5 Things I Learned from Fundraising $5,000

According to the pretty countdown app on my phone, I begin my journey to Nicaragua in 3 days and 16 hours, which is both thrilling and a little bit terrifying. As some of you may know, I first began fundraising for the Free High School of San Juan del Sur in the beginning of March, which means I have been emotionally invested in this project for over 8 months now. Everyone keeps telling me how life changing my trip will be, and while I completely agree that it will be an incredible experience, I don’t think many people realize that the past 8 months of fundraising have already changed my life. When I first clicked the link to join the fundraising team on Crowdrise, I had no idea how much the act of fundraising itself would change me.

Fair warning: These 5 things are broad life lessons, not fundraising tips. I could probably do a post about fundraising tips later, if people are interested, though. 

1. It’s okay to be optimistic

I could write an entire blog post on this lesson alone (and maybe some day I will). The picture above is of my “Positivity Path”. I first made it in late March or early April, when I was having a hard time being optimistic. Making this silly little picture was terrifying. Why? Nothing that I wrote down was certain. I wanted an A in Human Osteology, but it was an incredibly difficult course and I didn’t know if I could pull it off. I wanted the summer research experience for undergraduates that would allow me to go on a dig, do lab work, and present research, but I had not heard back about my application yet. And most of all, I wanted to go to Nicaragua, but I was really far away from the $5,000 goal.

Being optimistic is hard work. There’s this silly idea in society that being optimistic is somehow the same thing as being naive or foolish. But it certainly is not. Being optimistic is being able to say “Yes, I know that the odds are against me, I know that this will be difficult, but I’m going to try anyway.” Being optimistic is deciding to give it a shot instead of giving up before you even begin. And yes, being optimistic is scary. People can be judgmental jerks. They may try to make you feel bad about your decision to be optimistic. Ignore them. Because being optimistic is rewarding, too. For the record: I did get that A, I did get that REU, and holy crap, I’m going to Nicaragua.

2. No matter how good your intentions, there will always be someone who will complain and/or criticize you.

This one sucks. It really does. I’ve been pretty open about why I chose to fundraise. I’ve always been a fan of Random Acts and wanted to do more to help out. With this project specifically, I’m thrilled that we’ll be helping people to have better access to education, because it’s something very important to me. I grew up below the poverty line, as well as being chronically ill. On a smaller scale, I do know what it is like to struggle with few resources. I also know to some extent what it’s like to have others tell you to abandon your dreams of higher education because it is so expensive and demanding. I consider myself extremely lucky every fall when, after months of struggling to be creative, I figure out a way to afford to come back to school. I’m sooooo so thrilled to be able to share that feeling of excitement that comes with access to education with others.

Still, from the very beginning, there were people who made me feel bad about what I was doing. “You know, $5,000 is a lot of money….” they would say in a tone that clearly implied an unspoken “You should grow up, it’s not gonna happen”. I also heard a lot of “And how are you gonna pay for your travel if all $5,000 goes to the school?” Then, there were the people who assumed that the only reason I wanted to go was for a) attention, b) because Misha Collins would be there part of the time, or c) both. That last one REALLY got under my skin, I won’t lie to you.

3. Fear of failure should not stop you from taking risks

I’ll be the first to admit that I sometimes roll my eyes when people tell me to “live a little”, to “take more chances”, or some variant thereof. My greatest fear is failure, and I have a lot of social anxiety. It may not surprise you to learn that neither of those things are conducive to fundraising. Fundraising means taking a lot of chances. You organize events and campaigns, hoping that they’ll be successful, but never really knowing. You ask your friends, family, and even strangers to give up a meal or two out in order to help your cause. It’s pretty scary. I spent a lot of time repeating “You don’t know until you ask”, and “The worst that can happen is they say no”. I worried a lot about being obnoxious with my fundraising efforts. But I’m so, so glad that I overcame my fears and decided to take a chance. If I hadn’t been brave enough to risk “failing” or being told no a few times, then I would not be staring at my packing list right now. I would not be counting down to this dream come true of being able to help others in such a tangible way.

4. Nothing worth having comes easily.

Fundraising is hard. It involves a lot of time, a lot of creativity, a lot of effort… It requires you to be really freaking dedicated. This was my first time trying to fundraise, and I jumped right in with a high goal. I knew fundraising would be difficult, but I didn’t really realize exactly HOW difficult. I had to learn what kinds of tactics worked and didn’t work, how to keep the enthusiasm going so supporters did not grow bored, how to reach the maximum number of people, etc. And then after all of that, there was figuring out how to afford my travel. There were vaccinations to get, and travel to arrange, and Spanish to brush up on, and 500 squares to knit for Knit-A-Square (only about 475 left…oops). To be perfectly honest, it was super stressful at times and I wanted to glare and/or stick my tongue out at those who thought I was doing this for reasons other than being passionate about access to education. But it is so worth it. I haven’t even gone yet and the experience has already more than made up for all of the hard work. The most important and valuable things in life are often those we struggle for. It’s part of why I value my education so much, and why I’m so thrilled to have this opportunity.

5. People are good

I know, I know, it’s cliche. But it’s true. For every person that criticized me, there were so many more who supported me. I have been truly touched (often to the point of tears) by the amount of support I have received. Many of my friends and family who did not have much money to spare still chose to donate. They shared my links over and over again, telling their friends and family about the campaign so more people could learn about it. They attended online fundraising parties. Consultants donated their time and commissions to host fundraisers with me. One person built a donation box so that people I never would have otherwise met could learn about the project and help. People gave me pep talks and believed in me when the odds didn’t look good. And when a donation was reversed, these truly incredible people pulled together to help re-raise a huge amount of money in a very short period of time. I don’t think words can express exactly how much this experience renewed my hope and faith in humanity. There are some pretty crappy people out there, but they are not the majority. Overall, people are good. They are kind. They are generous. And they are capable of incredible things.

Still want to help with the project? It’s not too late!

1. Donate straight to the school HERE.
2. Donate to help me pay for food and travel costs HERE.
3. If you live near me, you can give me small toys/goodies to pass on. Just make sure I have it BEFORE Thursday morning at 8 AM. Or if you don’t live near me, you can paypal me money (ask me for the email), and I’ll buy something on your behalf and bring it with me.