Question

Topic: Just for Fun

A Brilliant Nfp Idea (damn It) ... Now What?

Posted by Anonymous on 12/31/2004 at 7:23 PM ET 500 Points
The other day I came up with an idea for raising funds for the Tsunami victims and after a few Christmas drinks e-mailed it off to a popular local talkback radio station.

Next thing they rang to say they loved the idea and proceed to interview me on air about it.

At the end of the interview they said that they would check in with me to see how I was progressing.

Doh! I didn't realize they actually wanted me to run with it!

So now I'm asking for help from you wise folks.

THE IDEA

I thought for Australia Day (Jan 26th) there should be a "Dinner on your front Lawn" campaign. (It's Summer here FYI).

On Australia Day households should be encouraged to take out the deck chairs and sit out on their front lawns and eat dinner.

After dinner people could walk around the block and say g'day to their neighbors over the front fence.

Each household should donate money or better yet, purchase a "Say G'day on Australia Day" flag to plant in their lawn.

I received some support from a party shop chain who said they would print a poster up that people can buy and collect donations.

Question is, what could or should be done next (if anything)?

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Michelle
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 12/31/2004 at 8:07 PM Accepted
    Well Michelle,

    see what you've got us into now.

    KHE PARTICIPATION...
    What you could do is challenge everyone in KHE to participate by buying a banner.

    INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE...
    One of our peers could write an amazing press release that each one of us could send to media contacts in the cities we live in. The press release could trigger the media because our efforts would be an international response sounding an alarm to respond as united world.

    LEVERAGE KIDS CONCERNS TO SPARK A STRONGER CAMPAIGN.....
    We could tie in the Elementary/Middle and High Schools in our town. In particular little kids are always willing to be so helpful and compassionate toward international problems like this. On the Middle & Junior High level we could try to tie in the concern to a Social Studies experiment or project on how the internet can have positive global effects to bring relief.

    GET CORPORATE PARTICIPATION...

    I'll stop for the moment because I want to give others room to chime in. Use what you can lose the rest. Is there anything else I can do for you Michelletrex. Look what you've started.

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passinon Evanglist)
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 12/31/2004 at 10:23 PM Member
    Bill,

    Thanks for the support. If I knew you lived in Florida when I was there in July this year I would have given you a shout out. Bill I look forward to getting a chance to talk with you. And Micheletrex Bills enhanced the concept so get the video.
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 1/1/2005 at 6:27 PM Accepted
    Michelle, this is a fantastic idea. I agree with our other Michele (the One L Michele), though, about enlisting the brains and manpower of an existing fundraising org.

    That would lend the project instant credibility, as well as giving you the help you need to pull off a gargantuan task.

    Also, with such a short window of time, it might be more realistic to start in one city instead of trying to go nationwide. Maybe different neighborhoods could compete for who can rustle up the most donations.

    Happy New Year!

    - Shelley
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 1/6/2005 at 7:24 PM Member
    Two L Michelle . . .

    What's happened since you first posted the question? Have you contacted the radio station, the Red Cross, or anyone?
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 1/6/2005 at 8:49 PM Accepted
    Michelle

    Where are you in Australia? My details are available via my profile and follow through to our website. (I have a suspicion you are in Qld.)

    Picking Australia Day tends to focus this as an Australian promotion. You know 16 Jan has been selected as a National Day of Mourning?

    Anyway the problem as I see it is not in getting the PR - that will be available because the media is very focused on the tsunami aftermath especially now Australia has pledged $1Bn to aid Indonesia.

    The problem is with another of the four p's - Place - or your distribution (collection) network. How are you going to get the activity of having dinner on the front lawn converted into a collection of funds to aid the victims?

    I understand Bill Moore's comments about keeping this from other NFP's, but without the existing networks of collectors how will you be able to reach enough people to make this worthwhile? And without the credibility afforded by say the Red Cross, Care International, St Vincents or the Salvation Army, how will you overcome the natural cynicism of the public when faced with yet another collector jangling a tin?

    I think you need to form some alliances with existing groups very quickly to leverage this wonderful idea in time to make a difference.

    You want this to be a nationwide initiative, not confined to the upper reaches of Albion and nowhere beyond.

    Let me know if I can help.

    ChrisB
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 1/8/2005 at 12:13 AM Member
    Michelle, if you want to email me your poster file (.jpg? .gif?), I'll load it on my website and post a link here.

    I'll be the Red Cross fundraiser person is SWAMPED already.
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 1/8/2005 at 12:55 AM Member
    Michelle,

    this submission does not mean that I will be your guru of interpretation but "home boy" is a slang term that means a boy from the same home town as you. Another more streetwise term is "Homie" which mean the same thing originally but has now been stretched to be used as a term or endearment like family. Sort of the way I use "my bruther" or "my Sistah".

    By the way would you like to be my "Soul Sistah from Australia"? It's no pressure if you don't...I've almost come to the place where I love to be rejected as much as I'm accepted. Is there anything else I can do for you?

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 1/8/2005 at 2:00 AM Member
    Okay, Michelle's poster is now on my website.

    As an aside... I'm grateful for this exercise, because without doing this for you, Michelle, I would not have noticed that someone hijacked my website a week ago!

    I'm all about disaster relief, but I'm not too happy with whoever the a88hole is who hacked into my site and replaced the homepage with pitiful photos and bogus donation links!! No, you can't see it -- I just deleted it.

    For those of you with links to your own websites here: BEWARE. The culprit may be lurking here on the forum.
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 1/8/2005 at 6:01 PM Member
    You sure have "My Sistah" and in in about one skinnet you'll be gettin low, looking for the doe.

    If you think my love for rejection is a sign of singin da blues then you really have mistaken me for some Fruit Loop without The Scoop. Now I see how much you really do need to become my Australian Soul Sistah...send me an email offline and sign up today...so I can school you in the areas where American Idol is fallen short, because you have fallen off. They must have really jacked your extensions a little "Too Tight" (lol). But I'll let you slide this time since you my home girl and a *SSGIT, Soul Sistah Girl In Training.

    Your Sweet Saint Charles Homie but I'll never be yo homie dawg

    PS
    (All in love),
    I just hate to deal with "Tenderoni Playa Hata's" on line. I'm supposed to school you offline so when you poppin off like that you straighten up and come correct.

  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 1/19/2005 at 9:50 PM Accepted
    Michelle

    Many of the answers you've been given seem to have come from a US-centered perspective and the respondent may not understand just how much effort has already been undertaken in Australia to raise funds for the Tsunami victims.

    So many Aussies have been touched by this disaster (I'm a Melbourne Football Club supporter, and Troy Broadbridge's funeral is being held today) and the community here has already seen many fund-raising initiatives in terms of the telethon, One-Day Cricket at the MCG, and the Sydney Wave-Aid concert on 29 Jan, plus many more. With Australia Day looming next Wednesday (26 Jan for the non-Aussies) I think your only hope now is to mobilise at a local level, local papers, radio stations, letters to the Editor at The Age and herald-Sun, and just get the message across that people can:

    1. Eat lunch or dinner on the front lawn and talk with their neighbours; and,
    2. Go to a Bank or Post Office and make a donation to one of the Aid Agencies:

    CBA - Red Cross
    NAB - World Vision
    ANZ - World Vision, Red Cross, UNICEF
    Aus Post - CARE Australia

    Only problem with donations not going through you is that you'll never know how effective your campaign was. Does that matter?

    Awareness of the plight and need of survivors is high. Your initiative is poignant and close to the heart. It should work.

    Best of luck with it!

    Chris B
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