Fundraising. It's a funny word. Actually, now that I think about it, I think it's actually a pretty straightforward word. Its meaning is literally right in front of you. In reality, I think it's people's reactions and attitudes towards fundraising that are really the issue. Some people make entire careers out of it, others do it once or twice for charity walks to cure cancer or hunger. To others, it's wonderful because it means that girl scouts will be selling cookies in their neighborhoods, and some for whatever reason, dislike fundraising immensely.
My first experiences fundraising were in elementary school. Every year, I was given pamphlets containing pictures of wrapping paper, magazines, frozen pizza kits, candles, fruit and nuts, flowers, Mary Kay beauty products, and any number of desirable yet expensive (at least to a third grader) products. I was told in school to take these pamphlets door to door and ask my neighbors to buy things from me, but my mother had a rule, I was only allowed to sell my goods to close friends and family. Needless to say, I never won any of the prizes the school gave out to the students who sold the most. Did I really care that much? Nope, not really, I wasn't a competitive kid so I really did not care all that much. I was also quite shy. Even if I was a little bit more competitive, there was NO WAY I would have had the gumption to walk up to my neighbor's door and ask if they wanted to buy some citrus fruit.
Welcome to non-profit work! It turns out fundraising takes up a huge chunk of your tie (who'd have thought right?). In fact, the very survival of your non-profit in question may depend on the generous donates of kindhearted people. I am going to have to get over this fundraising phobia, and quickly. Part of the reason for this is that the GSE program fees amount to around $5000 (includes university credit, food, housing, transportation in India, flights to and from India, vaccines, visas, a faculty adviser, and other things) and I...definitely don't have that much money. I guess it's three cheers for hands-on learning!
I think, in the long term, that this is a good thing. If I want a future career in the non-profit industry, then I must be prepared to be involved in the fundraising efforts. I'm an engaging in some personal fundraising appeals. We'll see how those go, I've already raised about $1700 (not bad at all). In addition to individual fundraising efforts, the entire GSE class has been working really hard on organizing large group fundraisers. Currently we have several projects in the works. This weekend, we'll be selling Mocktails at the South Asian Dinner, which should be exciting!!! We're also in the process of organizing an online silent auction, which will be up very very soon as well. There will be some other smaller things that will hopefully earn us some money too. Let's face it, we have a little less than two months to go before we leave for Bangalore!!
My first experiences fundraising were in elementary school. Every year, I was given pamphlets containing pictures of wrapping paper, magazines, frozen pizza kits, candles, fruit and nuts, flowers, Mary Kay beauty products, and any number of desirable yet expensive (at least to a third grader) products. I was told in school to take these pamphlets door to door and ask my neighbors to buy things from me, but my mother had a rule, I was only allowed to sell my goods to close friends and family. Needless to say, I never won any of the prizes the school gave out to the students who sold the most. Did I really care that much? Nope, not really, I wasn't a competitive kid so I really did not care all that much. I was also quite shy. Even if I was a little bit more competitive, there was NO WAY I would have had the gumption to walk up to my neighbor's door and ask if they wanted to buy some citrus fruit.
Welcome to non-profit work! It turns out fundraising takes up a huge chunk of your tie (who'd have thought right?). In fact, the very survival of your non-profit in question may depend on the generous donates of kindhearted people. I am going to have to get over this fundraising phobia, and quickly. Part of the reason for this is that the GSE program fees amount to around $5000 (includes university credit, food, housing, transportation in India, flights to and from India, vaccines, visas, a faculty adviser, and other things) and I...definitely don't have that much money. I guess it's three cheers for hands-on learning!
I think, in the long term, that this is a good thing. If I want a future career in the non-profit industry, then I must be prepared to be involved in the fundraising efforts. I'm an engaging in some personal fundraising appeals. We'll see how those go, I've already raised about $1700 (not bad at all). In addition to individual fundraising efforts, the entire GSE class has been working really hard on organizing large group fundraisers. Currently we have several projects in the works. This weekend, we'll be selling Mocktails at the South Asian Dinner, which should be exciting!!! We're also in the process of organizing an online silent auction, which will be up very very soon as well. There will be some other smaller things that will hopefully earn us some money too. Let's face it, we have a little less than two months to go before we leave for Bangalore!!
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