- Admin
- #1
Back in May, I asked everyone to complete a survey about the Department of Community Outreach and possible endeavors we might pursue in the future. In that survey, I asked people to pick their top 2 philanthropy or charity choices. I was hoping to find that some options stood out among the rest. Instead, I discovered that our community is as broad and diverse in their philanthropic choices as we are in life. 
I have also been approached by several members, from different membership groups and levels, wanting the Tower to step up and support something near and dear to their hearts.
So in order to meet the wants of the community, and to give all groups say in what they want to pursue, The Great Charity Hunt has come to be. I hope everyone joins in, has some fun, and does some good for the world -- or their chosen piece of it!
What is the Great Charity Hunt?
The GCH is a year-long philanthropic challenge to the membership groups of TarValon.Net!
It will run from today until October 31, 2021. During this time, membership groups will select a focus that is near and dear to their hearts. All participating groups will work toward supporting their chosen focus throughout the year. At the end of the year, the group that does the most (as determined by the Hall) will rise victorious! You'll feel good, and you'll do good, and it's a win-win.
Groups and Causes
Your "group" is your membership group. That said, we have some membership groups that are small and others that are large. Because of this, 2 groups may join up and compete together. The goal isn't to have a ginormous super-group competing here, but to give small groups a chance, numbers-wise, to even things up. Two groups might also have a shared purpose and want to pursue similar initiatives. Discuss this among your respective groups, and decide what you want to do.
A few caveats:
During this process, the Servant of All team will assist with any requested research and assistance from a what-can-we-do perspective. For example, say your group decides they want to focus on childhood literacy. The SoA team, by request, will help find ways that your group can support this initiative. Some ideas might be donating to Room to Read, reading to kindergarten students at schools (or via Zoom, considering this year
), donating childrens books to a school, or tutoring a struggling reader. I say "by request" because some groups might not want assistance with this. That's perfectly fine! But if you do, our team will be able to help.
We do ask that all groups post a thread in the Servant of All forum to share their focus and let the community know what they are doing. This way, we're sharing and communicating with everyone about what's going on. Your group thread might also give other groups ideas they can use as well. Help each other out; it's all in the pursuit of something good.
The tracking form for efforts is also linked in the Servant of All forum via stickied thread. Whenever your group completes an activity or does something that is a donation of time, money, or goods in pursuit of their cause, fill out the form. This way, we know what you are doing and we can keep track of it throughout the year. Data will be shared throughout the year to tantalize and tease. All data will be shared with the Hall in October 2021 in order for them to decide which group wins.
Feast of Lights
This year's Feast of Lights, rather than focusing on a separate charity, will be a celebration of what our membership groups have chosen to do. Each week (dates TBD) we will focus on promoting and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over group efforts throughout the beginning of winter and the holiday season. Look forward to it!
T-Shirt Fundraiser
Remember that survey I mentioned above? In it, a large percentage of members expressed an interest in buying a T-shirt (or some other sort of merchandise) to support a charity. I get it; I like T-shirts myself.
The beautiful GCH logo (created by @Venric Methalion and @Siera al'Cere) will feature prominently on the T-shirts, available in membership group colors. T-shirts will be sold at a set rate, including shipping, for all members. Any funds raised above and beyond the cost to produce and ship the shirts will be donated to the winning group's cause at the end of the competition. This way, not only are you getting a souvenir to remember this event, but we'll all be kicking in to reward the group that did the most!
Dates and deadlines regarding the T-Shirt Fundraiser will come out in 2021.
Winning Group
The winning group will be determined by the Hall. They will be given all data collected throughout the year, showcasing what groups have done. They will also be given a list of criteria to consider in their assessment of efforts, such as overall funds/hours/donations, percentage of group participants, and the scale and scope of efforts. The list of how efforts will be judged is still under development, simply because I don't know what everyone will do yet. Please, amaze me with your efforts! What you do will shape the metrics by which the Hall will decide.
...I know this was a bit of a massive Wall O' Text. Thank you for taking the time to read it! I will do my best to respond to any questions, comments, and concerns in a timely manner. Let's have some fun, yeah?
If you'd like to help promote endeavors within the community, feel free to use any of the images below. Please save them and re-host them on your own account.
