August 2017 – Page 3 – The Chuffed Academy

August 16, 2017

Success Story: Empowering Women in the Solomon Islands

“I grew up in the Solomon Islands and Fiji and over the past 10 years have lived and worked in the Solomon Islands, running various projects to support women into financial independence. Earlier this year I met the “Kaleko SteiFree” team, a small women’s business that produce re-usable sanitary pads and provide education on menstrual hygiene management, an important yet often unrecognised issueI. For many girls and women in the Solomon Islands there is limited access to basic sanitary products, there is no choice by to use toilet paper, cloth or local natural materials such as leaves or coconut husks.

These challenges have the potential to negatively impact physical and emotional health, their participation in school and work and their contribution in the community. I was inspired by the work of Kaleko SteiFree and offered to help spread their message and product to more girls and women, especially those in rural communities. One way I have done this is through my work with the Loloma Foundation.

Since 2016 I have volunteered with the Loloma Foundation on medical outreach missions to rural communities in Fiji and the Solomon Islands. From August 15th-22nd this year I am volunteering with the Loloma Foundation on a medical outreach mission to rural communities in the Solomon Islands. The women’s health team will distribute re-usable sanitary pads and provide basic medical care and education on women’s health related issues including menstrual hygiene management. With only 4 days left to go on my campaign, AUD AUD 5,385 has already been raised which will be used to purchase 200 kits from Kaleko SteiFree. These are the kits we will distribute during the Loloma Foundation mission in August.

An additional 200 re-usable sanitary pads have been produced and donated by the International Tea Group, a group of friends who volunteer in charity projects in the Solomon Islands. This has been an incredible effort by so many people near and far. I am truly grateful for the support and know that this will make such a positive difference to the lives of many girls and women in the Solomon Islands. There is real power in coming together to do good. I am already planning how I can do something similar in Fiji next year! “

Check out this awesome campaign page here:

August 15, 2017

Success Story: JusticeforLB

“In March 2013 a young man known as LB, short for Laughing Boy, was admitted to an NHS assessment and treatment unit. LB was 18, a fit and healthy young man who loved buses, Eddie Stobart and speaking his mind. He also happened to have autism and epilepsy. After 107 days in the unit, he drowned in the bath, on 4 July, an entirely preventable death.

LB’s mum, Sara Ryan, had blogged about their family life for a number of years before he was admitted to the unit, and I was a regular reader of her blog. When he died I did not know what to say, so I said nothing. Six months after LB died an independent investigation into what happened was due to be published and I got in touch with Sara and offered to help raise awareness of what had happened. I joined a growing group of outraged JusticeforLB campaigners.

Learning disabled men die on average 13 years sooner than the general population, and women 20 years sooner. LB should not have died, his death was entirely preventable, especially if healthcare staff had listened to his family’s concerns and acted on them. Personally, as someone with a background in learning disability and research, the JusticeforLB campaign felt important to get involved with. We have so much knowledge that is not reaching those that need to act on it, and people keep dying prematurely.

The JusticeforLB campaign has focused on raising awareness of premature deaths together with the need to listen to families and to fully involve learning disabled people in their care, and in society more generally. Bereaved families are not entitled to legal aid and therefore we also sought to raise funds to cover legal action.

In October 2016 I attended LB’s two week jury inquest with his family and legal team, and tweeted the proceedings in real time, enabling those not in attendance to follow the court case.

This year we decided to live tweet the fitness to practice tribunal into Dr Valerie Murphy, the Consultant Psychiatrist who was responsible for LB’s care. We launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover my travel and accommodation expenses and have raised more than twice what we asked for. The additional money will be used to cover the upcoming Health and Safety Executive prosecution, and the tweets will enable us to continue shining a light on these murkiest of processes.”

Head to their campaign page to learn more!

August 11, 2017

Success Story: Preventing Suicide Through Real-Life Stories of Hope & Triumph

“It was around 10 months ago that I first began this project. At the time, I was on a road trip down south in northern NSW, and as I drove through the long, lonely stretches of highway, I found myself thinking over an article I’d read earlier that day about the rise in youth suicide. It really hit home for me – having faced many demons of my own in my youth, and also losing my father to suicide when I was 18 – and I found myself wishing there was something I could do to help change our tragic culture.

I’d spent the last several years working as a magazine editor, ghostwriter and freelance journalist, focusing on social injustices such as domestic violence, human trafficking, and child abuse, and although I was (and still currently am) extremely passionate about my work in all of these areas, I felt that mental health was an important topic that I wanted to cover.

