A Chesapeake non-profit organization will raise money for community charities over the next few years with a unique advertising opportunity.

The Chesapeake Charities Banner Program is a three-year, citywide project that will enable businesses, groups and individuals to purchase a street pole banner to be hung at one of the intersections in the city. Each 60-by-30-inch banner will feature the sponsor’s 26-by-20-inch logo on both sides of tightly sewn, weather resistant material.

Prices are based on traffic volume at the intersection with the streetlight in question. It’s $750 for a streetlight at an intersection below 35,000 cars per day on average, and $1,500 at an intersection above 35,000. The limit is one banner per streetlight.

From 2017 to 2018, 100 percent of the fundraising will be split between Chesapeake Public Safety Memorial and Chesapeake 9/11 Memorial. The next two that will split the fundraising the following year will be Chesapeake Planetarium and Cornland School Foundation, while the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways Foundation will receive all fundraising from 2019 to 2020.

According to Chesapeake Charities development manager Courtney Wolfe, each banner will feature one of the five charities. These charities were chosen partly because they lacked the resources to fundraise on their own, Wolfe said.

“It’s really a genius way to get businesses involved with the nonprofit sector,” Wolfe said. “Some people may not even know that these nonprofits exist, but now they’ll be out in the city of Chesapeake on banners.”

Chesapeake Charities started from a committee for the city’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2013. Approximately 375 banners were sold to raise about $400,000 for celebration activities. The program started back up in June, and the first batch of banners will be hung overnight this Sunday.

These banners will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and be displayed until October 2018. Wolfe said the banners will be sold through January but recommended purchasing space at an ideal intersection before holiday traffic this November.

“Some capitalize on this low-cost advertising very well,” Wolfe said. “Others are participating just for another method to sponsor their favorite charity in the city.”

Visit chescharities.org for more information.