Andrea started out at Invisible Children as a Roadie. Then she went rogue and became one of our editors. Now she is living in L.A. and running her own freelance production company Andrea Antoinette. We’re proud of you Andrea. All your hard work and talent has clearly paid off.

NO | Don’t Worry, You’ll Be Here Forever | 12″ Vinyl EP Trailer from NOMUSICFORME on Vimeo.

Our thanks to Catherine Hanna for putting together the following blog about the TEX orientation in New York City!

This year’s team of Ugandan partner teachers in the Teacher Exchange Program have arrived! Otim Walter, the Head Teacher of Pabo SS; Lacere Churchill, the Head Teacher of Sir Samuel Baker; Oola Elizabeth, an English teacher at Sir Samuel Baker; Ajio Rosemary, an English teacher at Sacred Heart; and Joseph Luke, a Geography teacher at Laybi, were escorted by Schools for Schools Program Officer Jennifer Lebuke. Their 2-day journey took them from the 90-degree weather of Gulu, Uganda to the frigid “concrete jungle” of New York City.

The Team stepped off the plane with weary smiles, and minutes later we threw them into taxi cabs and into “the nation’s thyroid gland” (as Christopher Morley would say). What other initiation into the United States could be more appropriate than hustling through the neon, holiday-sprinkled, bumper-to-bumper streets of NYC—where so many travelers have arrived throughout history in search of adventure and redefining themselves. Lacere Churchill, a History and Geography teacher said, “I am excited to see the real-life things that I have been teaching about for so long.”

The Ugandan team arrived at the hostel and were welcomed by the American hosts, their old friends from previous summers in Uganda. The next morning’s orientation session was opened with an old saying: “It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story.” This was an invitation to connect with one another, despite the distance of space, culture and history. It has been our belief and practice in the Teacher Exchange Program that some conversations are better had on our feet, so we spent the next four days exploring the purpose of our program through conversation, storytelling, drama and play. And of course we took advantage of NYC. We visited the tree at Rockefeller Center, got lost in the sea of elbow-to-elbow New Year’s tourists in Times Square, caught a Broadway show and wished one another a happy New Year as we watched the ball drop. Elizabeth shared, “This has been my dream, to come to New York City. So I have accomplished that dream.”

And that was just the beginning….Now the teachers have left New York City and gone to their placements all over the country to partner-teach in schools for the next four weeks. During their partnerships they will share in professional and cultural exchanges to develop their practice as educators and broaden their view of the world. Then they will bring these insights back to their students and communities in Uganda.

(Photo credit: Mallorie Tull, Invisible Children)

We recently got this video from Auburn Middle School about their fundraising and book drive and we could not be more stoked. They’ve definitely gone above and beyond for Invisible Children and have provided a great example for fundraisers to follow. So thank you Auburn Middle School. And more importantly thanks for this video. -NS

I was asked to do a “write-up” of what I have been doing since I started fundraising and how I got this far, but first I want to express how honored I am to hear that something I have done has encouraged and given Invisible Children and its supporters new ideas. Invisible Children has not only shaped my story in these 7 weeks, but has also contributed in shaping my entire life story.

What I’ve done

I’ve raised money in a variety of different ways. Here is a list of some of them that I think you should try.

-HOUSE PARTIES. Of course! Everyone knows that. Nothing you or me say to people to try and get them to donate does justice to the story shared in these documentaries.  You may not be able to convince everyone to donate to Invisible Children, but if they take the time to watch the documentary and listen to what has to be said, then I promise you they will be moved. Some will be moved for the day, but others may be moved for a lifetime. Don’t risk letting those special individuals pass you by. When you find them, it will all be worth it.

-SOCIAL NETWORKING. Make sure to share it on your facebook, twitter, blog, and what ever else you have out there in cyber space. Ask your friends to share it on their facebook page as well! The more the merrier!

-TALK TALK TALK. TO EVERYONE. Every chance you get to tell Invisible Children’s story DO IT. Since the campaign started I have written two papers for different classes where I have shared the story and I also did a power point presentation for another class that I presented to my teachers and classmates. Keep sharing your story, keep talking; even if you don’t know it yet, it’s working.

-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. On the bus ride home, or if your taking the train somewhere, or if you decide just to hop on for Invisible Children, stand up and talk to people about what you are doing and ask for donations. The first time might be scary, but I promise it gets easier! Make sure you have your whole Front Line kit with you to show that you are legitimate. You might be surprised at people’s responses.

