Takeaways from our open house

Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting an open house for staff from Vancouver Foundation, an organization we work closely with here at BC Unclaimed Property Society. The goals were simple: Create space to connect, and strengthen our partnership with them and their awareness of our work through direct outreach.

We always value opportunities to engage with our partners, but this visit offered more than just a chance to present information. It gave us insight into how our work is understood, even among those already familiar with our name.

One of the biggest surprises? Many attendees had heard of BC Unclaimed Property Society, but weren’t entirely sure what we actually do. That gap between recognition and understanding was eye-opening. It reinforced something we often suspect but don’t always get to confirm so directly: Awareness doesn’t always equal real understanding.

Even more surprising was what we heard next.

Among those who did understand our role — reconnecting people and organizations with unclaimed money while keeping community-focused charitable funding at our core — many admitted they had never taken the simple step of searching their own names on our website.

That moment really stuck with us. It highlighted an important truth: Even when people understand the value of a service, they don’t always see themselves as potential beneficiaries. There’s a natural assumption that “it probably doesn’t apply to me.” But as we know from experience, unclaimed funds can belong to anyone: individuals, businesses, and even other non-profit organizations.

The open house ended up serving another purpose above and beyond what we had planned: It became a reminder of why outreach matters. Conversations like the ones we had that day help turn passive awareness into meaningful action. They encourage people to take that small but important step of searching their name (and those of their family and friends) on our website, just to see if we might have something for them.

We’re grateful to the Vancouver Foundation team for their time, curiosity, and openness. Events like this help us learn how to better serve communities across British Columbia.

If there’s one takeaway we hope everyone carries forward, it’s this: If you know about us, take the next step. Do a quick search. You might be surprised by what you find.

And if you hadn’t heard of us before, well, now you have.