Fundraising / Charity Ideas Blog

Ok so I’ve spent post after post recently telling you fundraising tips and new ideas in charties. Well the training wheels come off today boys and girls! It’s your turn to pick what you would like to support and get to it. Fly …. be free!

I’ve read about internet sources that help you raise money for causes that are important to you. I’ve come across one lately that I really like called crowdrise

Created by Edward Norton (yea the incredible hulk guy) and Shauna Robertson crowdrise helps people create fundraising projects and raise money for their causes. Create your profile and update it with stories, videos and pictures of what you are doing in your charity life. You can sign up with specific causes or vounteer opportunities to join other peoples.

It’s free to use and users can wind prizes like hats, t-shirts, along the way for donations. Crowdrise charges a 5% deduction from donations to stay in business so it’s very reasonable. The only small print that I saw is that it’s currently only donating to US charities. I would like to see this changed in the future when this business concept takes off. However I understand the legal complications of such an endeavor would be HUGE!

The Crowdrise brand is all about answering the call to service and having the most fun in the world while you do it.

While your working away at your fundraising don’t forget us at justfundraising.com maybe we can help you out along the way.

Now off you go and tell us what you’ve signed up for in the comments.

There is a fantastic site called The Green Music Group comprised of musicians, music fans and music industry people who are trying to bring more sustainability to the music and touring scene. There has been criticism the past couple of years with the amount of power and co2 pollution concerts and touring groups produce.

Green Music Group is a project of

Reverb, a 501(c)(3) environmental organization founded by Guster guitarist/vocalist Adam Gardner and his wife, environmentalist Lauren Sullivan. Since 2004, Reverb has greened over 80 major music tours while conducting grassroots outreach to over 10 million music fans.

The goals of the environmental group are:

1. Creating an engaging online community of musicians, music industry leaders, and music fans all committed to addressing our greatest environmental concerns.

2. Facilitating large-scale greening of the music community through touring, venue, and label standards, resource development, green grants mentoring, and viral video and public service campaigns.

3. Providing environmental nonprofits with a megaphone for their cause, allowing them to expand their reach and support base.

4. Creating a sustainable green music guild to support and inform the efforts of the music community and position leaders in the music industry as voices for change, working to shine a light on the most pressing environmental issues of our time.

The green group targets music venues, transportation, waste reduction and enery offsets to minimize the damage a tour may due.

Dave Mathews, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Maroon 5, Bonnie Raitt, Bare Naked Ladies, The Roots, Guster and more are involved in the project. The bands are hoping to inspire a shift in your environmental thinking as well. The Green Music Group have contests every couple of weeks to help motivate you. The latest one involves picturing yourself commuting in the most sustainable method you can think of. The industry would like you to get involved and keep in touch by signing up with an email list.

All in all a solid effort by this group to help think environmentally and get the audience involved.

The Make a Wish Foundation are real life heroes who help out people with life threatening illnesses. For thirty years they have been granting wishes, pulling from a network of 25,000 volunteers and people from every trade. Elton John, Beyonce, Michael Jordan, Jeff Gordon, John Cena are a few of the celebrities who take part in this foundation.

One of Make A Wishs’ latest adventures involved Electron Boy! After some dastardly shennigans in Seattle involving Dr.Dark and Blackout Boy, Eric Martin received a call from Spiderman himself and was called into action as ELECTRON BOY!

If your excited about Electron Boy check out his facebook group. It would be nice to see a comic for the continuing adventures of Electon Boy. Just putting that out there.

The Make A Wish Foundation International has chapters in 36 countries. All told the number of wishes granted maybe just short of 500,000! They are always looking for people who would like to volunteer so if you can spare a few minutes, you too could ease suffering, change a life and become a super hero.

An auction closed last week on a great piece of movie memorabilia

In an auction to benefit The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights George Lucas has donated a rare iconic piece of movie history to help raise money to advance the human rights movement throughout the world. Here’s part of the auction description:

“Now, you have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the famous fedoras actually worn by Harrison Ford during production of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Of the custom fedoras used during the filming of Indy’s fourth big screen adventure, this is one of the ‘slightly aged’ versions of the iconic headgear, showcased when the rugged and rumpled adventurer has gotten himself into a tight spot.
“Indiana Jones’ hat is arguably one of the most famous hats in cinema history. This hat is particularly special as it is from the personal collection of the director — the one and only George Lucas!”

Somebody please say they bought this for me! Every reader of this blog know’s I’m a long time fan of this guy so I hope you all pitched in on this.

Ooooohh well, it went to a good cause ….

PS

Your inner geek may also enjoy a scale replica of the Mellennium Falcon signed by HF.