-BUFFALO EXCHANGE. Everyone wants to clean their closet to get rid of old clothes, but it’s just such a hassle. Tell your friends, family, whomever to get together old clothes they don’t want and tell them YOU will pick them up to donate. That way they are getting rid of old clothes without a hassle, and helping a great cause! You’ll make them feel pretty good about themselves.

-SCHOOLS. Reach out to previous schools you attended. For me, I reached out to my old high school and middle school. They are so excited to hear about what you are doing and that they have had a part in shaping your journey that has led you to do great things. I received donations from different coaches, teachers, and headmasters. By sharing it with your old schools it enables you to share the story with an entire new community!

-LETTERS LETTERS LETTERS. Write as many letters as you can to friends family and who ever you think would be interested and willing to help. Most importantly, businesses.

Down to business

I reached out to Ken’s Foods, my Grandfather’s company, who generously donated 5,000 dollars. My father reached out to his business contacts, as well as my grandfather. They shared my story and kept talking about what I was doing, and the more we talked, the more money we began to raise. The power of your own individual story is what really makes a difference.

Being personal, by either meeting them in person, or handwriting your letters and thank you letters is important to people. It is amazing how many contacts and relationships that are formed by personally sharing your story and why it is important to YOU. Explain to them that this is something YOU care about, and why. I have attached a sample of one of my letters. However, sometimes I change it depending on whom I am writing to.

Click here to download a template of Erica’s letters.

More Fundraising Ideas

Here are some more fundraising ideas that I wanted to share!

-Ebay account. Auction off different things you can get your hands on. Know anyone with season tickets that might want to donate a game? Jerseys? Anything!

-Occupy Boston (or your city of choice). Not necessarily to raise money but definitely to spread awareness. Different people are there for different reasons, but they all have a story to share, and so do you! You don’t have to go to the one in Boston of course, find one near you! You never know whom you will end up talking to. Every bit counts!

-Movie Night at your school or college. If you have a movie theater on campus, share the documentary there one night and make sure you get the word out about it!

-Run/Walk for IC

-Concert. Hopefully we will do a concert on December 12th, artists will perform and it will be a night of fun and fundraising. Find a space and have fun while making a big difference!

-Etsy. Lastly, my mother and I have been photographing my great grandmothers sculptures in the Boston area. My mom in particular has wanted to do something with her work for a while; she just hadn’t found the right thing yet. This is perfect because it is what she would have truly wanted to see done with her work. In continuing her legacy we respect that she wanted her artwork to mean something, and she was an advocate of equal education and believed in the importance of helping others. We hope to sell some of the photography on Etsy and the profits will go to IC. Not just photography is sold on Etsy, so if you have artwork you want to sell, DO IT! Paintings? Drawings? Want to start your own vintage store? Do you knit sweaters? ANYTHING! Anyone could do it, and it is a lot of fun! Start an Etsy store. NOW.

-GET CREATIVE. You are so talented; EVERYONE has different skills and talents. Keep brainstorming. Figure out people’s talents and find new ideas to raise money.

A little Inspiration

Start to realize the control you have in your life. There are limitless choices that are up to you, which sometimes, can be scary. Take this once in a lifetime experience in with an open mind and make the choice to dedicate yourself to fixing this problem, even if it seems like it is beyond your control.

As much as I would love to, I cannot promise you that YOU alone will fix this problem and restore peace where it has been forgotten. But that doesn’t matter to me, and it shouldn’t matter to you either. Don’t let it get you discouraged. Don’t be intimidated by this opportunity. And NEVER GIVE UP. One person alone might not be able to stop this all together, but one person can truly make a difference, as long as in their heart they believe they can.

Making the choice to believe in myself was the best thing I ever did, because now the world is at my fingertips. I know in my heart, that one person can make a difference. But I’m not the only one. I’m just one of ones that has already realized what a human being is capable of when they believe in themselves.

Sending so much love,

Erica Shay

Wade and Rachel solving the next clue to the scavenger hunt at Murchison Falls.

This Sunday, we are very honored to announce that Natalie Warne, former Roadie and Film Editor Intern, is currently featured on the TED homepage for her TEDxTeen talk “Anonymous Extraordinaries” from last spring, which dispels the thought that age determines global impact and emphasizes the importance of humble work behind the scenes.

Since its placement on YouTube, the speech has had over 4,000 hits and received many positive responses from viewers.

+ “Strange, how a teenager, is the one to deliver the most genuinely passionate, yet healthily down to earth, speech of all the TED speakers this year.”

+ “Fantastic! I’ve been a part of a group of “Anonymous Extraordinaries,” back in the late 60’s when we got Congress to amend the Constitution of the U.S. to allow 18-year-olds to vote.  Kudos to you for doing this!”