Signatures:
I have also been approached by several members, from different membership groups and levels, wanting the Tower to step up and support something near and dear to their hearts.
So in order to meet the wants of the community, and to give all groups say in what they want to pursue, The Great Charity Hunt has come to be. I hope everyone joins in, has some fun, and does some good for the world -- or their chosen piece of it!
What is the Great Charity Hunt?
The GCH is a year-long philanthropic challenge to the membership groups of TarValon.Net!
It will run from today until October 31, 2021. During this time, membership groups will select a focus that is near and dear to their hearts. All participating groups will work toward supporting their chosen focus throughout the year. At the end of the year, the group that does the most (as determined by the Hall) will rise victorious! You'll feel good, and you'll do good, and it's a win-win.Groups and Causes
Your "group" is your membership group. That said, we have some membership groups that are small and others that are large. Because of this, 2 groups may join up and compete together. The goal isn't to have a ginormous super-group competing here, but to give small groups a chance, numbers-wise, to even things up. Two groups might also have a shared purpose and want to pursue similar initiatives. Discuss this among your respective groups, and decide what you want to do.
A few caveats:
- All Citizens and Junior Members will be united under @Serinia Edoras, Amyrlin Seat...of all and none. She has volunteered to lead this group of members throughout this competition.
- If you end up not liking whatever focus your group chooses, that's okay. Anything you do as an individual counts for your group.
- selected focus for an individual group
- notification of your group joining with another group for this competition, along with your chosen focus
- any requests for help or assistance in either finding a group to join with (if your group desires) or help in selecting a focus
During this process, the Servant of All team will assist with any requested research and assistance from a what-can-we-do perspective. For example, say your group decides they want to focus on childhood literacy. The SoA team, by request, will help find ways that your group can support this initiative. Some ideas might be donating to Room to Read, reading to kindergarten students at schools (or via Zoom, considering this year
), donating childrens books to a school, or tutoring a struggling reader. I say "by request" because some groups might not want assistance with this. That's perfectly fine! But if you do, our team will be able to help.We do ask that all groups post a thread in the Servant of All forum to share their focus and let the community know what they are doing. This way, we're sharing and communicating with everyone about what's going on. Your group thread might also give other groups ideas they can use as well. Help each other out; it's all in the pursuit of something good.
The tracking form for efforts is also linked in the Servant of All forum via stickied thread. Whenever your group completes an activity or does something that is a donation of time, money, or goods in pursuit of their cause, fill out the form. This way, we know what you are doing and we can keep track of it throughout the year. Data will be shared throughout the year to tantalize and tease. All data will be shared with the Hall in October 2021 in order for them to decide which group wins.
Feast of Lights
This year's Feast of Lights, rather than focusing on a separate charity, will be a celebration of what our membership groups have chosen to do.
Each week (dates TBD) we will focus on promoting and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over group efforts throughout the beginning of winter and the holiday season. Look forward to it!T-Shirt Fundraiser
Remember that survey I mentioned above? In it, a large percentage of members expressed an interest in buying a T-shirt (or some other sort of merchandise) to support a charity. I get it; I like T-shirts myself.
The beautiful GCH logo (created by @Venric Methalion and @Siera al'Cere) will feature prominently on the T-shirts, available in membership group colors. T-shirts will be sold at a set rate, including shipping, for all members. Any funds raised above and beyond the cost to produce and ship the shirts will be donated to the winning group's cause at the end of the competition. This way, not only are you getting a souvenir to remember this event, but we'll all be kicking in to reward the group that did the most!Dates and deadlines regarding the T-Shirt Fundraiser will come out in 2021.
Winning Group
The winning group will be determined by the Hall. They will be given all data collected throughout the year, showcasing what groups have done. They will also be given a list of criteria to consider in their assessment of efforts, such as overall funds/hours/donations, percentage of group participants, and the scale and scope of efforts. The list of how efforts will be judged is still under development, simply because I don't know what everyone will do yet. Please, amaze me with your efforts! What you do will shape the metrics by which the Hall will decide.
...I know this was a bit of a massive Wall O' Text. Thank you for taking the time to read it! I will do my best to respond to any questions, comments, and concerns in a timely manner. Let's have some fun, yeah?
If you'd like to help promote endeavors within the community, feel free to use any of the images below. Please save them and re-host them on your own account.
Signatures:
