanadas or sushi sale, game or poker night, the list goes on…). Just ask your friends for a donation to participate.

Ask for fundraising gifts
Have a birthday or celebration coming up? Ask your friends & family to make a donation to your Workers’ Bowl fundraising campaign rather than buying you a gift. Because really, is there anything you need more than a vibrant worker-led movement for change??

How do I register myself on the website?

  • If you’re a Team Leader: Contact dwilliams@oeerc.org to start a team! You will be sent a registration form and instructions.
  • If you’re a team member: Go to the REGISTER NOW page, select “Join a Team” and follow the prompts to find and join your team. Please note that Captains have to start a team before team members can actually join!
    • You’ll be asked to provide your email and create a password. This will allow you to log in to the Workers’ Bowl site at a later time to check on your fundraising goal and customize your fundraising webpage.
    • When registering, you’ll also be asked to set a fundraising goal. Don’t be modest with your goal, dream big!  
  • After you are registered, you will get a confirmation email that includes a link to your personal  ‘’fundraising webpage.’ You can send friends a link to your page by pressing the TELL A FRIEND or SEND EMAILS tab.

How do I know who has sponsored me?

You should receive an email every time you receive a donation.

You can also login to your account (here) and click on MY PROGRESS and click on CREDIT CARD DONATIONS. That is it!

How do we record donations for the whole team?

If someone wants to make a donation to your whole team (as opposed to giving money to one individual team member) your team has to register a “General Donations” player to your team.

Any team member can do this by clicking the Register Now button and adding a “General Donations” player in your team just like you would register yourself online. 

Please note that if you get a donation cheque that is supposed to be split between two teams (assuming you have two teams), make sure that both teams have a “General Donations” player and clarify by sending your instructions to Deborah Williams at dwilliams@oeerc.org or if you mail the cheque to the OEERC office before the event.

What if someone gives me cash or a cheque? What do I do with it?

Remind sponsors that cheques should be made payable to OEERC or Ontario Employment and Education Research Centre

Hold on to the cash/cheques until you have too much of it (e.g. more than $200). Then arrange with Deborah Williams (dwilliams@oeerc.org) for a drop-off/pick-up. You can also bring it with you on the day of the Bowlathon but make sure you get it in before 2pm so it counts to your overall team total money raised!

You can deliver donations to Deborah at 720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 206, Toronto ON M5S 2T9. Please check to make sure the office is open before dropping off.

NOTE: Please do not make donations on behalf of anyone with your credit card because the tax receipt will print with your name, not the actual donor. To change it we will have to cancel the transaction.

Please log cash/cheque donations on the website by following these easy steps: 

  1. Login to your personal webpage or General Donations page (if you are the team captain and the donation is for the whole team).
  2. Go to the ‘RECORD PLEDGES’ tab and you’ll have a couple of options. One option is to enter your sponsor’s information in your webpage by clicking on ‘Add a Pledge‘ in this tab. The system will ask for names, email, etc. press enter all the information and you are good to go. The cool thing about this option is that the system will count your cash/cheque donations right away.  Another option is for you to print the blank pledge form and have the donors fill it. Submit the pledge form with the cash on the day of the Workers’ Bowl bowl-a-thon.

    NOTE: Email addresses are very important because we are emailing the tax receipts. However, if your sponsor doesn’t have an email address we’ll mail the receipts. We will give tax receipts for donations of $10.00 or more. 

I am having technical problems. Who do I talk to?

If you are having technical issues, email Deborah Williams at dwilliams@oeerc.org, or call her at 416-531-0778 ext.300. She will do her best to call you right away.

I want to participate but I don’t have a team or the mojo at this time to be a team captain. What should I do?

That’s not a problem. Send us an email with your request and we’ll do our best to connect you with an already existing team. We have done it in the past and it has worked very well!