Christina (2984)
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Micro-Philanthropy WEBBED: Invisible bracelet auctions, for Margaret & WE!
Posted to: Christina (2984) by Christina (2984), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 15:54:15 PDT
Edited: Thu, 30 Jun 2005 15:56:04 PDT
Feedback score: 15 (* * * * * * * * * *)
Comments: 46 by 11 members
Viewed: 386 times by 61 members
There's a whole new and different kind of micro-philanthropy experiment now happening here that I hope this community is going to love! It's just launched today, so please go look!!!
Here's the story
Remember the Invisible Children solidarity bracelets that Life in Africa's artisan groups submitted design samples for a few weeks ago? Well, we're auctioning off the designs that weren't selected for mass production, to help IC raise money for the first 1,000 piece production trial. Some of them are really gorgeous.
Internet4Change trainees at the WE Center here in Uganda have been assigned the task of uploading the auction pages. 8% of the auction proceeds will feed into an earn and learn program that provides them with a small amount of compensation and helps defray their connectivity costs. Another 8% on all products sold through Life in Africa this year goes to a community chosen charity. Both the IC crew and the i4c Team unanimously agreed that on this auction it should go to Margaret, to help pay for her surgery.
I am so excited about this! In case you haven't noticed by now, I love it when lots of my favorite causes can be uplifted through a single action. 15 bracelets are already online in a week long auction that started today. Another 9 bracelets or so will be uploaded within the next couple of days. The IC crew told me they'd send out the link in their newsletter - hopefully today or tomorrow. We'll be advertising as much as we can this week, so please pass the auction link along to your friends if you can.
Since this is our first online auction, we don't have an ebaY reputation yet. To try and address that, I've linked all of our auction pages to this page, so that interested visitors might click and get a sense of how this community feels about all the initiatives this auction is designed to impact. Thanks in advance for posting any endorsements you can muster below, and don't forget to bid on your favorites! Most of the designs have the names of real invisible children on them. You can read their stories and click to bid right here.
Comments page 1
By c•a•r•l•a (white) (1333), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:03:58 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
oh my gosh christina, it's fabulous, i can't wait to bid on (and win) one.
you have done an amazing job with this, i know it will be sucessful. way to go!!!
topBy Mark Grimes (4111), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:13:47 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Brilliant, job well done Christina.
By barbara spalding (CCAL30) (1089), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:29:31 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
thanks Christina.
By c•a•r•l•a (white) (1333), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:31:06 PDT
Comment feedback score: 1 (*)
christina,
i'll add real quick that anne marie and i spoke about a month ago about something along the same lines as this. it's good to see how you did it. really well done. i think it will give us something to compare what we were discussing with.
our idea is similar in the ebay/funding side... different items though.
anyway, so exicting. again, great job.
By Julie Caldwell (CCAL30) (2317), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:40:47 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
This one, the one for Margeret is my favorite. I don't have any funds until I get out of debt. However, I passed it on to my Uncle who's a big advocate for Invisible Children ~ made a special request for my birthday :^)
While I know the site is only a click away, it doesn't hurt to showcase Margaret's bracelet here.
By Mark Grimes (4111), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:47:41 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Lots of room for many auctions4good ;-)
Nice to see this one in action.
By Christina (2984), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 17:24:36 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Actually, I was pretty amazed at how easy it was, once we figured out what to do. Now that we're paypal enabled, it's like a whole new world has opened up!
Glad y'all like it. Lets hope for success! I'll be interested to see what lessons we learn from it all.
And yes Julie... the Margaret bracelet is my personal favorite too :)
By Rory Turner (CCAL30) (1114), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 19:00:20 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
I'm bidding on a solidarity one. Perfect, Christina!
By barbara spalding (CCAL30) (1089), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 20:09:41 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Okay, I've been bidding and competing against some of you, and I don't know who cause the user names are so unusual. This is fun knowing whoever wins, everybody wins.
By Vinnie "Breast Cancer 3-day" Sorce (252), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 21:09:56 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Really cool Christina!
By Sue Braiden (CCAL30) (2046), Mon, 04 Jul 2005 05:59:07 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Christina, this is wonderful! What an innovative way of cultivating even more value from the efforts of all these artisans to continue to invest back into them and others.
