The Vinnies CEO Sleepout began as a local community venture in Sydney’s Parramatta in 2006, the brainchild of a local business leader, Bernard Fehon, Managing Director of Tactical Solutions. At that time, Bernard had been working on the organising committee of a gala dinner to raise funds for Vinnies locally in the Parramatta region. It was whilst serving on this committee, that Bernard conceived an idea inspired by his children having attended school sleepouts for Vinnies.

The sleepout would engage business leaders to raise awareness and funds for Vinnies to support people experiencing homelessness as part of a larger Escape from Poverty campaign. The campaign also included the annual gala dinner and door knock appeal.

With the help of Vinnies, business associates, volunteers and his family, Bernard held the inaugural event on 21 June 2006 at what was then known as Telstra Stadium, now ANZ Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park.

Part of the intention of the event was to be cost neutral, and this was achieved with the support of the following organisations: Telstra Stadium, AMP Foundation, Tactical Solutions, REDD Media, Triple M, McKenzie Partners, Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce, Mt St Benedict College, Executive Peak Performance and Tony Fehon of Macquarie Bank.

Since then, the event has raised over $13 million of important funds for Vinnies Homeless Services across NSW, and nationally.

In 2010 the event was launched nationally and exceeded expectations, attracting almost 700 CEOs in 7 cities nationally and raising $2.9 million to directly assist people experiencing homelessness.

In 2011, almost 1,000 business leaders came together to show their support and raised over $4.2 million. The seventh annual event took place in 2012 in 8 capital cities and in Wollongong NSW, with over 1,000 participating business leaders and raised over $5.3 million.

The aim of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout is not only to raise funds, but raise awareness of homelessness. Our goal is not just to service the homeless, but to bring about an end to homelessness. The discomfort of sleeping on the streets is a fragment of the larger reality we hope to impart upon influential leaders of the community. With their help, and yours, we can fight the issue of homelessness together.