As I drove down south that winter night in 2016, I found myself thinking of all the incredible people I’d heard of who’d once felt, as I once had, that life wasn’t worth living. Not just celebrities, but also people I know personally; people who the world would be worse off for, had they given up. At that time, I didn’t know that this project would one day become a book, or the countless hours that would be spent making it happen—I just knew it had to be created.

When you’re stuck in a hole, it’s hard to believe that things could ever change, and that’s when people give up. I wanted to use the power of storytelling to show people—through real-life memoirs—that where you are in your journey right now, is not where you have to stay. And so, over the course of about 6 months, I set out on a mission to find and interview inspirational Aussies from around the country—extraordinary people who had faced their biggest demons and emerged triumphant—and bring their stories together.

It’s been an incredibly inspiring journey and I’m forever grateful for the people I’ve met, and their willingness to share their stories with me. Together, we hope to be able to show people around the world that while life is full of adversity, we can use our challenges to rise above to something greater. Suicide is never the solution, and hope and healing are always waiting to be found.”

Learn more about this inspiring campaign below:

August 11, 2017

Success Story: Rescued Cat & Kittens

“I was brought up in an animal loving family. I remember the injured birds that we picked up off the road as a child. When I was 25 I stopped to check on a possum that had been hit by a car. The possum was dead, but she had live babies in her pouch. I remember seeing her belly moving. I got those babies into care after many phone calls, and providing the recommended first aid (keep warm/dark/quiet).

From that experience I learned that people who do animal rescue and care are often self-funded volunteers. That was the start of my “official” rescuing. I joined groups and sought training. I now have well over 10 years’ experience with rescue, care, education and advocacy, with a particular focus on native wildlife.

My rescue work is not limited to native wildlife. The number of stray, abandoned cats in Australian suburbs is alarming. Whilst wildlife is certainly falling prey to cats, the destruction of habitat by humans is the greatest threat. By rescuing and homing cats I can educate to reduce the impact on Wildlife (desexing to reduce unwanted populations, keeping contained indoors and to cat runs). Street cats can live difficult lives. Shelters and Foster carers are inundated with rescue cats. Thousands of healthy animals are being euthanised each year.

Funds raised are dedicated to the care of rescue cats. The 2 kittens, Mack and Gizmo, have transformed from wild street kittens shivering in a corner and scrounging for food, to a beautiful cuddly pair of bonded brothers.

The campaign is going extremely well, raising $693 within the first 5 hours. It was heart-warming to see donations coming in. I hesitated for 3 months to launch as I was not comfortable asking for money! Taking the chuffed teams advice of seeking 5 donations pre-launch really helped kick start the campaign, and I believe gave potential donors the assurance that the cause was legitimate. I contacted people via social media and the donations started rolling in. I was able to officially launch within 20 minutes.

Funds have mostly been spent on vet fees and medications – all 3 cats required health checks, desexing, microchipping and vaccinations, and flea and worm treatments.

I am seeking a loving home for these kitties and am committed to providing the best care in the meantime. The funds are really helping, and the supportive messages have been very comforting.”

Check out Mel’s campaign page:

August 11, 2017

Community Leader: Todd

Meet Todd Finklestone, Chuffed.org’s Boston-based Community Leader.

Todd works in international development and has a range of experience in areas from human rights to global security. Read on to see what he has to say about crowdfunding…

Tell us a bit about yourself and your career (or life) so far.

Hello. My name is Todd and I am from Boston, Massachusetts. I am the founder of a nonprofit organization called CameroonONE that specializes in privatized foster care in the Republic of Cameroon – we take parentless children from their orphanages and place them in the households of surviving family members and sponsor all their education, health needs, and caretaker support. I am also a Response Team Member for ShelterBox International, an NGO that provides emergency shelter to families displaced by natural disasters and manmade conflict across the globe.

Why did you decide to become a Chuffed.org community leader?

Chuffed.org is the best platform for charity crowdfunding. Chuffed’s philosophy to dispense all donations for charity causes to the organizations (without taking an administration fee) demonstrates their sincere concern and respect for donor accountability and appreciation for the the efforts of charity organizations’ volunteers and staff and their causes.

How did your crowdfunding journey begin?

I discovered crowdfunding during my efforts to secure funding for the charities that I am invested in. I discovered Chuffed through an Australian teammate of mine while on deployment, I have been a loyal Chuffed supporter since, recommending it to everyone in the fundraising community since.

What social cause are passionate about and why?

CameroonONE because it is a personal project of mine, and ShelterBox because I am a member of their Response Team and an ambassador for our US affiliate.

What relevant fundraising or other experience do you have that you can share with participants in the workshop?