By Christina (2984), Mon, 04 Jul 2005 07:02:04 PDT
Comment feedback score: 1 (*)
This just in from our good friends at Sohodojo
Monica, Christina, and all the Wonderful LiA folks,
Congratulations on launching the Invisible Children Solidarity Bracelet Prototype Auction! You folk are PIONEERS of the "Who, How, and Why" story-driven alternative marketplaces of the emerging Small Is Good World!
We are featuring the auction as the lead item on the Sohodojo home page, and we've written a short article here about your fantastic accomplishments: http://sohodojo.com/life-in-africa-artisans.html. We are in the process of sending an e-mail out to nearly 1,800 folks here in Fairfield, Iowa. And we'll also send to friends of Sohodojo who aren't in our home town.
QUESTION/IDEA: You might want to consider staggering the end dates of the individual auctions. This would give us more time to spread the word and get folks aware and interested in this on-line event. If you stagger the end dates, as each auction closes there would be fewer and fewer bracelets left. "Bidding fever" could kick in and get some real good prices for the last few on sale. With this prototype auction, "When they are gone, they are gone! Bid now, or miss the boat!" :-)
Again, congratulations to everyone involved in this wonderful entrepreneurial self-help activity!!!
Peace and Happiness, Sohodojo Timlynn and Jim
--
Jim Salmons and Timlynn Babitsky, Founders and Research Directors, Sohodojo - http://sohodojo.com
By Mark Grimes (4111), Mon, 04 Jul 2005 08:06:31 PDT
Comment feedback score: 2 (* *)
Here are some other elements I think could be interesting too Christina. Aside from helping other people, people that buy this kind of thing are interested in authenticity. Authentic items, made by authentic people and buying these helps them in a real way.
Much like wearing a Not on My Watch - Save Darfur green bracelet generates questions and comments from people, so will these. If the bracelets come with a 1-3 paragraph flyer, here's the problem, here's what you can do, that will give the wearer some additional verbal tools. The flyer could also have the auctions4africa domain too.
Maybe each bracelet comes with two coupons for something to do with the purchase of other bracelets that the original buyer can hand out to friends. Maybe buyers could be encouraged to send digital pictures of themselves wearing the bracelet to the site. The images of creator and buyer side by side would create a strong connection I would think.
Sorry to be such a hardcore marketing geek here.
By Christina (2984), Mon, 04 Jul 2005 18:09:50 PDT
Comment feedback score: 5 (* * * * *)
Oh my goodness - the MARGARET bracelet is up to $152.00!!
By c•a•r•l•a (white) (1333), Mon, 04 Jul 2005 18:13:40 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
that's so cool!!!! amazing!!! way to go!
By barbara spalding (CCAL30) (1089), Mon, 04 Jul 2005 18:40:22 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Well, I'm outbid. And, there's no losers, but shoot!
By Niny Khor (1454), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:21:12 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
oh my oh my - i just checked it's now up to US$200
[:> very happy grin]
By Vinnie "Breast Cancer 3-day" Sorce (252), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:29:48 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
I can't afford to bid right now :-(
By Christina (2984), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:32:56 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Here's one (the only one!!) that's still under $15.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3983935197
By Vinnie "Breast Cancer 3-day" Sorce (252), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:46:03 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Ok, I just put it on my watch list. If it stays around there I can bid.
By Christina (2984), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:53:06 PDT
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Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine these would go so well. We've got about 6 more that I'll put up tomorrow.
By c•a•r•l•a (white) (1333), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:55:01 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
it's was in my wildest dreams, but those never come true.... glad to see they did here!!!
christina i'm so happy for you and everyone... time for more "custom" designed bracelets to be made 'eh?
say yes, please!!!
By Christina (2984), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:59:04 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to market the recycled magazine paper beads that the Acholi women around Kampala do so well........ stay tuned :)
By Norbert Mayer-Wittmann (aka nmw wuz here) (396), Tue, 05 Jul 2005 16:05:47 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
Congratulations, Christina -- great success!!
even Proto 4, which I can (unfortunately) hardly recognize...
how exciting!! :D
nmw
By c•a•r•l•a (white) (1333), Thu, 30 Jun 2005 15:59:37 PDT
Comment feedback score: 0
awesome christina, i am so happy about this... can you tell margaret about the money just awarded towards her surgery?
god bless you.