…says he’s sorry, he’s been ahem… a little irritable lately.

Lucasfilm is celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back with a year long charity drive to help worthy causes. They are working with a few different organizations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Education Outreach at Chicago’s Field Museum and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Activities include:

-Los Angeles red carpet screening to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Featuring an exclusive Q&A with Harrison Ford, this one-night-only digital screening of The Empire Strikes Back is presented by Junk Food Clothing
To be held at Hollywood’s Arclight Cinema at 7:00pm on Wednesday, May 19

-Chicago screenings to benefit Education Outreach Programs at The Field Museum
Four digital screenings to be held at The Field Museum’s Ernst & Young Theater
Friday, May 7 at 3:00pm
Saturday, May 8 at 3:00pm, 7:00pm and 10:30pm
Ticket Info: fieldmuseum.org or 312-665-7400

-The 501st Legion’s TK Project to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation
More than 50 contributing artists — including Star Wars actors, underground artists, celebrities and fans — will design and customize classic Star Wars stormtrooper helmets
Entries to be auctioned through Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., from Aug. 12-15
For more information, visit www.starwarscelebration.com

•The Empire Skates Back to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation
Similar to the TK Project, more than 30 contributing artists will customize and design skateboard decks to reflect themes of The Empire Strikes Back
Entries to be auctioned through Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., from Aug. 12-15
For more information, visit www.starwarscelebration.com

•Additional programs will be announced throughout the year on StarWars.com

“Star Wars has received such an amazing show of love and support throughout the years, from fans all over the world,” said Mich Chau, President and Chief Operating Officer, Lucasfilm Ltd. “This anniversary gives us a wonderful opportunity to give back to our fans, and to work with some truly worthy organizations in a combined effort to support those in need.”

Ask my buddy HF when Indy 5 is coming out.
Did you know I was once in the same room as HF? We were both at a Chantal Kreviazuk concert. He didn’t even come over to say “Hey.” I probably put one of his kids through college with what I spent on Indiana Jones stuff.

We at justfundraising.com think the force is strong with Lucasfilm for giving back all year long.

Well that’s funny isn’t it? No sooner do I do a post about Cate Blanchett’s SolarAid charity and mention that I’m a big Indiana Jones fan, then he’s in the news.

Harrison Ford combined his fascination for flying and a willingness to help out by personally flying out medical volunteers and supplies to Haiti from the Dominican Republic for the charity Operation Smile.
The organization provides reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate. I didn’t know that the severity of the condition can leave some kids unable to even eat. For a more in depth look at the oranization check out this page

I’m not trying to take away the spotlight on Haiti nor the hard work and little publicity that the doctors and volunteers get who are already there, but I am happy to show people I’m interested in do help out.

I have chosen…..wisely.

I’ve come clean on my interest in drumming and music before in my post Music to the Rescue. I’ve been playing and studying drumming for a long time and came across a great article featuring some of my favorite players donating parts of their kits for charity. Although the auction took place last December the reason why they did it is still relevant.

The auction took place for teenagers with cancer in the UK. Everyday the UK will diagnose up to 6 new cases of cancer in teens and young adults. In this age range cancer is the most common form of death after non-accidents. Survival rates are lagging behind adults because teens are often misdiagnosed losing time for an important early treatment.

The teenage cancer trust uses their fundraising to deliver presentations to schools for awareness and promoting a healthy lifestyle. They build units in hospitals devoted to teenagers with cancer. The units give the patients an ability to connect with other teenagers with cancer to connect and talk about their ordeal. They can also spend time on the internet, play pool, video games or with musical instruments while in the hospital.

Drummers (that noble breed of musician…ahem, cough, cough) came to the aid of the teenage cancer trust. “Snares, cymbals, toms and bass drums autographed by Phil Collins, Sting and The Police, Elton John, Iron Maiden, Kasabian, Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and members of backing bands for Pink and Paul Weller were all on offer for a very limited time.” Like I said the auction has already taken place but if your curious to see what was up for bids you can check it out at here.

That’s right I missed owning snare drums from The Police and Phil Collins. Crippling news my friends…crippling! (I know your feelin’ my pain here.)

I’m now accepting donations to help me save up for that Stewart Copeland /Police autographed snare drum! I’ll get them to open up the bidding for this. (C’mon people I’m expecting a group effort on this!)

Serioulsy though for more information on cancer check out:
The American Cancer Society
The Canadian Cancer Society
if someone can point out the official UK cancer site I’d gladly post a link to that as well.

Jason Bourne goes Fundraising. I caught this link through twitter and loved Matt Damons’ approach. Not quite sure I could get away with it but hey…works for Matt. Bono shows up for added pressure…oops pleasure.

This video contains a little foul language