Monday, August 11, 2014
A Garden Party to Remember
Saturday, July 26th was a perfect, beautiful summer day in Lynden, WA. Over 100 guests attended Days for Girls' 5th Annual Garden Party at the Bachman Estate. Guests from everywhere from Uganda to Lynden spoke passionately about this cause. The event was a great success, raising over $12,000 for DfG.
Special Information for Chapters and Teams: #OperationGirl
Here is a how-to for Chapters and Teams to raise support and awareness through #OperationGirl:
1. Go here.
2. Scroll down and
click the black "Fundraise for this Campaign" button.
3. Sign up for an
account, and enter your Chapter/Team name, along with a picture (only if
you want to show us your smiling faces).
4. Send the link for
YOUR Chapter/Team page (the one you just set up) to all your friends and
family. Ask them to donate, because they love you, and they love Days for
Girls.
5. All the funds that
you raise on your Chapter/Team page will go directly to
your Chapter/Team. Yeup. All of 'em. It's that simple!
Any questions? Please
contact leah@daysforgirls.org.
A Product Line of Our Very Own
We're big on sustainability. It's why our kits last 2-3 years! Sustainability, however, is about more than just the products and exceptional programs we're proud to put into the world; it's also about how we operate.
In the next year, Days for Girls will be launching a product line of comfortable, sporty, happy underwear, as well as hygiene kits for sale in the US. This product line will help support our efforts throughout the world, so that we can support our quickly growing family, and continue earning back days of dignity, health, and education for girls and women everywhere.
We'd love to hear your thoughts as we move forward in this exciting venture. You are invited to fill out the following survey, which concerns ideas for a product line name, and your thoughts on underwear design, etc. If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact productline@daysforgirls.org.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Greetings from the Land Down Under!
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| Team members |
Days for Girls was featured this month at the International Rotary Convention in Sydney. Thousands attended the event, coming from countries far and wide. Our orange was a hit. The Days for Girls Booth won Best Booth for the entire convention! A big thank you to the DfG Australia team, and all our amazing supporters at Rotary.
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| Another shot of our award-winning booth |
- East Timor
- Philippines
- Uganda
- Rwanda
- Kenya
- Fiji
- Solomon Islands
- Tanzania
- Cambodia
- Zambia
- Ethiopia
- Zimbabwe
- Jordan
- Congo
- Bali
- Nepal
- Madagascar
- Thailand
- Papua New Guinea
- Laos
- India
- Isle of Man
- Vanuatu
- Bangladesh
- Korea
- South Africa
- Burma
Way to go to our many DfG Australia Chapters and Teams!! Thank you so much for your incredible efforts. To our many other fabulous Chapters and Teams around the globe, we want to feature your efforts as well! Please don't forget to send monthly updates about your activities to reports@daysforgirls.org. Help us tell the world about everything we're accomplishing together.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Top 10 Tips for Hosting Your Own Fundraiser
For some of us, fundraising comes naturally. For others, we'd rather focus on some other aspect of DfG. However, fundraising = more fabric, more kits, more girls, more smiles, more lives changed, so it can help you do lots more of what you're already doing. Here are some ideas to help you amplify your efforts through fundraising:
1.) Hosting an event takes time. Start planning at least 6 months in advance for a larger event.
2.) Know who you know. Comb those contacts lists, then enlist the help of a few close friends to do the same. We all know that DfG has a large global fan base, but attendees or supporters of your event will come because they want to support YOU! Invite, invite, invite.
3.) Assemble a team with different strengths. Everyone is good at something. It may be calling local merchants to ask about donations of food/drinks, or designing invitations, or creating flower arrangements, or securing the perfect location. Find out what resonates with people, and then send them forth to go do it!
4.) Don't be afraid to ask. Hosts for a recent fundraiser in Edmonds, WA were able to secure donations of hundreds of cupcakes and other delicious desserts for their Dessert Auction. Call around. You never know who might want to support your efforts.
5.) Spread the word. Announce the event in local papers or radio, along with RSVP information. You may just expand your invite list tremendously.
6.) Take advantage of widely known dates. Mother's Day, International Women's Day, and International Day of the Girl are all great examples of times to host an event. Think about what's going on in your area, and what ways you might invite others to help you celebrate that day...through attending a DfG fundraiser!
7.) Pick a theme. A theme like High Tea, or Roaring 20's, or Sunday Brunch for Girls helps pull everything together. Get creative! G Force: Girls, Glitter, and Global Change...Valentines for Africa...Sewing for Sisters...the sky's the limit.
8.) Feature testimonials from several people, if you can. Testimonials help paint the picture of your work, and also recognize the many ways individuals benefit from DfG. They present the emotional connection people are looking for.
9.) Ask for donations at the end of the event. Pass out envelopes after people have had the opportunity to learn more about the organization, and hear testimonials. Provide people with several higher options, including the option to give annually. Don't just leave a blank space for them to write in the amount. An example would be, "I would like to give: ____$500 ____$250 ____$100 ___$50 ____$Other."
10.) Not all fundraising has to be through an in-person event - take advantage of the internet. A simple email appeal may be a great way to start. Are your friends and family already supporting you? Try a different approach: "We're not asking for your money. We're asking for your voice." Ask them to send the email to 5 friends each, but not to contribute any funds of their own. See what happens!
DfG Brings Some TLC to Survivors of Sex Trafficking in South Korea
Amy Brzezinski is new to the DfG team, but like many other DfG team members, she's dived right in. Amy recently shared this note and these photos with DfG Headquarters. Here is more about Amy's project, in her own words:
Dear Days for Girls,
I first heard about
your organization back in April after a friend shared that she had attending a
sewing party. I was immediately
interested and knew that I would be sewing for girls. I printed all the instructions and patterns,
made a notebook, began reading everything and emailing Jan. Thank you Jan for all of your help!
I bought fabric and
began to share this burgeoning desire to do something. Over coffee I blurted out my new found dream
to my sister in law. She very quickly
encouraged me and a plan was made to send kits to House of Hope, in Pohang,
South Korea. House of Hope is a group home for survivors
of sex-trafficking with special attention to those who are pregnant.
Working with several
friends we made 40 complete sets that my sister in law is delivering this
week. I printed the distribution
instructions and sent those along. Our
friend, who is Korean, will do the
presentation.
It has been an
absolute blessing working on this project.
It’s amazing thinking of all of the hands and hearts that have come
together to love these girls from afar.
We are now preparing
for our next adventure.... 50 kits for India!
Amy Brzezinski
Thank you, Amy, for your beautiful work, and for sharing your story with us!
Proving You Can Make a Difference at Any Age
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