A Case Study in Transformative Digital Growth for the Edmonton Social Planning Council

On November 3rd, they kicked off their Ultimate Burger Battle ( https://www.uwlg.org/UBB )—a fundraising campaign that turns local restaurants into competitors and donors into judges. Here's how it works: Eight local burger joints are battling it out. People donate to vote for their favorite. The restaurant with the most votes (donations) wins bragging rights and a trophy. It's simple, fun, and surprisingly effective at getting people to pay attention. Why it's working: This isn't your typical "please donate" ask. It's entertainment. It creates buzz. Restaurants promote themselves. Local media covers it as a story, not just charity news. Social feeds light up with burger debates. The campaign turns passive scrolling into active participation. Traditional fundraising often feels like obligation. This feels like choosing sides in a friendly competition. The tech behind the votes: United Way Leeds & Grenville partnered with Zerrow.com to build the voting experience. The visual polling widget does the heavy lifting—donors see live results update instantly, creating that "we're winning" (or "we need to catch up") energy that keeps people engaged. Setup was fast. Results are visual. The widget handles the real-time updates while United Way's media partner crafted the campaign itself. They also benefit from their easy to manage website and security from Zerrow.com. Their website is so easy to manage that they designed their campaign landing page without any help. The result? A fundraiser that doesn't feel like a fundraiser. Just a fun way to support local businesses while supporting the community. P.S. Sometimes the best innovation isn't inventing something new—it's making the donation experience feel less like a transaction and more like being part of something people actually want to talk about.