How to Be Someone Who Gives a Shit

I started "Fundraising Malawi," as the name hopefully suggests, to raise funds for Raising Malawi. I set a goal to raise $101,000 by Christmas 2008. I've been going at it alone for 2.5 years, but now am itching to tagteam with like-minded people who want to make a difference in the world on a big scale, in a big way.

When I'm not working on this project, I tend to forget how hugely important it really is. I get swept up in the details of my life. It dawned on me today as I was in a trance on the treadmill watching some ridiculous TNT show starring Robin Williams as a mad scientist or something (trust me, you'd zone out too) that I may not reach my goal on time. I am still $68K-ish shy. Fundraising Malawi is just my goal. Not a need. I don't have hunger pangs. If I did, if it were a NEED, I'd keep at it day and night. I definitely wouldn't be so casual about it. How much do I really give a shit? I would tell you it's all that matters to me. But is it? If it were, wouldn't I be pushing harder?

I have to push harder.

A few months ago I started working with four other gals in LA to pull off some exciting fundraising events. While it sure doesn't feel like it on the day-to-day, we are making a real and lasting difference in the world. I know because we have aligned ourselves with an organization that is driving solutions rather than throwing money at problems.

The work of Raising Malawi, as I would summarize it, is to help flip this little sliver of a country from extreme poverty to self-sustaining prosperity. Self-sustaining. Those are the magic words.

For that to happen, Malawi needs an initial boost (OK, major hoist) to get a foot up on the socio-economic ladder. There are so many reasons they are not there now. Jeffrey Sachs wrote a terrific book called, “The End of Poverty” that explains the situation and what they need to break out of it. With our help, they have a chance.

The sad reality is that growth isn't possible for Malawi until they can get beyond survival. With a population of 13 million, one million are orphaned mostly due to AIDs. Knowing that a solution is so readily available, can we really look away?

I chose to raise funds for Raising Malawi because they really do give a shit. When I visited last year, I got how much they care and saw first-hand that they get things done. Raising Malawi recently opened an orphan care center to serve 4,000 children. I saw a lot of new construction actually - educational facilities, homes, feeding centers, even a borehole we helped to fund that attracted an unending line of women and children coming to pump drinking water.

It’s a great dream. And it’s happening.

If you give a shit or otherwise feel the calling to make a difference in the world, here's what you can do to help:

1. GIVE MONEY
Right now, like right this minute, go find your credit card and take it out of your wallet. Then click here to make a 100% tax-deductible donation. The site accepts any amount. Or you can send a check. Their address is on the same link. After you donate, please let me know how much so I can acknowledge your donation on my blog and up my running tally of funds raised to date. (It's my favorite thing in the world to do. :)

2. GIVE TIME
If you're in LA, there're five of us who meet once a week to brainstorm projects and work to fulfill them. Currently, we're looking at hosting our next event at an art gallery. We're still looking for a venue and anyone with some know-how as to how to do it right. If you're that person by whatever qualification (we're not picky), please, let's connect.

Or, see No. 3 below. Can you help us scout around for cool bag stuffers?

3 GIVE THINGS
I just bought 50 cool canvas bags made by the people of Malawi that we need to stuff with goodies and sell at our events (or give to big donors). Do you have anything cool, Africa-themed or otherwise, that could work - a dentist with 50 toothbrushes, a company who could donate 50 product samples, etc.

Or, perhaps you have a service or item we can auction off at our next event?

4. GIVE SKILLS
Some of the ways in which I've raised funds for this cause are by doing things I know how to do. Like moderating focus groups. No problem. I'm QRCA-trained. Have led well over 1,000 groups in my career. Why not do it for charity? I can do that for you if you need someone to facilitate a group. Or I can make a movie for you - I can turn all of your family albums into a DVD, movie cut to whatever music you choose. I can mow lawns, wash cars, shovel snow, move mountains (now I'm just showing off). I can do all sorts of things for a donation to charity in lieu of payment. How about you?

Any skills you can donate to charity? Maybe not even to 'sell'. Maybe you're a ruthless, no-BS coach and you can take me on as a protegee to help me realize this goal. Or, perhaps you have some connections or ideas how to get some PR for our next fundraiser. Maybe you'd be a pro at selling our Africa Bags on Ebay or something. You are uniquely skilled and you know it. Anything you can think to share?

5. MODEL GIFTS
With our newly formed fundraising team in LA, we're trying to create some repeatable models for fundraising that can be rolled out in other cities around the country, or even world. We're all pretty new at this, but ultimately, we want to be able to say, "It works in LA.....and here's how you do it".

It's like the Millennium Villages Project that Raising Malawi is sponsoring in Gumulira. I first learned about these projects on a thinkMTV segment showing Angelina Jolie and Jeffrey Sachs at a village in western Kenya. Brilliant! Click here to see them and get a sense of how the Millennium Villages Project works.

"Model gifts" are what Jeffrey Sachs, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Paul Farmer and so many other great leaders are doing: setting up systems that produce results and replicating those systems in other places.

The five of us doing Fundraising Malawi in LA learned a lot from our first event at Kyle Mathis Hairdressing -- some of it the hard way, although all in all, a very successful day. Kyle Mathis himself was most generous. In fact, there's a good chance he'll host another event with us for Raising Malawi. We're only going to get better at this with more practice. We raised over $2K at the last event. We can raise it again, and then some.

If you have ideas, things we should try, a model already proven to work and easy to replicate, perhaps you can advise us?

6. GIVE TO GOOD IDEAS

Raising Malawi just set up weekly international calls with a fairly small group of us to establish committees and subcommittees for fundraising, research and awareness building. Perhaps you'd like to get involved with them directly. Let me know and I'll put you in touch.

No matter what you do, if you choose to do anything at all, please Give a Shit.

Even a small poo will help.