Scrapbooking and Community Service
"It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference."
—Tom Brokaw
I remember watching the news reports on Hurricane Katrina and seeing a woman clutching a shoebox full of photographs. That image really hit home to me how truly devastating this hurricane was to so many families -- so many people without homes, without memorabilia, without those photographs. And in the days that followed Katrina, I saw the message boards filled with stories of scrapbookers organizing events, raising money, and collecting supplies. Everywhere in our community, scrapbookers were opening their hearts and their wallets to help.
But it isn’t only with disaster relief that scrapbookers provide community service. As a whole, our little corner of the hobby industry is very generous.
Community Service Efforts
Here are just some of the many ways we get involved in philanthropic efforts:
Fundraisers
Raising money for various causes is one of the most popular means of using our hobby to help our community. Whether you are raising money for a national cause, such as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, or helping a family in your community, these types of fundraisers can be hugely successful.
Charity Crops – Organizing a crop is a wonderful way to raise money. Usually with a charity crop, a percentage of the crop fee is donated to the charity or cause. In addition, there are activities at the crop that help to raise additional funds.
Silent Auctions – A silent auction is much like a standard auction, but without an auctioneer. Items to be auctioned are collected and displayed for bidding on paper.
eBay Auctions – This is another form of auction that is successful. Items are collected and sold on eBay. The money made is then donated to the charity.
Percentage of Sales – Many wholesalers and retailers will donate a portion of their sales to a charitable cause.
Yard Sale – At a charity yard sale, scrappers buy table space to sell old or new merchandise. Tickets are also sold to shoppers as further means of raising money.
Supply Drives
Collecting supplies is another form of philanthropy popular with scrapbookers. Products are collected and used for foster-care groups, hospitals, schools, shelters, fellow scrappers in need, or other needy organizations. Start locally to save transportation or shipping costs. If you do not already know of a local group in need, pull out your yellow pages. Ask charities if they accept the kind of items you are looking to donate, and if they don't, find out if they have any suggestions of a charity that does. For a comprehensive list of national charitable organizations, look at www.give.org.
Giving Time
Sometimes our time is more valuable than our wallet. Many scrappers volunteer with the physically challenged, elderly, or victims of domestic violence. These scrappers teach the hobby, create albums or cards, listen to stories and help provide a social service.
Planning a Volunteer Effort
The key element to any successful philanthropic activity is good planning.
Allow enough time to plan. Chart out a calendar of deadlines, realizing that depending on the size and scope of the activity, you may need anywhere from a few weeks to a year to plan.
Gather your team. Utilize the skills and talents of everyone that will be helping you on the project, making the team as diverse as possible. Set up the best way for the team to communicate.
Solicit industry involvement. Create a database of companies or consultants that you wish to contact for assistance, whether it is in product or in promotion. Contact these companies as soon as possible, but be very clear in your wishes and what they can expect to get from the activity.
Promote the event. Use whatever means you have available to promote your event or activity. Think about your target audience and try to determine what advertising medium would be best for that audience.
Plan for problems. Almost every activity has a challenge to overcome along the way. Have a brainstorming session with your team about everything that could possibly go wrong, and how you will face that challenge should it arise.
Resources
The following websites offer a multitude of information and resources, such as links to charitable organizations, articles on a multitude of subjects to help you plan and implement service, and statistics on volunteerism.
Points of Light Foundation
“The Foundation's mission is to engage more people more effectively in volunteer community service to help solve serious social problems. Their website offers resources, such as links to charitable organizations, articles on a multitude of subjects, and statistics on volunteerism.”
Corporation for National and Community Service
“The mission of the Corporation for National and Community Service is to provide opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage in service that addresses our nation's educational, public safety, environmental and other human needs.”
USA Freedom Corps
“As a coordinating entity in the White House, USA Freedom Corps is charged with promoting a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America. USA Freedom Corps promotes and expands volunteer service in America by supporting Federal service programs, serving as a resource for non-profits, recognizing volunteers, and helping to connect individuals with volunteer organizations in their communities.”
Network for Good
“Network for Good is an e-philanthropy site where individuals can donate, volunteer and get involved with the issues they care about. The organization's goal is to connect people to charities via the Internet — using the virtual world to deliver real resources to nonprofits and communities.”
Charity Navigator
“Charity Navigator works to guide intelligent giving by providing information on over four thousand charities and by evaluating the financial health of each of these charities. The website is also full of resource articles and philanthropic news.”
GuideStar
“Guidestar was formed to create a more transparent and accountable nonprofit community. The information provided on this website includes searchable data of nonprofit organizations, collected from IRS Forms 990 and the IRS Business Master File.“
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