+ “Thank you for this, Natalie. Thank you for your works and your determination. You are such an inspiration to all of us.  But more than that, thank you for helping us realize our potential, and helping us remember that we are Anonymous Extraordinaries.”

To Natalie and to everyone involved in this TEDxTeen talk, we extend a warm congratulations.

You can watch Natalie’s talk on the TED homepage.

I received this email from one of our supporters named Jess McDowell. When I finished I knew I wanted to share it because if it inspired me, I knew it would inspire many others. Take her words to heart. She’s an incredible human being. -NS

“Dear IC,

So I wanted to share a story with you. It’s not as crazy or amazing as raising $14,000 in one night or chopping my hair off and dying it green, but I wanted to share it nonetheless.

I’ve been through more than my fair share of rough patches when it comes to fundraising. My school decided before I even knew I was going to the Fourth Estate that we were not going to focus on IC anymore – not because we don’t love the cause, we just don’t have the ability to fundraise large amounts of money for so many worthy non-profits. So, we decided that after focusing so whole-heartedly on IC for several years, it was time for a change.

Needless to say, I wasn’t too thrilled, and I didn’t get the warmest reception when I came back to school in August saying that I needed to raise $2500 for the organization we had decided not to support. Actually, people were genuinely angry with me. To the point where people were rolling their eyes at me, glaring at me in the halls, other clubs were complaining that I was stealing all of their opportunities to fundraise, and teachers held me after class to tell me that IC was wrong to expect so much of me and that I should prepare myself to not meet the goal.

I didn’t listen. I expected $2500 of myself. I designed t-shirts and got approval to fundraise at Homecoming. $2500 actually seemed possible. Then, everything went wrong when the t-shirts were never ordered and I found out
two days beforehand, after having gotten approval a month in advance, that I couldn’t fundraise at Homecoming because “it’s a time to raise money for the school”. Everything had fallen apart. Not one fundraising plan had gone right. And worse, nobody cared but me.

Things started to turn around when the East Coast Roadies paid a visit to my school the following week. We still had no fundraising plans in place, but a few people gained some interest. It was so wonderful to get the inspiration and motivation (and I got to see my mentor from the Fourth Estate). I was sad to see them go after they had stayed with me for 2 nights. But I had no idea what was to come.

$5420.

That’s what our total is now. $420 over double our goal. I still can’t wrap my mind around it. Money from the t-shirts that were finally ordered, jeans days, and people just wanting to help.

It’s not enough to get one of us to Uganda, or even San Diego, but we did something. I did something no one expected of me. I know IC is looking for brilliant fundraising ideas and incredible stories, and I know mine doesn’t necessarily fit that bill. But I wanted to send a message to you at the offices, and to everyone else out there trying to fundraise not to be afraid of failure. I went from the lowest of lows to highest of highs very quickly. Motivation is key.

If there is a fundraising rock-bottom, I’ve spent more time there than I would like to admit. But then I taught myself not to be ashamed, and to just keep pushing. Eventually things turn around, at least they did for me. And lastly, I wanted to thank all of you sitting in the offices making everything possible. You taught me not to be afraid of the impossible. I learned not to be disheartened by people telling me I couldn’t reach my goal, but be motivated by it. I found a passion with IC – and I also gained the guts needed to achieve them. I know I’m not a Uganda trip winner or a Most Creative Fundraiser, but maybe I will be someday. Until then, keep doing what you’re doing.”

Jess McDowell”

—-

See? The girl has wisdom.

Last week we asked for submissions to find out what the most Top 5 successful fundraisers of the Frontline competition have been. The submissions were smart, charming and enlightening. But from the submissions we appreciated these story’s the most:

#5) Claire Conwill, Rave 2 Save (Dance parties).
Some of the most successful fundraisers include dance parties. Always have and always will. But you have to make sure you plan accordingly- they’re successful because when executed correctly they can have a significant impact. Just like Claire and her group from Chino Hills High School have demonstrated.

“My top fundraisers have been HUGE bake sales and Rave to Save!”

#4) Camela Giraud, Dress Down Day

“We raised just over $1000 in one day for a “dress down” day. Our school has a somewhat conservative dress code, not uniforms, but strict guidelines about belts, tucking in, necklines, tightness or looseness. We got permission from administrators to relax the code for one day. In exchange, all students taking advantage of the dropped dress code had to pay $5. What fun it was to bring our bucket full of money to the bank at the end of the day. I have a cashier’s check for $1040 that I am mailing to Invisible Children this morning. Yippee.”

#3) Charlotte Strazdus, Tye Dyeing.

