Bitches Get Stitches

yesterday was quite a ride.

i thought the fact that i gave myself a month of planning this time around would make it less stressful. it wasn’t. if anything, it just meant more pressure to do well, to at least match last year’s total (with vain hopes of far surpassing it) it’s like adding a part time job to one’s life. i will say, however, it’s given me an insight into the world of fundraising, promotion, cross-promotion, business, and all that kind of stuff.

i mean, it wasn’t as tough as last year in that i didn’t have to ‘cold call’ people to help, and i have enough friend in the biz that i knew at least i’d get some great prizes to donate. but it was interesting to see who’ll actually return your email, and who won’t, who’ll tell you ‘no, we’re not interested in helping’ and who just ignores you completely, who won’t respond to your email, but then still help promote on the day without even letting you know! it was also interesting to see who’s voice prompted the most traffic, whose readers are the most generous, and which kinds of people are the ones who care the most.

i’m way into tracking my stats
and there were some interesting ones this time around.

for instance.

this year there was a lot of international support,
with donations made from people in the u.s., canada, the uk, sweden, and the federated states of micronesia!
(i admit to having to look that up.
they’re islands near australia)

this year, more than 7% of visitors made a donation whereas
only 2.5% of people who visited the site made a donation last year.

but that number is tempered by the fact that
i got roughly 45% less traffic to the site this year,
even with all the extra promotion people provided.
(maybe because it was a saturday?)

but! there were 50% more people that actually make a donation.

last year i had a lot of $100+ donations,
whereas this year i had many between $1-$10.
most of those people were either on a tight budget,
but a good 5% of donations came from people who were unemployed!
$10 from a person with no income? that’s generosity!

this year, almost every single email included an apology for not being able to donate more, even if they were donating over $100. all of those apologies came from women. the mind reels.

last year, an official count from the pittsburgh aids task force confirmed that we raised $4,765.00 with around $100 going to other hiv testing centers as well, making a grand total of ~$4865.00.

this year, based on the numbers people gave me in their emails, pledges for matching donations from people’s employers, and a couple donations going to other hiv testing centers we raised, $4979.40 (the 40¢ cracks me up). while i wanted to make it to a solid $5000.00, i still beat last year’s number! and got a lot more people involved.

what matters is that we raised enough money to pay for roughly 122 rapid hiv tests. that’s the only number i care about.

not too shabby for day’s work, eh?

now i’m off to consult the random number generator, and email the winners. keep your eyes on your inboxes, bitches!

edit: all winners have been notified. have you checked your inbox? thanks to everyone who donated!

sorry but the giveaway is now closed! but even though entries are no longer being accepted, if you still want to make a donation, please go here and then send me an email so i can add it to the grand total

thanks to everyone who helped me out.
this was amazing.
now, to bed!

(results will be posted tomorrow)

****************************************************************

today is world aids day.

here are some statistics about hiv & aids:

-33.4 million people are currently living with hiv/aids.

-more than 25 million people have died of aids worldwide since the first cases were reported in 1981.

-in the united states, more than one million people are living with hiv.

-and 1 in 5 (20%) of people living with hiv is unaware of their infection.

it’s that last one that i find scary and unacceptable, and why places like the lansing area aids network are so important. they provide free, confidential testing with results in 20 minutes and provide resources for people with hiv that have nowhere else to go.

last year, my last-minute, hair-brained idea turned into a real live fundraiser that raised nearly $5000 dollars for my former local hiv testing center, the pittsburgh aids task force. if my little voice on the internet could get people to be so generous, how could i not try again this year?

and so i give you
the bitches get stitches world aids day project – take two

with the help of many generous sponsors,
i have a total of 39 prizes to give away to you, my lovelies,
in order to help raise money for the lansing area aids network.
every $40 we raise means one more person can find out their hiv status in a safe, confidential, and professional environment at no cost to them.

wanna to help me out?
and get your hands on this loot?

the how:
1. click this link to visit the lansing area aids network website and make a donation via paypal. the suggested minimum donation is $40, the cost of one rapid hiv test. however, i know $40 is a lot money for a lot of people (myself included). since i don’t want to discourage anyone from making a donation they can afford, all donations will be accepted, even if it’s only $1.

2. shoot me an email at bgsworldaidsdayproject@gmail.com to let me know you made a donation and the amount you donated (just so i can tally the total). the details of your personal information and donation amount will be kept completely confidential.

