Investing time and resources while turning negative into positive work using humanitarian work and others’ welfare has always been a gigantic part of Morph Network’s company culture. Not long ago, we organized a fundraising action through an online Counter-Strike tournament. Turning negative into positive with the event Make it Count{er} was held on May 2nd 2020. The budget collected during this online tournament was transferred to the family of Nikolina Ristić, a three-year-old girl from south-eastern Serbia, who has four brothers and sisters. A tragedy that has hit their area left their parents unemployed. Now, their entire family is supported by the state and, fortunately, some humanitarian non-government organizations and pure-hearted individuals as well.
Meet Nikolina and her family
Nikolina and her family come from an area near Aleksinac, a town located in south-eastern Serbia. Aleksinac is known for his coal-mines area. All families who live in the area were employed in those mines before a disaster struck. 90 workers were killed in a horrific accident in 1989. Since then, the mine was shut down. With the shutdown, the chances of survivors to land new jobs and provide for their children came closely to zero. Moreover, Nikolina’s father, Slađan Ristić, suffered severe injuries and is unable to work. The Ristić family is now relying on a humanitarian organization Srbi za Srbe.
An idea that came to life
Regardless of the country you live in and your vocation, you will unquestionably agree that the year 2020 has stored a massive amount of negative global occurrences. The outbreak of Covid19 was devastating enough. However, the state of quarantine that consequently happened took its toll on everything and everyone. It afflicted businesses worldwide, altered all industries, and forced companies to adjust and seek new solutions. Still, it primarily impacted people individually.
A mass lock-down made everyone look for ways to keep their lives together. Morph Networks turned to organizing a counter-strike tournament as a relief, get-together, and a way to be helpful. We have found the means to gather around a noble cause, strengthen our team, build a community, and help those who needed it the most.
Goals
- Collecting financial means and help Ristić family
- Participating in an activity and socialize responsibly
- Bringing team members closer and maintain company culture
- Inviting other teams and companies and make their efforts count
- Keeping the tradition up and take part in a competition
Planning
Morph humanitarian online tournament was both fun and altruistic. Nevertheless, organizing it represented a challenge. For instance, the aim was to create an event shaped and conducted like the eSport match. Morph Networks team had an idea to invite several companies to join the gaming competition and collect the Ristić family’s welfare resources.
The majority of contacted companies were in the tech domain or similar digital fields. The participants were notified and drawn to the event by an emailing campaign and a social media campaign. All necessary details were available on Morph Networks social media pages and official website.
- 12 teams participated in Make it Count{er} event
- Each team had five members
- It took about four weeks to organize the online tournament and gather the participants
- Any individual working remotely could & join
- People who didn’t actively participate in the tournament could still donate the money
Every team needed to apply in advance and notify the online tournament moderators about their players. We allowed changes in the teams’ structure. Before each match, competitors viewed and chose sides, maps, and other Counter-relevant means and strategies. Results of our tournament were live on the scoreboard on our website. They were visible on our Discord platform. This platform also served well while planning and organizing internally. We used every moment of the tournament to talk and motivate everyone. We live-streamed every match on YouTube and Twitch.
Spreading the word & following the results
- Social media posts and news
- Official Morph Networks website
- Srbi za Srbe website
- YouTube channel live-streaming
- Twitch live-streaming
- Discord app
The tournament featured some professional Counter-strike players. Certainly, they also took part in donating and suggested to organize another similar online gaming event, due to the Make it Count{er} success.
Achievements
In conclusion, during the Morph humanitarian Make it Count{er} tournament, we collected more than 5.000,00 Euros in order to help Nikolina’s family. In other words, organizing an event like Make it Count{er} represents a specific privilege. The outcome was more than satisfactory, and everyone who played or followed the gaming show had a wonderful time.
Organizing internal gaming events is in our DNA and we will continue to do so.
Most importantly, you can still donate and help Nikolina’s family overcome their struggles. As for the new online tournament with humanitarian aftermath – stay tuned. Make it Count{er} will reoccur, no doubt about it. Meanwhile, practice your gaming skills. We know we will. And don’t forget to donate and put smiles on other peoples faces.
