Donor Spotlight: Carlea Bauman
Cultivating Birthday Celebrations & Sambhali U.S. Donations
Social media and birthdays can be a blessing and a curse, yes? Sambhali U.S. board member Carlea Bauman sees them undeniably as the former.
Carlea’s birthday is in early February, so in late January for the past four years, she has launched birthday fundraisers on behalf of Sambhali U.S. To date, she has raised $1,700.
“The idea that my birthday plays a small role in educating women in India is the single best way to celebrate,” states Carlea. “I love getting gifts, believe me, but picturing those girls at Sambhali Trust pursuing their dreams is simply the best gift ever. It means the world to me.”
One year, Carlea started her fundraising campaign even earlier–as in December 25th earlier. “I bought my closest friends and family Christmas gifts from the Sambhali boutique. Each item that is purchased from the boutique is tagged with the name of the woman who made it, which I find incredibly meaningful, and I knew my loved ones would too. A month later, when they read my fundraising appeal, their minds instantly went to the woman who made their purse, or shawl, or whatever I’d given them. It was such a direct touchstone for them that I doubt they thought twice about it before donating.”
Carlea has raised money both through Sambhali U.S.’s peer-to-peer fundraising platform, called Network for Good, and on Facebook. Setting up a fundraiser for your birthday—or any occasion—is quite easy. The following information and more can be found in the Sambhali U.S. Fundraising and Community Building Guide.
On Facebook:
Share your story and connection to Sambhali U.S. in the “Why are you raising money?” section. Facebook provides a standard message, but Carlea suggests putting your own spin on it. “Really put some thought into why you support Sambhali U.S.” Carlea says. “I’ll be honest, the effort a friend puts into their Facebook fundraising ‘Why’ message impacts whether I will donate. I want to see that it matters enough to them to use their own words to talk about their organization’s work.”
Share the fundraiser to your feed. Invite friends to donate. Send private messages. (These are all tasks that Facebook simplifies for you.) Feel free to post multiple times. It’s tough to get content seen in the Facebook Newsfeed. Your friends might have missed your post and don’t know about your fundraiser.
Post progress reports and keep your friends updated on what is happening. For example, “We have already raised $X and I know we can make our goal, thanks to everyone who has supported me so far.”
Thank your donors. “I can’t stress this enough,” says Carlea. “And it should go without saying.”
Countdown to the end of the fundraiser so people know how many days you have left to hit your goal. This is a great way to remind your friends and family what their support means to you. For example, “We are X days away from my goal of raising $X for Sambhali U.S. Please support me as I work to raise money to enable women and girls to raise their voices with dignity.”
Network for Good offers the opportunity to create your fundraising page for any occasion—such as anniversaries, Mother’s Day, or other special events. To create a fundraiser:
Craft an outreach message for social media, LinkedIn, and text messages.
Email, post, and text until you hit your fundraising goal!
Be sure to thank your donors.
“People want to show you love on your birthday. Let that love flow through you to the girls and women at Sambhali,” encourages Carlea. “Your birthday is the perfect excuse to get over your anxiety of asking people to donate money. Because what you’re really asking them to do is prove their love for you.”
She is joking, of course, but she makes a good point. Some people want their birthdays to pass by with little fanfare. Some people are conflicted about turning older. And some people want to be showered with gifts. A fundraising campaign like one that can be done on Facebook or Network for Good puts the focus on your core values and the lives of the women and girls in Rajasthan, India. It is life-affirming, something we could all use as we celebrate another trip around the sun.