3. winners will be chosen at random. it could be you!

the fine bold print:
*entries will only be accepted on world aids day itself (dec 1st)! this means 12:00am – 11:59pm is your 24 hour window to make a donation and send me an email to be entered to win some loot. i’m in the eastern standard time zone here people, so my giveaway is too!

sound like a plan?

donate bitches!

p.s. see that share button below? use it!

hello all.
as you may recall,
last year, in one day,
with less than two weeks of planning,
and only a french bulldog intern to help me organize,
we raised just under $5000 for the pittsburgh aids task force.

this year,
i’m starting earlier
and have decided to help the lansing area aids network since,
based on their services, it seems like they might need the cash more.
plus, this is where i live now.

the success of last year’s fundraiser i owe entirely to the many sponsors who donated awesome prizes for me to giveaway on the blog. without them, there would be no fundraiser. so this is my open call to people with yarn businesses (or individual knitters with an awesome stash) who’d like to sponsor this year’s world aids day project.

what i’m looking for:
1. prizes that retail around $40 or above since a rapid hiv test costs around $40. (of course i’m totally open to all donations).
2. anyone interested in helping me with advertising around the time of the event, itself. this might entail simulblogging, or if any of you ravelry folks read this, can ya help a knitter out?

so if you’re interested in being a sponsor
or know someone in a yarn company who might be interested,
shoot me an email at bgsworldaidsdayproject AT gmail DOT com

edit: because a few people have asked this is how this works – people donate money to the charity i’m sponsoring. they are entered to win one of the prizes the sponsors provide. 100% of the money raised goes directly to charity. i get $0 for doing this fundraiser (though last year i did get a plate and thank you note from the pittsburgh aids task force).

i have to give it to you people;
that 24 hours was fraking exhausting.
there were 94 entrants in the giveaway,
and the winners have been notified.

if i had tried to do this on my own, there’s no way i would have raised nearly the amount of money that we did. i’m not deluded; this was a total communal effort. without the sponsors and promotion by folks with two twitter followers to some of the knitterati who have thousands, none of this would have been possible without the help of all the people who worked to create a mini internet media blitz.

and this is really your doing,
you folks who donated the $10 you could spare
and some very generous folks who dropped some benjamins.
you all made it rain, and, according to my calculations,
we raised $4570.00 for the pittsburgh aids task force.

edit: according jennifer at the pittsburgh aids task, there were 99 donations and we actually raised a grand total of $4,765!

that’s equivalent to approximately 114 119 rapid hiv tests.
there were lots of sneaky folks who donated but didn’t tell me.

not bad for a day’s fundraising.

now i’m off for some finals reclusion,
but i’ll try to pop my head up occasionally.

later, bitches.

sorry but the giveaway is now closed! but if you still want to make a donation, please go here and then send me an email so i can add it to the grand total

thanks to everyone who helped me out.
this was amazing.
now, to bed!

(results will be posted tomorrow)
***************************************************
today is world aids day.

here are some statistics about hiv & aids:

-33.4 million people are currently living with hiv/aids

-more than 25 million people have died of aids worldwide since the first cases were reported in 1981

-according to the world health organization, most people living with hiv or at risk for hiv do not have access to prevention, care, and treatment, and there is still no cure

which is why the pittsburgh aids task force is such an important resource. in 20 minutes or less you can find out your status free of charge. they also provide support groups, emergency funds, and medical and comprehensive case management for people living with hiv/aids.

getting an hiv test for the first time was one the most frightening experiences of my life. looking back on it, i think most of my fear came from ignorance about hiv. i feel like i knew the basics, but that did nothing to overcome the visceral reaction i felt, a feeling stemming from the stigma in our country about hiv and aids.

i remember when i was growing up, they were constantly talking about hiv on television, but no one seems to be talking about it anymore. and yet the need for places like the pittsburgh aids task force remain vital for so many people.

that’s why i’m doing this fundraiser; if my little voice on the internet can help people find out their hiv status, or receive treatment if they test positive, it’s my obligation to do everything i can.

and so i give you the bitches get stitches world aids day project.

with the help of many generous sponsors,
i have a total of 25 prizes to give away to you, my lovelies,
in order to help raise money for the pittsburgh aids task force.
every $40 we raise means one more person can find out their hiv status in a safe, confidential, and professional environment at no cost to them.

wanna to help me out?
and get your hands on this loot?

the how:
1. click this link to make a donation at the pittsburgh aids task force. the suggested minimum donation is $20. if $20 is honestly out of your budget, donations in lesser denominations will be accepted.

2. shoot me an email at bgsworldaidsdayproject@gmail.com with your contact information and the amount you donated. the details of your personal information will be kept confidential.

3. winners will be chosen at random. it could be you!

the fine print:
*entries will only be accepted on world aids day itself! this means 12:00am – 11:59pm is your 24 hour window to make a donation and send me an email to be entered to win some loot. i’m in the eastern standard time zone here people, so my giveaway is too!

a surprise prize:
anyone who makes a donation of $100 or more will also be entered for a surprise prize: i will personally knit you a juneberry triangle. you pick the color, i pick the yarn.

so that’s it people.
below is some loot porn for you to drool over,
but make sure you look at the official prize list
just so you know all the possibilities.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

and to my sponsors: words cannot express how much your support means to me. you’ve turned my crazy late-night dream into a reality in under two weeks. i’ve definitely shed some tears of gratitude over that. i mean it.

now let’s raise some money bitches!!!!!

ps see all those little buttons down there that let you share this post on twitter, facebook, etc. use them.