A breakout star in the 2017 Miami BFG tournament was undoubtedly A Vision of Redemption, Inc., a young but feisty team out of Pompano Beach. Founded in 2012, AVOR is a volunteer-staffed nonprofit whose mission is to enhance the quality of life of families affected by incarceration. Through their programs, which include career coaching, familial support, family visitation, and services to returning citizens released from the correctional system, they aim to ensure that all individuals have the access to the resources necessary to ensure future self-sustainability.
The championship round was the highest-scoring round of the Miami tournament. Both AVOR and their final competitor, the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center, scored significantly more than they had in any of their previous rounds. We asked AVOR what their game plan was going into that nerve-racking round. AVOR founder Robin Figueroa noted that while they were in it to win it, they knew they were up against a strong competitor. She said, “We were really praying that we could win as the organization we were up against was pretty big. It’s a museum and they were founded before we were born. So we knew they had support and money to back them up since they’d been in business for such a long time.”
To rally their supporters, Figueroa said that they adopted many of the tools provided in the BFG locker room; specifically the email tools. She noted that they were able to use these tools to monitor their email opens and clicks. She credits the locker room training with helping them get to second place.
Despite being brand new to the BFG fundraising model, AVOR raised an impressive 42% of their points via Buzzer Beaters. In fact, Buzzer Beaters are what got them through Round 1! In regular play, AVOR was just behind their first competitor but the Buzzer Beaters made all the difference. Figueroa won’t reveal her Buzzer Beater strategy because she plans on winning next year (we love that enthusiasm!).
While they played valiantly, AVOR ultimately came in second and the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center took the Miami title. The disappointment was short-lived however, because the funds raised exceeded expectations and were put to good use – to fix their 20-passenger bus which they plan to use to take kids to visit their parents who are incarcerated. They also used some funds to purchase supplies to support ongoing programs and hire a grant writer.
Figueroa has some excellent advice for prospective competitors out there, who might be thinking about flexing their philanthropic muscles in next years’ tournaments:
“If you are thinking about joining BFG do it!! What are you waiting for? It’s the most fun and nerve wrecking moments of your nonprofit life. It has you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, jumping, screaming and celebrating all in the same day. It’s exciting and if you are lucky enough to win, it will give the chance of a lifetime… more importantly, have fun!!”
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Congratulations to A Vision of Redemption on their amazing tournament run!