FAQ

About the Grand Finale Fundraiser

Grand Finale is a one-day public charitable fundraiser, which traditionally takes place on a Sunday in January. Our charitable collection is held internationally, and it is run by the local hubs of activity – Collection Centres. 1,700 Collection Centres organise the work of 120,000 volunteers. Our charitable Orchestra ”plays” across the World: in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, across Europe and Russia, in Africa, the Americas, on board of Polish ships, and even at the North Pole research station! Since 1993, Grand Finale fundraiser is held in aid of a specific medical objective. Our main goal is to support Polish children’s hospitals and purchase modern medical equipment. Benefactors can support the effort by putting money in the Collection Boxes, making online and mobile transfers as well as taking part in charitable auctions. The Grand Finale is a vibrant, joyous occasion - much more than a fundraiser. There are entertaining fundraising events, such as concerts, fairs, performances and sporting and creative activities for kids and grown-ups held in aid of our objective. Grand Finale inspires people to volunteer and becomes an opportunity to engage in social activism. It is a way for communities to bond and for people to take up action. Each Grand Finale fundraiser is a grassroots initiative, organised by local activists and relying on local resources. Even though each Grand Finale is different, there are some standard features of each event, for instance, charitable auctions and raffles. One of the highlights of the day is a firework display or its alternative – the so called “Light to the Sky”, that is sending a special signal to the good angels and the sky. Communities come together to admire the different light shows.

The 31st Grand Finale

The main objective of the 31st Grand Finale is to fight sepsis, a set of symptoms caused by an uncontrolled, sudden body’s response to an infection. Sepsis may lead to multiple organ system failures, shock, and death in just a few hours. The key to a sepsis patient’s survival is an early diagnosis and application of the proper treatment – preferably within the first hour. Research shows that any delay in diagnosing sepsis and administering an effective antibiotic therapy with a one-hour delay increases the risk of death by 8 per cent. Therefore, the GOCC Foundation wants to provide hospitals with equipment to speed up the diagnosis of sepsis, which will enable better treatment through faster implementation of targeted and effective antibiotic therapy. “Sepsis is not a bacteria, sepsis is a set of symptoms that often leads, in a dramatic and rapid way, to death. The data provided by the World Health Organization show that sepsis is the leading cause of every fifth death, that is of 20% of annual global deaths. It is a great global killer. The first basic move is to provide an early diagnosis, while using the most advanced diagnostic methods, and administrating proper treatment fast. Every hour is precious, every hour may save someone’s life.” - Professor Bohdan Maruszewski M.D., member of the board of the GOCC Foundation

Volunteers

Volunteers are the driving force of our initiative. A group of 120,000 people of all ages, creeds, and world-views contribute their time, energy and enthusiasm to create the most vibrant and exciting fundraiser in the country! Everyone is welcome to volunteer, and we are happy to see so many volunteers returning to ”play” with us. What is more, our volunteers often return with their family members and friends who also join our initiative. Our oldest volunteer was well over ninety years old, while the youngest was just a few months old.

Everyone can contribute as much time and effort as they can. You can become one of the core members of the Crew at the Collection Centre and oversee the entire organisation of the local event, or become a part of the team tasked with raising funds on the day of the Grand Finale.

Volunteering with us is easy and fun – everyone is welcome. The best way to learn more about volunteering is getting in touch with your local Collection Centre because each Grand Finale fundraiser is different.

On the day of the Grand Finale

Each Grand Finale volunteer should have their ID card, Collection Box and an ample supply of heart stickers. Volunteers can fundraise in public places and during different fundraising events. In exchange for donations, people receive stickers in the shape of our logo. Everyone in Poland knows our heart-shaped symbol!

Collection Centre

The idea behind our charitable event is to engage local communities. We let local activists take the reins of the fundraising in their area. We provide them with essentials (Collection Boxes, promotional materials, and ID badges), and each year we are surprised by the creativity and resourcefulness of our volunteers. Local activists form Collection Centres, which apart from drafting volunteers and holding the one-day public collection, become hubs of activity for the local community. Collection Centre staff go above and beyond: they organise concerts, have parties, cook-outs, raffles, fairs, sporting events, and other - fun, surprising, and extraordinary initiatives. Local Grand Finales draw attention to their fundraising efforts and publicising the case locally and nationwide.

There are almost 1,700 Collection Centres registered each year, and there are almost a hundred Collection Centres formed abroad.

What is more, business owners can display our Collection Boxes on their premises to support the objective of the Grand Finale fundraiser.

Thank you and keep rocking!

Corporate Support

Local Collection Centres are purely grassroots initiatives. We do not finance local events, fundraising initiatives, and other running costs of holding local actions. We always stress the fact that the money raised in aid of our charitable goal MUST NOT go towards holding any events associated with the Grand Finale initiative. ALL funds must go towards the medical objective of the Grand Finale.

Different Collection Centres might have different needs, and there are many ways in which you can help volunteers. Supporting the most significant charitable initiative in the country can improve your company’s image and promote your products and services to the local community.

If your company can offer any form of support: material, financial, or provide your services free of charge, please get in touch with your local Collection Centre!

Another exciting form of donation is taking part in online auctions held at the Allegro bidding platform. About

200,000 auctions appear on the portal during the Grand

Finale. The auctions of the 30th Final ended with a record amount of PLN 37,414,104. For 22 years of playing with Allegro, we collected almost PLN 148 million, which contributed to the Foundation’s account.