I have range of experience in the Non-Governmental Sector, mostly in international development. Also, I’ve been fundraising for CameroonONE for a while – for example, raising money to help support children’s scholarships, and organizing supply drives for school gear, medical equipment and clothing. I can talk about what I’ve learnt on the way.

What social cause project or campaign on Chuffed will the funds raised through the workshop support?

CameroonOne – click here to see our campaign.

August 10, 2017

Success Story: Gifts for Manus & Nauru

“My involvement with people on Manus & Nauru began a couple of years ago when I became aware of the letter writing campaign by Julian Burnside and decided to make contact with a couple of detainees on Manus island. I also was able to get some inside scoop from a friend over dinner, she was a case manager at one of the islands and would work for 2-3 weeks at a time and then come home for a week. She recounted how the centre was run, how the men battled through the days, and how downright dismal the place was. She was only able to do so much in her role.

One time she came to me with the story of a man who just needed someone to talk to. I wrote him a letter – I had his ID and full name – and discovered in our correspondence that he loved reading. Next, I sent him an e-reader loaded with books, which he was able to collect from the postal service in the main compound.

This was the beginning. Handwritten letters to make the individuals stuck in the centre feel connected to the outside; letting them know not everyone in Australia agreed with what the Government was doing. I also sent small parcels like the e-reader because they had very little at the time in terms of entertainment. The postal office, however, was incredibly restrictive about what could be sent and unbelievably slow – all parcels were opened before they reached their recipient. On the rare occasion contents were stolen but by and large we have been quite successful with items reaching recipients.</p>

We then started to set up email addresses because they weren’t even able to do that for themselves without a phone number (I used my personal number). Via limited access to email (mobile phones were contraband at the time) we liaised with the men and they sent through request for essentials like shoes, medical and dental items.

Now I write ‘we’, but at the time it was just ‘me’ because I wasn’t aware that others were doing the same thing. There were others and I was introduced to Ali Murdoch, the founder of Gifts for Manus and Nauru who has been dubbed ‘the Angel of Manus’. I joined her private Facebook group and initially I was one of nine but now there are over 3,000 members!

As the Facebook group grew, some of the Manus men got their hands on mobile phones and as long as the phones were kept out of sight, most guards who knew about them would turn a blind eye. Last year, after the centre was declared unconstitutional, that it should be closed, the men could use their mobile phones out in the open and come and go as they want. From that point, we were able to speak freely over mobile phones and publicly promote the cause to people looking to help. We have over 1200 people on the database, that’s 1200 phones that need a monthly top-up of $30-$35, totally $42,000 every month. Our crowdfunding campaigns on Chuffed.org have been really successful and they keep getting bigger, with this current one raising over $19,000! But they still only scratch the surface.

When we set out to this journey, we didn’t anticipate we would still be going on now and the fact that we are is devastating. For as long as the centres are open, we will continue to operate because I am one of many Australians who are passionate about the closure of offshore detention centres and the rights of individuals who were seeking refuge and instead were detained.

Check out their latest crowdfunding campaign page:
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August 10, 2017

Community Leader: Lucy

Meet Lucy Graham, Chuffed.org’s Community Leader from Brisbane. For Lucy, crowdfunding is the perfect way to combine her love of the outdoors and physical challenges, with her desire to build a community for a better world. Read on to see where her journey has taken her so far…

Tell us a bit about yourself and your career (or life) so far.

I’m passionate about the planet and people and a better world. I worked in outdoor education for many years before pursuing a career in sustainability and social science. I now work as a community organiser; training people in how to build movements and to campaign for a better world. In my spare time I volunteer to create change that I think is important. I am currently crowdfunding with Chuffed.org to raise money for marine debris programs and ocean protection.

How did your crowdfunding journey begin?

The first time I crowdfunded was to raise money for cancer research in 2011. I was participating in a charity kayak, originally for the physical challenge. I soon realised how truly powerful crowdfunding is. It not only funds important projects, but also creates conversations and an informed community.

What is a social cause you are passionate about and why?

Too many to put into words! Right now my big focus is marine debris and pollution – mainly plastics. The aim is to reduce consumption, demand, and irresponsible use of plastic.

What do you love most about the Chuffed.org community?

The support, the passion and the shared desire for a better world that motivates so many of us!

Why did you decide to become a Chuffed.org community leader?

I want to meet like-minded people, and to inspire and empower people to believe in themselves and their ability to make change. More than anything, I would like to share and to learn from collective experience.

What advice would you give to someone starting crowdfunding today?

Just do it. Start. Learn as you go. Make mistakes, learn from them, but more than anything – get in and do it!

What social cause project or campaign on Chuffed will the funds raised through the workshop support?

