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Success Story: Rescued Cat & Kittens

Mel

Mel

“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:
 

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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.

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Success Story: Gifts for Manus & Nauru

Anne Moon

Anne Moon

“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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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.

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Success Story: Festival TrashStock 2017 – Musik Artistik Plastik

Trash Stock Team

Trash Stock Team “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:

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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.

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Success Story: The Honeycomb Hub

“We are the Burkett Family: Adam, Abigail, Sebastian (aged 4) and Elliot (aged 2) and on the 22nd of July we moved to Botswana to set up a family centre in Gaborone.

Adam and I met on our Gap Year, in 2002, teaching in Kenya, when we also fell in love with Africa. My younger sister, Phillida, also fell in love on her Gap year in Botswana in 2006 and has now lived in Botswana for the last 8 years with her Motswana husband. Visiting her made us realise the lack of community centres or play areas even in the capital city and so we decided there was an opportunity for us to give back whilst utilising my 11 years’ experience as a teacher and Phillida’s management skills.

Together, we want to create The Honeycomb Hub, a family centre in Gaborone where everyone is welcome and people feel they are not alone. We particularly want to support pregnant women, new parents and growing families who can struggle with the challenges of parenthood and end up feeling isolated and alone. The Honeycomb Hub will provide information and resources on all aspects of parenting, a place where you can develop new knowledge and skills, bond with your child through different play opportunities or simply have a cold drink with other frazzled parents while your children play. Phillida has trained with Basingstoke’s very own Marie Behenna (www.fitmamastudio.com) to become the first FitMama instructor in Southern Africa to allow us to support pregnant women and new mothers with their fitness through and after pregnancy.

One of our first priorities is to strengthen our links with the Downs Syndrome Association in Botswana to offer work experience and job opportunities for young adults with Downs Syndrome in Botswana.

We are really looking forward to making a change both for ourselves, and hopefully in the lives of some of the people we shall meet.”

If you would like to know more about their adventure, check out their crowdfunding page below:

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Quick tip: How to create a compelling campaign video in under 90 minutes

Video on phone

It’s a fact:

The most effective crowdfunding campaigns use video.

There’s just something about video that grabs our attention and makes us interested. That’s why people watch five billion YouTube videos each day, and the film and movie industry is worth tens of billions of dollars a year.

In this quick tip, you’ll learn the step-by-step process for adding a little cinematic magic to your campaign in just 90 minutes.

Step 1: Write the script (20 minutes)

We’ve found that videos work best if they’re short—around two minutes or so.

Here’s a template you can use:

  • 0:00-0:30 — Tell your story and explain why you care about the problem
  • 0:30-1:30 — Explain what your solution is, and how it will solve the problem
  • 1:30-1:45 — Provide a general budget, and explain what you’ll do with extra funds
  • 1:45-2:00 — Ask! Encourage people to join your mission, and explain any perks

Step 2: Film the video (30 minutes)

The equipment doesn’t matter as much as your personality! A smartphone or even webcam will work fine.

When filming, do this:

  • Look into the camera, and imagine just talking to one friend.
  • Show your excitement and passion for your cause—your enthusiasm is infectious!
  • Smile and look confident! Don’t be afraid to ask people to help.

Step 3: Edit the video (30 minutes)

Before you show the video to the world, you’ll probably want to polish it a bit.

If you have Windows Movie Maker (PC) or iMovie (Mac), you can use this software. For an even faster option, consider a free mobile app like YouTube Director or PowerDirector.

There’s no need to be fancy.

Trim out major misspeaks, and add a picture or title if you like.

Don’t worry about background music, a logo, or even transitions. These take time to get right and can be distracting for your viewers.

Remember—people want to support you, so don’t hide behind special effects!

Step 4: Upload the video (5 minutes)

Once you’ve finished editing the video, the rest is easy.

Go to a site like YouTube or Vimeo and upload your creation. Since the video is short, it shouldn’t take too long.

Be sure to give it a title—don’t leave the default image name:

Step 5: Upload to Chuffed (5 minutes)

Once you’ve uploaded the video, watch it once to make sure everything’s working properly.

If so, grab the link and place it on your Chuffed campaign page. Double-check to make sure it works correctly.

Congrats! You’ve just created your first campaign video! If you have more time, consider spending more time on each section to develop your work further.

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Quick tip: The most popular perks in the history of Chuffed.org

Australian Vegan Journal

What makes for a great donor reward?

In our previous research on the best crowdfunding perks, we’ve found three categories that work well. Today, we’re going to look at some of the most popular perks of all time to get your creative juices flowing.