“I’m the Co-President of a club at the University of Delaware called Uganda Untold. Our goal is to raise $2,000 for Frontline, and we have had great success from one event in particular- Tie-dyeing! We held the event on a beautiful fall day on the green in October. We had a bunch of spare (and white!) Uganda Untold shirts from last year, so we sold the shirts for $10 to tie-dye, and charged $2 to anyone who brought any of their own items to tie-dye.

We were able to not only raise awareness and funds for Invisible Children, but talk about and promote our upcoming screening as well.Tie-dyeing was a great way to fundraise because it was very low cost for us to get started. In just 2 hours, we were able to raise $120 dollars for Frontline to get us closer to our goal! It was very low effort, low cost, and a great reminder that fundraising can be fun and simple!”

#2) Angie Cummings, Bake Sale.

It’s tried, it’s true, it works. Just ask Angie Cummings,

“Our most successful fundraiser so far this year has been a classic-  the campus bakesale.  We go all out from themed treats, we make sure we all wear our IC shirts – we do the “universal dance” that I taught everyone at the Fourth Estate and all my club members. We have raised about a thousand this semester through our various sales. One of our best things to remember is to have a laptop set up at the bakesale table with our Frontline Fundraising page linked up, that way the “I don’t have cash” excuse doesn’t work! I love looking through the activity and seeing the $1, $2 or $3 dollar donations.”

#1) Buckingham Burningham and Nichols, Bingo Fundraiser and art fundraiser.

Last week, we had our annual bingo lunch at my school, Buckingham Browne and Nichols (or BB&N), in Cambridge, MA.  I put together a video of it over the weekend and I wanted to send it to you!  We made about $500 at the event.  We got a local pizza place to give us a good deal on pizza (including 3 free ones!), so we sold that along with soda and candy/sweets.  My friend and fellow club member is also aiming to do a henna tattoo fundraiser in the near future, so she decided to try it out at the bingo lunch, too.  The smell of pizza initially draws people in, then when they see we have bingo games with prize incentives (such as gift cards and gift bags), they stay to play and win!  We charge $2 per round of bingo.  A lot of people get really competitive; we had players who played multiple boards at once and who even played up to 10 rounds.  It was a really fun time!

Additionally, our school’s art department runs an annual student art auction, and last year my club and I worked with them to donate the proceeds to Invisible Children.  We raised $1,300!”

—-

It was clear that from last night’s livestream that Erica Shay was more than just a little excited to be the next winner of a Uganda trip.

But we’re extremely excited to have this young lady coming to Uganda with us. She’s smart, poignant and dedicated. She even had this to say about winning:

“As I was watching the livestream, I kept thinking of everything I wanted to say, but there was too much for such a short phone call. I wanted them to know that this is not a school project, or something interesting I decided to pick up, I’m in this for the long haul. This is what I want to do with my life.

When I got the call from Invisible Children tonight, I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. I couldn’t believe something I set out to do only 3 weeks ago was actually happening, but I knew it was possible. We all have to start believing that is possible. I am just one person and my personal fundraising page alone has raised 35,776 dollars. Now tell me one person can’t make a difference. Start believing. I DID make a difference, and so can you.”

We’re lucky to have her join us. So take her advice and make a difference. You have one the opportunity to win a trip to San Diego tomorrow with the Minute to Win It challenge and two weeks to win the next trip to Uganda. Happy fundraising.

—-

If you missed the livestream last night click here to watch it.

Oh, Chino Hills High School. How we love your enthusiasm and energy. Last night, Chino Hills threw a “Rave 2 Save” event where they raised a lot of money. No lie, dance parties + fundraising = $$$. Both Chino Hills and Chapman University had mad success throwing their dance party fundraisers. Just goes to show, when it works, it works.

And just to show how well it worked, Chad Espinoza of team Chino Hills called Jed at 1 am to leave him this message. We love them.

Voicemail by Alex Naser-Hall

This next one perhaps took the cake. Ann Marie Barbour had the idea to make jam and sell it to raise money. But not just any kind of jam. Jedidiah Jam:

It’s all natural raspberry jam featuring none other than our very own Propaganda Czar, Jedidiah Jenkins. Not just creative, but tasty as well. We’re still waiting on this next version:

Pump up the jam, Ann. We’re waiting on it.

Lastly, this idea is particularly good if you are crafty. And I mean the arts and crafts kind of crafty. This idea took shape in the form of holiday decorations. Lindsey Fendt created these Christmas tree decorations to sell:

She definitely put her glitter and glue skills to good use when she made these.

As you can see, these are just a few examples of the awesome fundraising ideas that we’ve seen. So if you have had successful fundraising ideas, let us know. Email communications@invisiblechildren.com and share your brilliance.