A New Kind of Fundraiser

Tim Hayden made a very astute observation in a recent talk - he says that while most people think the internet and social media are reducing human interaction, it's actually doing the opposite. It's so much easier to organize offline gatherings through online tools that many, many more are being organized.

On another track, with a tight economy and ever-evolving philathropic scene, it seems like fund-raising events have been trying to keep up with the Jones' and there's pressure to make each one bigger and better than the last and the others. It's major competition to raise money for non-profits these days. And ironically some non-profits are finding these huge events don't net any more than the smaller ones of yesteryear.

Well, we're starting to see the first phenomenon mentioned combine with a sort of rebellion to the second. Check out this birthday party/fundraiser put on by Mindy Cooper -

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131832532230

She's reaching out to her friends and creating a small, intimate event to share something she cares about and raise some money. I think it's an awesome idea. She's taking a celebration centered around an individual and adding a greater cause. I don't know if she's read much on personal branding, but I think her party will do wonders for it. I also don't know her well, but I already like her for the creative way she's supporting good causes and reaching out to the community for support to make it more than just a birthday party - she's getting food and beverages donated by local companies, including Greenling. We're happy to support this! I'm guessing we'll start to see a lot more of these. I hope we do at least cause it obviously raises less than the larger events. But if just a few people host these events on a regular basis it could have a big effect for non-profits.