A local nonprofit could get nationwide airtime if they take home the top prize in an online contest.
The contest: Small Business, Big Game.
The prize: a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl.
The local hopeful: Prevent Child Abuse Gaston.
The nonprofit entered the online competition about a week ago. They stand a chance to win weekly prizes or possibly a national commercial.
Even if Prevent Child Abuse Gaston doesn’t make it to the big game, the organization could benefit from the contest, said Dottie Z. Scher, executive director of Child Abuse Gaston.
“The effort can definitely pay off. Even if we don’t win, at least we can spread the awareness,” Scher said.
The contest is hosted by Intuit Quickbooks.
Small businesses, those with fewer than 50 employees, are eligible.
Scher said after scrolling through some of the competitors, she didn’t see many with the same model as the local nonprofit.
Contestants from across the country have supplied biographies of their businesses in hopes of enticing voters to click on them.
Entrants range from a dance studio and dog rescue group to a lobster business and a Pure Romance salesperson.
The chance to enter the contest has passed. Now it’s time to vote.
Votes will be tallied periodically by Intuit to determine who moves to the next round. By late October, the top 20 vote-getters will be chosen.
Scher encourages everyone to vote daily to make sure that Prevent Child Abuse Gaston clears each hurdle.
Intuit products will be awarded weekly, and the top four vote-getters will get bigger prizes.
Two contestants will receive grants of $1,000 each.
The four finalists will get tickets to the Super Bowl in New York and all four will get professionally-produced commercials featuring their businesses, but only one of the ads will air during the big game.
Scher said her purpose for entering the contest was not to win Super Bowl tickets or money. It was to promote awareness for the cause.
But if by some chance the charity wins the big prize, Scher said she’d be ecstatic.
“Who knows? We may just end up on a commercial in the Super Bowl,” she said.
Want to vote?
Visit www.SmallBusinessBigGame.com and search for Prevent Child Abuse Gaston. Click on “Vote for us.”
You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twittercom/GazetteDiane.