Pre-release products or services

  • Care packages – 304 sold. For $64, supports got two care packages—one for themselves, and one donated to a domestic violence shelter on Mother’s Day.
  • Get Pointy – 280 sold. For $25, supporters received an early release of a the children’s book Pointy Pembleton, with proceeds going to support greyhound rescue.
  • Early edition of Australian Vegans – 226 sold. Supporters got an early print edition of the magazine for $15, which told the story of veganism and ethical leadership in Australia.

Unique experiences

  • Swimming with the whales – 429 sold. For $50, donors could be entered into the running to join a documentary team swimming with minke whales with the Great Barrier Reef Legacy campaign. The concept was so successful, the campaign raised over $20,000 with this perk alone! (If you choose to run a raffle, be sure to get a license from your locality.)
  • Special screening of Oddball– sold out at 200! For $30, supporters got to attend a private screening of the movie and guest speaker presentation, along with popcorn and a drink. The funds went toward Vets for Change. Seats were limited to 200, and sold out!

Special recognition

    • The $10 Challenge – 438 sold. For $10, individuals purchased the rights to get their name placed on a plaque at the Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary. Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary also had two other high-performing perks—a  $25 and $50 perk with “digital kisses” from the animals, plus the name of the supporter on the recognition wall.
    • No Place Like Home – 409 sold. For just £5, supporters could get their name on a plaque at the new shelter for disabled bullock Duke. Campaigner Sharon Lawlor raised over £90,000 for the shelter!

  • Get your location on the map – 248 sold. Supporters could be placed on a map of supporters for the African Data Initiative for just £1, helping to produce and teach statistics software to native Kenyans.

No matter what your cause, you can create a perk that pulls at the heartstrings of your biggest supporters.

Show your donors they’re part of something bigger, and provide them with rewards they can’t find anywhere else.

By creating unique perks specific to your campaign, you can grow a cause like never before.

What will you try?

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Community Leader: Heiko

Heiko Community Leader

Meet Heiko Plange-Korndoerfer, Chuffed.org’s first ever star Community Leader, based in Perth. Heiko is a Senior Philanthropy Advisor with twenty years experience in fundraising. Read on to see what other experience he brings to the Chuffed.org community….

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

I graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1994 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in management and marketing. As one of the top students in my year, I was awarded the Challenge Bank Prize for Strategic Marketing in 1993.

Over the past twenty years, I have gained an extensive background in developing, implementing and managing strategic fundraising and corporate partnership programs. I have worked in senior leadership roles managing PR & marketing, community engagement and fundraising staff within health, medical research, education, and community organisations across Australia.

Taking a three-year break from fundraising, I broadened my business acumen managing a successful start-up business servicing the Western Australian mining and construction industries. In 2006, I also completed a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance Investment with the Financial Services Institute of Australia.

In 2011, I was awarded a Qantas scholarship to undertake further study in the inaugural Certificate of Social Impact program at the UWA Business School. This program has expanded my interest in contemporary philanthropic trends and fundraising practice including venture philanthropy, social impact investing and crowd-funding.

I’m a Fellow of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) and represented Western Australia on the State Executive. I also teach the FIA Certificate in Fundraising and speak regularly on fundraising and philanthropy at conferences.

My achievements and contribution to the fundraising industry were recognised internationally with the fundraising certification of CFRE in 2015.

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

I am passionate about ‘democratising philanthropy’. Far too often I hear people say that philanthropy is limited to the rich and famous. We all know that this is not true. Crowdfunding is a wonderful way to invite people to give to a cause you are passionate about and feel part of a ‘tribe’ that is making a real difference!

How did your crowdfunding journey begin?

I first became interested in crowdfunding when our local Primary School approached me to help them raise $40,000 to install a Climbing Dome on the school oval. Please check out our successful campaign here. 

What social cause are passionate about and why?

I am currently as the Senior Philanthropy Advisor at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. Perkins focuses on Cancer, Heart Disease and Diabetes. I lost my mother at a young age to cancer and I am very passionate about contributing to make a difference in this area of research.

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

Early in my fundraising journey I was taught three things:

1. If you follow a process – probability will favour success.
2. People do not fund needy causes, they fund causes that meet people’s needs.
3. In real estate it is all about location, location, location – well in fundraising it is is all about leadership, leadership, leadership.

I am looking forward to sharing my learning’s across these three truisms with you at the next Chuffed workshop.

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

I am participating in the 2017 MACA Ride to Conquer Cancer in support of the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. 100% of the proceeds from my workshops go towards my fundraising goal of $2,500.00. For more information please click here. 

Heiko’s next Crowdfunding for Social Causes Workshop is on the 15th of August at Spacecubed! Register here.