I’m campaigning to raise funds for ocean cleanup – read more about it here.

August 10, 2017August 10, 2017

Success Story: Festival TrashStock 2017 – Musik Artistik Plastik

“I was born in Brittany, France, and I traveled quite a lot before settling down in Bali where I created the festival TrashStock Musik Artistik Plastik to provide local youth a fun, yet educative event through informal education. It’s my hobby project, but I am helping a foundation that aims to solve Bali’s freshwater crisis. Not many people know it, but the tourism is draining the groundwater and plastic pollution. Part of this project involves a comic book educating school-kids about the impact of littering in the rivers.

I started my career in logistics in the oil and gas industry. But while the work was great, I could feel it wasn’t my purpose. An amazing experience living in a caravan in the Australian bush allowed me to think of how I could use my skills for the greater good. That’s how I founded PREthical, an online agency matching NGO’s and businesses and sharing their stories.

The TrashStock festival is a combination of a sad experience and the wish to combine my personal passions. Every day when I was walking to the office I could see garbage pilling up on the side of the rice field and in the stream. Being graduated in logistics and having a passion for photography and a past as a musician, I mixed everything into TrashStock since 2015 with the help of a Balinese friend I met in Australia. Hendra Arimbawa is the soul of TrashStock and is passionate about making Bali clean from plastic pollution. His positive spirit is rarely impacted by the effort needed to educate his fellows about how bad plastic is for the environment.

While we fundraise to make the festival a reality, we are also doing our best to help others. Every year we donate part of our benefits to an artist recycling plastic to create artwork and a NGO promoting creativity for their education about plastic pollution. We follow their work and genuine passion. Of course, we can only make our social program happen if our own fundraising was successful.

The 2017 edition is very special because of the International year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Indeed, so many Balinese work in tourism and many more are studying with the goal to find a job in the industry. However, tourists are increasingly complaining about the plastic pollution and choose cleaner destinations.”

Check out more about the TrashStock Bali Art & Music Festival and what they’re doing to tackle plastic pollution on their campaign page:

August 9, 2017August 24, 2017

Community Leader: Kimberly

Meet Kimberly Clouthier, Chuffed.org’s Community Leader from the Northern Beaches in Sydney. Kimberly has a background in marketing and is passionate about educating the next generation, so they are better prepared for the future. She has worked on two not-for-profit boards as Fundraising Director and has raised thousands for multiple organisations!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your career (or life) so far.

I am older than I think I am. But you do need a bit of time to fit in all the experience I have had. I started my professional journey as a food photographer in New York City, went on to become a marketing guru in Eastern Europe and am now a futurist in Australia. I like to keep the momentum up, so I have also held board roles in not-for-profits, am a Marine Rescue volunteer, keen sailor and emerging sculptor… well one can hope anyway.

Why did you decide to become a Chuffed.org community leader?

Honestly? This ad appeared in my inbox and I answered it. The timing seemed right and Chuffed aligns with my philosophy of ‘giving while your going’. If you need to ‘give back’ then you’ve taken too much. There are plenty of things ordinary people can do to improve our future. You don’t have to be a millionaire. Chuffed enabled individuals like you and me to raised over $10 million for social good in less than 3 years. I want to support that!

How did your crowdfunding journey begin?

I was on a not-for-profit board for an arts organisation and we missed out a grant because of budget cuts. But the project that brought together over 60 artists and 2000 members of the community was too good to just drop. So we put it out there and got it funded using crowd funding.

What social cause are passionate about and why?

Being a futurist I am all about kids. I cannot imagine what it is like to be growing up these days where everything is changing so quickly. Exciting for sure, but also challenging. I mean how can you study for a career that does not even exist yet? So I am passionate about anything that enables kids to connect and get ahead.

What relevant fundraising or other experience do you have that you can share with participants in the workshop?

Being on not-for-profit boards gave me heaps of fundraising experience including straight up membership or donation drives, big fundraising events, grant writing and of course crowd funding. But my secret weapon is the business background I have in marketing.

What social cause project or campaign on Chuffed will the funds raised through the workshop support?

Following on that passion I mentioned earlier, I recently started up a not-for-profit named “Share the SPARK” with some business savvy friends. SPARK stands for Successful Professionals Assisting Resourceful Kids, and we aim to do just that by hooking up adults who are passionate about what they do with kids who have an interest. It is for kids to get exposure, or to try something they never even thought about, because they may find they have skills or talents they never thought they had. Challenging your own assumptions opens up new opportunities for the future.

Kimberly is hosting a Crowdfunding for Social Causes Workshop on the 30th of August. You can register here.