As I sit down to write this, it’s 3:00 in the morning. So late on Monday that it’s really Tuesday morning.
Not just any Tuesday though. It’s giving Tuesday, which means I’m supposed to write an inspiring blog about the Worldbuilders Fundraiser.
You see, last year I wrote a blog about my mom, and Haiti, and Heifer International….
(You can read the blog here if you like. It was pretty good.)
…and we had our biggest fundraising day ever.
Of course there were extenuating circumstances. Last year we had unexpected access to matching money. That was a big motivator. We geeks love a power multiplier.
The result? We raised $200,000 that day.
So my team is expecting me to write a really great blog today. Something that will delight and inspire you. Something that will draw you in. Make you enthusiastic. Rile you up. Break your heart. (But in a good way.)
And I’ve been rooting around inside myself for it all night. Looking for that blog. Looking for something to say. And I just can’t find it.
I got nothing.
* * *
Part of the problem is that I can’t announce a big BIG one-day-only matching-money extravaganza! A tight timeline is compelling. Anyone who has ever backed a kickstarter knows a ticking clock can light a fire under the most reluctant of asses.
But here’s the problem. Last year, when Heifer gave us access to matching money, we impressed them. And while I was excited to raise that $200,000, I told them I felt bad springing it on my people halfway through the fundraiser.
“I feel like it abuses their trust a bit,” I explained. “What about the people that came in and donated early? They weren’t holding back. They didn’t wait to see if there was a better charity deal hiding around the corner. I just said to them, ‘Hey guys, come with us, and we’ll make the world a better place,’ and they did. But now some of them feel like they missed out on getting their donations doubled….”
I explained to Heifer that I didn’t think surprises were good in the long run. They work wonders in the moment, but next year people will worry if they donate early, they might miss out later….
“But if you give us money to match donations at the beginning of the fundraiser,” I told them. “I’d like the world on fire. My people would go crazy for that.”
But here’s the funny thing. They did. They gave us $1,000,000 of matching money.
And so we launched with it.
And you guys did go crazy for it. We’ve used $340,000 so far, and raised more than $680,000. It’s our best year ever…
But as a result, I have no surprises.
I have nothing shocking to unveil for you today.
* * *
This is Klang Savuth and Kid Moa:
(With their son Ky Damkoeung.)
In 2014, they were subsistence farmers, which means they grew just enough to feed themselves if things went well. They didn’t have a reliable source of income, so when they needed anything beyond the bare necessities, they had to borrow or beg.
In 2014, Heifer International gave Klang and Kid 20 chickens and some vegetable seeds. Then Heifer gave them the training and tools they needed to use them, because that’s what Heifer does.
Today, their flock has grown to over 200 birds. They used the profit from their chickens to buy a pig, and now they own 23 pigs. They’ve opened their own general store.
They have a beautiful garden that makes more than enough food to sustain them. And Klang continues to attend Heifer training courses and plans to buy more land. She wants to start a fish pond and build a biogas digester that will turn her animal’s waste into better fertilizer clean methane for light and cooking. They don’t have access to electricity.
And you know what? They’ve given 30 chickens to another family. They gave that family training and tools, too.
(Because that’s what Heifer International teaches people to do. They call it Passing On The Gift.)
In two and a half years, this family has gone from desperately poor to thriving. They’ve gone from needing help, to giving help.
Heifer International does this all over the world. Nobody is better at it.
* * *
Do you know how much it costs to give a family chickens?
* * *
Last week, the Worldbuilders team sat me down and told me that this is a bad year for charities. Fundraisers everywhere are running at all-time lows. They explained to me that with Brexit and the US election, the economy is uncertain. That makes people reluctant to donate money.
My team told me this very gently. And I know what they’re doing. They’re preparing me for the fact that maybe we might not use up all our matching money. More importantly, they’re preparing me for the fact that this year, for the first time in the history of Worldbuilders, our fundraiser might be *smaller* than the previous year.
And I’m not surprised. I don’t follow global economy stuff, but I know people. And I know that since the election, I have felt… devastated. Numb. I am worried for my country, and I am worried for my world.
Pretty much everyone I know feels this way. And many of my friends feel even worse. Less that a week ago, I had a nightmare about nuclear war. My first in 30 years.
This is part of why it’s hard for me to write to you today. How can I infect you with enthusiasm when I’m having trouble finding it myself?
For many of us, it is not easy to be hopeful right now. We hurt. And when we hurt, we curl in on ourselves. It’s natural. Instinctive. It’s an animal reaction to pain.
Charity is the opposite of this. Charity is an act of reaching out.
But where do we find the hope?
* * *
I don’t know how to fix the world. But look at this.
Look at him. Look at how happy he is. And you know why? He has clean water to drink.
Heifer International can give a whole town clean, accessible water.
Know how much it costs to give a community full of children clean water?
* * *
A lot of you have been leaving comments with your donations. These little stories keep me going. They are much-needed injections of hope in a time when I need to be reminded that people are good. I can’t thank you all enough for this, (and I hope you all win fabulous prizes in our lottery.)
Let me share a few. Here’s one from Josephine:
I just want to say THANK YOU PAT, for opening my eyes to how EASY it is to make a great difference in other people’s lives, even as a poor student, whose bank account is below 0 every month, just by giving just a little bit – I will forgo the Christmas shopping and instead do homemade gifts.
From Melissa:
I’m broke. Like, really, really broke. But I have food and shelter, so some of my money is going to help someone else who needs help.
And there are some that make me smile a big, foolish, joyful smile, like Julia’s:
I am 10 years old and this is my first time donating to WorldBuilders. It is such a nice thing to do. I really wanted to use my own money to buy a family an animal.
I see see a lot of you feel the same way I do, like Paul:
Thanks for keeping positivity and hope in this world. The country is a little short on both right now.
Like Benjamin:
Doubling what I had planned to donate because I’m frustrated with recent events and want to push back against the darkness. Thanks for being a force for good!
And people like Alyssa make me cry:
Yesterday I was reading The Name of the Wind from inside the adult ward of a mental health facility. Three days ago, I genuinely had no will to live. Today, my partner led me home, and we’re donating a goat to a family that will use it well. My heart is brimming with gratitude. Thank you, World builders, for giving us the opportunity to help. Thanks to Pat for the gift of your words.
* * *
I sometimes write about a girl. This girl is alone, living in darkness, working tirelessly to make the world better, one small piece at a time. The darkness constantly surrounds her. But she keeps working, even on bad days, and she always brings her own light.
She is braver than I am. And better. And she never gives up.
So. It’s Giving Tuesday.
pat